What is a Blog? - Blogging as a Hobby

Blogging has become an extremely popular online activity for many, providing an outlet for people to express their interests, share their experiences, discuss a favorite topic with others or to help others learn something new. They are commonly used by businesses, individuals and professionals on a daily basis. But you still may be wondering what exactly a blog is and how it can benefit you.
What is a Blog?
Essentially, a blog is a series of entries, or posts, that are shown in order starting with the most recent and ending with the oldest ones. Blog entries utilize a variety of media, including videos, photos, written information and even attachments or links to other resources. Bloggers usually update their blog regularly, depending on the purpose and contents that they are focusing on. Once they have left a post, those reading it can respond by leaving a comment of their own. It essentially becomes a sort of conversation between the blogger and whoever is reading the blog.

How Do I Get Started?
You can start your own blog easily, using it either to write about her personal experiences, sure your personal hobbies or even as a way to bring in additional income. 50Plus-Club members can start their own blog, without needing any technical knowledge. They can go to "Profile", then select "My Blog" and get writing.

What is My Blog Going to Do?
Before you begin a blog, decide what purpose you want your blog to serve. Ask yourself why you want to blog, possibly for reasons such as: communicating with family for away, for a hobby club you are in, to make money or to teach others. When you have your purpose in mind before you jump in, you have a better chance of being successful and engaging others online.

Who Will be Reading My Blog?
The next step is to know who is most likely to read your blog on the Internet, whether it's people interested in the same topic as you, a certain age group or if it is simply friends and family. This helps you to know how to focus your posts in order to draw that particular group to your blog. This is very important if you're going to be promoting a product for additional income. In this case, you will need to know who is most likely to be interested in a product or service you are presenting your blog.

Give Them Something Useful Involved
When you write a post on your blog, you always want to invite readers to comment on what you've written. You can get this in many ways, one of which is to simply ask readers what they think. You can also get readers to comment by asking a provoking or even controversial question at the end of your posts. This can stimulate a reader's mind and inspire him or her to write back to you.
Besides being useful, you should always be giving your readers something new. A good rule of thumb for blogging is the updated at least 2 to 3 times a week to keep things fresh. Some bloggers even go so far as to update their blogs daily or even several times a day. A blog that has fresh material is more likely to draw readers than one which doesn't.
Another thing to consider is that your blog should be useful in some way to your readers. For example, your writing a blog about gardening you may want to include a daily tip or even an instructional video that shows how to do something. This is a sure way to draw readers to your blog.

Give Them You
The most important element in blogging, though, is to consistently be you. This is your blog, you can your thoughts are promoting your product or service. Give your readers something that is truly unique time you put out a new post. Readers want to know when you have to say, about your experiences and about your insights. This will make your blog unique, interesting and will be more enjoyable for you to write.