To blog or not to blog
Ever considered starting a blog? Need some motivation to get one started? Blogs aren’t for everybody, but here are a few reasons starting a blog might be for you.
Reasons you should blog
1. It gets your message out. It gives you a voice. Depending on the nature of your blog, you get to talk about exactly what you want to talk about! Now, whether others will read it or not is another story…
2. It gets your message out quickly. RSS readers, Facebook, and Twitter, among other tools have made information transfer much quicker. When I post a blog, over 1,500 people know about it immediately, assuming they’re looking at the social networking sites I’m connected to. The old fashioned phone tree could take hours to do its job. Newsletters take a day or two in the mail.
3. Everybody’s doing it. Though your mother might warn you against doing something that everybody else is doing, I don’t think it’s always a bad thing. Blogs can give you a voice where others are talking, instead of just within the walls of your organization (though you have to do the work of saying things that they want to hear).
4. It’s a good way to connect with others concerning topics that interest you. The people who will read your blog posts will be those who find your topics of interest to them. It’s a great way to start up dialog about mutual concerns.
5. It forces you to flesh out your thoughts into a format that is understood by others. Writing a blog post can help to flesh out my thoughts and communicate them in a way that others can understand. I have to do a little bit of research, too. I can’t just say whatever I want. I need to be ready to be challenged on my claims.
6. It helps with your writing skills. Long, drawn-out blogs are, in my opinion, ineffective. That’s why my blogs are short. I try to keep them less than 500 words. With a blog, less is more.
7. It shows people another side of you that you wouldn’t necessarily have the opportunity to talk about. I’m not able to sit down with everybody over a cup of coffee and communicate what God’s been showing me. Or talk about something funny that’s happened. Or talk about what I think the role of parents is. Or tell them about an upcoming chili cook-off and how my chili is better than theirs. I’d love to, but I just can’t.
8. It fosters relationships. I’ve been able to maintain relationships with folks I would have lost touch with had it not been for my blog.
9. It helps your business or organization gain credibility. You’ve got an expertise that others could benefit from. Tell us about it, and in the process, you can convince me to hire you instead of that random company in the yellow pages.
10. You’re tired of printing and sending a company newsletter. 1998 called. They want their newsletter back.
Convinced that you should start blogging?
Although there are probably many more reasons you should blog, there are also reasons you shouldn’t. Tune in tomorrow for reasons you should not blog.
