The Benefits of Blogging and Paul Revere

It was April 18, 1775, one day before a small skirmish sparked the Revolutionary War. A silversmith by the name of Paul Revere was about to make that famous ride we all read about in our textbooks as kids. Throughout that day, rumors of an unusually large number of British officers gathering around the harbors of Boston were circulating. A young boy who was working at a livery stable, overheard a couple of British officers talking about a "surprise attack" coming soon. He ran and told Mr. Revere, who, piecing together everything which he had seen and heard recently, was now convinced that the British were going to make their move.

Later that night, Paul Revere began his legendary ride, spreading the word to every town from Boston Harbor to Charlestown. The word began to spread like wild fire. The people Paul told, told other people who got on their horses and told even more people. Within just a few short hours, local militias were able to form and prepare, as much as they could, for the coming "British Invasion." (If only it were the Beatles; this might be a different story!) The next morning, to the amazement of the British, those local colonials were waiting, having formed a fierce militia ready to defend their newly found freedom. Perhaps our country was saved with just a little word-of-mouth.

There is another part to this story that most people are not familiar with. It involves a man by the name of William Dawes, who also set out on that fatefull night to spread the word that the British were coming. Dawes delivered the same impactful message that Mr. Revere did. Riding into the night, sounding the alarm and telling anyone and everyone within earshot. However, when the sun rose the next morning, not a single militia was formed from where he rode. Why was that? Why was Paul Revere's message able to amass the people into organized resistence but William Dawes' message fell on deaf ears?

The answer lies in the difference between the two men. The difference in the messengers. Revere was seen by the people as an authority-like figure who was trustworthy, intelligent and rode with confidence. He had a history with the people and was well respected. Therefore, his message was accepted without hesitation. It ignited the people into action. Dawes on the other hand, however nice and descent he may have been as a person, lacked that which landed Paul Revere in our text books. The ability to move people. It is for this reason that we all know who Paul Revere is, but never heard of William Dawes.

Don't be a William Dawes!

Much of the reasoning for the rise in popularity of social media sites like Facebook, Squidoo, and Twitter is that the flow of information is controlled and created by the people. It's the users and members of these social sites who are in charge - not the traditional over-inflated publishers like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Within these social sites are communities created by people with similar interests and hobbies. They become friends with each other. Recommend articles, products and various websites.

Let's think back to Mr. Revere. His story was remarkable because he was able to spread his message to so many people in such a short period of time. His word-of-mouth story is also relatively unique but its principles remain true today. Even in this era of rapid, technological advancements and increased ways in which we communicate, word-of-mouth communication is still the most important.

Squidoo offers a wonderful platform for getting your message out. If you have something to say, an idea, hobby, or way of solving a problem, people will give you a chance. But if you can truly reach people with your message and get them to take action, your message will spread like wild fire.

Be a Paul Revere!

"The benefits of having an Internet presence for both businesses and
entrepreneurs is becoming more apparent to an increasing number of people. The benefits of blogging however; not so much."

Despite the increased awareness of the many ways to make money on the
Internet, most people do not know that a blog is not only a great way to get
started on the World Wide Web, it is more compatible with search engines than large static websites.

For those who are already entrenched in the Internet marketing community,
blogging is a no-brainer. For others, blogging is still seen as being nothing
more than an online journal. That stigma has got to go!

6 BENEFITS OF BLOGGING - I assure you, there are more.

1. Blogging Builds Community. Blogging provides a great opportunity to build a community of people who share similar interests and hobbies. It allows you to seek out, establish, and retain a loyal readership. Is there something you are passionate about? Blogging provides you with a chance to share your expertise and knowledge with a larger audience.

By establishing a large readership, you are establishing trust and authority within your niche. It is for this reason that your targeted audience will be more likely to buy from you or follow a product recommendation. This is the same concept that applies in the traditional world of business. We, as consumers, tend to become loyal to companies/brands that we trust.

2. It's Easy to Blog. Blog Software is easy to use. Updating your blog with new content is a faster process than seeking a professional Web designer to make changes to and manage your site. WordPress and Blogger are two of the most popular blogging platforms being used today. The reason for this, in part, lies in the fact that they are relatively easy to use.

They are designed for the average person who does not know anything about computer-programming or Web design. I personally use WordPress; in fact it is the only blogging software I use and I still have no idea how to build a Website using HTML! I am a blogger, not a computer-whiz, and you do NOT have to be one either!

3. Low Start-up Cost. Anyone can set up a blog for free and have it running on the Internet in a matter of minutes. Blog software, such as Blogger and WordPress, are not only the most popular blogging platforms being used to date, they are also completely free to set up!

Now if you do want to make money blogging, then there will be some costs involved (hosting, advertising, registering domain, etc). The overhead to run your blog depends largely on what your goals are. If you are truly wanting to create a full blog-based home business, costs may get up to a few hundred to several thousands of dollars a month. But spending this kind of money is not necessary to start creating your new online career. Most personal blogs you encounter on the Internet cost under $100 to run per month - many created without a single investment dollar.

I spent less than $100 dollars over the course of 3 months to build my first blog. Over the course of those three months, I educated myself about blogging, staying up late after work in order to grow and develop it. It was the best investment I ever made!

4. Social Media and Blogging Go Hand-in-Hand. Internet marketers today have found a new way of promoting their online businesses. It is through the use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. These social networking sites have become very popular and have millions of regular members and users. It is for this reason, that social media is becoming a great tool for promoting an online business and connecting with a larger, more targeted audience.

Experienced Internet marketers have know about the benefits of blogging for quite some time now; not only to advertise their online business, but also to use as a source of daily content for their main website. By constantly updating content via blog posts, search engines are more likely to find you and make it easier for others to find you as well.
Professional bloggers are currently paving the way for new bloggers to turn their blogging efforts into fulltime careers. Blog-based home businesses are very real and becoming more attainable for people every day. Creating a marketing strategy for your blog that includes the use of sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Squidoo will serve to increase traffic to your blog; the driving force behind the money!

5. You Can Make Money by Blogging. Do you need a better reason to start blogging today? Learn how people currently make money by blogging.

6. Blogging is Just Plain Fun! When you blog about your interests or hobbies, it doesn't feel like work. Most of us are passionate about something, and we tend to spend hours upon hours doing these things which make us oh so happy. Unfortunately, for most people this time is spent after work or on the weekends because they simply do not know how to make money doing that which they are truly passionate about. Want to start a blog the right way? Read this and get started today: Free Blog Setup

Get started blogging with the world's most popular platform, WordPress. Download this free ebook. Learn WordPress for Free ebook

"What if you could set your passion and financial security on a collision course? Figure out how to mold the two into a new, lucrative career?"

"Would it be worth your time and effort to find out?"