I get asked this quite a lot. "Why do you do it?" people ask. Here's just a few reasons why I blog.

I Have Ownership

My blog is my own. My little space of the internet. Okay, so I don't own the hosting server that my blog runs on, but the text, images, links and videos are all carefully crafted or curated by myself to form a timeline of my thoughts, likes and dislikes. And I own that little timeline. I don't need to ask permission from a third party to get that timeline back. It's sitting on my MacBook Pro at home as a series of little Markdown files, that when passed through a program, form the lovely little timeline that is my blog.

A Network Tool

My blog isn't just for me though, it's for you. It's for everyone if they're interested. To reach a wider audience though, it helps if you have a network of other bloggers to rely on. This is something that I was late to realize when I started blogging. The power of a network. I wouldn't say I was part of a formal network like Svbtl or Medium but I do have a circle of fellow bloggers who link to my blog frequently.

Every once in a while a fellow blogger in my network will like my post and link to it from their blog. In return I too will link to blogs of those in my network. There isn't a "tit for tat" rule though. This is simply sharing content that we like and recommend. Over the last couple of years I've built up a nice network of fellow bloggers who not only have interesting blogs to read, but also find my own content interesting.

No Restriction

Take a look at any social networking tool and you'll find restrictions that limit the content that you can publish. Post length, media type and reach are all restrictions that will prevent your post from reaching the world. No fear of that with a blog.

• Your content doesn't need to be finely worded so that it adhere's to the 140 character limit that's imposed on you.
• Your content is easily accessible to the world. Nobody needs to sign up to read your content.
• Depending on your choice of blogging platform, your content is free to move anywhere you want it to. No requesting of data from a third party just so that you can move your blog to another host.

Writing Practice

For me though the main attraction to blogging is the practice of writing. I love writing and using my blog as a way to practice writing is time well invested in my eyes.

Sitting down to write a novel is a serious long-term commitment, but a blog allows you to work using a smaller commitments. You can write something about 500 words in length, then edit it until you're happy with it and publish it for the world to see. My blog gives me this chance to practice my writing.

So that's why I blog. What's your reasons for blogging and what motivates you?