Bloggers - All Talk, No Walk?

I, like many of you, have received flack from other professionals out there who suppose blogging is just another form of time wasting.

My retort is this: Do you consider reading, networking, or workshops to be a waste of time, too?

Before one can take action - those first small steps - one should be prepared for the journey ahead. Some of us learn by absorbing information through books and online forums; some through classes and tutorials; some through hands on trial and error. I'd like to believe most of us are a mix of all three.

I understand the criticism of some professionals, who feel blogging, like meetings and retreats, and (gasp) reading, can take the form of passivity. I understand the limitations of time.

But I have learned so much from the writings of other professionals who freely share their knowledge, as well as from my own challenge to write on a daily basis.

This knowledge has inspired action on my part - either through participation in similar projects, such as 100 Bloggers - or through new business projects that have directly or indirectly come from this valuable networking and wisdom sharing tool.

I'm curious, what has blogging inspired you to DO?