I probably looked at him like he’d morphed into a unicorn. My dissertation adviser heard about this blog and wondered out loud how I managed to find time to post on it daily.
It was a legitimate question. I am a full-time professor, collegiate media adviser and doctoral candidate, on top of that, I have two active preteen children. It’s logical to ask how I would have time to write a daily blog post. The answer was obvious to me.
I don’t have a choice. I have to write.”
A full-time journalist, I was worried when I accepted the call to join the academy. I wasn’t concerned (ok, a little bit) about my ability to teach. What terrified me was that I would be bored. I was used to the fast-paced media industry where no day is the same and the deadline rush is almost constant. I loved journalism, in part because I’ve always loved to write.
I was wrong to be concerned about boredom. My job as a professor is just as busy and constant as my job as a journalist. What I hadn’t considered was how much I would miss the writing.
My blog was the perfect solution. I started it in 2004 to supplement course materials, be a resource for students and media advisers outside of my university, and to write again!
It seemed like a win-win-win. I started blogging once a week to share my expertise with others. The frequency grew to every day as my blog ideas and audience developed.
I blog to share my passion for and about communication.
I revisited my adviser’s question recently while preparing a presentation entitled “Why Blog?” for my first class on blogging. I was trying to determine why exactly my students should blog, especially those who may not love writing the way I do.
What is a blog?
A blog is a dynamic, interactive website that delivers ongoing (typically free) content to its readers.
Blogging gives you a way to continually grab readers’ attention with new posts and fresh doses of information,” wrote Joy Deangdeelert Cho, author of Blog, Inc.
What do blogs do?
For readers, blogs provide:
- inspiration,
- information,
- entertainment, and
- engagement.
For writers/creators, blogs provide:
- feedback and advice,
- support,
- a creative outlet,
- career opportunities, and
- friendship/networking.
A blog is a great way to get your ideas out into the world and see what people have to say in response,” Deangdeelert wrote.
So, why blog?
People blog for a variety of reasons. Some people blog to share their passion with others and to create a sense of community. Others blog to market their business, products or services, or to brand themselves. Still others blog as a way to share their lives with friends and family. It’s also likely that many people blog for a combination of these reasons or others that haven’t occurred to me.
A few of my Twitter friends shared with me why they blog:
@profkrg I blog so I can sort my ideas and thoughts out and get feedback from peers!
— Adrienne May (@adriennemay) August 20, 2013
@profkrg I also have a personal/mommy blog that is more like a diary to share with family/close friends.
— Adrienne May (@adriennemay) August 20, 2013
@profkrg 1) for self promotion & hopefully to be noticed by prospective employer. 2) chance to write about topics that interest me
— Mark Hauler (@MarkHauler) August 20, 2013
Why should students blog?
I hate the answer “it depends,” but that is the answer to this question. Why a student should blog or, equally as important, what a student should blog about, depends quite a lot on that student.
The above reasons people blog may already have led you to an idea of what you have to offer through a blog. Don’t assume that others know everything you know. However, assume others are curious about the same things that ignite your interests.
I hope the answer to the why blog question for my students isn’t because they “have to.” I assume it’s not since they chose to take a course in blogging. Hopefully it’s also not just because “someone told them it’s a good idea.” I’m not sure those reasons will keep them going over the long-term. And, trust me, it takes a lot of time and dedication to stick with it.
profkrg says
Why do you blog, Jen? gingerconsult: Why Blog? http://t.co/rk4G2efKjC
evelynalauer says
profkrg great post! I’m going to use this with my j students!
gingerconsult says
profkrg I blog to share my experience,hopefully inspire others to find their voice to share their experiences as well. Gr8 question, Kenna
profkrg says
gingerconsult those are fabulous reasons!
ThinDifference says
I blog to connect with others, build a community around ideas. It creates ways to collaborate with different perspectives in different areas of the community as well as locally. Great post!
profkrg says
ThinDifference Community building seems to be a common reason. You are a great addition to my community, Jon. Thank you!
Thebookfeed_ says
RachelintheOC profkrg I think it helps me with my writing. Plus it’s nice to connect with others.
Thebookfeed_ says
RachelintheOC profkrg I think it helps me with my writing. Plus it’s nice to connect with others.
Janki Patel says
I found this to be a great explanation towards why you should blog!!
Janki Patel says
I don’t blog at all unless I am required to most of the time. I haven’t had to keep a blog, but it sounds like a great use of your time! This helped me learn why many people blog, but if I want to blog it is mostly because I want to share my opinions and express my feelings! Great job! 🙂
Janki Patel says
I don’t blog at all unless I am required to most of the time. I haven’t had to keep a blog, but it sounds like a great use of your time! This helped me learn why many people blog, but if I want to blog it is mostly because I want to share my opinions and express my feelings! Great job! 🙂
Jackie Reis says
It’s great that you have such a passion for writing! This really inspired me, keep on writing!
profkrg says
Janki Patel Blogs have progressed far beyond online diaries. They have strong business and professional benefits. It’s something you might want to consider, although it admittedly isn’t for everyone.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
profkrg says
Janki Patel Blogs have progressed far beyond online diaries. They have strong business and professional benefits. It’s something you might want to consider, although it admittedly isn’t for everyone.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Duaa Israr says
I actually do not keep a blog and have never had to keep one for a class. I learned that blogging gives you feedback on our work and its a great way to share your work with the public. Blogging is creative yet educating and helps you create new friendships. I don’t blog and the reason behind that is wattpad.com takes up most of my time. I’m not sure if wattpad counts as a blog because it is not a place where you share personal details. Wattpad is a place where you can publish stories online and get feedback from other readers and meet people. You can also read nooks published by others and it is really cool. So yeah, is sort of is a blog. Anyway, great job!
AmyFurlano says
I like when you stated that you didn’t want to hear “I have to” or “Someone thought it would be good.’ I personally would create a blog because it interests me.
Jackie Reis says
I blog to get my thoughts out and to share things with my friends. I agree with you on how you said you “have to write”. It’s sort of like an escape. Loved your post by the way! It has really inspired me to keep on blogging.
GeorgePanoutsos says
I very rarely blog, and when I do blog it’s for school work. I also haven’t had time to make a blog and update it weekly, but it seems like you have great time management skills allowing you to make this blog happen. I have read a couple of your posts and it kept my interest the whole time, thanks for the advice and example you are setting!
kaylabrill says
The only place i blog are my journals and the only person that reads it is me. So to be able to take your thoughts and publicly blog them is inspiring and brave. I love reading peoples blogs because each blog i read sends a different message. Your blogs keep readers entertain and wanting more i really enjoyed reading this blog and a few others that you wrote. It got me thinking that maybe my blogs shouldn’t stay in my journal for no one to read maybe i should take up online blogging for others to read! i’m not sure but your blog did get me thinking!
profkrg says
kaylabrill Kayla, to be fair, many people don’t put a lot of their personal selves into their blogs. However, the bloggers who tend to resonate the most share personal stories of victories and defeats to help their readers. I certainly don’t put everything in my professional blog that I would put in a journal, but I hope my personality still can be seen.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
profkrg says
GeorgePanoutsos Thank you for your kind words, George. It sometimes is difficult to make the time to blog. However, it’s important to me, so I make it happen. My blog really has become my hobby. It’s a little bit like my “me” time. It’s something I do for me and help others in the process. It’s important to me, so I make the time. I wouldn’t say I have good time management skills, though. There are many bloggers who write their posts for the week during the weekend. I often write them the day they are set to post, sometimes even that night. If I’m a day ahead, I consider myself successful. It’s a habit I’m trying to break.
I recommend that new bloggers start with a single post a week on the same day. If you can do that for six months to a year, add to it.
Thanks again for reading and commenting!
profkrg says
Jackie Reis Thanks so much, Jackie! Keep on writing! My personal blog (which I’m really bad about updating) was really fun for my family and friends. It’s a great way to share with people you care about.
profkrg says
AmyFurlano I honestly don’t know how people continue blogging when they start it just because they feel they have to. It’s a lot of work. I think you have to want to blog. Thanks, Amy, for reading and commenting.
profkrg says
Duaa Israr Wattpad is really cool! I’ve never seen it before. Thanks for introducing me to a new tool!
bilabb1 says
I have Never really blogged before except for school, but now i see that blogging can be used for much more. I can see that blogging is a release for you and I want to see if blogging is my thing. It sounds very interesting the way you put it and I hope i can manage my time as well as you can. I am also amazed that you can share your personal blogs with everyone that is something i don’t mind and it is a good thing to look back on when you are older. Thank you for the new insight.
andgon1 says
Wow this is a great entry! I love the passion you have for writing. It’s like even when you have everything going on in your life, you still manage to get on that blog! You are a true inspiration. I love that your excitement for writing is always there. Keeping inspiring others 😀
profkrg says
bilabb1 I don’t do much personal blog sharing. Mine is more of a professional blog. I manage my time as best I can.
profkrg says
andgon1 Well, that’s quite a nice thing to say. Thank you. I do love writing. That keeps me going beyond anything else.
FrankDiCesare says
profkrg Launched my blog in Jan. for the reasons you outline. Also b/c I want to show my column writing abilities. http://www.fdicesare.blogspot.com