I am a huge supporter of blogging over other forms of content for a number of reasons, and I am yet to hear any reasonable argument as to why vegans shouldn’t be blogging.
If you are on the fence about starting one, or are considering adding one to your list, then this article is for you.
More Efficient Than A Protest
While I do have doubts over the actual impact that protests have, starting a blog is a far more efficient use of your time.
For example, let’s say that the average protest goes for about two hours.
Add on travel time, let’s say 45 minutes each way, and we are quickly over three hours.
Once the protest is over, that is it. There isn’t anything else that can be done with it.
Sure there may be a live stream or news footage of the protest, though the impact of the original protest diminishes by the day.
Whereas with a blog post, you could spend an hour researching the subject, an hour writing the article, and an hour over the next few days promoting it, and you would still have spent less time than if you were at a protest.
Yet, with a blog post, every time you post it, you have the opportunity to build a relationship with your reader.
Search Engine Traffic
If you set your blog your blog up right, you can reap the benefits of search engine ranking for ages.
Long after the post has been written and published, it will stay there for as long as you have your site hosted, or you delete it.
Builds A Relationship With Your Audience
Unlike other forms of “effective” activism, writing blog articles gives you the opportunity to build a relationship with your audience.
There’s an old saying that says
People won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
I’m not talking about how much you care about “the animals”, it is about how much you care about the person you are talking to.
Which is something that cant be done at a protest, reciting a chant, or standing in a particular shape.
You Can Remain Anonymous
There may be some who don’t want to have it too widely known that they are vegan, or what they are advocating for.
This could be for privacy reasons, for professional reasons, or simply because they may not have the confidence to “go public”.
You don’t really need any of them when writing a blog. Whereas you do when standing in a shape, marching down the street, or handing out leaflets.
Start with a “brand”, and then go from there.
Build A Tribe
Having a blog helps you build your own “tribe”.
These will be people who want to hear what you have to say.
Something that you can’t do when you are wearing a mask and standing in a particular pattern.
Nor is it something that you can do when you are parading down the street reciting a particular chant.
Helps You Grow/Learn As An Activist
If you go to protests or stand in particular shapes, think about your tribe.
Do they encourage you to grow and learn more?
Or, are you simply expected to follow along with what everyone else is doing?
For most people, having a blog actually helps them become better.
This point alone should be enough reason for every vegan to start their own blog.
It Is Your Neighbourhood
Building followers on social media is like renting a house.
Someone else owns it, and it can be taken away from you without notice.
How many times have you heard someone complaining about their facebook page being shut down, or losing “reach”?
Or, how about complaining that platform “x” is ‘censoring’ them?
If you have built your tribe with an email or push notification subscription, you won’t be at anyone’s mercy.
The same goes for those who you think are friends while out doing parades, and standing in shapes. It won’t take much for you to be kicked out of the group, and ostracised from the “community”. Some times all it take is questioning one of the “leaders”.
While the decision to start a blog is entirely up to you, there is no reason why you can’t start one.
You can do it from the safety of your own home.
So, what is it that is stopping you from starting your own blog?