Why Do I Blog?

I’ve been blogging since the end of 2004, and just yesterday one of my posts generated a record setting 5! comments! That felt good, although two of those comments were me replying to somebody. Still, I’ve never had two comments to reply to. The final comment agreed with me, but that was a friend of mine that I asked to check my post, my logic, and my character in response to those who were kind enough to read my post and comment on it.

I’ve mentioned at a few points that I wanted to be a “problogger,” or somebody who makes lots of money by blogging. I’ve slowly come to realize that this isn’t for me, at least, not at this point in my life. I enjoy writing, to a point, but I imagine if my income came to depend on it, I might not be able to keep up. I’ve also not been able to discover a niche. My interests vary from time to time. I’ve tried at various points to have blogs dedicated to PC’s, Linux, Apple, Marriage and Family, Bible Study, IT, politics, education, theology, Franklin Covey, GTD, teamwork, etc. I’ve tried various themes, but I’ve never been able to stick with one niche long enough to generate a lot of repeat interest. At this point, I guess I’d be happy with people who stop by just to see what I’m going to write about next.

For some reason, I’m on an MLM kick this week, ever since the post I linked to above. I’ve been involved in an MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) organization. Actually, I’ve been involved in two, and I’ve seen “plans” for several others. I’ve read lots of testimonies of people who came out of the specific MLM that I devoted a lot of time and money to get nowhere. Aw, the memories! Of course, the question remains, what will I be into next week?

According to the Clifton StrengthFinder assessment, one of my strengths is Learner. My current company, when I started, gave me a copy of the “Now, Discover Your Strengths” book. They’re a “Strengths Based Organization,” which I found interesting. After years of “focusing on my weaknesses,” including during my time in that MLM, it’s refreshing to work for a company that wants me to learn about my strengths and put me forward to our customer based on them. It’s an interesting concept. Of course, I also work for an engineering company that was started by engineers, that believes  family comes first and “work is what we do so we can do the things we want to do after work, so have fun” in it’s value statement. I’m babbling, but I’m not getting paid for this. Apparently, the strength of “Learner” sums me up pretty well. I hope I’m not posting copywrited material, and I’ll take this down if I am, but here is the definition of Learner from the assessment:

Learner

You love to learn. The subject matter that interests you most will be determined by your other themes and experiences, but whatever the subject, you will always be drawn to the process of learning. The process, more than the content or the result, is especially exciting for you. You are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence. The thrill of the first few facts, the early efforts to recite or practice what you have learned, the growing confidence of a skill mastered—this is the process that entices you. Your excitement leads you to engage in adult learning experiences—yoga or piano lessons or graduate classes. It enables you to thrive in dynamic work environments where you are asked to take on short project assignments and are expected to learn a lot about the new subject matter in a short period of time and then move on to the next one. This Learner theme does not necessarily mean that you seek to become the subject matter expert, or that you are striving for the respect that accompanies a professional or academic credential. The outcome of the learning is less significant than the “getting there.”

That’s me, all right. That explains why this week I’m spending my free time reading and thinking about MLM’s, and next week I could be off on another tangent entirely.

At this point, I’ve decided that one of my goals for blogging is to work on my written communication skills. As I learn new ideas, or think through old ones, my goal is to work on how well I can communicate to those who are kind enough to stop by my blog and read my posts.

I have considered getting my own hosted service, but for now I’ll stay here, or with another free blogging service.