What I Have Gained As a Blogger…

Weight, yes. But this post isn’t about that.

It’s about what Good I have gained from being a blogger.

I’ll admit that before I became a blogger, I didn’t get it. I mean, a blog is just a journal of sorts, thrown out there on the internet for anyone to see. A journal about Food. Or Babies. Or Politics. Or Mushrooms. Anything, really.

But it’s so much more than that.

Blogging, for me, is about community. I have made many friends as a Food Blogger – friends who encourage me to try new things. Friends who pat me on the back when I complete a challenge or laugh with me when I fail miserably. I have not met these friends, but they are there, and I really enjoy them all.

Other than friends, I have been given opportunity. When treated as a creative outlet instead of work (though work is what it really is in many cases), blogging has led to a little extra money. I have ads on my sidebar that pay me whenever someone lands on my site or buys through one of the links. If I don’t post something, no one comes, meaning No Money. So that’s how it is like work. Posting = Work = Money. And money, no matter how small the amount, is good stuff.

Stuff. As a blogger, and especially as a food blogger, I am now given Stuff. Like shoes. I was given a pair of wonderful toddler shoes for my son just for reviewing them on my site. I feel priveledged that companies want to use MY site as a way to promote their products…I mean, who am I?

A hobby. Did you know that I never cooked before I began this food blog? Never. We ate take out probably 4 times a week. How sad is that? Now I cook almost everyday. It’s been fun, this journey into the world of cooking. I can make a danish from scratch now. Or tortellini. Or eclairs. And I know what ganache is, and even more surprising is I know how to make it – without the recipe.

So what have YOU gained from being a blogger? Has it changed you for the better? I’d really like to know…

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