Blogging is absolutely worth it.

* An outlet for ideas

* A way to connect with other like-minded people

* A platform to practice your writing and communications skills

* A platform to build your brand to get a job, sell your product etc

* A great way to have fun

* A good way to keep yourself accountable

* An excellent way to learn from others

* A good way to keep in touch with friends and family

* And of course a possible way to make some income on the side, or full-time income 

If we can speak naturally, hopefully we can write naturally given we're not writing essays with stringent guidelines.

I'd rather earn money blogging than freelancing. The potential is unlimited and I can write what I want, when I want. Freelance and consulting income is good and often times very rewarding to help others. However, we only have so much time in the day.

I'm going to absolutely agree with you when it comes to keeping yourself accountable. This is something I really struggled with before blogging, and having an "audience" (regardless of how large or small) has given me that extra nudge to write and publish posts when I may have otherwise not done so. The connections, as well, have been awesome so far.

* An outlet for ideas

* A way to connect with other like-minded people

* A platform to practice your writing and communications skills

* A platform to build your brand to get a job, sell your product etc

* A great way to have fun

* A good way to keep yourself accountable

* An excellent way to learn from others

* A good way to keep in touch with friends and family

* And of course a possible way to make some income on the side, or full-time income 

If we can speak naturally, hopefully we can write naturally given we're not writing essays with stringent guidelines.

I'd rather earn money blogging than freelancing. The potential is unlimited and I can write what I want, when I want. Freelance and consulting income is good and often times very rewarding to help others. However, we only have so much time in the day.

Then again, I blog for pleasure; and as Woody Allen says in his latest film 'there is so much pleasure in money'. Blogging is something I'll be doing anyway and it is a nice side income line. So, why not!

Maria 

It's a test of patience, but should ultimately pay off in one way or another.

I "worked" part-time for 3 years writing articles for Suite101 and got paid a fair amount for my time on rev share alone. Now, even post-Panda and then another Panda, I still earn enough each month to make a car payment+, and I haven't written more than article a month since March 2011.  However, many writers saw their income drop to basically zero, so I'm sure those people would agree with you.  If they had been freelancers instead of betting on revenue share all that time, they would have come out ahead.  

I can see what you're saying – freelancing is a sure thing whereas income from blogging is not.  But, like anything else, I believe with greater risk comes greater rewards.   

I don't think it is a black and white answer.  In terms of income versus effort, it is not worth it.  I di dnot go into blogging for the money  and I get much more out of it than the effort.  I think the answer is individual and personal.

I think we have this same conversation. We didn't go into this for the money, although we are on the verge of being able to make a little bit. We do find it to be a very fun hobby that we can both enjoy. However, to do it well, it takes up a ton of our time. It seems like if you can make it through the first six months or so, it starts to pay off both financially and socially.

In other words, you keep working at a steady rate but your income climbs over time. Sure, you're doing the work for "free" at first, but what you're really doing is planting the seeds of future income. Yes, the odds of being wildly successful are low, but you can tilt them with talent and hard work.

You're absolutely right that these things don't happen overnight and that they require hard work -- and even income from the archives is hardly passive given that you need to manage the backend (e.g., compliance with affiliate programs) but the (potential) upside is much greater.