Why Blog?

That’s the first thing that pops up into one’s mind when one thinks of starting up blogging.  Apparently, blogging has been pretty popular in recent years. But not without a reason!  And as a newbie while I’m just getting to grips with all this blogging, one of the first & foremost questions that most often would arise is why you or I should really join the blogosphere? I’ll tell you exactly why in a bit. It wouldn’t be me if I don’t get into detail & would get away giving you a one-line answer.

I wish all of us can just realize how valuable those who are dear to us truly are. We take so many things for granted & don’t even realize it & sometimes even don’t take our family & their words of wisdom too seriously, those closest to us & nearest to our hearts. But as the old saying goes, it all comes back to family. You eventually always come around realising they had our best interest at heart & are mostly always right for us.

After several unsuccessful attempts by family, especially my younger sister to convince me into starting up blogging & my elder brother who thinks I'm a great writer, it took a special effort by a dear friend of mine to make me realize that I could do more from my writing than just wasting that much time & energy just surfing around on the Internet.

Blogs as most of you already know are essentially web logs or online diaries. I was fascinated by the idea of an online diary although wasn’t sure & wouldn’t know where to begin. I am old enough to remember a world when an electric typewriter was a big deal so this is all so new to me.  Jks! ;) For me, it didn’t make sense to write in your diary every month or two. When running a blog it-self forces you to update it often.

Now as every new blogger must have at some point thought & went through this same stage as me.  A point where one asks; what kind of subject should I really write/talk about in my blog? That reminded me of my friend’s suggestion while she was on her quest to talk me into blogging that it doesn’t have to be limited to being just about my day-to-day life. I could than clearly recall that my little sister had earlier already advised me that.  Just that it was said in her typical version. She said, “Blogging gives you freedom of speech! Talk about whatever the hell you want!” Lol! She has always been the smarter one in our family. Wish I had taken her words more seriously earlier. I wouldn’t have gone through the dilemma at the first place. ;)

And should I write on one topic, or many?  That was one of the other causes that also made me pretty reluctant towards initializing off with blogging. The thought of the blog being of any one specific theme was something I thought would be too confined for me. That's just not me. Though upon putting deeper thought into it I realized that if it's my individual blog it has to be how I wish it to be like. If I’ve really got the freedom of speech, I should be able to write about as many things/topics I want. I love countless things in life & I understood that a limited & a restricted approach towards it wouldn’t work for me.  My blog should reflect my natural love for anything & everything I appreciate & adore. That's part of who I am as an individual. Plus, I believe a blog about something that interests you is a great idea. It’s always a lot easier to write about something that you are passionate about. That’s one thing I could probably go on & on & on talking about & I’d probably never get bored.

Normally, what I’d do is start off my day by checking my Facebook. The Internet sometimes can be almost as addictive as nicotine or cocaine. Like, literally speaking.  Like first thing in the morning before washing my face, or even brushing my teeth & putting on make-up! Which btw will than lead me to checking my Hotmail inbox, then Yahoo, Gmail, Skype, Twitter, CNN, BBC, Cricinfo & some fashion blogs I’m extremely addicted to & before I’d realize I’d end up devoting way too much time in front of my laptop screen. And once I’m done with them all, it’s mostly YouTube or Facebook games or just browsing & then would wonder where my entire day has gone. I couldn’t leave for work without sneaking into it & if by any chance I wake up too late to get online in the morning & have to leave for work anyway, I would have Internet access on my phone & will find it difficult to spend even an hour of my waking life without checking or thinking about Facebook.

I know, for most of us, our affinity for Skype, Facebook, etc. usually begins with the simple desire to keep in touch with our friends, or make new ones online. Or perhaps we were just bored. But now Facebook or any other online website is like a big thorn in our side & possibly a bona fide addiction. The question though we should all ask ourselves is what we really gain off of it. Not much really. The harm it causes outweighs the good it does. Blogging on the other hand, for me was like the light in the end of the tunnel. It provides me with a platform where I could connect with people & be able to share/express my thoughts & skills & be able to actually help others like me & make a difference. For me that makes using the Internet & blogging worthwhile.

Now I know there are thousands of ways to make money on the Internet. Blogging is just one of them. And to be honest, blogging is not one of the better ones. It is a lot of work and takes a long time to yield any monetary results. But it has become so popular over the last decade because of its accessibility that everyone thinks this is the best way to make money online. I have personally taken up blogging because it gives me a creative outlet, therefore, it would be unfair to measure the results of this type of blogging by pounds & pennies.

I being new to this whole new blogging arena, what further motivated me to blog is that it gives me space to think, strategize & reflect. It makes you think about your topic, do research & it definitely helps one stay disciplined & forces you to keep up-to-date with new things in your field of topic.

Hence, this was like an instant click. I recognized that I have so many amazing creative ideas buzzing around in my head at times; it would be fun to create a space where I would finally share my thoughts & opinions & be able to help people who really need it & possibly also get others to post theirs.  After all, an idea on its own counts for nothing but it is the execution of the idea that counts. I often get asked the same questions over & over again by friends & acquaintances like, how I get my super tight natural curls straightened. Or my beauty regimen or the secret to my healthy hair, skin, long nails or even how I always appear so happy.  I wish there could be a one line answer to it & that I could help them out by sharing all the tips, tricks & info from my area of expertise & that I wouldn’t need to give the same answer again & again. Therefore, the best part of it is that they could just read my post & virtually experience & learn things which took me months or perhaps years to learn.

It makes me realize that this is just the right kind of medium for me to be able to say what I want to say once & for all & actually be heard. This would not just help me kill time in a more productive way but will give me a space to enjoy my creative outlet where I’d be able to play with technology ‘n’ ideas & have fun with it while giving me an opportunity to be able to help others, to stay connected with friends ‘n’ family, a chance to clear the air, help them know me better along with all the countless advantages of blogging. Plus, being part of the blogging world would allow me to share all the wonderful things that I love rambling about like the inspirational ideologies I live by, the latest trends, products I swear by, things in my shopping list & yet also be able to help, entertain & enlighten others like me.

So my answer to ‘Should I blog?’ is ‘Yes, I should’ & the response to ‘Why blog?’ is “Why not?’ There’s nothing to lose! What greater joy can there be to be able to achieve so much by just being myself.  The Internet, after all can be a wonderful tool if used wisely. Although, I would have loved to be able to finally have a life away from the computer drama but guess that’s not going to happen any time soon! ;)

Lots of Love! xoxo ♥