Why did you start your blog?

[MeHeandThem]

Were you looking for a new hobby? Did you always want to write? Was this a way to make money or just for fun?
I actually wanted to find an alternative to my job, I was on maternity leave and was thinking of how to start a business and not go back to work. Talking with my 2 friends at the school gate, I just did not have the gut to start a business and invest money, but the idea of this blog came.
I always wanted to write actually and always thought that one day I would write a book, I just did not know what the book would be about - and was not sure I could actually write.
So now we're really enjoying ourselves, but my husband thinks I spend too much time on the computer and not enough time talking to him .
I actually love the fact that we are doing it together and it's a good excuse to meet!!!! And if we are kind of successful, maybe I'll be brave enough to start a business, i'm not sure what but we'll see!
What's your story?
Me & The Boys

I just wanted to track my progress with my withdrawal from Prozac, after many failures over the previous 10 years, it wasn't intended to be public to start with but my DH and a friend had been telling me it might be useful for others to find some info, and indeed I get so many hits from people searching for info about withdrawing from Lustral or Prozac and the side effects it's nice to know it's helped at least one other person. I'm doing so well with my withdrawal I am about a year away from my target of being totally off it and I'm wondering what I'll do with the blog at that point.

I started blogging when we moved to Switzerland as a way of keeping my family back home updated on what we were up to.

I soon found that I was slipping in the odd non-Swiss related blog post and slowly the focus of my blog changed.

tbh, I don't think that there are many people who make money out of blogging. There are many who make money out of the business that they promote through the blog and there are many who use the blog to get their writing out there, in the hope that they will eventually find a publisher.

Same as MmeL, except I moved to Belfast from the US. I did use LiveJournal and got way behind and then launched Tee's Blog about 4 years ago (although I've lived in NI for 8).

So it was to keep my family in the loop and then became my voyage to get pregnant and now about being a mum, a self employed person and whatever else takes my fancy!

I started my blog in a fit of bloody mindedness after people reading my Live Journal started complaining that I was writing about too much 'boring' history and art stuff. I'd just come out of a hideous relationship with a controlling rather stupid man who ended up jilting me two weeks before our wedding day and who had ridiculed me throughout our relationship, such as it was, about my interest in history and art (let's not even mention is attitude towards my writing) until I buried it away and didn't feel like I could mention it any more.

Starting my Wordpress blog was all part of my trying to basically find myself again. :)

I just wanted to keep a record of all the different things I make and and sew and other resourceful things I do, I just wanted a record for myself, didn't tihnk my blog would prove so popular with others too.

It gave me the momentum to finish projects that I started, because I was notoriously good at starting things that I never got round to finishing. My blog has helped me become more focussed and see things through to the end.

I started my blog to help myself through my time whilst DP is in prison. It's a bit cathartic but I also think there's not a lot out there on how life is for families of prisoners. Plus a lot of people don't know exactly how the prison system works. I dont want to make money but I want to help people to learn and know that they are not the only ones out there in this situation

When it became apparent my son was autistic I decided to start writing an account of what life was like. Like others, I had no intention of making it public and for the first couple of months and several entries it was not. Then I thought I may as well put it out there as our 'story' might have relevance for others.
Blogging about life with my son has been one of the best and most important things I have done in the last year. It has helped me tremendously and has been an important part of learning to adapt to a pretty life changing set of circumstances. I have never written anything in my life but find the blog comes easily- there's rarely a week when I'm stuck for words!
The response to the blog has been excellent too. Many people have contacted me and shared their stories, and my blog stats suggest there's a decent readership out there. Being a 'Featured Blogger' on Mumsnet has been a real honour too!
An essential aspect of my blogging has been the fact that I write anonymously. This allows me a certain freedom to express ideas that I might otherwise keep to myself.

autisticson.wordpress.com/

As a diary of my progress with starting a business
Blog also turned into a personal diary of sone of my personal achievements this year like starting running and how I get on with parenting.

Really helps me to unload all the thoughts in my head and I have made some wonderful online connections with people some of who I would love to meet one day

I was on Masterchef UK. After my programme(s) aired, I had loads of people asking me for the recipes I made on the show. I started my blog as a way of sharing the recipes. It kind of evolved from there, but I only started taking it seriously last year when I became a SAHM. It was a break from 24/7 housework and childcare. It has taken off pretty well though, and I've made tons of friends through it, plus really improved my writing and photography.

BsDad yes I sometimes wish I'd gone the anonymous route, I can understand that, there are things I would like to write about but feel I can't because my family read it, and on balance that's been a good thing, just sometimes there are things I could say if I was anonymous that I don't feel I can say now.

I always set out to be a writer, I studied journalism and started out on that career path. But life then took me along a different path. When motherhood happened, I started blogging as a way to flex my brain outside of the parameters of parenting. It's now turned into something more than that, as it's reignited my love of writing and opened up new career opportunities. Hurrah for blogging!

I started blogging after my daughter was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome because neither of us was coping very well and I had all this stuff in my head and my heart that I couldn?t make sense of. I thought writing it down would be a way of putting it all in order and give me a focus rather than it being a huge overwhelming black cloud that i couldn't compress. Then I started running to raise awareness and funds for the National Autistic Society and that became its own narrative too, as it became a coping strategy, and a sort of thread through the day-to-day.

When I started blogging I was depressed, lonely and frightened. Now I have an online group of friends, advisers and supporters and am part of a community of people looking out for each other (as well as the loud and lovely, slightly evangelical running gang who all urge each another on!) I love seeing my stats rise, but the biggest kick is when someone gets in touch to say that something I?ve written has made them feel better or inspired them or told them something about autism and ASD that they didn?t know before.

I worry about not being anonymous because of the impact on my daughter and have considered when and whether I should stop writing to preserve her privacy. I sat down with her recently to say I was wondering whether I should stop after I have run the London Marathon next year -- her response was to say: "Please don't stop Mummy, this is the way I can tell people what it's like to be me."

www.courage-is.blogspot.com

Its a good question - today I'm wondering why too!?!? It's a strange world, the blogging world, don't you think?

I started blogging because I had researched lots of information about pregnancy and childbirth around the world that I thought other people would find interesting. I personally find it fascinating that we all have the same biology, yet the way we experience the events of conception, pregnancy and childbirth vary so much depending on what culture we live in.

I wanted to share my research and see what people's reactions were to the facts I had found. I also thought it would be a good writing exercise.

pregnancyandchildbirtharoundtheworld.blogspot.com/

However, today is one of those days when I slightly wonder what the point is. I've just found lots of blogs (mostly USA) on a similar topic to mine, with hundreds of followers and thousands of views - I'm wondering is there really any need for another one (i.e. mine)?

Hey ho. Time to go and pick the kids up!

I can't really remember why I started my blog. I guess because I always have a lot to say and was wondering if anyone would listen.

I have blogged more since June as I have been on maternity leave. I'm not sure how much or even if I will keep it up when I go back to work in a few weeks. I know that if I do give it up I will be very very sad, as I love blogging, I love reading other people's blogs. I'll miss it.

Thanks for all your answers.

Jandanaligazan, I king of agree with you, out stats (we're 3) are not really good either but I'm hoping it will get better. I know there are always going to be lots of blogs that have more views, but I'm not trying to compete with these, like I'm not trying to compete with women with a top career and a big payslip. I'm trying to convince myself here!!!
Anyway I love blogging now and it's nice to write what you have in your head. Although sometimes I have so much in my head and not enough time to write everything. I go to bed with a list of all the things I want to talk about in future posts!!!

As to the anonymous route, we have started our blog without mentioning our name or our children's name, but a lot of the readers are friends or mums from school so not very good for staying anonymous....if our blog becomes famous one day, then we'll be happy we did it like this then I guess!

Thanks.