This is in response to the question asked in my forums by Monique Renae:
What do you think is the best thing about blogging? What does blogging do for you?
First, let me tell you how I got into blogging: I used to have a “blog” back in 1996. It was on my old website, theebs.com. The Saphrym cartoon character was actually created as “Ely Beasel” and theebs.com stood for “The Ely Beasel Show.” At least, that’s what it meant at the time. It actually first began as “The Electronic Book Store.” But I had an Internet Journal. Didn’t do much with it and later I lost theebs.com. Blogs got popular a couple of years after that. And we all know how popular they are today. Well, about a year ago I decided to install Wordpress for the simple purpose of keeping an online portfolio of my fictional writing and poetry. But then I was diagnosed with diabetes.
So, I decided to use the blog as a way of documenting my weight loss1. Wasn’t really looking for readers, but then I stumbled on Entrecard. Got some readers from there. People started asking for more information than the boring diet posts2. So I started providing more. Blogging became a way of me being held accountable for my diet. It wasn’t just my wife and daughter watching me lose weight. It was now more and more people on the Internet. I didn’t want to let them down. So I lost 70 pounds.
But then I hit a plateau. No more weight loss. Was quite irritating. Lasted for months. Actually only got passed it this past week. However, I needed something to write about. So I started writing about my life, my thoughts, my ideas. The personas I list in the categories of this blog became that much more interesting to me. And people still came to visit even though it wasn’t just about dieting anymore. You guys said you liked my writing. So I have continued.
I’m hooked on blogging. It means I get to write anytime I want and I know at least 10 people will read it other than my family. Sometimes more. Sometimes a lot more. It’s a great feeling to know that people like what you write. And that feeling, along with the support for my continued dieting, is why I will continue to blog for as long as people will read. Even when I’m skin and bones, I’m hoping you guys will enjoy my philosophical points of view and the tiny bit of humor I inject here and there.
- And I swore I’d never use quick weight loss methods. I wanted to go with natural diets. Although I do use Slim-Fast in my diet. But I want my metabolism to be naturally high. [«]
- click on that link and you’ll see how boring they were [«]
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By Mamaflo on Jul 24, 2008 |
For Me the best thing about blogging is meeting the people and reading about their lives. I started blogging when I quit smoking last year (I smoked for 36 years). I’m happy to say that I’m still not smoking and I’ve made lots of new friends from every corner of the world - what a tremendous exchange.
By Saphrym on Jul 24, 2008 |
@Mamaflo - I have to agree. I’ve always loved the Internet for meeting people far away. But with blogging, you not only meet them, but you get to know them through their writing.
By Monique on Jul 24, 2008 |
What I enjoyed about you talking about dieting was that you made it relatable. However I’m glad you chose to branch out more and share the rest of yourself with the rest of us!
Thank you for answering my question
By John's Weight Loss Blog on Jul 24, 2008 |
Without a doubt my blog has helped me stay afloat on my weight loss journey. I haven’t gotten back to my lows of the last year, but sticking with the blog has helped my stick with the plan. And I love “meeting” new people with similar challenges.
By Saphrym on Jul 24, 2008 |
@Monique - You’re welcome. And thanks for the compliment. So do I still manage to make my posts relatable?
@John - Your blog is one of my inspirations.