The different benefits of blogging to communities

In the 1990′s, blogging has started as the online journal where people shared their interests, hobbies and opinions. However, blogging nowadays has evolved into a business opportunity, it is no longer a site for bloggers to express only their feeling. For instance, the Huffington Post was sold for over $300 million in 2012 (Bullas 2012).

Blogging brings a lot of benefits to the communities. In certain countries such as Myanmar, Thailand and China where the internet speech are restricted under control, blogs serve as a network for private goods that allow teenagers or the citizens to express their own thoughts or keep record of their daily life experience (Chih-Hui 2011, p. 62). Other than that, blogs also serve as a knowledge network that allows knowledge exchange across the world (Chih-Hui 2011, p. 62). According to Chih-hui (2011, p. 63), a group of bloggers from Singapore that are interested in heritage and history created a meta-blog to draw attention to heritage among the larger society.

The world of personal self-expression is no longer dominating the blogosphere, it is only a minor part that retains the vibrancies of blogging in this current trend. Instead, a significant part of the rapidly growing web is taking place. It is often used by companies to display their thought leadership and expertise online (Bullas 2012). According to Bullas (2012), a statistic shown that 8% of people are able to earn enough money through blogging to support a family, 9% of bloggers are able to make enough money to sustain their lifestyle on a 4-6 hour a day blogging basis and the very rare 2% of bloggers are able to make $150k out of blogging on a 1-2 hours daily blogging basis from exotic locations.

Blogging aids in brand building, it is one of the simplest way to get your brand to be known by thousands people whom otherwise would never know about your brand’s existence. Bloggers use blogs as a platform to market their products, they are able to send out updates in the form of direct communication to subscribers who have interest in their products through blogging. Most importantly, setting up a blog is relatively cheap compared to other form of advertising.

Reference List

Bullas, J 2012, ‘Blogging Statistics, Facts and Figures in 2012 – Infographic’, Jeff Bullas.com, blog posting, viewed 14 April 2013, <http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/08/02/blogging-statistics-facts-and-figures-in-2012-infographic/>

Chih-Hui, L 2011, ‘A multifaceted perspective on blogs and society’, Journal of International Communication, vol. 17, Issue 1, pp. 51-72.