This whole blogging thing isn’t a silly side gig. Today I’m sharing why blogging is important.
For some reason that I’ll never understand, a lot of people in the wonderful world of academia tend to hate bloggers.
Maybe not hate-hate, but they certainly don’t take blogs seriously.
Because apparently, if you’re not published in some fancy-pants journal, your work isn’t important.
Makes sense, right?!
Well, no. No it doesn’t.
So in response to all the blogger-haters out there, here are a couple reasons why blogs are awesome and should be given all the credit they deserve.
1. IT Allows for Thinking at All Levels
No, you don’t need to have a PhD to have a thought process. Brains, people! Everyone has one! So to believe that only those who somehow publish their thoughts in a journal or a book are entitled to USE their brains, is wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
The awesome thing about blogs is that so many people with different perspectives get to provide insight on various issues. I mean, even kids (so long as they know how to type) can give their two cents on any given topic. And we ought to listen to what they have to say. Because blogging allows for us to learn from ANYONE, really.
You don’t need to be rich to blog. You don’t have to be the CEO of a company. You don’t have to have 53,000 Twitter followers. And you don’t have to have 5 diplomas hanging on your wall. If you have thoughts, you’re able to put them out there. And I think that this diversity in ideas and in thought patterns is absolutely invaluable.
2. IT Creates the Opportunity for Oh-So-Important Dialogue
You know that wonderful little box at the end of most blogs that lets you comment on what you’ve read? Well, it’s kind of the bomb. Because comment boxes allow us to engage in dialogue.
Communication… Something that a lot of people these days are forgetting how to participate in.
While I’m not knocking journals and books, I think that blogs do provide additional value in that they allow for readers to reflect on things that they’ve read, and then engage in that dialogue immediately. Sometimes readers disagree with what they’ve read. Sometimes readers love it! Sometimes readers decide to share their own experiences, and like #1, this allows for various shared perspectives.
So yes, I’m definitely a fan of the comment box!
3. Real-Time Analyses of Situations
This one’s easy. Things are always happening. There are issues and problems and conferences that people are attending and new thoughts that are being introduced every. single. minute. of every day.
And while yes, it’s great if you can talk about these things in a fancy-pants journal, here’s the problem…
Journals and books take SO LONG to publish.
With blogs, you don’t have to wait.
You can experience/witness something and open your laptop, write, and publish. All of this in less than 15 mins. Heck- you can even do it from your phone these days! You don’t even need a computer.
And in this society that we live in…where we want updates and information 24/7…blogs definitely help us stay up-to-date on recent happenings.
4. Easy, Simple, and FREE Disbursement of Knowledge!
Maybe you catch up on all your favorite blogs first thing in the morning. Maybe you do it on your lunch break. Regardless, throughout the day, you’re bound to come across a post that you absolutely love…something you know is worth sharing.
Now with a book or a journal, you can see something you like and you can recommend that your friends check it out, but it requires time and money and energy…which let’s face it… few people have these days.
But blogs are amazing because you can share thoughts and ideas in like 2.5 seconds! You see something you want to share? AWESOME! Grab the link. Copy. Paste. Post on Facebook. Post on Twitter. Send link via text, etc. Some blogs have made it so easy that you just need to click a button.
So yea, I don’t know about you, but I’m all about free knowledge. And if it’s simple and easy to access, even better.
5. Connections All Over the World
When I’m chatting with someone from New Zealand, that’s pretty freaking awesome! I mean, I don’t travel often (since I’m poor), yet it’s such a great experience to be able to connect with people from all over the world. Not only is it super-cool, but connecting with industry professionals who happen to live on different continents is also a great opportunity to expand your network. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll find yourself in New Zealand, unemployed, and the many connections you’ve made over the years will provide you with opportunities that may otherwise not have been possible.
So, that’s it! Let’s stop hating blogs. Let’s stop hating bloggers. Because we all have something to contribute. And we don’t lose anything by gaining additional perspectives.
Books on blogging I highly recommend:
- Building A Framework
- Blog, Inc.
- Creative, Inc.
- How To Blog For Profit Without Selling Your Soul
- 365 Blog Topic Ideas: For The Lifestyle Blogger Who Has Nothing To Write About
- #GirlBoss
- Leave Your Mark: Land Your Dream Job, Kill It In Your Career, Rock Social Media
- Crush It
- Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook
- Thrive
Books to help you deal with your twenties:
- 101 Secrets For Your Twenties
- Life After College
- The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter & How To Make The Most of Them
- Adulting: How To Become A Grown Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps
- All Groan Up: Searching For Self, Faith, and A Freaking Job!
Other stuff you might like:
- Generation Y Redefines Success
- How To Be Rich in Your Twenties
- The 5 Most Valuable Lessons Grad School Taught Me
- Pursue a Lifestyle, Not a Job
- Why It’s Okay to Be Excited About the Awesome Stuff You’re Doing
- Why We Need to Get Over Our Fear of Rejection
- Don’t Wait, Be Happy Now
- The 5 Best Investments You Can Make in College
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Love the part about expanding your network, I’ve never thought about it that way! Plus, you’re so on point about the turnaround time! Blogging gets it out there so fast and who doesn’t love that?
-Callie
Absolutely. Though, I do need to get a hang of the entire process, in Practice.
Yeah! Well said, Kayla!! 🙂
I love this post! I agree with all you said.
Starting a blog was one of the best decisions I’ve made. It helped me not only to share my opinions and advice with others, but also to get to know other writers who happen to be amazing and inspirational people. Never imagined I’d enjoy it that much.
Reblogged this on I write about things and you read them and commented:
Blogging is very important and I think people who take time to put words into the world should be respected. Even if we don’t write for some big time web magazine!
Loved this. A few people have been hating on the fact that I’ve started blogging but it’s a great medium to explore topics, get quick information and it’s so easy to share via other platforms.
Vanessa x
http://vanessaaalexandraa.wordpress.com
Well written, I love this post. We wanted to invite you to view our private blog if you want to? Request access if you like at http://manyofus1980.com/ hugs
Absolutely positively. But since they’re opinions generally they don’t count as “credible” sources.
Love your first point – so true.
Tots agree on 3! Especially after working in an environment that is highly academic-oriented (and rewarding the higher your graduate education is) and seeing how people with less education are not being taken seriously because of pure ignorance and lack of respect. Sometimes publishing should not take forever but only be a few clicks away. Especially when it comes to opinionated writing.
Reblogged this on Speak Through Your Heart and Your Mind Will Follow and commented:
This makes a lot of sense
I completely agree with every statement. I actually am a kid, so the first point really related to me (I guess anyone under 18 y/o is a kid in your perspective)
I agree. I’ve met some pretty awesome ppl just by reading their blogs because they talk about stuff I’m interested in. I also take most of the things I talk about in my daily life from what I read on blogs. When I say, “They say” I’m really talking about my friends that I read the blogs of 🙂 And yes, now that I’m reading your blog we’re friends =^_^=
Love it!
Excellent points! I have connected with so many new people by reading, sharing and commenting on blogs! It is also a way for me to read so many different view points with a click of my mouse!
Awesome post, I totally agree w/ all your valid points.
Reblogged this on Chels in Wonderland.
My thoughts exactly. Their impatience with bloggers and anyone who has to live in the real world is one reason I get impatient with academics sometimes. Especially the ones who stand in front of the classroom and act like the students don’t know what they’re talking about when the students might have more real life experience.
Admiring the hard work you put into your site and detailed information you present.
It’s great to come across a blog every once in a
while that isn’t the same old rehashed material.
Great read! I’ve saved your site and I’m including your RSS
feeds to my Google account.
I love it! Blogging is still such a new phenomenon that people are not quite used to it’s awesomeness. One thing you mentioned that I try to drive home with my clients is this notion of “Free Information”to give to your community. People who follow you want anything that is free. If you can bring meaning to their day with a short snip of a blog, well then, I would say you have made a substantial impact on our world! Thanks for the free info. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Great post and oh so true, the blog is the trusted medium these days rather than the press, i always search blogs for an opinion of review as I trust them more x
Amen and amen. I think your last point is the most important to me. When I graduated from high school and stayed home for a year to work, write a novel, and save for travel – I felt alone. All my friends were marching off to college. I wasn’t sure if there was anyone doing the same thing as me. Through blogging I met like minded christian post homeschool girls who were staying home to write and understood what I was going through. Now that seems like quite a small niche, but I can’t tell you how comforting it was to be able to commiserate with people who actually understood what I was going through.
Now blogging is a way for me to connect to other travelers and study abroad students. I don’t know what I would do without the blogging community. Just one of the many many benefits of blogging!
Totally, been blogging for years. You meet and get to truly know many wonderful people with diverse ideas.