Tools - Blogspot

I'm going to talk about tools for the writer. I don't just mean tools for writing, but tools for inspiration, motivation, writing, organization, and publishing. Since I'm not a published writer, my knowledge of publishing will be limited to such things as blogs and Kinko's!

My first tool to list is blogging like blogspot or LiveJournal! Hear me out! OK, so you might think blogging isn't for you. I used to think blogging and journaling were vanity sites for people with too much time on their hands. I didn't think anybody ever read them, and I didn't read them. Eventually I started finding blog postings in my web searches for programming solutions. I ran across several programmers I have come to think of as gurus in certain areas. I don't read their blogs every day -- I know that they're good places to go for specific information when I need it. I don't expect my blog to have any regular visitors, and that doesn't bother me. I consider my blog to be a resource to others, but I could use it for myself. You can make your LiveJournal entries private.

Here are the benefits to blogging:
It's online, so it's accessible from almost anywhere.
It's digital, so you gain the benefits of searchability and no worries about storage!
It's online, so you won't lose it when your hard drive crashes.
It's online, so you can share it if you want.
There is time associated with each post, so you can track events if you like.
If your blog is public, you will feel obligated to write more often -- if you intend to keep it up.
It can spark comments and discussion.
Over time you will feel a sense of accomplishment if you post regularly.
If you have information that is interesting or useful to others, it's a great way to give back to the community.

I can't say that my blog is a shining star at all -- I think I've had one or two visitors, and no comments. However, I feel good every time I post. That's good enough for me. If someone else gets benefit from a single post, then I feel that I've accomplished a lot. I don't know if that has happened or ever will, but I'm happy.