Often I get asked questions like:
What motivated you to start writing blog posts?
How do you keep writing so many blog posts?
Do you do podcast instead of writing blog posts?
This blog post discusses five reasons why I continue to blog and why I have yet to venture into the podcast world.
Skill Development
Writing blog posts has helped me acquire new skills and become more confident in expressing myself clearly in English. Researching and writing on various topics has broadened my knowledge and sharpened my research, writing, and editing skills.
The process of creating a blog post from scratch has been a valuable learning experience for me. It challenges me to think creatively and express my ideas in a way that is easy for others to understand.
Moreover, writing blog posts has helped me in my professional life as well. It has improved my ability to convey (& structure) a written message effectively, and tailor it to different audiences, such as colleagues, leaders, or executives.
Knowledge Sharing
During the early stages of my professional journey (as a performance tester), I had the privilege of learning from experts in my industry including James Pulley, Wilson Mar, Scott Barber, Stuart Moncrieff and Alexander Podelko (& others) through their articles/posts/comments. Their willingness to share their knowledge was incredibly valuable to me, and I'm grateful for it. Without their generosity, it would have taken me much longer to master my craft.
As I recognise the profound impact that shared knowledge has had on my own growth, I've made a conscious effort to reciprocate by sharing my own insights and experiences through writing blog posts. My goal is to connect with others who share similar interests and create a space for meaningful discussion. When readers comment on my posts, it challenges me to think more deeply about those topics and improve my understanding. Plus it also gives me more ideas to write my next blog post.
Brand Building
Writing blog posts has been instrumental in building my online brand and presence. As I have been writing more consistently, I have managed to establish myself as a knowledgeable source on certain topics that are related to my interests and expertise. This has opened up various opportunities for me, expanding my network and reach.
Community Building
Through blogging, I have had the opportunity to meet and connect with new people. I have formed valuable relationships with fellow bloggers, who have become both friends and mentors to me. Additionally, I have been fortunate enough to interact with readers who have been positively impacted by my writing. The ability to affect people in this way has been truly rewarding. Some of the readers have also become good friends.
Overcoming Language Barriers
I started writing blog posts to confront some of my fears and insecurities. English is not my first language, so initially, putting my thoughts and ideas out there for others to read and critique was intimidating. However, I realised that the only way to improve my writing skills was to practice and put myself out there. It was a necessary skill that I knew I needed to progress in my professional career.
If anyone is wondering, I wrote my first blog post on November 12th, 2010, when Google's Blogspot was a thing.
Podcast vs. Blog Posts - Why I Haven't Started Podcast
Although podcasts have become very popular in recent years to engage in communication and knowledge sharing, blog posts still play a significant role in our lives. Blog posts can be your saviour when you are looking for solutions or insights on how someone else has addressed a problem. Unlike podcasts, where you need to skim through timelines to find the exact moment your question is answered, with blog posts, you can quickly glance at it to find the answer. Especially if you are dealing with coding, reading written text (& code in a post) is much more comfortable than deciphering audio explanations.
Time constraint is another reason why I prefer writing blog posts over creating podcasts. I can easily write my thoughts on a piece of paper or a Word document while commuting to work and refine them later when I have time. This way, I can publish my work whenever I feel it is ready.
The final reason why I have not taken the plunge into the world of podcasts is rooted in the aspiration for uniqueness and a deliberate consideration of the target audience, given diverse interests I hold spanning military affairs, psychology, rock music, technology, leadership, and business finance to name a few.
However, there is no denying that both mediums have their unique benefits and drawbacks. Perhaps someday, I will take the plunge into the world of podcasts myself until then I will continue blogging.
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