Recently, I did a presentation in my Organizational Communication class on the topic – Why students should start a blog!
I have uploaded the presentation for your convenience. However, the slides contain more images than data since I enjoy speaking out the data 
.
I hope you find it useful because the 6 reasons I am going to provide are the actual reasons that made me start my very first blog then the second, third and so on.
So without any further ado, I present to you my awesome creation
1. Learn through Teaching
When it comes to University classes, I sometimes feel that even though I am taking a class which actually interests me and is pretty good, I don’t learn what I really thought I would or should have. I can bet that a lot of students can connect with this.
Now the fact is, by blogging you can actually assign any topics that you want to learn and then research on it and make a post. This way you are actually teaching yourself and others. Learn through teaching is one of the greatest lessons I have ever learned and it works always.
Giving an example: when I started blogging on blogging tips at mastermindblogger.com, I didn’t know much about wordpress or security etc. I have taken sometime off to educate myself on the topic. I have read numerous other blog posts on similar topic to gain insight. After tweaking and testing, I realized that I had finally learned something.
I made a blog post on it, 14 ways to prevent your blog from hacking and even today it receives comments and feedbacks from readers who appreciate my input. In fact, it ranks number 1 in google for the term “prevent wordpress hacking”.
There are many reasons to start a blog but through writing and teaching others, you learn more about the subject that you are interested in.
2. Your Blog is your Online Portfolio
Whenever I submit my resume to potential clients or employers, I always have my blog address and link on top of the first page as a contact detail. As a matter of fact, I have listed my blog as a business on my resume.
A blog can be your online portfolio. It definitely speaks a thousand words which is more than what your 2 page resume would allow. Why? Well can you fit all your life experiences and skills into a page or two? Of course not. A blog allows you to post images, videos, links and anything you can think of.
You can talk about your projects, showcase a design or logo that you have created or simply post your opinion on stuff that you like to talk about. Start a blog, control your online presence and stand out from the crowd today.
3. Network with Industry Professionals
This is just awesome. Why? Come on how many times do you get to meet or greet some big shots in life? Blogging is one of the easiest ways to connect with professionals and like minded people.
But how do you really gain attention of industry professionals?
There are countless methods; just use your creativity and try out stuff. For example, you can write a review on their books, work or project. You can write a reactionary post to something they have written (this works really well). You can offer guest posting for their blog or even mention them and talk about their success on your blog.
However, in terms of networking, a blog is simply not enough. Couple your blog with twitter, facebook, linkedin and you could be playing more seriously.
4. Become an Authority in your Niche
You are seen as an authority in your niche. When people read and like your posts, they actually look up to you and seek guidance.
When I started blogging, I was passionate about several stuff- from going green to technology- from marketing to gaming etc. I started mastermind blogger solely to provide better blogging tips to helps others create a profitable blog.
If you visit the blog, you will see that I usually post stuff related to blogging, blog monetization, linkbuilding, wordpress, security etc. This is my niche and therefore my readers look up to me when it comes to blogging and wordpress related stuff. I try my best to help them out through step by step tutorials. But how do they know my stuff works? By simply implementing my tips on their blogs.
This way you can gain credibility and establish an authority. Imagine your potential client or employer googles your name and finds out your awesome blog then they check out your blog post which has ton of awesome comments and feedbacks from your readers, what impression do you think your client would get? Well I am sure you know the answer.
5. Build a Reputation before Hitting the Workplace
Your professional reputation doesn’t start until you hit the workplace. So what is your online reputation? It is actually the information that people discover about you online. You can build a good reputation based on the strong foundations of your blog.
Unless you are someone popular or a big shot, you won’t easily get publicity. The year 2012 is different and competition is seriously high especially amongst the students. This is why you should always try to build your reputation even before getting into your workplace or university.
So how do you actually build reputation?
Well focus on your blog’s branding. I strongly believe in branding and I am sure you can see that . Check out the images, videos and color of your blog – do they reflect your personality?
Feature references from industry professionals. Let their endorsements give you credibility. Show off your knowledge of the industry by providing insights and advice. Reputation is everything so start working on it.
6. Make Money
Alright, of course this is my favourite part. How do you actually make money online from blogging? I must be kidding right Check out this detailed blog monetization post that will pretty much teach you how to monetize your blog.
But let me tell you this, before you start monetizing your blog, you should focus on your niche/topic and content. Quality content is very important if you want to make money from your blog on a long term basis. So once you have established your blog, start banking.
Verdict
I hope I have inspired a new generation of students to begin blogging. Not a student? It’s cool. You can blog too. If you are serious about gaining contacts in your field, marketing yourself, and learning more about your industry then a blog is the perfect place to start. Let me know what you think about this post? Do you think blogging is important and why?
Did you enjoy this article?
