Blogs - 8 Cool Things About Them

SHOULD I CHOOSE A BLOG OR A TRADITIONAL WEBSITE?
Let's first start with some of the positive things about blogs. In the beginning blogs were viewed as a personal diary - this is not the case anymore, although there are blogs written about personal aspects of one life. Blogs are nowadays, full of VALUABLE information - and it's important to stress the value in the word 'Valuable' - a blog is NOT a place where one would write nonsense and fill it with scammed articles - as like this the blog won't last too long. People don't like going to blogs to read about this product and that, unless it's professional reviews and there is also other valuable information where the reader can benefit from.

LET'S NOW REVIEW 8 COOL THINGS ABOUT BLOGS:
1. they are alive In the sense, that unlike traditional website which are static, blogs are changing all the time - depending on how often the 'author' updates his/her blog. Once there is always valuable information being added to a blog, readers keep coming to the blog to read the lastest post, they will even subscribe to the feed, leave comments, and so on - and eventually the 'author' is viewed as the-person-to-go-to in his / her niche.
2. blogs are interactive I write a post, someone leaves a comment, I comment back, another person leaves a comment, I comment back, and on and on it goes. With blogs there is a communication going on and a sense of something 'alive' behind the computer screen, which with traditional websites this could not be done. And people LOVE leaving and reading comments, especially when the 'author' comments back. I have seen blogs where the post was written 3 years back and people are still leaving comments. The more comments one has, the more the blog is viewed as professional and the 'author' as an expert, because it's the way people psychologically think.
3. posts are placed in an 'archive' Your posts will still be accessible and 'pulled' by the search engines when someone researches one of your keywords - even years on. So all the hard work that one puts into writing articles will not die after a few days or months. Moreover, the posts on the blog are in a sense archived, and a reader can easily access these posts through a search box, or by means of date or category through the blog. So although on the home page of your blog there might only be a few posts, at the back there is a ton of information that can be easily accessible. Therefore, one can spend hours on end on a good blog.
4. easy to create & update. Another positive things about blogs is that one does not need to know any html or special computer 'language', to be able to create a blog. Nowadays it's so easy to build a blog and to update it regularly.Now, to make it clear I favour a self-hoste blog where you own the blog, as opposed to a blog where you have no control over it because it is hosted somewhere else. Although building such a blog (self-hosted) takes a bit more time and determination, it's worth the effort, knowing that you can fully customize it how you want and that you own it. In addition, it is very easy to add pictures, links to social media accounts, videos, audio recordings, recorded training calls, shopping carts, forums, ...
5. your blog is your voice. The blogger or 'author' has total control on what information to give out and what kind of message he / she wants to pass on to his / her readers. Morevoer, the blogger usually chooses a topic that she / he wants to write about - usually a blog revolves around 1 topic, and the blogger also chooses whether to blog as a hobby, part-time or as a professional - the difference being the amount of articles posted per week, the amount of time spent on the blog each week, and hence how much money is to be earned from the blog.
6. can be a stand-alone business. Full-time bloggers decide to blog professionally and earn an income from blogging. There are many ways in which one can monetize one's blog - look out for another article dealing with 'Monetizing Your Blog'.
7. can supplement an existing offline business. Creating a blog can help your company be regarded as a thought leader within your industry. Moreover, any prospective clients can easily read your blog, interact, and can eventually purchase products and / or services from you.
8. blogs can improve your career. Through your blog, and hence a greater visibility, you can experience positive changes in your career and business, and build a reputation for leadership in your particular industry.

THE VERY FEW DISADVANTAGES THAT I CAN THINK OF
1. one has to commit. If you want your readers to keep coming back for more, there needs to be articles or other type of information posted regularly for them to read, as otherwise your blog will die a slow sure death. Depending on your purpose of blogging, should be a clear indication of how often you should post a new article. I recommend, at least 2 posts weekly - or you can go down the route of having a 'solid' post weekly, and other small supporting articles the rest of the week.
2. too personal. One has to balance out what to write. Some people keep it strictly business, although a lot of readers like reading blogs because it makes the blogger human - so some might decide to put in a bit of personal information. One has to be prudent and realistic what information to place on one's blog - you don't want your reputation, business or career to be put in jeopardy.
3. hot topics. Same goes for controversial and radical topics - one has to weigh really well what to write about. It's ok to place your opinion about someone or something, but remember too much negativity will after a while get boring, and a blog can be potentially viewed by 1.6 billion people.
4. too much spam. I bring up this subject again, as it could easily be the difference between having a good blog with many readers and subscribers, or having a 'ghost' blog. People search the net for valuable information - the more 'free' value you can provide your readers, the more they will keep visiting. Then once you build a relationship and you are viewed as an 'expert' in your field, then you can start looking for ways to monetize your blog.








Claire Morawski wrote an article about the 8 cool things of blogging to help people like you to improve your personal, financial and career growth by understanding the benefits of starting your own self-hosted blog.
If you are ready to take over the blogoshpere, and would like to create your own professional blog, then gain access to Claire Morawski's Training, where you will be taught in easy-to-follow steps how to create your own self-hosted blog.