Blogging On The Side

Blogging is a really good side hobby to have and you can do it no matter what situation you are in. You can blog if you have a full time job, going to school, raising a family or if you are working toward one or more online degrees.

Blogging gives you several benefits and these can include the following:

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#1 – Blogging can make you a better writer

You will learn to be more comfortable writing and blogging can help you find a voice and find your “writing style” if you haven’t written many pieces before. You will find that the more blog articles you write you will be more comfortable writing and be able to improve your writing style, spelling and grammar (hopefully). This of course assumes that you proofread, spell check and make sure you write quality content instead of just small ramblings.

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#2 – Blogging can make some money at it on the side.

It doesn’t matter whether you blog about fish, cats, your personal diaries or the cup of coffee you had with breakfast. There are advertisers for every topic, product and category you can think of. There is also an audience for every category you can thing of as well, so if you blog and you write well you will likely find an audience. Where there is an audience there is the ability to promote and make a little money from advertising. If you want passive advertising where you don’t actively want to sell a product, you can consider contextual link ads and Google Ads, but you can also be more bold with direct marketing if you want. The choice is yours, it is your blog. You might make a little, or you might make a lot. You won’t know unless you try.

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#3 – Blogging gives you a voice

More important than the first two items in my opinion is that blogging gives you a voice. You get to share whatever you want and get the gratification of “ranting, raving and rambling” with nobody to stop you midstream, cut you off or argue with you. It can be a therapy for people who write personal blogs and just let their emotions, thoughts and feelings fly, or it can be the ability to share your thoughts and knowledge on a specialty of yours. Maybe you are an expert in butterflies and what to share everything you have learned about them for example. Blogging is your voice and nobody can silence you. It is the ultimate expression of free speech with no censorship.

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These are among my top three reasons to encourage everyone to take up a blog, I even think teenagers should start blogging because of these benefits. They can save money for college, books and improve their writing. I just would not let teenagers and kids blog about personal issues that could identify them until they were 18, and if you let your kids blog make sure you take the time as a parent to read and screen what they write. Though there is no censorship, remember that things you say on the public internet can be found later and come back to bite you so you should have some reservation.

What are some of your favorite reasons for blogging and to encourage others to blog?

-Dragon Blogger