This is a guest post contributed by Ajaero Tony Martins.
The number of blogs launched daily into the blogosphere is alarming. Every new day sees the birth of a thousand blogs or maybe tens of thousands. I am definitely not against the rate of blog increase but my main concern is the actual number of blogs that will be in existence few years later. I bet they won’t be much.
In the process of trying to uncover the contributing factors responsible for the high rate of blogging failures, I discovered a fundamental factor common to all the blogs that fail and that factor is the “Primary motive for which these blogs were established.”
What is your primary motive for blogging?
I deem it fit to ask this question because the answer to this question will determine the success or failure of your blog and as it stands; you alone holds the answer to this question.
Now what is your primary motive for blogging? Before you begin sharing your answer in the comment box below; whichI am anxiously looking forward to, let me share with you:
Five primary motives why people go into blogging
1. Money
Of all the motives why people go into blogging, money carries the lead. Everybody wants to be the next John Chow or Jeremy Shoemaker. Almost all bloggers start their own blog simply to make money and that is why the “make money blogging” community is rapidly on the increase. Please I want to state categorically that there is nothing wrong with making money from your blog but the wrong comes when it becomes a primary motive.
2. Fame
The next motive why people go into blogging is to acquire fame. Blogging has brought fame to a lot of bloggers and now, many are rushing into the blogosphere all in the name of fame.
3. Investment purposes
Another motive why people go into blogging is simply for investment purposes. I think this is one of the reasons I became a blogger. From personal experience, I can say that those who use blogs as an investment vehicle are usually long term thinkers and they are the ones that create blogs of high value. Example of blogs launched for investment purposes are LifeHacker, TechCrunch, Mashable and Gizmodo.
4. Power
Those who have watched the movie “Spiderman” will be familiar with the saying that “With great power comes great responsibility.” A blog can put you in control of tremendous power. Imagine the power weird by bloggers with a community of over a million users. Many startup bloggers desire this power and they see blogging as a leverage to achieve their desire.
5. Self Expression
The final motive why people go into blogging is to express themselves or their abilities. Since the evolution of the internet, many creative individuals have been seeking platforms to express their expertise or creativity and blogging has provided that platform.
Today, there are blogs in every niche ranging from golf to parenting and behind some of these blogs are creative individuals, doing what they know how to do best.
As a final note, I think every blogger is entitled to his or her motive of starting a blog but it is recommended you make it balanced and focus more on providing valuable content.
Does any of the motives above suits you or is your motive for blogging quite different from the ones I listed above, please share it in the comment box below.
This is a guest post from Ajaero Tony Martins is a serial entrepreneur, investor and a prolific blogger. He blogs about his entrepreneurial experience and provides hard core Business Development Strategies to entrepreneurs and small business owners. You can also follow him on twitter @StrategicTeam
I blog because I love to write. I love to be a creative writer. an informative writer. A controversial writer.
If I could blog for a living, it would be the answer to my dreams.
Will add Tycoon blogger to my follow list at Twitter.
I started blogging for few reasons. First, because of the money as well for self expression. Those reason kept me on the industry for quite a while. I think you have to have some strong passion with blogging to sustain. It's not a question of who and how many are being added, it a matter of survival.
Thanks suman for sharing your experience. I hope other Bloggers will learn from your story.
@Ernest, thanks for your commendation.
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#1 and #5 are mine but it is not always like that as it can be changed all the time
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Personally I think if there is no desire for self expression then a blog will ultimately fail. Making money from a blog takes time and hard work. If you are not enjoying the art of blogging then it is likely that you are going to lapse and in turn not succeed. After all, isn't this what blogging is meant to be all about? Having a vocie and starting a conversation?
@ ditesco. I think you made a very strong point there. Thanks for being honest on your stance.
Sure money is the prime factor for an individual blogger. I think all the factors you have share are quit right. But without it one's website can't be stand in any search engine.
"MONEY" should not be anyone's primary motive in blogging, first try establish yourself as a well reputed blogger, then money will come along….
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I thought you will not mention self expression as one of the motives. I also thought that you are stereotyping people by having money as their main purpose of blogging. you did not disappointment. This is a great post and i agree to all the 5 motives. no more no less. Cheers!
I like providing useful and informative information to people with questions. I love blogging about topics that people care about concerning computers and the Internet, as well as politics.
While self-expression is part of the reason I blog, the main reasons I blog:
- To give back to the community. I have learned so much from others who took the time to teach me, and from good blogs like yours.
- To force myself to stay more current in the auditing, security, and computing world.
- To keep my writing skills tuned.
- To hear what my readers are thinking about and get their perspective, which is enlightening.
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For me, I would like to make some passive and create value for the web…
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No matter what your primary motive is, just make sure it’s balanced.
I'm not a fan of the rapid increase in blogs, it just makes finding the good ones a lot harder to find. And when you get poor ones using dodgy techniques to improve their search ranking on google, it makes finding the good ones nigh on impossible.
I must admit that the motive about making some money is always at the back of my mind, but yes, it's not my primary motive. What I want is to gain some authority (ie, fame) so that at least some people will recognize me by my name.
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Telling people you exist is my primary motive.. My words are flat and harsh! Money comes next