Add to favorites Examiner Bio

Why you should become a blogger

Blogging is often the overlooked aspect of social networking though it is arguably the most important thing you can do for your personal brand and career development. Invariably, whenever I go to a networking function and a panelist asks for a show of hands on the use of social media tools, everyone in the room is using Facebook, LinkedIn and to a lesser extent Twitter. Relatively few raise their hands to identify as bloggers. Of those who are bloggers, even more fall into the category of those who blog less than once a week. As with any marketing principal, a blog must be maintained and regularly updated to have value.  

 

Whether you will blog using detailed articles like me, or with a shorter form of commentary, it takes a lot of work to consistently generate original content and communicate to your audience. This is precisely why you should become a blogger, because it shows that you are committed and dedicated to your chosen topic. Blogging is a way to let your unique voice be heard.

 

Getting Started:  

 

·         First, begin by doing some research to find the best platform to host your blog. I picked WordPress for the ease of use, but I looked into Blogger and TypePad before making this decision. Eventually, I applied to become the Chicago Networking Examiner, but only after I realized that blogging for this conglomerate was a logical decision. 

 

·         Plan. Determine what it is you wish to talk about and where your expertise is. The biggest objections to blogging outside of the time that it takes are these standard responses: “I don’t have anything to say”, or “who cares what I think” . Don’t fall into this trap, everyone has a topic where they are they can be an expert.   I recommend writing the first handful of articles in Microsoft Word so you have some content ready to publish after making the first few posts.

 

Building Momentum:

 

·         Use consistency to communicate to your readers. Don’t be surprised if your initial posting has less than 10 viewers. It is unlikely that you will have a Susan Boyle spike in viewership unless you are writing something profound or working with a lot of breaking news content. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hundreds of viewers right away. Blogging should be about quality not quantity. 

 

·         Cross linking: When you have built up a base of viewers, it is always a good idea to begin linking your blog to other sites which would benefit from this relationship. This will drive traffic to your blog and build relationships with others in the blogging community. 

 

·         Promotion: Place a link to your blog in your resume if the material you write about is appropriate. It is also helpful to place a link on your MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn account and give frequent status updates or Tweets when you have a new post. Another good strategy to promote is asking for comments or posting in your memberships groups on sites such as Yahoo, Facebook and especially LinkedIn. Your blog is a writing sample, so be sure to edit your posts and take some time on them. 

 

 

·         Keep in mind that your blog is a very public writing sample. A blog can signal to an employer that you are professional and have good communication skills. Conversely, it can have a negative impact if proofreading is not done. This is one reason why I recommend writing in every blog in Word before publishing. Watch for spelling errors that aren’t corrected by spell check programs.   

 

·         Be careful when recycling content. It is ok to post older articles again and to post them on different forums at your discretion. You risk alienating viewers who frequent your blog if the same topics are covered with every post. 

 

·         Blog about a topic you are passionate about. If you are writing just for the sake of putting words on a page, then blogging will feel like a homework assignment/chore.    Choose topics you will look forward to writing about and sharing with others. Be honest with yourself and your abilities! You will begin to feel a sense of accomplishment when blogging and even more so when people react favorably for your content. 

 

·         Allow commenting, but watch out for spammers!

 

·         Make sure to refrain from copyrighted images, trademarks and plagiarism. To protect against this, I personally will site my sources and refrain from using images which I personally did not take or that I have shared with permission of the owner. I recently read an article in the Wall St. Journal about the rise of lawsuits against bloggers. Even though journalist shield laws often protect bloggers, don’t be naïve and feel invincible. Be careful not to write objectionable content and site references! If you are worried about this, consult an attorney or make sure you have protection through your insurance company since policies are generally inexpensive. 

 

 

 

The obvious benefit is a chance to build your personal brand and be known as an expert in your chosen field. Your blog updates will help you with Search Engine Optimization, and also assist with the credibility of your business. When you place a link to your blog in your resume, employers will have an in depth understanding of the type of person they are hiring and the expertise you bring. Recruiters will check this information to verify what they think they already know about you. 

 

Blogging is a very personal social media tool; no other tool can provide the same type of value as a regularly maintained blog. The benefits are largely intangible, and there still is exact science to being a successful blogger or even a standard definition of what success means when blogging. Traditionally metrics such as page views are tracked and comments are tracked. These do not always tell the whole story.  Personally, if just one person is helped by the advice articles I write is able to land their dream job, then I have been successful. How you measure your success is entirely up to you. Don’t expect to make a lot of money with your blog unless you promote aggressively! If your motivation is money, there are several other opportunities which are far more lucrative than a blog. Even when being paid for your writing, the amount is so small it would take a massive amount of page views to earn a modest living.