I’m Starting a New Blog: 5 Reasons It’s Still a Good Idea

Writing helped me remember my experiences, think about them, and organize my thoughts to deliver a clear message. Through this process done hundreds of times, I gained a better understanding of myself and found clarity in my life.

For example, when I wrote about my first trip to the mountain, I remembered how unforgettable the experience was.

As I described my journey, from preparing to reaching the peak, I realized that I’m a mountain person. I enjoy the physical challenge and the amazing views that come with it.

Writing also improved my emotional intelligence—understanding and managing other people’s emotions, or in this case, my readers’ emotions, to connect with them on a deeper level. I started getting better at this when I studied affiliate marketing and copywriting.

Compared to how I used to write, I’d say I’ve improved a lot. Now, I tell more stories. I don’t just describe things and places; I also share interesting facts to fascinate travelers.

I stopped lecturing people and started talking to them, just like I’m talking to you now. Maybe writing has made me a better communicator too.

The thing is, these are just a few of the many benefits of writing. By continuing my blogging journey, I believe I will also improve in other areas as I keep writing and writing.

‘Why am I moving so weird?’

‘Ugh, my teeth look awful when I’m laughing and facing sideways!’

‘Bruh, I can’t see my jawline!’

While videos are popular for expressing ideas and connecting with others, I can’t force myself to do something that makes me feel bad. Life is too short to be unhappy, right?

Honestly, I don’t care what people think or say about me. It’s just that I’m not comfortable watching myself on video. Let’s do what’s best for ourselves, and for me, that’s blogging.

Here, I can freely speak my mind without feeling insecure. Besides, I love writing, taking photos, and designing websites.

So if I like writing and taking photos, why don’t I just use Instagram or Twitter/X? Blogging on social media is free, right? I prefer to blog on my own platform for two reasons.

First, I love following my own rules. I want to write whatever I want without worrying about my content or account being taken down for random rules. It’s about freedom of speech.

Above all, I want full ownership of the things I create. Especially now, with artificial intelligence (AI) becoming more common, tech companies will do anything to profit from what’s on their platforms.

As they develop their own Large Language Models (LLMs), they are likely using posts, pictures, videos, and even user behavior to train their AI.

I prefer my ideas not be used to train LLMs.

In fact, I already have a plan for how I’d grow my blog as AI continues to become more common.

If you’re new to this, believe it or not, blogs, when done right, can help countless people from all over the world! Isn’t that cool?

The experiences, findings, and realizations we share in our blog posts could be the answers someone else is looking for. Search engines help by finding relevant posts and articles to match a person’s query.

Man, I love the feeling of knowing that my writing is actually helping people. If earning my first internet dollar felt great, receiving thank you emails because of my work feels amazing!

One time, I received an email from a fellow Filipino thanking me for my well-researched travel guide. She said it helped them plan their trip to Italy and Switzerland.

Here is a quote from her email:

“Hi, Eljon! I’m reaching out just to tell you how happy I am to come across your wanderineurope blog. I was researching for our family’s upcoming trip to Europe (particularly Northern Italy and Switzerland) and I found your site most helpful for my planning. Then basa-basa ako, hindi ko alam bakit napunta ako sa “About” page mo, then sa Engineering Travels mo, then gut feeling, you’re Pinoy! Nakaka proud and happy na iba talaga ang work (and details) ng Pinoy. 🙂“

English Translation:

Hi, Eljon! I’m reaching out just to tell you how happy I am to come across your wanderineurope blog. I was researching for our family’s upcoming trip to Europe (particularly Northern Italy and Switzerland) and I found your site most helpful for my planning. Then I was reading through it, I don’t know why I ended up on your “About” page, then on your Engineering Travels page, and then I had a gut feeling that you’re Filipino! It makes me proud and happy to see the quality of work (and details) from a fellow Filipino. 🙂

That year, I started posting photos of my trips on Instagram with captions that were like journal entries. I saw it as a digital photo album full of unforgettable experiences and happy memories from my travels. I also included my recommendations and tips with those photos for my followers.

We all want something to look back on when we’re older, right? That ‘blog’ was meant to be that for me.

That Instagram blog was also my escape from my stressful job. It really helped me get through tough times.

However, I regret not putting those experiences on a WordPress blog because I could have earned money and traveled more. Obviously, blogs can make money and that’s another big reason why I’m still blogging.

A blog can be monetized in various ways, such as through affiliate marketing, ads, sponsorships, memberships, or selling information products.

And if ads or affiliate links are not preferred, donations can be requested through platforms like Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee.

The great thing about making money from a blog is that it’s passive. Since it’s online, people can visit the blog anytime, which means earning money even while sleeping — that’s the dream!

Plus, the monthly earnings can grow a lot, depending on how the content is shared.

I even know people on YouTube and Twitter/X who make up to $100,000 just from blogging. By following their advice, I was able to earn enough money to maintain my lifestyle after quitting my 9 to 5 job.

Making money from a blog sounds great, but it’s not something I would recommend to everyone. It requires the right mindset and a high tolerance for risk.

(Here’s my advice if you’re planning to quit your job for blogging.)

Getting readers to a blog isn’t as easy as it used to be. It’s not just about writing and letting search engines bring in traffic and passive income anymore.

Google, now declared a monopoly, can wipe out a blog’s income overnight if the blog relies only on search traffic.

To succeed in blogging, it’s important to have a strong social media presence, a newsletter, or other ways to get traffic that don’t depend on search engines. It takes a lot of learning, hard work, and dedication.

With scammers using AI to create a lot of generic content online, it’s important to show human qualities to stand out. Being authentic is more important than ever, and that’s what I’m focusing on in this blog.

I have to admit, money was the reason I started blogging three years ago. But it wasn’t just about getting rich. I want a good life, which means having adventures, peace of mind, a happy family, and more.

Most importantly, I want to take care of the people I love in every way: giving them time, affection, money, security, and more.

The passive income from blogging can make all this possible.

People read blogs to find quick answers and in-depth knowledge. Enthusiasts read blogs for expert opinions and sometimes for entertainment too.

When readers visit my blog, I can invite them to join my newsletter, where we can build deeper connections. I can also invite them to join my social media groups and communities.

If I’m lucky, I might even make new friends who share my interests, which is really exciting!

I have a lot to share with these people, and I want to be a friend they can rely on for growth and finding their purpose in life. If I become wealthy enough to travel again, I could be that crazy travel friend who can also be a personal photographer!

Note: I love traveling to mountains, historic city centers, and charming villages that look like they’re straight out of a fairytale. I could talk about these places all day, as well as share productivity tips and self-improvement advice.