January 2, 2008

Why Blog? . . . “Follow Your Calling” She Said

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 8:28 am

A Calling

When I was 7 years old, my teacher told me to listen for my calling. She said if I listened to my heart and my mind, I would find the future that was right.

Liz Strauss as a child

My teacher said “You’ll know because you’ll be making a difference in people’s lives.” I remember exactly where I sat when I let her words into my head. That’s when I started thinking about the possibilities.

I grew up with more curiosity than wisdom. I traveled with my feet on the ground, my head in the sky. I needed 23 lives to follow the callings I heard. . . . be a teacher, be speaker, be a writer. I wanted to build things and fix things, and of course, to be smart, wealthy, and rich. I wanted the life of a freelancer and the community of a company at the same time.

I tried them all — even tried a few more that came along.

Still that thought hung with me, You’ll be making a difference in people’s lives.

I ended up an educational publisher. For a while, I felt it might be my calling, but I wondered was I really making a difference or just making books? I worked freelance. I worked company jobs. I worked on projects of so many kinds. I not only loved publishing; I knew, for sure, that I’d never get bored.

Then I did.

I went off on my own again.

Was I Called?

A friend did call to ask me, if I would write a blog for a science education company. I thought I’d better find out what was involved before I answered. So I started a blog.

Early on I met the most excellent people — so many of them — and found IT changed MY life! Though I went down some windy roads, when I thought of giving up, one of those first friends, Jeremy, said, “Why don’t you join b5media instead?” Though the network was plenty busy with the work of being born, they didn’t blink before they took me in. Suddenly I was a freelancer in a thriving community.

Later that year, Darren set a challenge to write blog goals. I wasn’t going to participate, but I did. That’s when I found that my blog is my home. That’s when I realized how much I am like my dad.

If you read what I wrote, it says,

You see, my father didn’t work at the saloon. He lived it. He also earned enough to feed a family and send three kids to school. Somehow in doing that, he managed to make a difference in people’s lives by sharing what he knew and who he was.

My blogging goal is to do the same thing
with my blog that my father did with his saloon.

and that’s why I blog.

As for why I keep blogging, well it’s because every now and then I’ll get an email that says

Aside from business, people desire answers, they are hoping that someone believes that there [are] answers, and that just maybe, they can have hope too. — Steve

and it makes me think I might be making a difference.

“Follow your calling” she said.
Thank you for helping me know what my calling is.

Now will you tell me? Is it a calling, a hobby, a quest?
Please tell me. Why do you blog?

Liz's Signature
The question, “Why Do You Blog?” is final week’s challenge of the b5media Apprentice Challenge. Over 30 blogs on the b5 Business Channel started the quest, only four are left: Accounting Solver . . .Home Biz Notes . . . Greener Assets . . . Successful Blog.

The winner will be chosen from one of these four.

Will you join in deciding who becomes the b5media Apprentice? Every comment you leave on a final challenge post counts as a vote! The voting is open until January 7th. So c’mon tell me why you do you blog!

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Filed under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog |



C'mon. Let's talk!

80 Comments to “Why Blog? . . . “Follow Your Calling” She Said”

  1. January 2nd, 2008 at 8:46 am
    Paula C. Scardamalia said

    I blog because I love having somewhere to share thoughts, ideas, experiences without first having to get it approved by an editor! And I blog because it establishes connections and community. And because it is a great place for potential employers for freelancing assignments to see samples of my writing. And because–who knows–someday some of those blog essays may turn into a book or spawn a book idea. The challenge, though, is that having always thought of myself as fairly verbal and spilling over with ideas, maintaining a regular posting schedule takes some effort.

  2. January 2nd, 2008 at 9:25 am
    Karin H. said

    Hi Liz

    I started blogging as extra promotion tool for our business. Then I started blogging to write about our business. Then I found other bloggers writing about a lot of things that interested me - business and personal.

    Then I started blogging to have conversations - on my own blog or on many other blogs, it doesn’t matter - and learned and learned and learned. And met so many interesting and sharing bloggers all over the world.

    Then I started blogging to share - be it business practice, books that taught me, blog posts that touched me, webtools that helped me.

    And all reasons are still valid - every day.

    Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business

  3. January 2nd, 2008 at 9:43 am
    Sonnie said

    At first, I just want to have an e-journal so I can leave something for my kids, who may need my counsel in the future.

    As I write about issues on career, corporate life and everything in between, some dudes thought I’m making sense, so they sponsored my own domain and hosting for 2 years now.

    Blogging is so much fun.

  4. January 2nd, 2008 at 10:13 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Paula!
    It was great to talk with you this morning! Sounds like you like both the possibilities and the challenge. :)

  5. January 2nd, 2008 at 10:15 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Karin,
    Those sounds like all of the reasons that we work, study, or interact with people. :)

    I started blogging so that I would be a better human. :)

  6. January 2nd, 2008 at 10:16 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Sonnie!
    So you’ve become a teacher for more than your children. How cool is that?!!! :)

  7. January 2nd, 2008 at 10:18 am
    Robert Hruzek said

    Potential; n. – existing and ready for action but not yet active

    I started like you, Liz; to find out what “this blogging thing” was all about. But now - well, now I blog because I must!

    But what’s really amazing (at least to me) is that blogging has unlocked a potential in me I never knew was there! Amazing! Now my desire is to explore it to the best of my ability.

    Sharing thoughts, having conversations, building bridges and making friends along the way; it’s all heading towards “who knows where” - and I’m lovin’ it!

  8. January 2nd, 2008 at 10:42 am
    Brooke said

    I first started blogging to keep a history of my family and share with other family members.

    The I added another blog and do that because I love to meet new people, share ideas, have great conversations and eventually want to meet them all. That’s also why I like to comment - basically - it’s fun!

  9. January 2nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
    Char said

    Liz - here is the answer I gave you last night -

    I started blogging because I had clients asking about it. I figured I had to do it myself in order to advise them with any confidence. Instead, I found that blogging opened so many doors and helped develop relationships I never knew were possible.

    I have never considered myself a writer, yet blogging has made me a much stronger communicator in so many ways. Blogging is a great outlet. And, now that I have been blogging for just under 2 years, it is bringing in a steady flow of cash and that in itself is a great reason to keep going.

  10. January 2nd, 2008 at 11:21 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Robert!
    I doubt that, when we start, any of us realize what this blogging thing is all about. Discovering a community and the ability to share in learning in a way that we never could before . . . well, how could we have possibly expected that. :)

    Building bridges . . . that was one off the first things we talked about. :)

  11. January 2nd, 2008 at 11:23 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Brooke!
    So for you it’s about the people your share your life with. :)

    I think it’s fun too!

  12. January 2nd, 2008 at 11:26 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Thanks Char!
    I can’t get over how our reasons change. I keep thinking that blogging catches us. :)

  13. January 2nd, 2008 at 12:41 pm
    Scott said

    I blog to help all the other kids who got hurt and don’t know where to find help.

  14. January 2nd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
    Thomas Han said

    hi Liz,

    I blog to practice writing and to remember things for myself, like a diary :-)

  15. January 2nd, 2008 at 12:47 pm
    shel israel said

    I blog because it confirms that there are people out there who care what I have to say and I didn’t know that before there was blogging.

    I blog because the conversations help me discover what thoughts I have are pearls and which should be food for swine.

    I blog because I’m addicted to social media and because some thoughts are just too long and complex fort Twitter.

  16. January 2nd, 2008 at 12:54 pm
    Jonathan Bailey said

    I blog for my cause, fighting plagiarism and content theft. I started my site with the intent of helping others that were in a similar position to myself but lacked the knowledge to fight back. I wanted to be like a self defense instructor, drilling and teaching people to protect themselves.

    I eventually went pro with it, but that is a secondary effect. To me, the main goal is still to help others. However, doing something I love for a living isn’t a bad deal either.

  17. January 2nd, 2008 at 1:05 pm
    Joe Mieczkowski said

    Hi Liz,

    I started to blog because I felt like I had something to say and that someone might read it and dig what I had to say. I started my music blog because people I knew would always ask me what I was listening to so I thought maybe there would be other people out there who where looking for something to listen to and might be interested in the same musicians I was.

  18. January 2nd, 2008 at 1:12 pm
    FSFunky said

    I blog because I want to share my random ideas with the world. And because I’m a bit of an attention whore, as long as it’s digital.

  19. January 2nd, 2008 at 1:16 pm
    Nicholas Butler said

    I blog to carry out several mechanisms.

    1. Its cathartic and allows me to exorcise an idea or thought into a medium where it can be reviewed and considered

    2. Its informative and useful to my clients

    3. Its inclusive as it enables me to take part in on going conversations by way of mine and other blogs.

    4. It provided a rigour. It forces me to narrow some of my otherwise exhuberant and wasteful energies.

    also its fun !

  20. January 2nd, 2008 at 1:32 pm
    Robert Merrill said

    I blog about RECRUITING and HIRING because I used to be on the other side of the desk–the jobless one–and I never understood the secret handshakes or magic potions some used to get jobs, negotiate higher salaries, or navigate layoffs.

    Once on “this side”, I have learned quite a lot, and I want to share it… for myself, as a future reference, but more importantly for anybody else out there who might be in the same shoes I’ve been in… which I have an inkling is a lot.

    Blogging for me is how I leave TRAIL MARKERS along the CAREER PATH for others to follow, if they choose, come what may.

  21. January 2nd, 2008 at 1:34 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Scott!
    I know you do. What a great reason. I so honor you. :)

  22. January 2nd, 2008 at 1:37 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Jonathan, your blog is such a service. You are a model of how if we follow and work for our determined dream the furture takes care of itself.

    Making a living from what you love. How cool is that?!!!

  23. January 2nd, 2008 at 1:38 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Nik!
    I so enjoy your clear thinking. Your comment shows how your blog is useful. Yeah it’s fun too!

    Still planning on that pint when I get back over there!

  24. January 2nd, 2008 at 1:45 pm
    Stormy said

    My personal blog exists to share information and have conversations with people interested in the same topics that might not be sitting in the room with me.

  25. January 2nd, 2008 at 1:52 pm
    Anthony Lawrence said

    So many reasons..

    I started blogging (we didn’t call it that then) just to have a convenient place to put things I needed to remember.

    I continued because I became active in newsgroups and pointing at an article I had written was easier than explaining the same thing over and over again.

    I found that writing about technical stuff often helps me understand it better - both from the necessary research and from comments readers leave.

    Having gained so many faithful readers over the years, I now feel a responsibility to keep blogging for them.. and of course for me, because I enjoy their reactions..

    There’s also the money, which is far from insignificant. Advertising is a big part of my income now, and the blogging itself brings me many, many sales and consulting opportunities - it really is the most important business tool I have!

    Finally, I like to write.. I like words, I like building sentences and paragraphs.. as others have said, it is cathartic, relaxing.. and I’m never at a loss for words :-)

  26. January 2nd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
    Kare Anderson said

    Liz,
    Part of your gift in bogging is that rare combo of practical insights - offered by someone who seems like a trustworthy friend or work colleague. I enjoy reading your posts

    - even on topics i do not think would interest me. Now that may be a sign to us, your fans, that you are following your calling.

    “If the dream comes close to the dreamers, it happens because they have been organizing themselves according to their dreams; they have been acting with the dream on hand.”

    ~ Paulo Freire,Brazilian educator and activist

    I’ll resist the instinct to offer a follow-up comment to get you two “votes” because it would not be fair

    Happy 2008 - one we can savor by bringing out the happier and higher-performing side in each other….

    - Kare

  27. January 2nd, 2008 at 2:04 pm
    Kare Anderson said

    … oops I meant “blogging” … inadvertent two votes
    - Kare

    P.S.
    “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” - George Elliot

    “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” - Anais Nin

    Language is magic: it makes things appear and disappear.
    ~ Nicole Brossard

  28. January 2nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
    mike dunn said

    i’m starting my 6th year of blogging liz, so my reasons for blogging have morphed over the years - originally it was an effort to understand and experience collaboration tools that could be beneficial to technologists like me - now it’s simply a necessary part of my overall communication toolkit, how i interact w/ the world…

  29. January 2nd, 2008 at 3:09 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Anthony!
    I love “we didn’t call it blogging back then.” :) Wow!

    I’ve watched your “blog” change to reflect how you look at it and the folks who read it. It’s been fun to see it become more integral to your business. (Only my perspective, I could be way off here.)

    You’re fabulous with words and information. I can see why your readers look forward to what you write. :)

  30. January 2nd, 2008 at 3:25 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Mike!
    I especially like that you used the words necessary part of your overall communication toolkit. That’s how I’m thinking about it more and more now too.

    I can’t imagine running a business without the connections I’ve made through my blog. :)

  31. January 2nd, 2008 at 5:31 pm
    Mike said

    I blog to develop ideas and conversations and better ways to communicate and share those ideas. They’re the most fun toys of all…

  32. January 2nd, 2008 at 5:43 pm
    mousewords said

    I started blogging because I am a writer whose ideas just spill out all over the place. My original goal was to blog short stories that I would eventually put together into a book; but I haven’t actually written one of those yet!

    I’ve been seriously blogging for less than a year, and I discovered that not only am I more inclined to share my thoughts & perspective on the world, but I also look to my blog as a place to get the word out about my latest artwork. So that was the next purpose: Explore thoughtful writing skills with a view to possible articles in the future, and spread the word about my art career.

    Little did I know that over the course of this past year, my blog would become my voice for raising awareness about humanitarian crises in Africa and for educating others about the dangers of chronic carbon monoxide poisoning, which I’ve survived. Just today I got a comment on one of my posts from someone who just survived CO poisoning–they had gotten to my blog by doing a search for CO, I’m thinking, and hopefully found info that they wouldn’t have otherwise known. For instance: CO will make you think your house is haunted. Where else can you find that? How would you know to look for it?

    So my blog has become my voice. I’m still telling stories and loving it. But I’m loving the conversations with other people now, as well.

  33. January 2nd, 2008 at 5:44 pm
    John Richardson said

    Hi Liz,

    I like the quote in your article…

    “Aside from business, people desire answers, they are hoping that someone believes that there [are] answers, and that just maybe, they can have hope too.” — Steve

    People are looking for answers and so many times are left with the standard answers that business/the media/society provide. What I like about blogging is looking for new/different/better answers.

    I have learned so much in the past three years from blogging and audio books that have really opened my eyes to some amazing possibilities.

    The world is getting smaller and it’s great to have a voice in the new media!

    Thanks for the answers that you provide!

    John

  34. January 2nd, 2008 at 6:34 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    #14 Hi Thomas!
    Welcome, sorry you has to wait.
    A blog makes a great place to practice writing. That’s one more reason I started my first blog and kept it going. Now it’s a legacy for my son.

  35. January 2nd, 2008 at 6:37 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    #15
    Hi Shel!
    Sorry you had to wait. Please know you’re always welcome.

    The reporter you are must have a blog a natural place to put your thoughts, and yet still found it foreign when an audience showed up.

    Yeah, I find out which thoughts of mine are sparklers and which don’t shine too.

    Some thoughts are too complex for 140 characters. Some guys can’t fit entirely on Twitter. :)

  36. January 2nd, 2008 at 6:39 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    #17
    Hi Joe!
    Welcome! Thanks for coming!
    Isn’t that the cool thing about blogging? Not only is there someone out there who’s interested in what we’re interested in, but we can find each other to have a conversation . . . to me that’s most amazing!

  37. January 2nd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi FSFunky!
    I hear you say you like digital attention. Does that mean you’re a bit shy in person? When I did my blogger a day calls. I found that lots of bloggers have that trait in common.

  38. January 2nd, 2008 at 6:42 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Robert!
    So cool to see you here!
    What a natural marketer you are. You’ve found a need that you felt with your head and heart and filled it with your spirit. Giving back what you wished you once had.

    Brilliant!! and Noble.

  39. January 2nd, 2008 at 6:47 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    #24
    Hi Story!
    Thanks for coming to see me.
    Yeah, I like that we can connect without having to brave the weather or 18 hour airplane flights to have a conversation every night. :)

  40. January 2nd, 2008 at 6:49 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Wow, Kare,
    Welcome and thank you.
    I sure try to live up to that opinion. I can’t imagine something that suits me a whole lot better. I live to talk to all of you.

    The quotes you left in your comments are wonderful. Thank you for them too. :)

  41. January 2nd, 2008 at 6:58 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Mousewords!
    Nice to see an ex-Chicagolander around here. I thought when I started it would also be good for a writer’s discipline . . . maybe even a book.

    Then I found that keeping to that idea made my blog less of a communication vehicle. Sounds like the same kind of thing might be what happened to you.

    I see how your blog has become your boice. I hear it too when I read your words. Congratulations!

  42. January 2nd, 2008 at 7:07 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi John!
    I’m so enjoying your participation!
    Don’t you think some of it is just being surrounded by folks who live for sharing thoughts and information? The blogging culture is so rich with deep discussion if you want to have one. :)

    Thank you for being someone who’s not a stranger.

  43. January 2nd, 2008 at 7:15 pm
    SunnySchlenger said

    Liz, I started blogging because I was told to. ;-)
    Really, my agent told me that I needed to get a blog up for potential publishers to see, and so I did. I was so shy that it was agony at first, but over the past 6 months I’ve truly embraced it. It’s become a part of me, and even though I wish I had more public comments, I’m happy to know that I’ve reached and touched the people who email me.
    Thanks again for being such a wonderful inspiration on the blogging road!

  44. January 2nd, 2008 at 8:02 pm
    mousewords said

    Thanks, Liz! :-):-)

    Sunny, you sound like my teen sister–she’s a photographer, and I’m her agent telling her she needs to blog. :-):-)

  45. January 2nd, 2008 at 8:20 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Sunny!
    Anyone who gets us started blogging is a connector, maybe without knowing it. I’d love to talk to you about how you can get more people involved in talking ON your blog. :)

  46. January 2nd, 2008 at 8:25 pm
    Neena (NeenMachine) said

    Liz,
    I started blogging to expand my horizons. After 11 years at home raising four children I was feeling a bit stifled on a professional level. But now balancing family and blogging has become a new challenge!

  47. January 2nd, 2008 at 8:52 pm
    Laura "Pistachio" Fitton said

    I blog to share, develop and demonstrate my ideas.

  48. January 2nd, 2008 at 9:03 pm
    Matthew Reinbold said

    I blog because it will be what remains long after I have gone. It’s a selfish, crippled immortality that (at least in Twitter’s case) I can complete in 140 character increments.

  49. January 2nd, 2008 at 9:03 pm
    Connie Crosby said

    Hi Liz:

    I am another one who started blogging to figure out what it is all about. That was almost 4 years ago now. Since then it has given me a voice among my colleagues and has raised my profile beyond what I ever could have imagined. Directly from blogging I have followed opportunities to write, speak, and teach.

    The thing I like most, though, is the connections it gives me to other people, those I would not have otherwise met. And I learn so much being part of the larger blogging/social networking community.

    Cheers!
    Connie

  50. January 2nd, 2008 at 9:05 pm
    Eden Spodek said

    Liz, I started blogging because I was tired of lurking and knew I could only learn about the culture if I became actively involved.

    Once I started, it was hard to stop. As soon as the community started to grow, I felt I wasn’t doing it for me anymore and other people cared about what I had to say. It was all the motivation I needed to keep going.

    Granted a shopping blog isn’t going to change the world but the skills I’m developing and sharing have helped change my life. I’ve met lots of incredibly bright and talented people both online and in person who share similar interests.

    Thanks for asking.

  51. January 2nd, 2008 at 9:08 pm
    Robert @ reason4smile said

    The blogosphere is the world I’ve been passionated about over and over, I just started blogging for about 3 months. Really excited how in the blogosphere, people is sharing to one another about what they have learned.

    I’d like to be a part of this, the world where people are sharing…
    http://www.reason4smile.com/2007/12/31/the-world-where-people-are-sharing/

    To learn and to teach, to gain and to share, hopefully what I teach can be a blessing to others.

    So for me, it’s a passion!
    Robert @ reason4smile.com =)

  52. January 2nd, 2008 at 9:15 pm
    Sheila Scarborough said

    Hi Liz,

    I blog because a good friend said that if I was going to be a writer, I needed to start a blog.

    Now, I can’t imagine doing without the freedom of writing about what interests me, without editing, for good or ill. I like to encourage people to travel, to show them how I’ve done it (mistakes included) especially with kids. Experimenting with photography and video adds to the challenge.

    I love the people I meet; the lurkers who never comment and then suddenly come out of the woodwork, the people who say to me at a conference, “Oh, you write the Family Travel blog? I read your stuff.”

    Wow, what an honor.

    I’m here for the long haul.

  53. January 2nd, 2008 at 9:24 pm
    Leah said

    I started blogging to keep in touch with my family while I lived in London. I kept blogging, because it makes me write almost daily, connects me to people…

    Lately it is the email I get about once a month from someone else who has converted to judaism or is contemplating converting, and in my blog they say something familiar or inspiring that helps them in their Jewish path.

  54. January 2nd, 2008 at 9:49 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Neena!
    I blog is a lot like having another kid, isn’t it? :)

  55. January 2nd, 2008 at 9:51 pm
    Douglas Karr said

    My brain aches of thoughts and wonderment… the only thing that seems to ease the pain is to push them out into the digital world through my keyboard.

  56. January 2nd, 2008 at 9:52 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Pistachio,
    Your blog also shows what an incredible person you are. :)

  57. January 2nd, 2008 at 10:09 pm
    Mary Emma Allen said

    Wonderful story,Liz! And thanks for visiting my blog.

  58. January 2nd, 2008 at 10:23 pm
    Mcw Flint said

    I blog because I want to remember what I read and the thoughts those readings inspired.

    I also blog because I like to write, make connections.

    Idol Chatter was the first really public blog - a joint effort- focused mainly on a local woman’s drive to a finalist on American Idol (blog.mlive.com/idolchatter) that showed many the possibilty of linkages.

    Oh, plus it is fun to blog

  59. January 2nd, 2008 at 10:52 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Ah Matthew!
    You bring much more to a blog than just 140 characters. I’ve read yours I know. :)

  60. January 2nd, 2008 at 11:03 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Connie Crosby!
    Welcome!

    Isn’t amazing the opportunities that grow out of a little writing project like a blog. [big grin} I’m with you, though, it’s all about the connections with the people.

  61. January 2nd, 2008 at 11:08 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hey Eden,
    I know what you mean by gaining motivation from the people who come to your blog. I get the same thing. I wouldn’t discount your potential to change the world with a shopping blog. I’ve been watching you. I’m thinking you’ll be finding a way. :)

  62. January 2nd, 2008 at 11:20 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Robert @ reason4smile.com =)
    Welcome!
    Your passion shows as does your investment in everything and everyone around. you.

  63. January 2nd, 2008 at 11:26 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Sheila,
    I knew this woman once, who read my blog and move across country. I was sure she was gone forever. I missed her too. Then months later, when she’d settled in her new home, sje was back. Just like that!

    It was you. You’re unforgettable!
    I was so glad to see you. Still am.

  64. January 2nd, 2008 at 11:27 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Leah,
    Your blog touches people. That’s an incredible gift. Stay with it. It’s the gift that gives back, as you already know. :)

  65. January 2nd, 2008 at 11:30 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Doug,
    Clearing your head of too much thinking is a great use for a blog. Keep your eye on the folks who are reading, as you do, and you can make something wonderful. :)

  66. January 2nd, 2008 at 11:32 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    #57
    Thanks Mary Emma!
    I loved what you wrote too. I love your writing every day. :)

  67. January 2nd, 2008 at 11:34 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Mcw Flint!
    Welcome!
    Blogging helps us to keep track. I remember that most when I go through my archives looking for ideas. I’ve forgetten where I’ve been because I’ve been so busy getting here.

    It sure sounds like you’re enjoying all of the parts of your blog. I hope to hear more from you again. :)

  68. January 3rd, 2008 at 10:00 am
    Ali said

    Thanks for the inspiration! Great post, as always! Cheers, Ali

  69. January 3rd, 2008 at 10:45 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Ali!
    Thank you for coming by to hear my story. It’s always a great pleasure to see you.

  70. January 3rd, 2008 at 3:29 pm
    Joanna Young said

    Hi Liz, this is such an interesting conversation here, I’ve loved reading through everyone’s reasons for blogging.

    I blog to listen, to learn, to write, to play, to experiment, to make connections, hopefully to inspire some people to feel more confident in the amazing power of their own words.

    I feel more connected to the beautiful world that we live in as a result of blogging, with friends, co-writers, readers, conspirators, subscribers, joyful jubilant learners reading and writing with me all over the world. I still can’t get over that - hope I never do:-)

    Joanna

  71. January 3rd, 2008 at 7:51 pm
    Robyn said

    Liz, I get the sense your were called and that your blog is very much your saloon. I began to blog because I was curious since Ellen Weber enjoyed blogging so much. To tell you the truth I was not really comfortable as a writer and I’ve learned many new skills along the way. As a result, when I share posts on the brain that really help other people, I make a difference, too. And, I’ve become addicted.

  72. January 3rd, 2008 at 10:48 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Joanna!
    You most certainly do inspire and amaze . . . me. It is something how blogging connects us in ways that are so deep and deeply felt. I saw it realized at SOBCon last year.

    I can’t get over it either. :)

  73. January 3rd, 2008 at 10:53 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Robyn!
    That’s just it, isn’t it? That we get so involved that it becomes like talking . . . we lose our self-consciousness about writing like our teacher’s said and start communicating. The immediate and engaged feedback is what we don’t get about what we write anywhere else. We’re turning writing into conversation.

  74. January 4th, 2008 at 3:52 am
    Glenda Watson Hyatt said

    Since beginning blogging, my reason for doing so has evolved and I’m not sure whether it is because blogging has evolved or because I have or a bit of both.

    I began blogging to share my thoughts and ideas with anyone who happened by, then to share the progress of my book and then to promote my book.

    Then I stumbled across your blog and saw blogging could be about building a sense of community and having conversations with your readers. That aspect really appealed to me because it opened up a form of communication that I don’t have with many in the face-to-face world. I love connecting with people from around the world.

    Since turning “pro” this week, I also blog for money. But, the key reasons why I blog will remain sharing my unique perspective, and connecting and conversing with others.

    Thank you Liz for providing this meeting place where we can learn, think and connect.

  75. January 4th, 2008 at 4:15 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Dear Glenda,
    I had no idea that my blog had such an impression on how you interacted with the world. That one paragraph made me stop and realize what a special world this blogging community is.

    You light up a room with your wit and your inisghts. We all so enjoy your company. Thank you, Glenda, for the joy that you are.

  76. January 4th, 2008 at 8:35 am
    ann michael said

    Thanks Liz! I’ve been in a bit of a busy period working and haven’t been blogging as I should - my plan is to start again this weekend.

    I blog because life is so interesting and I only get to see such a small sliver. I want to hear what other people are seeing too. So…you put something out and see what comes back. Sometimes it’s a comment, sometimes it’s a conversation, sometimes it’s in person, sometimes it’s in email - but it’s always enlightening!

    Happy New Year!

  77. January 6th, 2008 at 1:50 am
    Ren Garcia said

    I can see that I’m the 77th comment. 7 has been a lucky number for me. I have seen in your posts & the interactions in the comments that you get that you do have a calling. Your pages are so warm!

  78. January 6th, 2008 at 5:55 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Ann,
    Why do I blog?
    Every time I see your name here, I think of how we met and started right in talking about running to graduate school in Australia together. Then a month later, we ended up going to NYC for a seminar instead.

    By blog brought us together, how could not think it was important?

  79. January 6th, 2008 at 5:58 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Ren!
    Welcome! I hope those two 7s bring you luck for a whole year or more!

    Yeah, I think it’s my calling too, but what choice do I have when such incredible people are willing to give me their time and their thoughts? I’m in love.

  80. February 18th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
    Utah Tech Jobs » Blogging Tips? said

    [...] with Heart. Like Liz Strauss taught me, blog for the passion of it, not for the popularity.  For example, I don’t get a lot of street-cred from [...]

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