Eight Reasons I Have a Daily Blog

People have often asked me why I decided to start a daily blog. Well, there are at least eight reasons I can think of, in no particular order:

(1) I'm very opinionated. I have strong opinions on many different subjects. In addition, my opinions don't seem to be represented very often in the mainstream media. Therefore, I feel a strong urge to get my ideas and views out into the marketplace of ideas.

(2) I have lots of information to share. Over the years, I have accumulated a huge amount of facts, trivia, expertise, and just plain old lessons learned about various topics and situations. I enjoy sharing this information with my readers.

(3) Blogging is cathartic. My blog gives me an outlet for saying what I think about any given subject and blowing off some steam about whatever is on my mind at any given time, even if nobody is reading or listening. I always feel better after doing so.

(4) I get to speak, unfiltered and uncensored, to the world. It's much better than writing letters to the editor. Newspaper editors are partial to those with the best "credentials," printing their letters more often and giving them more space. I hate it when my three-paragraph letters get edited down for "brevity," while some people get letters of more than twice that size printed with no cuts. The blogosphere evens the playing field.

(5) Words are powerful and they're free. They can influence people's views on a myriad of issues or affect important decisions they are about to make. Perhaps some of my words have done this and will continue to do this. At least I can present my readers with some ideas they might not think of on their own.

(6) I get constant practice at writing. The more I write, the better of a writer I become. I can't think of any better or more convenient way to get this kind of practice. I was never one for researching, writing, and publishing articles. In fact, before I started my blog, I generally hated writing and only wrote when I had to. Blogging made writing convenient for me -- and that completely changed my attitude toward it.

(7) It gives me a second source of income. I'm currently signed on with syndicators like Newstex and BlogBurst, which pay me based on how often their clients use my blog posts. In addition, I often sell the republishing rights to my best blog posts via various Web outlets which specialize in licensing agreements. However, we have just hit the tip of the iceberg in terms of monetizing opportunities for bloggers. As time goes by, many more will become available.

(8) And last but not least ... because I can!