Why blog? Self-interest as motivation...

An obvious question for people taking my Intro to Weblogs module is "Why blog?" The obvious answer from my perspective is "Because you get more out of it than you put in." In PR Strategy we are looking at persuasion, and recognising that self-interest is one of the most powerful forces PR can harness.

Here's how it works for Mediations. Yesterday, I was writing a lecture on wikis, and drew heavily on Clay Shirky's Here Comes Everybody (review copy sent to me because I blog); Chapter 5 Personal Motivation Meets Collaborative Production is particularly strong and Shirky's observations around notions of co-operation and user-generated content will help in many other contexts.

I then started thinking about a project that forms the spine for my Level 2 PR Strategy module, a campaign to persuade 18 to 25-year olds to read books (the teaching will soon be wiki-based). As well a newspaper-based promotion, we are looking at social media channels and, right on cue, Mediations reader Lee Henshaw emailed with details of his new novel, Queer Fish in God's Waiting Room. Lee works for Silence Advertising and is using a range of techniques to get his book noticed, including this You Tube video and putting a big chunk of it online here.

Rather than do the hard work myself, I have also used materials created and distributed by fellow bloggers, for example to explain social bookmarking.

Oh, and my gruelling programme of academic begging and borrowing was interrupted by the arrival of a shiny new Xda Orbit 2 phone from O2, sent to me by Steve Cater of VCCP; I will try hard to make sure it doesn't go the same way as my Cocoon. The Xda has sat nav!!!!

Why blog? Because it is fun.

Comments

[Dirk Singer]

Hi Philip, interesting post. I've made an analogy between blogging and air guitar over at thisisherd.com!

[Tony Nicholson]

Fun, fun, fun.

I suppose blogging is great fun, but when you’ve got to do it as part of your degree, the fun leaves and the mad blogging begins. And there is always that nagging thought in the back of your head that no matter what you do it will never be as good as the next blog you read. I’m off to blog now…. And I can’t wait for the fun to begin!!

[Angela Telford]

“Why blog? Because it is fun.” I guess this makes sense in the words of Philip Young.

It makes me wonder what my original reasons were for choosing this module. I guess what Philip says is actually true to some extent. Unfortunately, I didn’t take on the module because I believed it would stimulate my mind. (Sorry Phil.) I guess I decided on it because I thought it would be a laugh and overall interesting because to be honest, I’ve been quite sick of the same run of the mill modules that I’ve been taking.

It is amazing how much there is to blogging. There was me thinking it was just down to writing your thoughts about different things. But believe it or not, I’ve learnt that there’s so much more to it and I’m surprised at myself because I still love it! (Despite the early starts!)

So, before you think I’ve been made to do this by Phil, this is honest. I recommend blogging to anyone. Whether it be taking up this module or just random. It is true in saying that blogging is actually fun.

[Di]

Thanks Philip. I'm puttin together a proposal on why the ngo I work for needs a blog attached to their website. I found some interesting points via your site.