The Blogging Trinity

  Rock Star . 
  Originally uploaded by Macarena C..

Carolyn recently did me the honor of passing the "5 Reasons Why You Blog" baton to me, and for the past couple weeks, I've been trying to figure out a good answer to that question.

There are really only 2 reasons why I blog:

The money and the fame.

Ha! (kidding of course)

Although I would love to say that I blog for the money and the fame and the rock star status that eSoup has bestowed upon me (;-) please!), we all know this isn't true.

Unless you'd like to count the $2.39 "revenue" I generated from my Amazon affiliate sales last year, I haven't made a cent off my blog.

As for the fame, I think the problogging term for eSoup would be "under-performing".

Although it is now firmly entrenched in Technorati's top 10,000 (hooray for the Z-List!), eSoup isn't breaking any traffic records.

(I like the way that Mack spins it--it may be modest traffic, but it is targeted traffic, so that's what counts!)

So, now that I've admitted to myself that eSoup has brought me neither money nor fame, why the heck have I spent hours a day, almost every day for the past 9 months lovingly tending to it?

Hmmm. Good question. Here's the deal:

• It amuses me. I like writing, and I like having fun combining images with stories. When I write an article, I get so excited about it that I can hardly wait to post it. I love the process of creating the post, looking for the perfect photo, coming up with a catchy hook, then writing out the story and polishing it to a high sheen. It spend inordinate amounts of time on each post, and I can't seem to resist tweaking and primping each one up like a overly proud mother. So, in this sense, one of my reasons for blogging is purely selfish--it just gives me joy.

  message in a bottle 
  Originally uploaded by inspired2....

• I'm addicted to meeting kindred souls. When I started this blog, I never imagined that it would bring me into contact with people who shared similar viewpoints, who would take the time to encourage me, and who were absolutely amazing writers in their own right. Finding this group of kindred souls has been an unexpected gift, sort of like throwing a message in a bottle into the ocean, then having the bottle wash back up on my shore with a reply. Absolute magic.

• It's my salon. eSoup is the internet space where I get to play hostess, and receive and entertain guests. I've always been a homebody, so it's natural that I like to spend time primping my salon for my guests. ;-)

I know that's only 3, but 3 is good enough. While there are lots of satellite perks to blogging, this is my trinity of blogging motivators.

Yikes, I don't usually tag folks; I like to take volunteers. Sooooo, the first 5 people who leave a comment get to be tagged and I'll update this post with a link to your blog.

(Hee hee--I don't usually get 5 comments per post, and I think I may have just discouraged the few commenters I have by saying that they will be tagged. Okay, you can leave a comment and not be tagged if you like. No pressure.)

Update: Becky Carroll and Alan Bradford have bravely stepped forward and agreed to be tagged. Anyone else?

Comments

[Verna Wilder]

Getting to know people like you is one of the reasons I blog, Sharon. I love reading your posts, love attending your salons, and really appreciate your ability to create community. Keep on blogging, girl!

[Alan Bradford]

This topic has also been on my mind as of late. Your post yesterday was absolutely perfect. Sometimes I don't know why the I spend time throwing my thoughts out into the world. (I am definitely not making any money at it, that's for sure.) Thanks for writing and giving me a chance to share.

[Becky Carroll]

Hello Sharon! I am so glad you do blog; otherwise, we would not have easily crossed paths! I, too am amazed by the people I have met these past months of blogging.

Keep it up; it will all come together at some point!

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hi Guys, thanks so much for chiming in. Blogging is definitely a life enriching thing. Yes, we love to, as Alan said, "throw our thoughts out into the world."

There is something so healthy about that. I'm glad you guys blog too, because it gave me the chance to meet you! :-)

[Carolyn Manning]

I like to think of us as the wealthy-and-famous-in-training.

[Erin Blaskie]

Great post! I love that you write for the pure love of writing. A lot of people blog because (a) they feel obligated or (b) they have a lot to say but really don't like writing it out and putting the pieces together.

Love the blog Sharon - it's one of my favorites!