Why blog?
Wow! I really opened a can of worms in my head when I asked myself that question.
Because I can?
Because it's there?
Because everybody else is?
I lead me on to think about the many billions of blogs out there. Most of the blogs I am familiar with are to do with crafting, art or creating stuff.
But there are all sorts - travel blogs, foodie blogs, political blogs, financial blogs etc etc and many more, I'm sure that I have no idea about.
There are more blogs out there than we will ever need!
So why me? And why you?
I guess I started blogging as an extension of my on-line business.
Over on etsy (where I have 3 shops now!) we're told that you can't just load you items in your shop and expect them to sell - oh, no - you have to promote yourself.
"Have a blog", they said - those gurus of the etsy forums.
Let people see the person behind the goods, let them get to know you - "connect with your customers".
And so we all rushed over to blogger or wordpress or wherever and blogged our hearts out.
But was anybody reading our blogs?
Why would anybody read our blogs?
We networked and read other people's blogs and we commented like crazy!
We joined memes.
We joined blog rings and jumped through hoops!
Why do we continue to blog in this world of 140 character grabs, flickr photos, facebook friends, and tumblr (plus no doubt many more I have no concept of!)?
Here's what I have gathered.
1. Blogging can be the centrepiece of all your on-line marketing and your social media activities.
2. You can explain more about yourself and your creative processes. you can post works in progress and get those appetites whetted.
3. You can share.
You can share tutorials, display ideas, successes and failures.
4. The posts you write are enduring. Facebook and twitter scroll through pretty quickly and if you want to find something again is pretty much impossible.
You can refer back to blog posts or refer others to them.
5. You can use photos to tell your story - a picture tells a thousand words so they say.
" Ok, you say you can have photos on facebook too". But on your blog you can post several pictures, you can have a coherent storyline - or not, depending on what your post is about.
6. You can hold giveaways or competitions.
7. You can link to all your other activites - you on-line shop, your fabebook, your twitter, your flickr etc. They can all be in your sidebar or wherever you want to have them.
Do you blog?
Why do you blog?
What do you blog about?
Oh, and my giveaway!
Please leave a comment of you'd like to be in the draw for a beautiful pair of planettreasures earrings.
The winner will be drawn next Tuesday 9th October.
