What is Blogging? Why You Should Blog

As a Jamaican Blogger, I began wondering ‘what is blogging?’ only after I wrote my first post in notes on my phone, started up a site and then published. I didn’t read any blogs, except my husband’s soccer blog on the regular. That was nearly five years ago. The local blogging community has since grown but it is still relatively small compared to other regions and a good number of them are scarcely updated or completely dormant. Having loved it more than I thought I would, and I feel it’s only right to put my thoughts down in a way that’s useful. I wrote a blog post on Blogging: What You Should Know Before You Start, so I think it’s only right I follow up with what blogging is and reasons you should do it.

Blogging can be a very relaxing pass-time, especially so for me as an introvert who masquerades as an extrovert. it has allowed me re-discovery of a love and passion for writing. Something long tucked away from my teenage years as ‘just a hobby‘ and a ‘non-option‘ career-wise. But it can also be more than that. People blog for different reasons, including personal documentation, as a marketing strategy (content marketing), etc. The blogging industry is estimated to be worth more than $400 billion at the end of 2020. Not bad, huh?

What is blogging, anyway?

A blog is an online journal or informational website displaying information in reverse chronological order, with the latest posts appearing first, at the top. It is a platform where a writer or a group of writers share their views on an individual subject. Blogging is writing, photography and other media posted online Blogs are usually self-published and different types of blogs have varying purposes. Blogging pretty much began as an opportunity for individuals to write journal-style entries and share them with others.

Some Popular Types of Blogs

1. Personal

Personal blogs are the forerunners of the blogging industry. They engineered the path to blogging as a form of documentation and sharing. They can be about anything; cover the blogger’s hobbies, passions, political views, or a cause or topic close them. My own blog started out as a personal blog. Much if it continues to be.

2. Business

Blogs oriented toward businesses are called business blogs. Topics are industry specific, fore example, started blogging for my business when I just started out. I am a business plan expert and blogged about business writing and business plans. That traffic converted into clients that was a catalyst for business growth and industry authority.

3. Niche

There are also Niche blogs that target specific topics instead of covering a set of different topics. For example Blogging, Fashion, Travel, Parenting, etc. my blog is now a lifestyle blog, covering several niche topics like relationship and home, marriage, motherhood, blogging and entrepreneurship.

Why You Should Start Blogging in 2021

This is the million-dollar question, that I mentioned in this blog post. Your why is important, but there are other reasons to blog that you may not have considered. The blogging industry is worth millions of dollars and there are now more than 600 million blogs on the internet in 2020. That number is expected to reach 1 billion soon. Twenty years ago, there were only twenty-three blogs. Blogging isn’t going anywhere, and people will always be looking for information and entertainment. While the market is saturated, if you are willing to put in the work, there are benefits to be had. So here are five reasons really good reasons you should start blogging in 2021.

• Tell/Document your story
• Engineer career/lifetime opportunities
• Make Money
• Meet new people
• Grow your business

Do you have a blog? Do you enjoy it? What are some of the reasons you blog? Tell me about your blog or plans to blog and share the details in the comments.

Xo, Shandean

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