What do you get from blogging? I bet almost all of us have already been asked with the question above by those who are oblivious to our world. Most of them were questions of curiosity from annoyed mothers and jealous girlfriends, but there are also from those aspiring bloggers who want to know more about the world they would be engaging. Of course, it is only natural for people to ask if whether a particular task is worth time and effort. Nobody wants to waste time and energy on a task that doesn’t earn them anything in return. So, what do people get from blogging? Is blogging really worth all the time, effort, and money? Blogging gives us an avenue for self expression A blog’s main function, as I have always defined, is to serve as an avenue of self expression for bloggers. Like a piece of paper to a writer or a canvas to a painter, blogs allow us to express our feelings, thoughts and opinions on the internet mainly in the form of writing (There are also other forms like podcasting, videoblogging, photoblogging, etc.). Through our blogs we can talk about anything that we want to talk about without any restrictions. Aileen Apolo writes about the daily happenings of her life on her blog, GreenPinoy aims to entertain with his funny jokes, Manuel Quezon III talks about politics, Atheista.net aims to open the eyes of others to atheism. With your blog, you can talk about anything that you want! Blogging gives us a pool of audience to write for One of the greatest problems that most local writers deal with when they want to write a book is the hardship of looking for readers. They could not spread their ideas and opinions to other people because not everyone has an interest in reading, especially here in the Philippines. With blogging, there is already a pool of readers from all parts of the world who have an interest in reading and are looking for something new to read. You will only need to know how to market your blog for your readers to visit your blog. Blogging gives us a library of great reads If you are a person who loves to read, the blogosphere is the best place for you. In here you can find a huge number of great reads that were written by people who also want to express themselves. The selection of blogs to read is endless. With the millions of blogs out on the internet today, you would most likely never run out of things to read. You can look for blogs that interest you by searching for them using Google’s Blogsearch, Technorati, or Digg. Blogging gives us a thriving social community Bloggers are not only limited to just writing and reading, the blogosphere is a community where bloggers are given the ability socialize with fellow bloggers. Bloggers are very social creatures who hunger for healthy discussions on the topics that interest them. It is in this social community that you can meet lots of different people with different personalities from all parts of the world. I myself had met a lot of great friends here. Blogging gives us a shot at fame The blogosphere is also great for attention seekers who want to be famous and be well-known to a lot of people. Good looks and fair beauty are completely useless here. Fame here in the blogosphere is measured by the number of people you have influenced with your writings. A lot of bloggers have become famous because of their blogs. There’s Carl Ocab, the 14-year old blogger, who helps people make money online through their blogs. There’s the Coconuter, who shares his experiences in life as a Fil-Am who chose to seek purpose and meaning here in the Philippines (He was featured in GMA 7’s Magpakailanman). And a whole lot more. Blogging gives us a chance to earn money Take it from me and the millions of others who earn from blogs, blogging can really earn money. This is done to link and banner advertising like Google Adsense and Text Link Ads, and through the form of sponsored posts like PayPerPost and ReviewMe. However, contrary to popular belief, earning money from blogs is not easy. One needs to work very hard in marketing their blog and looking for readers in order to maximize a blogs money making capabiliities. Blogging gives us greater opportunities Ever since I have made PinoyBlogero.com, I have been given lots of great opportunities both for my blogging career and for my life as a graduate student. I’ve met lots of people from high places and landed myself with a part-time job that earns me some decent cash. The best thing about blogs is that you are not just expressing your thoughts and opinions. You are also promoting yourself, your personality and capabilities to others. Note: The different benefits that I have discussed above are based on my own experiences throughout my whole blogging career. If you have anything to add, please leave them below so I could add it up. Happy blogging! If you want more articles about blogging and the Pinoy blogosphere to be sent to you, do not forget to subscribe to my feeds!