Are You A Blogger Like Me?

It is my belief, well, actually, I know it for a fact, that there are many more bloggers out there than what some might believe. In fact, you might be one yourself.

Okay, take a deep breath.

Are you mortified that I just suggested you might fit a millennial label? Or are you more offended that I suggested you might have something in common with my nerdy self? (If I were you, I would have a bigger issue with the latter!).

Slow down for one second and let me explain.

Although some gurus from a few years back suggested that Facebook would soon fizzle and fall off the face of the earth, the opposite happened. Facebook continues to gain users and the social media giant continues to evolve.

Live video, reaction buttons, and fake news prevention measures are all examples of Facebook continuing to be proactive in delivering a positive social media experience. However, there is one thing Facebook allows its users to do better than any other social media platform or blogging site.

Simply, Facebook allows people to express themselves.

Back in the dark ages (circa 2007), people would “update their status” by writing a sentence about what they planned to eat for lunch. These days, Facebook users have the ability to write essays expressing their opinions and grievances.

Not only can people go crazy with a lot of text, but they can insert emoticons, change the color of words, and actually format their thoughts with paragraph breaks.

How is that not blogging?

In reality, people aren’t writing “essays” like I claimed above, they are writing blog posts. There is no way around it, Facebook is the most popular blogging platform in the world.

Okay, so what? Well, I went on this tangent to pose a question about my blog that I have been asked :

Brent, why don’t you just “blog” on Facebook?

I admit, it is slightly tempting. I would save time by completely bypassing WordPress, I wouldn’t have to pay hosting fees, and I would expose a higher percentage of my Facebook friends to my writing.

But you see, that last point I just brought up is exactly why I don’t “blog” on Facebook. I want my Facebook audience, which is a small fraction of my brentreser.com audience, to choose whether they want to read what I have to write. I want to spare my friends from my random, silly, uninteresting musings that come as frequent as five times per week. If someone has an interest in my teaser I post on Facebook they can click on it; if not, they can continue scrolling.

I also choose to blog on a self-proclaimed “blogging site” because of the advantages. You have specific analytics at your disposal, formatting options are much more abundant, and your work can be consumed by a wider and more diverse audience. Not to mention that building a personal brand is head and shoulders more impactful on a blogging site with your name as the URL as opposed to trying to make gains through a personal Facebook page.

However, don’t think I am looking down on people who share their expanded thoughts on Facebook. I could spend all day scrolling through my newsfeed reading how people are feeling. I learn a lot and I appreciate it. But because I have had my blogging site for several years and because there are certain perks to maintaining it, my Thursday Rundowns and food reviews will continue to live right here on brentreser.com. Don’t Blink.

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