There are many advantages of blogging if your intent is to initiate and maintain contact with a large number of like minded people. As the internet has grown so has its acceptance as a reliable channel of communication.

It is recognized that the primary role of the internet involves dispensing news and information. It is no wonder that the online methods used to do this have continually evolved to better accommodate user needs.

With the advent of web 2.0 and the ever growing number of social sites internet users have made clear their preference was for more interaction. Even marketers acknowledge this preference and channeled their promotional efforts in this direction.

Blogs have risen to be one of the most popular and widely accepted methods used to fill the needs and demands for communicating amongst today's internet enthusiasts.

Let's review 5 benefits that make blogging so popular:

#1 – The Process is More like Play and Less like Work

Writing for a blog is less restrictive than many other forms of writing. Blogging tends to be more of a conversation as opposed to a formal presentation. There is less emphasis put on grammatically correct compositions. Blog readers are a more 'casual' audience and as a result are more accepting of human error.

Blog entries are 'judged' more on the content of the message then the format in which it is conveyed. Just getting your point across in a more natural style with the use of intrigue, humor, sarcasm, or even shock is more engaging to the readers. If the post is informative, helpful, or entertaining then it is more likely to be received more favorably.

The ability to leave comments and receive responses also allows readers to get more involved in the process. This alone makes it more interesting and satisfying for both reader and blog owner alike.

#2 – Blogging is Easy

If you can write in MS Word you can blog. There exist virtually no technological challenges therefore just about anybody can blog. Interfacing with most blogs is mostly point and click allowing you to add graphics, audio or video easily.

Picking and choosing your own layout and theme is just as easy and twice as fun. Your blog look can be changed in a flash and as often as you like.

#3 – Your Blog Can Reflect Your Personality

Your blog layout and also your blogging style can be tailored to reflect your personality or special interests. In fact it is encouraged to do so to help your blog stand out from the other blogs out there, after all there is only one you!

Also by doing this you allow your readers to further bond with you by giving them a deeper insight into who you are and what makes you tick.

#4 – Cost Efficient Advertising

A blog is one of the most cost efficient advertising methods available and a powerful way to gain an internet presence. In a manner of speaking it is cheap. Unless you like to spend money this should be appealing to you.

Your only expense with a paid blogging system is the cost of a domain and a hosting service. To establish a blog with a highly respected and popular blogging system such as Wordpress will cost less than $100.00 annually.

#5 – SEO is a Breeze

If you're interested in making your site easier to find within the search engines, blogging is the way to go. By posting to your blog frequently you're encouraging the search engine spiders to 'crawl' your site to look for any new entries. As a result this will inevitably boost your rankings since search engines love fresh content.

Given these 5 benefits we've discussed here can you now better understand the advantages of blogging and reason for its popularity? It is a fun, easy, and economical way to make your presence known on the internet. How can you resist?