Of course blogging is writing but we live in a culture where money speaks volumes and most bloggers don’t make much when they blog. It’s not right but it’s the truth. The world won’t consider us “writers” unless we’re making money at it. (That’s why the writers on Medium are so desperate to make their monthly goals. They have a hard time considering themselves legit unless their efforts are making money. It’s just not enough that they’re writing well and producing interesting content.)

The other stigma blogging runs against is that anyone can do it. Putting up a blog is insanely easy and hitting the “publish” button is even easier. There are thousands of bad blogs out there so those of us who put great effort in ours find ourselves lost in a vast, imperfect crowd.

But things are changing and good writing will always rise to the top. I’ve joined a couple of professional organizations that encourage bloggers. They ask to see your work but they recognize that blogging can be as professional as any paid contract work.

I had a political blog for over 10 years that looked like it wasn’t going anywhere (the lack of comments was maddening), but it opened doors to many other venues and gave me a voice where I might not have been heard otherwise.

I have great respect for the work put out by many bloggers but there are those hurdles to overcome. Hopefully, we’re known by the quality of our writing and not by the medium we choose.