My “office” – a friendly, neighborhood, wifi-enabled café where I sit and blog most mornings.
Dave over at the excellent The Disquiet blog has asked me why I blog. And that is a great question.
I started blogging 4 years ago, have written over 1000 posts, and the blog became insanely popular last year in May. At the outset, I had no plans or goals with blogging, and I blogged about both personal and business themes.
Since the blog became I hit, I’ve tightened the focus, and now I only blog about happiness at work. I feel I wouldn’t be serving my readers properly, if I suddenly started writing about the movie I saw last night or the latest episode of Lost :o)
Anyway, here are my five main reasons for blogging.
1: It makes me happy
Blogging makes me happy for many reasons. First of all, the pride of having written a great blogpost. That feels goooooood. I always blog in café (here’s a picture of my “office”), and many are the times I’ve left the place after a good morning’s writing, totally high on having created something I’m proud of.
Then there’s the pleasure of giving. Knowing that I can help people all over the world out, and give them ideas and inspiration. That’s the one thing I like the most about blogging – that it’s very much a gift economy. And that the more each of us give, the more we get.
2: My blog is my spare brain
Increasingly, my blog is my spare brain. When I find a great quote, blogpost, article, idea I post it to the blog or to my link collection. And I often search my own blog for “you know, that article where that guy said that thing about that company.”
3: To sell by giving
My blog is also my professional website. This is how companies find me and hire me to speak and consult. And MAN does that ever work.
4: To find playmates
Here’s a funny story. Way back in 2003, Fast Company mentioned this woman called Traci Fenton who works with organizational democracy. I wrote this blogpost about it. Some weeks later Traci Googled herself, found my blogpost and contacted me. We found that organizational democracy and happiness at work are intimately connected and that we work for almost exactly the same things in the workplace. I’ve since spoken at two of her conferences in Washington DC, Traci has visited me in Copenhagen and we’ve become great friends.
And stuff like that happens more and more.
As a kid, I could just leave the house, go out on the street and instantly find playmates. As an adult, it’s not quite that easy. The blog is a great way to find playmates.
5: To make people happy at work
Well, duh! :o)
Perhaps a bit out of scope for your blog, but what is the name of the cafe in your picture? I’ve been looking for a nice, wifi-enabled caf
It’s The Laundromat Caf
Playmates!
Ok I have the same thought about Blogging. Playmates are good! LOL
I found your blog from the Auto Roll on my blog.
Be safe…
I love that cafe! Especially how they organized all the books by colour…
I can see how it would be part of making you happy – a nice bright, crisp, colourful environment is always a good stimulant to the imagination. I wish I had a cafe like that nearby!
Love the points you mention! And love the Image of the Laundromat blogspot! Which raises the question: Where do Bloggers Blog?
Their might be another reason you blog, a reason which bubbled up from my unconscious to my conscious pondering on your post: the fact that people always like to share thoughts about shared experiences.
In the old days people in small communities talked about the things that had happened in the community. When we had like two national tv stations, we talked the next day about the programmes we saw. In the iAge we all have our individual experiences, which we do not necessarily share with the people we meet in daily life (“Chief Happiness Officer? Never heard of.”) By expressing our thoughts on them on a blog we hope to find people somewhere in the blogosphere that have had the same experience.
Your picture on your blogspot inspired Huub to request some blogspot pictures.
http://zichtbarezaken.web-log.nl/zichtbarezaken/2007/03/waar_blog_jij.html
… not to forget that we’ve met there as well ;-) Hope to see you at this year’s re-boot?! Greetings from Germany, Ralf.
Thanks for the nice mention – and great reasons!!
Best
Dave
Wow what a great blog! This is the first time I’ve come across it, I’ll be subscribing and coming back for more. This is a good meme, I was tagged by it recently as well. Thanks,
Mark McManus
Alex,
I don’t know if you’ll enjoy being tagged twice in a row. But it’s too late. I’ve already tagged you! :D Hope you pass it on!! :)
http://nirmala-km.blogspot.com/2007/03/media-sources-tagged.html
Be careful on the slopes (said the middle-aged man who quickly gives away his status as a fther).
Why blog? Why eat great food? Walk through a beautiful grove of trees? Kiss your girlfriend of go snow boarding? I think that other than the blogging groupies, I blog simply because I enjoy writing and making the occasional connection with others.
But there has to be at least one other reason you blog, Alexander: you do it so well and it is a shame not to do something when you can do it so well, right? Your blog is such a great blend of content and style, I always enjoy it.
Blogging is a great outlet and also a way to express yourself!
Just a short note to say I like your blog.
Good job and keep up the great work!
Kenneth