I’ve flogged this deceased equine before, but no foray into social media– be it blogging or anything else– should be without strategy. That emerged as a major theme from last Friday’s Social Media Breakfast Tech Valley #4, which featured a panel discussion on blogging.
The panelists discussed how companies should decide what they hope to get out of a blog before they start one. That’s solid advice for companies, but it also spurred a discussion about personal blogs: Not every mommy blogger needs or wants to grow up to be Dooce. Not every technology blogger needs or wants to grow up to be Engadget.
It got me thinking about a very simple question: Why do I blog? What am I hoping to get out of this?
I started blogging nearly a year ago practically by accident. My first post explains how I had been becoming more active on Twitter and finding I had more to say than 140 characters allowed. I had been a long time reader of PR blogs but never felt as though I had anything to contribute. The last year has been quite a journey for me and after reflecting for a bit on “what does this all mean?” (blogging, not life), here’s what I came up with:
- I blog to share ideas with colleagues and get their feedback.
- I blog to participate in conversations happening about the PR and communications industry.
- I blog because it forces me to write.
- I blog so that I can have a body of work I can point potential clients to that shows my thinking.
- I blog so that I can be challenged by smart commenters who help me learn.
- I blog because it helps me meet new people who link or comment on my posts.
- I blog because it helps me understand how blogging works — from a technical and community standpoint — and this is valuable information that PR pros need to understand today.
- I blog because it’s fun to create something.
I don’t necessarily have a “strategy” for this blog. I don’t blog for page views or ad revenue. It’s one piece of a diverse online presence for me where I share conversations (both personal and professional) with colleagues, clients and friends. For me, it’s a success.
Why do YOU blog?
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
We’re lucky you blog, Amy. Has it really only been a year? You’ve emerged as one of the bright, insightful minds of our industry — a true credit to the PR profession.
Thank you for sharing your reasons for blogging. I think a lot of us blog for the same reasons. We all have to answer the “Why do I do this?” question from time to time — for ourselves, and sometimes even for our readers. It helps bring things back into focus.
I’ve really enjoyed learning from you. What you write about here, the comments you leave on my blog and on others’, and the resources you share via Twitter are invaluable contributions. The thing I enjoy most is tackling tough issues that affect our industry and our clients with someone who shares my passion for this stuff.
Keep up the good work, lady!
You’re making me blush, Scott! Thanks for being a part of my blog the last year (yes, really! My first post was last January. Unbelieveable how fast the year went). I always learn from your blog as well and particularly remember that your “Social Media Dream Team” post was one of the first I commented on back when I was starting to get into blogging. It’s great to be a part of a community with such great minds like yours!
Nicely done, Amy. I would one of my own to this: I blog (instead of using Twitter and Facebook only) so that my big ideas remain on a platform that I control giving them permanence.
Dave – absolutely, great addition! This also came up at the breakfast last week. The plug could be pulled on Twitter and Facebook tomorrow, and we would have very little control over what happened to our links, posts and updates that appeared there. A blog is my space, that I control, without having to worry about a third party’s stability or terms of service (well, other than my hosting company!).
Great post! When I decided to start my most recent blog, I did a lot of research beforehand. Considering that what I wanted to blog about (food) was so prolific on the web I wanted to make sure I knew why I wanted to participate. Do I want to be discovered and get a book deal? No, the thought never even crossed my mind. But I do have a lot to say about food and what I eat, restaurants, etc and I’m hoping that having my own food centric blog will connect me with other like minded folks and also will be a creative outlet. I need to express myself and think blogging is a great way to do so.
Thanks for visiting, Jennifer, and good look with the food blog! Food is a great topic for a blog because it’s something that everyone can relate to, yet everyone has highly personal opinions about it. I also spent a lot of time (years) researching and reading other blogs before I started my own. It helped inspire me and forced me to think about what topics I wanted to tackle (and which ones I wanted to leave alone).
Amy — I think you bring a perfect amount of personal experience, passion as well as serve to be an incredible adviser for marketers. My biggest take away from SMTV #5 was also how not every blogger wants to be Dooce and how even if you touch 3-4 people, it might fulfill your overarching goal. I agree, blogging helps me write, think and stay current on the market. It’s also a great way to encourage others to read. Thanks for Mengel’s Musings, and thanks for being personal as well as professional.
Thanks much, Nicole. It was good to hear folks at SMBTV discussing how blogs can serve different purposes and have different definitions of success. I certainly don’t have an enormous community of readers but the core group that I interact with in this blog and via others is invaluable to me. I learn so much from their insights and am pushed to be a better professional. Thanks for being a part of it!
I began blogging in order to document my life and what was happening. Like a journal online. I am now struggling with balance. Just as I struggle with balancing my many roles in real life it pours onto my blog.
If I write about motherhood does it make me look un-professional to possible clients or employers. If I blog about my career while my child find that one day and see me as career obsessed. How do you incorporate the multiple roles in your life onto your blog. Do you have to choose one niche…
Cassie, thanks for visiting and sharing your blogging story. The balance of personal/professional can be tricky. What I’ve found helpful is that I have a lot of outlets online and each shows a slight different aspect of my personality. I generally try to keep the blog professional, while I use Facebook and Twitter (and sometimes Posterous) to show a little more personality. I’m rather obsessed with college football, for example, but rarely talk about it on the blog. But look at my Twitter stream from any Saturday in the fall and you’ll get a sense of my personality. :-)
The good thing is there’s no right answer. For some people, having a highly personal blog works and meets their needs. Others never discuss their families or personal lives on their blog and solely write from a professional standpoint. Everyone has to find the balance they are comfortable with and that works for them.
Great list above, Amy, detailing why you blog. I agree with a lot of what you offered as ideas.
I also think blogging keeps my newspaper-reporter blood flowing. When I made the jump from journalist to public relations, one of the things I truly missed was gathering information and writing a story from it that allowed me to connect with my readers via my personal voice. You don’t get that when you write for PR. Blogging has allowed me to rediscover that voice and I think it’s great to have it in my life again. That probably explains why I’m posting at two different blogs and am finding myself contributing more to online publications as well. All I need now is enough time to do it all. :)
Keep up the great work on your blog. It’s one of the few I keep tabs on with Google Reader!
Ari, thanks for being a loyal reader! Finding my own unique writing voice is another great benefit to blogging. And yeah – more hours in the day would be insanely helpful. :-)