Saturday, October 22, 2011

8 Factors Which Motivate Me to Blog

I took part in a recent survey conducted by one of the blog PR affiliations I've joined, and one of the questions was (essentially) "Why do you blog?" I'd already touched on this when I wrote my About page this past Spring, but as I sat there considering my answer, a lot more came to mind. Here's a wordier version of what I ended up jotting down: 

  • Blogging helps define my role as a mother - Manager to Mom is, above all else, a mom blog. I write about parenting topics, review baby-centric products and engage in relevant discussions with other moms (and dads too!) All in all, I think mom blogging helps foster my connection to my new identity.

  • (Related to the point above) Blogging enables me to connect with like-minded individuals. Through M2M, I've had the pleasure of discovering many other interesting and informative blogs, engaging in great discussion, sharing helpful tips and getting to know some wonderful and inspiring people on a more personal note. 

  • Blogging is a great way to track and share my daughter's development - I've had a lot of fun writing the monthly development posts for S and it's super to hear from friends and family members that they are enjoying them as well. Going back to review what she was like at a particular point is quite poignant and nostalgic, and I'm glad I decided to preserve the memories this way. 

  • Blogging introduces me to awesome brands and products, via my own reviews/giveaways as well as features going on at other blogs I follow. So many of my current favourite baby gear, household and other items have originated (in some way or another) from my blogging experience, and for the first time ever I feel like I'm *not* going to be running around at the last minute finishing my Christmas shopping as I've already nailed down the majority of what I'll be getting everyone. w00t!

  • Blogging enables me to make a positive impact on people and companies. It always makes my day when a reader comments that they loved a post, when a QOTD topic stirs up some interesting discussion, or when a winner is super-excited about their prize. It truly, truly does. If I'm having a tired, crappy morning and a reader simply says "Great tip! I'm gonna try that!" I'm instantly floating. Similarly, when I've had the chance to review a terrific product or business, I love that I can use my blog as a vehicle to spread the word to others. Hearing back from one of my PR contacts that they have been more than satisfied working with me provides terrific reinforcement as well. 

  • Blogging keeps my working skills (and mind!) sharp - As a PR-friendly blogger, I write, think critically, manage email, engage with clients and endeavour to keep up-to-speed on social media and other web technologies. This is all very relevant to my career (high-tech management and consulting), and also great "food" for my brain! :) 

  • Blogging is a way to "build something bigger" - Within a span of several months, M2M has grown from relative obscurity to a significant player in the mom blogging space, and continues to grow in terms of readership and statistics (web rankings, traffic, etc.) This gives me a feeling of accomplishment, and it's exciting to think how prominent my blog may become in the long run!

  • Blogging is fun! Not even so much writing the articles themselves (this part is the hard work ;) but everything around it - checking out the latest PR opportunities from one of my affiliates, hearing back from a brand I've pitched, reading and responding to blog and FB comments from my readers, checking my blog stats and search hits, reviewing contest entry comments, etc. Kind of addictive, really. ;)

You may have noticed that I didn't list "earning money" as a factor. While things could certainly change in the future, I have no desire to monetize Manager to Mom at this point. Blogging is currently a hobby for me, and I like maintaining a clean, easy-to-navigate, ad-free page (and apparently you appreciate this as well!)

So, a question for all my bloggin' followers out there - what motivates YOU to blog?

....And to my non-bloggin' followers - what motivates you to follow other blogs?

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