Why Blog

I wrote a blog / article about a month ago, called "Why Twitter?" about the social media tool Twitter and why I think it is something worth investigating for many of the people I know. This blog, is both an independent stand alone piece, and at the same time an extension of that other blog about Twitter.

This story is about Blogging itself, why I do it, and why you should too.

What Is A Blog?

For those of you who don't know, but were afraid to ask, BLOG is short for Web Logs. And the truth is, they have nearly as many purposes as there are blogs themselves. People blog for self expression, to make money, and to document who they are and what they've done / currently doing. They blog to stay in touch with friends and family, to save their ideas, to motivate others to take action, to entertain, and to influence others to take action or to influence how they think.

But why others blog isn't nearly as important as why you should blog.

Why Should You Blog?

If you do a search on Google, "Why Blog?", there over 192,000,000 results. So there is very little reason for me to write another blog on blogging, but to be honest with you, that's precisely why I choose to do it.

My answer to this question is simpler than all the rest that I have read - the reason you should Blog is simply because YOU matter.

Many write blogs to gain fame, fortune, power, notariety or for a cause they believe in. And you can do it for any of those reasons if that's what drives you. But many I talk to don't want those things, and therefor think the blogosphere isn't for them.

In my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth.

Blog because your life is unique.

Because your experiences on this earth are one of a kind.

Because your stories and ideas are an intricate part of the weave of our society.

And whether or not you recognize it, no one ever again will live the life that you have lived and gained the life perspective that you have gained.

So, if you don't capture the elements of YOU that make you who YOU are, then very likely, your stories will die and fade with the memories of you.

Why I Blog

One of the most influential books in my life was a book by Kent Nerburn, Letters To My Son. It's not a complex book or even a great book, but the idea behind the book has made a lasting impression on me that I find continually drawing me to write my story, my ideas.w

The basis for Nerburn's book was a series of letters that he wrote to his son that in his absense (should that have happened), there would be a collection of letters which explained the knowledge and wisdom he gained through life, but for one reason or another was unable to pass along.

As I sit here and write this blog, and every blog that I have written thus far, I do it for posterity. I do it for those who will follow me and want to know what I felt and what I thought about different the world I lived in. I write it so that my son, my daughter, their children and their children's children will understand where they came from and WHO they came from.

I do it so that my thoughts, dreams and vision for the future are captured for whomever cares to read them - whether it be you, my son, my daughter, and even me, sometime in the future.

I may have a theme that defines my blog, "Helping Others Achieve Their Dreams In Business and Their Lives", but there is no mistaking it, my life is blended into each of the stories I write. My life story is being written out in the words that I include in this blog.

My stories, may be actively read today or may sit dorment for 10 years, 30 years, or maybe even 150 years, but somewhere, someday, someone may find them and simply enjoy them for what they are, the memoirs and rantings of someone who wanted to make a positive difference in this world.

Don't Write It For The Readers - Do It For YOU

This might not make sense to many, but writing for others is one of the biggest reasons that people who start to blog. But also the same reason that most people quit. They write to attract others - to gain money, power, influence or recognition. Unfortunately, though, because of the vastness of the "blogosphere", they discouraged that no one is reading - that no one is finding their stories and they eventually quit.

Don't write for others - even though you might be writing to others. WRITE FOR YOURSELF. Write because of the story you have to tell, not because you are worried about who is reading or listening.

Sure, you may get a great following, and even gain the money, power, influence and recognition you seek, but it's very important to recognize that when it comes to blogging and / or writing, the best, most heart felt words come from those who do it as much for the process as for the result.

How To Get Started

If you are interested in starting a blog, there are many ways to do so, and thousands of experts that are standing by to tell you the BEST way. But don't get overwhelmed. There any many very simple site and / or books that will walk you through the process.

The best book I've found for the basic user is:

Blogging for Dummies

And the best website available to help you walk through the process with no "bias" towards any specific product is:

http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Blog

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Good Luck in your adventure. And if you do start a blog. Please come back to here and let me know. I'd love to hear about it, read what you have to say, and maybe even contribute a comment or two to your story.

Why Twitter?

It's no longer about the voices of the few -
but about the eyes, ears, and minds of the many.

So many people are coming to this new form of media because others tell them to. But how many really understand what it is - in it's simplest form? I wanted to take a day out to share a unique perspective on my opinion of what Twitter is and what it isn't. I'm not writing this article to help you understand why every one else is using it - but why it might be something fun for YOU to use.

I hope to share Twitter with you in a way that helps you see it differently and in such a way that you can understand what it can mean for your business as well as for you personally.

Twitter, a social media application that has been around for years, has gone mainstream in the past couple months. Tens of thousands are joining daily - and they are all trying to do the same thing. . . Build A Following, by sharing answers to the simple question, "What are you doing?"

So why do you want a following? And why does anyone care what I am doing right now?

Essentially, Twitter, the application, is nothing more than a bullhorn with a magical feature - people can choose to listen to you . . . or not. The power isn't in the broadcaster's hand, it's in the receiver's ability to choose to listen to you . . . or not. It is a media format that provides both one-to-many (broadcast like the radio) communication and one-to-one (direct like a telephone). And it blends both of these formats in such as way as to generates a form of communication that is short, sweet, and easy to to do for EVERYONE.

So let me ask you a question, "What if what you were thinking of or what you had to say to someone else, could change the life of someone you don't even know, in a profound way?"

Would you share those ideas with someone you don't even know? And how would you even know to share it with them, if you don't know them personally?

In the old information model, you wouldn't be able to. You might share your ideas and thoughts with your friends and family, but it most likely wouldn't get much further than that - unless of course you were a published writer or a public speaker of some form.

Unfortunately, (and I see this as a coach regularly) this has left many people feeling like they all alone in the world - unique in the way they think and their struggles, because none of their friends and / or family are / were quite like them. They would share their ideas, but no one understood their situation or how they were feeling.

So the question arises, "How do you share what you are thinking and feeling in such a way that others (that you don't even know) can find and read your thoughts without even knowing you?"

Essentially, the answer to this question was the birth of the blog (or weblog) - a way to share your ideas in a open format that not only exposed publicly what you are / were thinking, but did so in a way that invited others to follow.

Unfortunately, in spite of its non-pretentious foundation, the "blog" world has become filled with professionals. And most lay-persons feel completely overwhelmed jumping into the medium. They feel that inspite of their best efforts, there isn't any chance for them to compete in the forum of ideas.

Thus the demand for a simpler communication medium that not only allowed voice to the masses, but did so in a format that encouraged so many to feel comfortable speaking out - without feeling overwhelmed by the eloquence of the professionals.

TWITTER!!

140 characters that YOU publish - for the rest of the world to find, read, echo and comment on.

No college degrees are needed nor even recognized. You don't have to know HTML code or any other fancy language. You don't have to be a marketing specialist to get your words exposure. And you don't need a single penny to play.

All you have to do is share your ideas and join in the discussion.

Now there is "voice" for the many wishing to say something about anything - for the small, soft spoken voice to to be heard as loud and as powerfully as the loud, boisterous rants of those who have dominated the public podium for so long.

If you want to share what you are thinking - GO FOR IT. It really is that simple. It may be read. It may not. But as long as your VOICE is trapped in your head, there is no chance of it ever being heard by anyone else.

If you have something to say - Say it!!!

Will it be heard? Maybe. Maybe not. That's not the point. the fact that it CAN be heard is.

If you are hoping to ensure that it is read by even one person - you are in the wrong place - you are better off buying advertising time on the radio or a big billboard on the Interstate. With Twitter, there are no guarantees that you will be heard by any ONE person, but there is a guarantee that you could be heard by EVERYONE.