by Amanda, Smile.ly Community Manager

Life may have unanswered questions (how many licks DOES it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop?) but wondering why people blog is not one of them. Read on to learn the benefits of blogging, and you may end up wanting to start a blog of your own!

Blogging lets you:

Establish your point of view

Do you ever find yourself stuck in a conversation about things you don’t want to talk about or know nothing about? For me, this happens when anyone talks about the TV show Lost. Blogs are great because you can start the conversation and talk about what you like. Don’t worry if the topic has already been covered by other bloggers. People may already have blogs with a similar focus as yours, but none are written by you!

Promote things you love

This can include yourself! A lot of people establish themselves as a brand with social media. It’s a fantastic way to get attention from employers. You can also talk about causes and companies you love. At Smile.ly, we love to talk about our favorite brands. :)

Stay connected with family and friends

In my mother’s perfect world, I would call her every day. Sometimes, though, it can be hard to squeeze that in among all the other things I do. Blogs can be a great way to update your family and friends on what’s going on in your life on a pretty regular basis.

Make new friends

Chances are people who read your blog like what you have to say and like the things you like. If they’re already interested in your life online, then they may make great offline friends as well! Of course, safety precautions should be made when scheduling a meeting - and always be careful about how much personal information you share online.

Keep a virtual record of your life

Ever wonder what happened exactly six months ago? When you have a blog, you can do a quick search to find your post from that day. Sure, journals, diaries and planners serve this purpose too, but do they allow you to easily insert pictures among the words or search with the click of a button?

If you have a blog, what is your favorite part about blogging? If you don’t have a blog, what would you want to blog about? Post your answer in the comments section below!

Amanda is a Community Manager at Smile.ly. When she's not updating her Google Reader with more food blog feeds, she's cheering on the St. Louis Cardinals and watching her favorite television shows that always end up getting canceled. And after spending most of her life getting lost, she loves her iPhone specifically for the Google Maps app.