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?