I had an interesting conversation about blogging on Twitter this morning………
By now, everyone reading this should understand the potential power of a blog; how it can inform, assist, raise questions and challenge opinions. I have certainly got a deeper appreciation of it since I started creating content for clients and writing guest blogs for other people’s websites.
We’re always advised to get that content out there so we can raise our profile and others’ perception of who we are. But what about the actual content of the blog? What should you write about?
This morning’s conversation revolved around another seasoned blogger trying to decide whether it was OK to write about something non-business related. If it was acceptable to talk about something more personal and then share it over the web?
This raises two questions.
If the subject matter is too close to home, too personal, you have to ask you self whether you can face up to the scrutiny of the attention publishing it will necessarily attract and, more importantly, whether you can accept that people may well judge you, unfairly or otherwise, based on what you write.
Moreover, does it have general appeal, or is it just too random for anyone to be interested in it? Good content is intended to engage the reader. So if the subject matter you want to talk about has a wide appeal and you feel it will resonate with people, then it’s OK to write about something that isn’t necessarily business-related.
At the end of the day, what we do doesn’t define who we are. Unless we let people know our personalities, then we’re going to struggle to build any sort of relationships, business or otherwise. So what could be wrong with sharing a little bit of “us” when we write? I suppose it depends just how much you want to share, at the end of the day.
You should also bear in mind the unspoken rule that governs what we post on social media. In other words, if you wouldn’t say it to a room full of strangers, why shove it out there on the internet for the world to see?
Personally, I have no problem in posting stuff which isn’t strictly related to my business. If I have experience of something which I feel will have a wide appeal or that others will find of interest, or even helpful, then I wouldn’t hesitate to write about it and stick it up there.
We’re all human after all. What harm can it do to share a few opinions now and again? Even if they have nothing whatsoever to do with what we do……..
And if all else fails, rely on the message of the infamous Michael Scott;
“Business is Personal… It’s the most personal thing in the World” and just get blogging!