My top four favorite things about blog carnivals are:
Inspiration + Motivation
Even when writing is your passion, its easy to find your self with writers block. I feel like writing is a creative outlet for me and since I struggle with creative expression, its really important for me to keep up my writing practice. Blog carnivals are like writing prompts. Finding a new blog carnival is like challenging myself to write about something new.
Build Community
Participating in a blog carnival means that you are part of a community of other bloggers that share an interest in a topic. In my case, most of the participants are parents. As a mom, having a community of other parents is important to me. I enjoy connecting, I enjoy support, I enjoy resources.
Get a Different Perspective
In every community, there are differences of opinion. After I write for a blog carnival, I get to hear other peoples perspective on the same topic. I get to hear from parents who have multiple children or older children, teacher-parents, and all kinds of families.
Reach a New Audience
I wouldn’t say this is my primary goal of doing blog carnivals, but as a blogger, I do enjoy when other people read my writing. New visitors - the other bloggers and their readers - are a great part of blog carnivals.