Blogs and Blogging
One would think that by now everyone knows what a blog is, or what blogging is, and what the positives and negatives of each are.
However, with all the classes and seminars that are still being put on, and some of the questions I hear being asked, it would seem that blogging
is still part of the great unknown for the majority of people.
A blog is a journal of the personal and the professional thoughts of the writer. Is is not a diary, as I've heard it described. People use
diaries to chronicle their day to day events, often getting quite personal. Though many blogs are personal, very few people use them to chronicle
their daily comings and goings.
Instead, people talk about many varieties of things that are important to them at the time. Personal blogs can be political or social. People
might talk about hobbies they have, or associations they belong to. Some people love sharing their photographs with a little bit of commentary.
Some people love to talk about cooking; it doesn't matter all that much.
When it comes to business, blogs give companies an opportunity to show expertise in their field. If one makes it too finite or restricted, they'll
soon learn that they don't have enough to talk about, or at least enough that sounds interesting, and they'll give it up pretty quickly. When
that happens with a personal blog, it's just a major loss; when it happens with a business blog, it could affect how people see that business,
and it won't be in a positive way.
Why blog?
Blogging gives people an opportunity to connect with others in ways that personal networking doesn't give. When networking, most
experts say that people should spend more time asking others about them rather than talking about themselves. When one blogs,
one gets to talk
about their ideas, their products, their businesses, and themselves. It's expected in most blogs, because the truth is that
even the most factual
posts have a personal slant to them, whether the writer is blogging about someone else's product, an event, or anything else.
Blogging comes down to exposure. Exposure offers an opportunity to increase both notoriety and finances. That is, if it's done properly. I would tend
to recommend that most people think about blogging, but maybe only half of them should actually do it. To test it out, though, go to a free site and
set up a personal one and just start writing, just to see if you have it in you. Blogger
is the most popular, and Twitter offers you the opportunity to write in very short bursts,
but there are so many others that you should visit more than the one to see which one fits your style best.
If you do, it's a wonderful thing; if not, at least read what others have to say. There's a lot of information out there, good and bad, but with either
one you'll learn a lot.
