Friday, November 15, 2013

Confessions of a blogger...

I've read a couple blog posts recently about blogging. The first blog post is titled, 'Blogging is just People Showing off,' and the second is 'Blogging is Narcissistic (expect when it's not).'

Both these posts of course made me think about my blogging journey and the reasons why I continue to blog.

Part one of this blog post:

So, here's the deal:

Yes, I do blog because I'm proud of what I'm doing and the things that are happening in my district.

I want to share our successes and share the many great things we are doing to positively impact kids.

I also want to further develop my digital footprint and the Justin Tarte brand. I've had several opportunities come my way as a result of my blog, and I honestly don't believe these opportunities would have happened without my blog.

http://goo.gl/4kQAf1
With over 300 blog posts written in the last three and a half years and over 840,000 page views, I feel pretty confident that something I've written has been worthy of sharing with others.

Also, while we are being honest, I have adds on my blog that result in me getting a few extra dollars a month for my time. I didn't get into blogging for the money and I don't plan on quitting my day job anytime soon, but a few extra dollars a month seems fair.

So yes, is blogging a little narcissistic and a little focused just on me, yes, absolutely it is, but is that really a problem?

Is anyone forcing you or anyone else to read my blog? Probably not, and if they are, then I apologize.

When did telling your story become inappropriate and taboo? I guess I missed that memo...

Part two of this blog post:

Blogging has also done wonders for me as an educator in terms of my self-reflection and development as a young educator.

I have been able to put in writing my thoughts and gain a new perspective from what I think based on having to really think through what I'm writing about.

I've also had great conversations and discussions via the comment section of my blog that have been quite productive to say the least.

So, on the flip side, blogging has also been instrumental in my growth as an educator which undoubtedly has positively affected and impacted both students and colleagues with whom I work.

Maybe I'm way off here with my thoughts, but I will continue to blog because there are many benefits that go way beyond thinking that blogging is just narcissistic and just showing off...