Why do people use blogs

Why People Use Blogs and Their Potential as Communication Platforms

Even though people all around the world have been using the Internet for some years already, the past few years have brought a series of changes to the web that have completely altered the way in which we interact with it. These changes in the web, categorised by many as Web 2.0, gave people the opportunity to not only exchange general and personal information in different ways, but also further expanded the way in which everyone could express themselves.

Now, for almost every web user nowadays, two aspects have marked a stark difference from the web of yesterday: social networking and blogging. And even though social networks have gained more popularity in recent months, blogging is and remains the most personal, intimate and original way in which to convey thoughts, preferences or anything that people want to say.

Knowing this, let’s tale a deeper look at what blogging is and why it has become such a phenomenon in recent years.

The Many Unknown Benefits of Blogging

To start with, a blog is a mostly personal publication platform that is regularly updated and that usually shows the latest entries on top and the oldest ones at the bottom of the webpage. On it the person who runs the blog expresses his/her personal thoughts in the form of written articles, pictures, videos or a mix of all of these and other mediums. However, it appeals mostly to those interested in the written word and has gathered a lot of momentum among the writing community.

One of the most enticing features of blogging, and the one that has gained it most of its popularity, is that it offers freedom of speech, since they are there for everyone to read. Thanks to it being an open Internet platform, bloggers have the benefit of immediacy, which means that no matter what feeling, emotion, image, song or video they want to write about or share, it can be done and live in just a matter of minutes. This gives bloggers an immediate sense of gratification, as well as being able to express their perspective on subject matter in their own, unique way.

Blogs are also used as a way to showcase someone’s talents, and lately more and more artists are running blogs that serve as portfolios of their work, be it writing pieces, posting photographs or prints.

What is even more is that if a blog is well written and of quality, it will gain a following among readers who are interested in its subject matter. This is possible thanks to blogs being available in RSS format. RSS (Real Simple Syndication) is a format that people can choose to subscribe to, download the blog contents and read it on their computers with the help of a special piece of software called RSS readers.

For online businesses, blogging provides an excellent platform in which to stay in touch with their customers and to gain new ones. In fact, most companies nowadays run an official blog where they inform their followers of any relevant news as well as of product releases.

Lastly, even if someone finds none of the features of blogging mentioned above appealing at all, blogs can still be extremely useful if just to improve one’s writing skills. This might not seem like much, but to be able to publish your thoughts to the world is an experience that certainly builds confidence and, since most blogging platforms out there offer free alternatives, all of these benefits can be achieved without any financial outlay whatsoever.