1)Because you know less than you think
No matter what you imagine the user needs, you have to go through the difficult process of separating what's absolutely necessary in the first cut. This minimum viable product opens the doors to user interaction and feedback, and helps identify what service features can come later or never. The product you are putting together is probably something you would like to have (it helps if at least you like your concept ;)). Your imagination and ability to pick up on other's needs has sent you down the founder's bunny trail. And if I'm reading things right, the founders path is an incredible place to be. Certainly for those that enjoy discovery, challenge, and excitement.
When you're building something that others can use, there's no better sounding post than a blog with a steady readership. It's hard to beat the instant feedback on any murky issue from folks that are inspired and driven by the same interests as you write about. Collaborative viewpoints on a problem space are so powerful because of the diversity of minds. Each notices nuances in the problem space, and the combined mesh of information more clearly explains the forces at work in a given market sector or domain.
2) Over time you'll build a consistent, evolving, and transparent set of views that others can trust
Building one can literally take years, so get to work now before you have a business in mind. Obviously if you're a rock star you're going to have a much bigger audience right off the bat. But only time and writing will give you the long tail of posts to link out to people when they ask you obscure questions like:
- What inspires you?
- What are you thoughts on entrepreneurship?
- How do you define leadership?
- Do you have any favored methods of design theory?
- How does social media fit into your emerging business future?
And that list goes on to a few more dozen topics from Far Out to Social Change. When I can remember a post, it's fantastic to link to it, instead of rehashing out a carefully written up idea into a few moments of commenting. Functional social media at it's best.
3) You may just love it
This is the most important reason, for myself, and hopefully for you as well. I blog because I really enjoy writing, sharing ideas, and getting others to pitch in their own views. When writing about topics you're passionate about, you can't help but get some good vibes going.
4) Networking with like minds with diverse views
Many of my online buddies blog now, and I've taken some time to compile a list of my chief influencer's and friends in the sidebar. This list is going to keep growing, and I may need to embed a dynamic page to ease editing.
I'm sure I left off a number of reasons to start up a blog of your own, please give a hand and add your own reasons in the comments!
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