In the last post on ProBlogger Kevin talked about starting a blog based upon one of your hobbies as a great way to start blogging.
As I mentioned in the introduction to that post – Kevin had really described much of my own motivations for starting my photography blog (and that of many many other successful blogs). While I did see an opportunity for profit in that blog when I started it – my main motivation for kicking it off was to share what I was learning about photography and to see if I could draw others with a similar interest together to learn from one another.
For me I always wanted to see if I could make some money from that blog – but early on it wasn’t the biggest motivation. Over the years as the blog has grown and become more profitable I suspect my motivations have changed a little – I’m still interested in the topic – but it’s certainly more of a focus to make it profitable.
Of course starting a blog on a topic you’re interested in or passionate about is not the only way – many successful bloggers have started blogs with other motivations – including to make money, to grow their profile, to drive traffic to their business etc…. (or some combination of motivations).
Why Did You Start Blogging?
Yesterdays post has got me thinking – why DO people start blogs? Has the motivation changed from a few years back when blogs first began to get popular (when I started 7 years ago most people seemed to be doing it purely for fun and to make connections)?
I’d be interested to hear about your initial motivations to starting a blog? Did you start on a topic you were interested in? Did you start with the idea of making money? Was there some other motivation/s? Also – have your motivations changed since starting your blog?
Interested to hear your thoughts!
I started blogging several years ago – a personal blog with ramblings and musings. Later, I started a blog on writing, but it never really took off – probably because there are so many good ones out there already.
At several writing conferences, I found myself sharing the same information over and over again about promotions, publicity, marketing and PR. I decided to start a blog so I had one place to share it all. I really started Market My Novel to share information. I’m putting a lot more work into now, and would love to use it to sell a book about promotions. The blog went crazy when I switched it over to WordPress last month. The increase in hits has been amazing, and really gives me hope for growing this blog into a community.
I also blog for my fiction manuscripts. I won’t hesitate to self publish or ePublish, and use blogging to build a fan base, if the traditional publishing method doesn’t work for me.
I recently started blogging because i quit my job and i needed to lose weight. So to keep myself in focus. I blog about health and nutrition mostly, it keeps me going.
I started because I enjoyed writing, it is a wonderful outlet.
Blogging for me was a way to talk about gardening without boring my friends and family as much! The great thing was that like-minded bloggers popped in and gave me new ideas and fed my hobby/habit with stories of their own.
I started blogging accidentally, actually. I was emailing “deals” to friends and family and started getting bounce-backs and people saying, “when I forward this to my sister in Ohio the attachments aren’t there.” I decided to start a blog so people could come to me instead. Within months, I had huge traffic and subscribers. Just happened!
Well, it was very interesting change of heart for me. I originally started because I wanted to make an income from home and not have a regular day job. I thought that this would allow me the time to write a book or two in my spare time, but instead this has changed over time. I am doing a complete remake of my website to help other people in the same situation. The satisfaction of helping others has overwhelmed me and I just can’t stop thinking of new blog posts to do. http://www.allmojo.com was my first blog and I hope to have many more to come. I hope to be as good as you one day in helping people and making a living at the same time. Thanks for the tips!
I loved keeping track of the great deals I was getting. It was a fun way to share.thanks
I’ve been designing websites probably since I was 16 and just within the past 3 years have I gotten into blogging. I have several hobbies some including retro gaming, collecting records, vintage guitars, etc. So yes I was one of those people to blog about something they are interested in however I usually always try to find a way to profit from it. It’s catchy!
It actually just started off as a way to document my craft projects – i used to write notes about each project and take pictures – and then it occurred to me, why not start a blog! Now, i make it a point to post a note on each project that I do together with pictures. A year later, I am more keen to look for ways to increase traffic and subscribers since I’ve put quite a lot of effort into building up content.
I started out blogging mainly because I wanted an outlet to improve my writing. It was something I always enjoyed and in order to be consistent I chose a subject I could easily relate write about – golf.
To this day I still enjoy the writing side of things but have found the marketing, social media and other associated tasks that come with blogging to be extremely satisfying and interesting.
I have not actually started my blog yet but…I have been home-schooling my kids for almost 20 years (I have actually graduated two of my kids, both college grads now, one with a Master’s degree). I KNOW I have a lot to offer others who are getting started, or need help with, home-schooling. I am trying to do things now so that when I get started I will already have an online presence and will be able to build a following and make some money, hopefully somewhat quickly (I am not thinking get-rich-quick by any means, however).
So my motivation is taking something I know a lot about and have been very successful at and sharing that with the hope of helping others while bringing in some income. (And since I’ve been a full-time mom for 25 years, just about anything would be pretty cool.)
Money is the biggest motivation, second is popularity… and seldom you meet people who blog because of passion.
I started blogging to establish myself as an authority in the given area that I blog about. This has worked beautifully, and I now inspire more people to go to my professional services site from my blog than Google can bring in.
I wanted to start writing about my hobbies and I wanted to be heard. Secondarily, I wanted to make a living.
Over a year later, I’ve done all these things, but none of them very well. I’ve written a lot, but not much recently. I get 20,000 visitors per month, but I’m not sure if they’re readers because I get almost no comments. I cleared $118 last month, which is hardly a living.
It’s better than having no blog.
I started blogging to write something different regarding to my business, i really love for blogging = hobby, make money, business from blog
I started Blogging as a Hobby…
My Hobby…?? (Necessity)
I am a single,retired father of two young boys on a low income and my objective is to disprove the saying that (you can’t teach an old dog new tricks).
Because of that I have now become a student of Alex Jeffreys and Dean Holland and under their leadership hope that one day I will monetise my Blog.
I have just bought a new Domain name :
(http://for bloggersonly.com) and am looking for some direction for it.
Cheers.
Malcolm.t.
To keep track of my many creative and handmade projects and to share ideas and tips with family and friends, old and new, as I learn along the way. Everyone’s busy, so I thought if I learned something that I could pass along without someone else having to spend the time researching or testing something out, then it was worth it. I also wanted a “home” for my new greeting card business, http://www.simplygive.etsy.com
I started blogging as a way to deal with my feelings and experience of finishing cancer treatment.
I’ve found support from others and offered it as well. I’ve advocated and helped people advocate as well. It is a two way street and while I certainly am not at the level of a blog like yours it is a huge part of my heart.
I started my blog to share my knowledge of seo with other peoples. Now I love the response I got back.
ephman started his blog to help raise money to fight cancer. all the money he makes from advertising goes to charity. if you love running, anime, technology, top 10 lists, music, and events in nyc
ephman.com
is a great blog. tons of symantic tech in it too! and the more pages you view the more ephman gives away to help fight melanoma cancer. :) so that’s the main reason ephman blogs. plus it’s fun.
Good question to initiate self-reflection and motivations.
I’ve always enjoyed writing. My education includes journalism, but I stink at that style, leaning more toward creative writing. I have a passion for tapping into consumer insights to push smarter marketing. And one day I got the bug, thinking I just wanted to get my thoughts and opinions ‘on paper’. Just for myself. It’s been about a year now, and I’ve enjoyed blogging immensely. I’ve had some talented folks help me with some design and tech pieces. And I’ve learned valuable lessons in circumspection. Say what’s on my mind, but be mindful of what I say.
Honestly, I first started my blog almost a year back just to make money with adsense and nothing else than that. But from then many things have changed in my opinions and now I blog for sharing tips and making money with it.
Regards,
Typhoon a.k.a Sushant
http://www.smartbloggerz.com
Nice article. Making profits with a Hobby Blog is quite a challenging thing but If you are really like mastered in it and you know how to market it then you are surely gonna make profits with it..
Regards,
Typhoon a.k.a Sushant
http://www.smartbloggerz.com
I started blogging to offer my tango students information about the dance so they could practice outside of class. That was in July. Since then, I’m amazed at my own growth with blogging and the readers that have found my site and asked for more content and interaction.
Oops posted the above comments on the wrong post..Please delete it as I have posted it again here:
https://problogger.com/hobby-blogs-making-profits-from-your-hobby/
It all started as a sort of random-objective diary put out there as public.
I’ve always written but found blogging to have an exciting ‘edge’ to it.
As I grew older, I switched from Xanga to blogs aimed more toward serious/real writers. My topics have also evolved from mostly personal to objective.
Social media is great, but I still want to write a book.
I organize a Meetup in NYC called Becoming a Woman of Purpose. I started the blog to supplement the Meetup. But as more and more women from out of the area began joining, they cannot physically come to the gatherings, the blog is there for them to stay connected.
Darren,
I started blogging because I enjoyed writing, for fun, and to make connections. That was over five years ago. Since my first blog (which I still post to) I have authored or co-authored 10 blogs. Were they all started on a topic / niche I was interested in? Absolutely.
My motivation to blog has changed since I started blogging, in the sense that I am now monetizing (albeit slowly).
However, in a sense, my motivation for blogging has not changed. Or shall I say a lot of what originally motivated me to blog still motivates me today! I still blog because I enjoy writing, I enjoy sharing with others what I know, and I find blogging fun. I also find blogging fascinating, challenging and competitive. And I enjoy blogging because I love to help and to interact with my readers. I also love networking with other bloggers.
I’m blogging for many of the same reasons I did when I started five years ago, and I’m earning some money while doing so. How fortunate is that? Hopefully one day I’ll make a living at blogging, something I intend to make happen…
I still write about the same niches I chose to write about over five years ago, with a few exceptions. Because they are the things I have always been passionate about. Which is what makes this job so rewarding to me, and lacking in drudgery.
Not that blogging isn’t hard work. Bloggers work very HARD.
But I’m willing to work hard if it means working at a job I really enjoy.
On that fateful day almost five and a half years ago, when I stumbled upon blogging, I never realized all the benefits that would come from it. And I’m not just talking about monetary benefits. The benefits came before I even began monetizing, and these benefits still continue today…
krissy knox :)
follow me on twitter:
http://twitter.com/iamkrissy
my main blog:
Sometimes I Think
I started the PTSD Spirituality blog to help both veterans and civilians with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) learn about the spiritual dimensions of soul wounds and trauma.
I have found that while physical medicine keeps me in medications and therapies as long as my health insurance pays, it does little to adress the spiritual dimensions of our wounds.
Starting this blog allows me to help people not kill themselves because their PTSD is unbearable. Finding meaning in our suffering is important to staying alive.
The blog is young, a few months old, and I hope to create more content in terms of traditional and alternative spiritual healing traditions.
As my WordPress skills grow I hope to monetize the blog. Provide free information to those interested in healing PTSD’s soul damage, but also provide an income as my health declines and I await the next stroke.
So, to answer the question: First, I started blogging to fill the need of our fellow travellers who suffer from PTSD. Second, I hope to provide a useful free service and also pay for some of my own medical needs through the blog. Lastly, some of the blog material will be used for a book.
Thank You & Semper Pax, Dr. Z
There are two reasons I started blogging. Initially, I know I started blogging with the sole purpose of making money. But it was a niche blog, so I was making money from a niche I enjoyed writing about. But now, I blog with topics that I know will make me money, as well as a hobby blog to note my improvement in programming. I’ve taken a liking to blogging.
I started blogging because I moved to Shetland – a group of islands off mainland Britain with a population of 22,000 people, and everyone I knew and met asked me why?! I wanted to show people through ariticles, facts and tips what a fantastic lifestyle I have here and how vibrant the community is. I’ve had great feedback and what it may lead to I’m not sure, but really enjoyng the creativity of the whole process, and I feel really pasionate about what I do. I hope to earn some cash in the future, but for now I’m quite happy just blogging my activities and watching my site develop.
First of all, great article! I really enjoy your newsletters and I am very grateful that you find the time to share your experience!
I started my blog with one purpose- I needed to get ” my things” in order. I was doing too many things at once and I needed to channel the energy coming out of this into one place. I thought that organizing my hobbies and interest in one place would help me organize myself better, preserve the things I do and share them with people who might find them interesting.
Later, I found myself really enjoying the “educational” part of having your hobbies on your blog. Sharing with people something you know how to do in a easy and interesting way, so they can learn to do it too is still the most important reason for me to maintain the blog. There is no other thing like the satisfaction of sharing knowledge and be appreciated for it.
Some time after that came the other reasons- networking, monetizing, promoting myself, but all three are at a very early stage for me to be able to say how important are they for the growth of my blog.
Hi I have been blogging for about four months now and I started because the subject I am interested in (alternative health), is my hobby. I wanted to put down in writing what I had read. The hope was that perhaps I would be able to help someone with a health related problem.
Great question. I started blogging as a way to share ideas and to be an agent for positive change. In my heart is social activism through awareness, consciousness and compassion. As a Mental Health professional and student of consciousness for over 30 years, I feel I have ideas and perspective worth sharing.
I just posted my 900th post and it seems like the flow of inspiration is as strong as ever.
This blog has given back to me in wonderful ways also. I feel on purpose and more open to the widsom that flow through me.
Often times I am even inspired by what comes out of my fingers, checkout this recent post: http://www.explorelifeblog.com/journal/2009/9/6/four-life-lessons-to-make-our-world-a-better-place.html
Joseph
http://www.explorelifeblog.com
I started blogging because I wanted to be of help to people. But I noticed that it is difficult to have traffic to the site. So I read up on how to do that and people just started offering me help in the form of what they’re selling but there were always something missing.
Evelyn Guzman
http://www.homebusinesssteps.com (If you want to visit, just click but if it doesn’t work, copy and paste it onto your browser.)
Started http://beatschindler.com to help people get more out of themselves and more out of life, to help destuckify people who are stuck, to stay connected with family in Europe, to share experience-based knowledge with anyone interested, to promote happiness, love and inner peace, and – over time – to make money blogging and continue to do what I love.
Originally it was as a way to keep a bike race team informed and give some luv back to our sponsors. Then it was a way to get a user community that I was trying to setup off the ground and get information about rides, races and trails in the area. So my blogs have sort of organically morphed into repositories of information about Cycling and Stuff to do with kids (http://www.kidzense.com)
actually, I start a blog only because I want to make money online. It isn’t easy, but I like such life style.
We started blogging for our business because we believe that its another marketing strategy.
I started blogging as a way to get my opinions and content out there. I have focused on personal finance, and now I’m drawing more focus towards making money online. I also share my techniques, thoughts and money making explorations.
I started blogging in 2003 by influence of a friend of mine. Since then I developed my blogging skills and started a blog called muiomuio.net because of Problogger.com
Problogger.com was my big inffluence in Blogging back in 2007 :)
I started blogging to post all of my short stories online, and my art gallery at mosaic globe art galleries, free advertizement of my fine art. donna.mosaicglobe.com
I started my DivisionOneAthletics blog because I am a Division I athlete and collegiate sports are something I am really passionate about. I started my blog as part of a class at my university, it’s not something that I anticipated enjoying, but the more I get into it the more I am beginning to understand what the craze is all about.
I start blogging because it makes me feel better rather than bottling up things.
I start blogging arounds 5months ago,and just for hobby besides to generate income,blogging its really fun.
Funny to read this today. I actually started as result of an idea I had on my birthday three years ago (9/11) to make origami peace cranes and leave them in public places. I would take photos of them and write about peace oriented topics and post them on my blog. I knew nothing about blogging, but I loved the feeling of writing and putting it all “out there”.
From there, I started another one about “untraditonal” mothering, a couple others that didn’t really go anywhere, and now it’s mostly my professioanl blog about shiatsu and hlistic health.
http://www.wholesale-retailer.com/
Recently, more and more people choose to imitation as a gift. The purchase of imitation into a cool, very trendy thing. The quality of products, increased at the same time.
I started off in the personal development with a strong bias towards management, arena. That was my knowledge and expertise.
I am an emerging artist and started my blog for education and inspiration. I figured that if I had people following my blog, it would instill in me some greatly needed discipline.
It sure worked and my blog is doing better than I ever expected.
I started blogging to share information, ideas and tips and am still enjoying the process and the journey.