The Fine Art of Blogging: Rewards That Money Can't Buy
June 9th 2007 23:01
There are several reasons why I engage in the fine art of blogging. The first, I suspect, is one I share with most other bloggers: I love to write. I relish the process of taking a thought — formless, intangible, invisible, and abstract — and, through the magic of the writer’s art, transforming that ethereal entity into present visual reality, perceptible to both eye and mind. I simply adore creating a polished stream of prose — vibrant … flowing … elegant … pointed … potent. I delight in watching the words, sentences, and paragraphs gradually, magically fill the page and imagining the ways in which they will affect the hearts and minds and lives of those who read them.
Blogging fulfills these intellectual cravings by giving me the opportunity to luxuriate in my love for the written word while nurturing my need for self-expression. And though blogging as an art can at times seem somewhat less refined than other prose forms, it needn’t be. Yet, refinement isn’t really the point. Whatever style a given blogger chooses — whether formal, polished, graceful, and elaborate, or casual, utilitarian, straightforward, and unadorned — that individual, through sharing a bit of his or her personal knowledge, experience, insight, and expertise — of his or her inner self — is nonetheless capable of eliciting from the reader an emotional response, of creating an inner connection … an almost-magical rapport. And that is part of the magnetic appeal of blogging…
… Which brings me to the second reason why I blog …
I blog because I love people! People are what life is all about! Relationships are everything! Connecting with others in good, positive, mutually satisfying ways is truly one of life’s most rewarding experiences! Blogging gives me the amazing opportunity — unheard of before the advent of the internet — to interact daily with a wide variety of wonderful, witty, fascinating, and friendly people that I could never meet any other way!
The individuals we meet through blogging are truly a gift — providing insight, inspiration, encouragement, and appreciation for our literary efforts on their behalf and urging us forward in our desire to let the best parts of ourselves shine through in our writing! (Of course, there are those who are otherwise; yet, happily, they are in the minority.)
Through their comments, our blogs’ readers provide much-needed and much-appreciated feedback in the form of reassuring moral support or stimulating intellectual challenge. They offer valuable opinions and previously unconsidered viewpoints to freshen our outlook and help shape our future approach to a topic or to writing in general — all of which are invaluable to us in the development of our craft! By maintaining open, honest, yet good-natured communication with our readers — and our fellow bloggers — we discover that the shared connections thus forged invigorate our writing, breathing new life into our prose and further fueling our inner drive to speak into the lives of those for whom we write.
My third reason for blogging is related to my second: I blog because I love to share. Giving of oneself to others carries its own unique and often unexpected reward. It far surpasses any return that might result from simply sitting back and taking — though there are, of course, times when this, too, has its place. It was once said, by the One who understood and lived the principle far better than anyone else ever has, that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” This is a principle I continually strive to practice in ever-increasing measure in my own life. And blogging just happens to provide one perfect opportunity to do so!
I do this by sharing information I’ve gathered, lessons I’ve learned, markets I’ve found, links I’ve run across, and tips I’ve picked up through my own experience—in general, anything that might make another writer’s life a little easier, smoother, happier, more productive, or more successful. This is one reason my blog’s outgoing links outnumber its incoming links by a fairly wide margin. I’m quite generous when it comes to giving recommendations for the websites, blogs, and writings of others, never requiring a reciprocal link to my site in exchange for providing one for another writer’s site — though always happily accepting reciprocal links when they come my way! I’m a firm believer that any gift I’ve been given was meant to be shared and not simply hoarded for myself — no matter what the search engine algorithms may say.
The final reason I blog is that I love to help. At first glance, this reason might appear identical to my third reason; but, while sharing and helping are similar and there is certainly some overlap between them, I would submit that there is a distinction. Sharing implies the generous distribution of something of value to others; and while this can certainly be one aspect of helping, helping can consist of so much more. Helping is actively working to meet a need in whatever way may be necessary. We might think of sharing as giving to meet a need and helping as working to meet a need.
Anything I can do to help my blog’s readers is something I’ll consider — and I will often go out of my way for a reader. Yet, I feel that this is the least I can do for someone who chooses to read my blog over all the thousands of other blogs they might read instead. After all, I’d want another writer to do the same for me — and this is a second principle gleaned through the wisdom of the One whose life I seek to emulate, who said, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” This doesn’t mean that I expect anything in return for my efforts, but simply that I treat my readers the same way I’d want to be treated.
So, even though blogging has brought me zero monetary returns and requires a great deal of time, concentration, energy, and effort; these factors are inconsequential when compared to the other rewards it offers — because those are the rewards that money can’t buy.
Why do you blog?
Jeanne
Note: This post was written in response to an open invitation to other bloggers, by Diogenes, at Quasi Fictional, to share our thoughts and views on the "Fine Art of Blogging." To learn more about the project--or to become involved in it--you may use the above link to Dio's blog.
Did you enjoy this post? Don't leave me lonely--Please comment!
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Comment by David
Why do I blog?
One day, I thought a bit of extra income would be a good thing.
(The service assistants at the bottle-shop and tobacconist don't just give their products away. I have to pay for them).
Orble advertised to pay "writers" for blogging. It's a "scholarship" thingy, I think. Something about impressing them with your writing skills, or being worthy of payment. Can't remember now.
So I joined.
Why do I still blog on Orble?
A few reasons.
1. The business and 'corprate' world is full of false promises, and wankers and tossers? I'm resigned to that?
2. No-one has succeeded in getting rid of me completely yet? Regardless of how hard they've tried?
3. I get a sadistic kick out of certain Bloggers attempts to do so?
4. It's a bit of a diversion from serious writing? The type of writing that gets published and produced in the real world? (Something a lot of Bloggers only dream of?).
5. I enjoy being silly on the net? It's all it deserves?
5. Some of the women on Orble are hotter than the ones on Adult Sex Sites. Some of them have bodies to match their brains?
Nup. No idea why I blog.
I did my best. That's all I can do.
David ....
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
I never cease to be amazed by just how many different motivations there can be for blogging! You've presented a few I hadn't heard before!
Cheers!
Jeanne
Comment by Anonymous
I thought I had commented on your blog before, but I don't have an Orble tag and I don't see any way to put my name. So hope this goes through.
Great post and great reasons to blog.
Lillie Ammann
Comment by Diogenes
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks so much for stopping by and also for your kind words about my post! It's great to hear from you!
As for the Orble tag, I believe that, if you simply enter your name into that field, it will be displayed when your comment is published. You may even be able to put in your home page and have it displayed, though I'm not sure about that. To play it safe you can always post a link to your blog within your comment--or at least the name of your blog.
Take care!
Jeanne
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks for the compliment! I appreciate it! I've e-mailed a copy of the post to you, and you may put it on Quasi Fictional anytime you'd like.
Thanks again!
Jeanne
Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
It is a separate thing to other things that I do and breaks up the monotony of life.
Also I am like a mongrel dog. I am marking out my territory. Other mongrels sniff lampposts and fire hydrants and know where I've been.
Writing like all the pursuits requires practice, so I practice.
Also I get to try different things in a public forum and see if they work. If the post bombs, no problem because I have a secret identity. No one will ever know it was me.
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
It's amazing how much one can learn by tacking a simple question on to the end of a blog post!
I totally agree with you that blogging does make life interesting! And, as you say, it can also be a fantastic way to practice our writing skills. I would agree, as well, that there's nothing like testing our writing in a public forum to see what kind of response it receives!
Thanks for your input!
Jeanne
Comment by Yvonne Russell
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Great to see you!
Jeanne