Matthew Lang

I get asked this quite a lot. "Why do you do it?" people ask. Here's just a few reasons why I blog.

I Have Ownership

My blog is my own. My little space of the internet. Okay, so I don't own the hosting server that my blog runs on, but the text, images, links and videos are all carefully crafted or curated by myself to form a timeline of my thoughts, likes and dislikes. And I own that little timeline. I don't need to ask permission from a third party to get that timeline back. It's sitting on my MacBook Pro at home as a series of little Markdown files, that when passed through a program, form the lovely little timeline that is my blog.

A Network Tool

My blog isn't just for me though, it's for you. It's for everyone if they're interested. To reach a wider audience though, it helps if you have a network of other bloggers to rely on. This is something that I was late to realize when I started blogging. The power of a network. I wouldn't say I was part of a formal network like Svbtl or Medium but I do have a circle of fellow bloggers who link to my blog frequently.

Every once in a while a fellow blogger in my network will like my post and link to it from their blog. In return I too will link to blogs of those in my network. There isn't a "tit for tat" rule though. This is simply sharing content that we like and recommend. Over the last couple of years I've built up a nice network of fellow bloggers who not only have interesting blogs to read, but also find my own content interesting.

No Restriction

Take a look at any social networking tool and you'll find restrictions that limit the content that you can publish. Post length, media type and reach are all restrictions that will prevent your post from reaching the world. No fear of that with a blog.

• Your content doesn't need to be finely worded so that it adhere's to the 140 character limit that's imposed on you.
• Your content is easily accessible to the world. Nobody needs to sign up to read your content.
• Depending on your choice of blogging platform, your content is free to move anywhere you want it to. No requesting of data from a third party just so that you can move your blog to another host.

Writing Practice

For me though the main attraction to blogging is the practice of writing. I love writing and using my blog as a way to practice writing is time well invested in my eyes.

Sitting down to write a novel is a serious long-term commitment, but a blog allows you to work using a smaller commitments. You can write something about 500 words in length, then edit it until you're happy with it and publish it for the world to see. My blog gives me this chance to practice my writing.

So that's why I blog. What's your reasons for blogging and what motivates you?

...blue or gray?

In this age of always on firehose content, it can be too easy to simply read something and forget to retain any meaning from what you have read and use it.

Maybe you just shared an article about the importance of open communication, but then disregarded comments from someone who tried to bring up a problem with you. Regardless of what it is, you’re wasting your time with all your reading if you don’t use it to drive action.

— Do you really read? by Jason Evanish

I'll definitely be making more of a point in the future to review more of what I read online.

... with Nicholas Bate to guide us.

I've been looking for a notes application just like nvAlt for some time. Glad to read it can also be used as a wiki.

It's hard say when I first started reading Nicholas' blog and how I found it, but it's been required daily reading for me for at least the last five years.

Over that time Nicholas has produced hundreds of blogs that centre around real life personal development and productivity. I say real life because there are thousands of blog posts and dozens of systems that claim to have the golden key to "getting things done". Only Bate's blog has a realistic view of productivity and it's place in life. Nicholas' posts range from lists and series to drawings and photos.

Not only is Nicholas' blog a great source of content for those who are on the path of personal development and improvement, but he also has a great catalogue of mini-books on topics that have featured in his blog. Personal favourites of mine are his Instant MBA and Be Bold 101 books. Not only are these books easy to digest and read but they're quite small and therefore easy to carry about.

If you're in the market for a life coach, don't bother. Save yourself the hassle of someone prodding you to do the right thing and read Nicholas Bate's blog every day for a better career and life.

... with Michael Wade.

... or is it more than that?

Think about all the things you could communicate with a simple page like this. If you're a businessperson, you could sell something. If you're a teacher, you could teach something. If you're an artist, you could show something you've made. And if your words are good, people will read them.

— Just a Web Page by Justin Jackson

via FGGT

Last week I mentioned that I was bored with the fantasy genre for reading. It's not very often I decide to read something out with this genre, but after having put down a number of fantasy books before finishing them over the last few months, I decided that enough was enough.

The first book to read out side this genre was Max Brook's World War Z. I enjoyed watching the first series of The Walking Dead, but I've not been in a hurry to watch any of the series that followed. I did enjoy it, but for me it wasn't a must watch show. Which was why I was apprehensive about reading World War Z. It's a genre that I haven't really wanted to read, but with the movie coming out this year, I decided that I wanted to read the book before watching the film.

I loved it. I really loved it. Telling the story from different eye witness perspectives was a great way to write the book. You get to see so many different reactions to the oncoming threat and how people deal with it. It also shows the ugly side of humanity when it comes to a world disaster. Too many books and films use the idea that humanity would be united in such a scenario, but this book shows a more realistic human responses when faced with such a disaster.

A great read, highly recommended.