Summary: <br> <br> I don’t have the typical writing story of beginning to write in elementary school and being engulfed in reading from childhood. I don’t know if that’s the typical story actually, but I didn’t enjoy reading until high school and I began writing shortly after that, because it was my introverted way of getting things out of my head. After I had been writing for a few years, I had a college professor tell me that I should focus more on my writing because he saw potential in me. So, I did what anyone should do when they want to focus more on their writing. I sought out the necessary tools to do so in the digital age.<br> Here are the three things that you should start a blog:<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> 1. When you start a blog it allows you to unleash your voice.<br> Blogs allow for writers to put their content in digital format for readers to see forever. We are all creating our stories online, whether we realize it or not, and have the opportunity to portray our uniqueness to the world. You have a unique life experience and a story that you have been developing for years, and when you setup your blog, it will be time to let the words begin to spill out.<br> 2. When you start a blog you will build your audience.<br> <a href="http://www.thecultureist.com/2013/05/09/how-many-people-use-the-internet-more-than-2-billion-infographic/">More than two billion people use the internet right now</a> and your potential audience will only continue to grow. So now that you have a blog, define who it is that you specifically want to target, what they need, and what you can offer them. People want well-written content on a weekly or daily basis, and a blog gives you a chance to speak directly to your audience as often as you see fit.<br> 3. When you start a blog it allows you to have complete control over online customization.<br> I started writing with a xanga account, then posterous, then tumblr, then <a href="http://wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">wordpress.com</a>, and then ended up with a self-hosted wordpress blog, and I am so glad I eventually found the best platform to be on. When you register your domain and set it up through <a href="http://wordpress.org">wordpress.org</a>, you can have complete control over what your webspace looks like. WordPress allows you to leave your own personal mark where everyone gathers – online. Different <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=241369&u=1076604&m=28169&urllink=&afftrack=">themes</a> and plugins are what gives you this control, and there are so many to choose from, so you can bring your personality not only to your content, but to your design as well.<br> If you don’t feel the need to start a blog, I hope this podcast has inspired you to look into <a href="http://asmithblog.com/create-wordpress-blog/">setting one up</a>. When you do this, you will gain more influence and reach more people, today.<br>
