What are Benefits of Blogging

Blogging has made a tremendous impact on our society in a very short period of time. Blogs make our society more interconnected and self-aware. They serve both recreational and commercial purposes. They help us to be more personal with each other in an impersonal age. When the first blogs appeared on the scene many people dismissed them as a fad, but instead blogs have since entrenched themselves in our way of life.

Niche Communities

Blogging helps sustain niche communities. Before the Internet, people with uncommon interests were often isolated from one another geographically. Many even thought they were alone. The Internet changed this by connecting the huge physical world into a common cyberspace where people can come together with ease. All you have to do is type your interest into a search engine. With blogs, this niche community-building process becomes more sustainable because bloggers keep creating new content that continues to draw members of the community together.

Personal Expression

Blogs arose in the first place because people like to express themselves. Before the Internet, people who wanted to express themselves needed to get published in the traditional mass media, or else build up a following in their town. Very few people succeed at either. The Internet changed this by bypassing the mass media gatekeepers and giving everyone the opportunity to reach a huge audience – much larger than that of any town or city. Anyone can start a blog, and although some eventually get tired of it, others find it to be a satisfying part of their lives, even if their audiences remain small. A minority of bloggers actually build up considerable followings, allowing them to make money from the enjoyable pastime of expressing themselves.

Civics and Citizenship

Blogs connect people with news they wouldn’t otherwise hear about. The traditional news media cannot report on everything – nor do they want to – but blogs can. Blogs have no centralized agenda, but there's a dedicated blog for almost every conceivable agenda, since anybody can blog on any topic that interests them. This connects us to relevant news and events, which transforms our society into one where people are likelier to get involved in some level on important issues.

Business Evolution

Blogs change the business equation. With the Internet connecting everyone and blogs becoming hugely popular as a social medium, companies now find themselves with the opportunity, and perhaps even the obligation, to grow their business by connecting with the online community through a blog. They also have to react to unaffiliated people blogging about their products, services and business practices. Millions of potential customers are interacting with each other on the Internet, and modern marketing practices have to take that into account. In the case of the media sector, blogs have begun to directly compete with traditional print industries like newspapers and magazines, forcing the companies in those industries to adapt or suffer the consequences.

Posted in: Blogging