This is a re-run of a blog post that Amanda from, Something to Ponder About, wrote. Amanda’s post had me searching as to just why I blog, and what it means to me. At the conclusion of Amanda’s post, fellow bloggers were welcomed to re-post with our own answers if we wanted to. 

I did want to so I will pose the same questions that Amanda posed, and some of my answers will be almost the same too. I figure there’s no point in re-inventing the wheel, and Amanda has answered some questions as an almost perfect mirror of what comes to my own mind.

Amanda’s opening paragraph follows:

Whether you are new to blogging or have been writing for some time, blogging is, or can become, a personal branding story, a legacy of self. What does your blog say about you and the personal brand behind the blog? These six questions helped me unpack the purpose behind my blogging journey.

Why write a blog

Q: “The best posts and stories make the audience’s benefit amazingly clear. What is the real benefit of your writing?”

A.: One of the benefits to me is pure enjoyment. I love writing, it’s as simple as that. My writings are as eclectic as I am, and some posts will appeal to fellow bloggers, other posts will appeal to family and friends. Some posts will have little appeal to anyone except myself in the writing of them. My blog has become a bit of diary I suppose, a sort of record of my thoughts and my life. Like photos, it’ll hopefully outlast me. Maybe my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will one day wander through my old posts the same as they would a box of old photos, and it’ll give them cause for reminiscing, or a new insight and understanding into who I am, or who I once was.

Conveying relevance

Q: How does your story fit into the world? Is your blog helpful to someone?

A: My writing fits into my world, but I don’t know if it fits into the world of anyone else. I don’t know if my writing is helpful to others either. I don’t tend to have a consistent theme, but that’s me, a bit of a ‘box of chocolates’, and you’ll never know what you’re going to get until you open each new post. I guess some posts may resonate with some people and therefore be helpful, or thought provoking. As is the case with Amanda, one of the spinoffs of blogging is the surprising development of a nurturing and positive blogging community.

Structured posts

Q: Do your blog posts walk readers through a learning curve of information and share how issues discussed might impact them?

A: Some of my posts will play the Devil’s Advocate, to try to get people to think outside of their usual spontaneous re-action to a world event. I post a few photos from our home and garden from time to time too. My home surrounds are continually evolving. Some people fear change, their gardens are planted and stay exactly the same for ever and a day. If one of my posts gives someone inspiration for a possible garden make-over, or to paint a piece of furniture, or to replace some dusty venetian blinds that they bought thousands of days ago but wouldn’t otherwise think of replacing, then I’d be happy about that. I also try to post regularly about places to see or places to go in Australia, particularly the South West of WA. I’d be happy if I knew information I’ve shared may give someone inspiration for things to do or places to go.

An Emotional Connection

Q: Beyond education, the best stories forge a bond between the story-teller and her audience. Whether through vulnerability, candor or shared experience, stories where the audience walks away with heightened emotional intimacy are the stories that win. How do you foster emotional connection with your readers?

A: Like Amanda I can only hope the tone of my posts are personal and conversational. I try to write as if I’m actually talking to my audience. Sometimes I connect with my readers, sometimes I don’t. I see other bloggers who have developed a huge following in the blogging community in a relatively short time, and I guess they really have fostered an emotional connection with their readers. My dedicated followers by comparison are very few, perhaps a result of not having any truly dedicated theme. Or perhaps I just don’t connect with that many people. It’s nice when I do connect, but it’s not important. Just the icing on the cake when it happens!

Past or future

Q: Is your blog about the past or where you are headed? Does your writing examine the past whilst reflecting the future, in terms of dreams, hopes and the future?

A: In the beginning my blog was started to record our travels. The ow at the end of lifeofrileyow originally stood for ‘on wheels’. Then our direction changed, we were no longer travelling full time, and I found I wanted to keep writing. I didn’t want to be restricted by any particular theme, I just wanted to write on whatever prompted me to get tapping on the keyboard. On whatever seemed like a suitable replacement for on wheels. So, in answer to that question, I write about past, present, and future. And I write about something, or/and nothing. Just whatever prompts me to get that keyboard tapping….

Differentiate you

Q: What makes your blog stand out from others?

A: This answer is going to be from Amanda’s post verbatim – ‘I think that is a question for the readers of my blog. I could not be objective at all in answering this, and thus I’ll polite- fully decline.’

And now I’m also going to do as Amanda did, and welcome you to re-post with your own answers, but you are under no obligation to do so.

Amanda also concluded her post with a list of some blogs which she has found inspirational to her in her blogging journey. Whilst I thank the WordPress community for their support and inspiration, I wouldn’t trust myself to actually list the blogs I’ve found inspirational on my own blogging journey without missing out someone who has been very important to me. I comment regularly on the posts on the blogs I follow that have become meaningful to me, so you all know who your are. Thank you all.