Why Blog?

One year ago today, I wrote my first blog post.   The primary reason I started blogging was to make my own small contribution back to the community.  I can't count the number of times I've found the solution to a problem I'm having on someone's blog.  This is especially true in areas such as WPF, where it seems like everything I find is on blogs.  I've been pleasantly surprised over the last year to have received a couple comments and emails from people who have found one of my blog posts useful.

Another reason I started blogging was for professional development.   It seems to me that to be a developer almost implies that you have a blog.   This is especially true as an independent consultant, where my blog creates a communication channel to current and potential customers (along with my developer colleagues).

Since I've started blogging, I've written 96 blog posts (not including this one).  There have been times when I've made blog posts every day and times when I've gone weeks without posting.    I've found over the year that I always have a backlog of topics in my head; there never seems to be enough time to do justice to the posts I think I should make.   Ill try to work on shortening that backlog in the new year (don't consider that a resolution).

As for blogging tips, I have a few:

• It is easy to get started blogging, so if you're tempted, just try it.  I'm pretty happy with Blogger and anyone can start a blog on Blogger in minutes.  (I did publish my feed via FeedBurner, which isolates it from my choice of Blogger.)
• If you blog under a pseudonym, publish your real name and contact information somewhere on your blog.  There are blogs out there from people I think I know, but their real name is nowhere to be found.
• Once you have your real name on your blog, consider publishing a photo.  Having a photo will help your blog readers connect with you at live events you may attend such as user groups meetings or conferences.  It might even help people you meet at these events connect with your blog.