by May Monten

Created on: February 27, 2009   Last Updated: June 06, 2010

Every day, hundreds of thousands of people start new blogs. They soon discover the many advantages of blogging. Blogging is easy, inexpensive, and flexible. Blogging can help you meet new people, earn some money, get a new job, become an expert, and have a lot of fun.

Blogging is easy. If you want to have a presence on the internet, blogging is one of the easiest ways to do it. One of the most popular sites for beginning bloggers is

blogger.com, also known as blogspot. You can sign up at blogger and have your blog up and running in only a few minutes.

Blogging can be free. While some advanced bloggers may choose to pay for their own web hosting, you don't need to do that, especially if you are just getting started. If you blog at popular blogging sites such as blogger and wordpress.com, your blog will be free forever.

Blogging can be whatever you want it to be. You can blog about what you had for dinner last night, or about your favorite old movies. You can post pictures of your cat, or you can write about rocket science. You can blog about anything that pops into your head, or you can focus on a narrow specialized topic. You can write just for your friends and family, or you can reach out to the entire world.

Blogging can help you meet people who share your interests. It's a big thrill to turn on your computer and see that people have left comments on your blog. There are many advantages to commenting on other people's blogs too. Comments tie blogs together and create communities of like-minded people.

Blogging might earn you money. It's hard to make a lot of money by blogging, and most bloggers won't make a cent. But there is always the possibility that you might, and a few people do hit it big. This possibility adds an extra serving of excitement to the blogging experience.

Blogging might get you a book deal. While the possibility of this is small, it does happen, now and then. The movie "Julie and Julia," was based on a blog written by a woman who wrote about trying a different Julia Child recipe every night for a year.  The blogger was offered a book deal.  The book became a best seller and spawned the movie. Many other, less famous, people have also been offered book deals based on their blogs.

Blogging might help you get a job. Some employers who are looking for employees who are creative and who can write might be impressed if you have a very well-written and well-designed blog. Of course, you'd have to refrain from posting pictures of nude stars, rants against your previous employers, and pictures of yourself drunk and barfing.

Blogging can help make you an expert. People who blog on specialized topics usually try to keep up with all the latest news and developments that relate to their topics, so they can pass that on to their readers. That kind of consistent attention can quickly make you an expert in your blog's field.

And finally, the biggest advantage of all: blogging is a lot of fun. So go ahead and seize the moment, and then write about that moment on your blog!

Learn more about this author, May Monten.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.