Bloggers' Motivation

A recent survey revealed the following about bloggers' motivation:

Nearly 50% of respondents say they write a blog because it serves as a form of self-therapy.

One-third of bloggers write about self-help and self-esteem topics.

Fifty-four percent like to share their thoughts and feelings with others, and 43% like to chronicle their life and interests. In times of need or high anxiety, one-out-of-three people (31%) say they turn to either writing in their blog or reading the blogs of other people who are experiencing similar issues; that's six times as many people who prefer to seek help and counseling from a professional (5%).

Only 16% of bloggers write a blog because they're interested in journalism, 12% to break news or stay ahead of the news and gossip curve, and only 8% write a blog to expose political information.

Link. Citing this report.

I found this interesting. I would have thought the biggest motivators for bloggers are (i) exercising the written word (an art form), and (ii) entertaining others. Apparently not.

The same report later says, "Only 12% worry that their blogs are funny and witty." Yikes, if you're not funny or witty, you better be incredibly informative or profound. For me, I'm not sure sure I'm any of the foregoing, so I try to provide a small dose of each, figuring heavy doses are beyond my reach.

Whether I'm succeeding, that's for y'all to decide.