Why people blog Three months ago, Christina Kerley asked a group of marketers and frequent bloggers (including me) a simple question: What is the single greatest point of value you receive from blogging? I thought the question was phrased well because it asked about value (which is a bottom-line thing) and it forced people to choose just one answer.

CK has compiled the responses from about 30 bloggers, some of whom you will probably recognize, into a clever PDF collage that she's giving away for free. It's a quick read and gets to the heart of why people are so passionate about blogging. Notice how few bloggers mention money as a motivation.

But speaking of money, CK's experiment is also a smart move for her business. For the price of her own time and whatever she paid a deisgner, she's come up with a unique product that demonstrates innovation, market knowledge and focus. I have no doubt that thousands of people will read this document and the viral buzz will be good for Christina's business.

I love the idea of giving away useful content as a way to demonstrate market mastery. It's a win-win for the giver and the receiver. The best example I've seen of this was David Meerman Scott, who used a free ebook called The New Rules of PR to establish himself as a thought leader in his business. Nearly 100,000 downloads later, he's got a new career, a book in the works and a lot of running room in front of him.  ¶ 8:25 AM