Five Ways Thinking Like a Blogger Can Help You Professionally
The more I blog, the less I am able to turn off my blogger mind. (And yes, there is such a thing as a blogger’s mind. Read for sheer hilarity.) Rather than limiting my focus, it’s helping me be more productive in other areas of my professional life. Here’s how:
- I think in terms of lessons learned: When I attend an event or read an interesting article I’d like to discuss, I think in terms of takeaways. I ask: what would my readers find most useful? By thinking this way, you are able to drill down on what matters most to the people you are working with.
- I look for links: I like to link to a variety of sources to back up what I say, provide resources, or simply to connect with a new community/blogger. I do so while keeping in mind the purpose of my work and my audience. Thinking about how to build relationships—for your organization or to strengthen your own network—is key for professional growth.
- I stay on top of what works: I’ve been blogging for almost four years about how millennials can land public service careers. In that time, the blogosphere and the discussion on nonprofit work have changed. There are better metrics, strategies and opportunities to build brand recognition, greater participation from a variety of people in the conversation, and more. Being part of this community, I am often exposed to and engage in these changes to help me be a better writer. Staying on top of what works allows for thoughtful engagement and strategizing.
- I know when to say no: When you get even just a hint of success as a blogger, folks will come to you with all kinds of offers and requests. They’ll ask you to write about something, to speak at events, to mentor or advise them on how to blog. At first it is flattering, but then you realize that sometimes they don’t have you or your audience in mind and that your participation may not move you forward or be helpful. Keeping in mind what your focus is and how you and the people you serve will benefit is crucial when navigating potential partnerships.
- I value the process of writing: Brainstorming ideas, choosing the right words, editing, sharing, and of course, reading, are practices that help me write better offline. Being able to write well (and write well regularly) is useful skill across professions, especially in an increasingly digital world where we are all sharing our voices and stories.
While the conversation around blogging has focused on traffic and branding, the benefits of blogging are much more diverse and the skills we develop easily translate to other aspects of our work.
What do you think? Have you been blogging? What skills have you developed as a blogger that have helped you in your offline work?
Although I am at the other end of the age spectrum, a former civil servant, and a business owner, derailed by illness, and hoping to have my work relevant to all ages who are seeking a place in the world, I have found your work interesting.
I started blogging about a year and a half ago, just as an experiment, to see if I could, to accompany a book that I had published. Now I blog on two of my sites relatively regularly, with breaks when life intervenes. I particularly resonated with your notion of capturing ideas, insights, takeaways for myself and hopefully for others. For me, at this age, I’m noticing it’s a way to document my life, remind myself of the small things that mattered which would have just gone by the wayside, and just notice how I and others are engaging with the life journey. Who knows, in 5 years of so, when I figure out the them of my existence during these years, the posts may add to my published collection of books which represent the “legacy” of one woman, doing her best.
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Hi Allison!
I just started my own blog about a month ago, after inspiration from other young leaders like yourself and other bloggers I follow, as well as from the advice of Rosetta Thurman and Trista Harris during their Leadership Intensive Seminar. Since I am still so new to it, I can’t speak about everything you’ve wrote about here. However point one in this post really rings true to me, and is something I am trying to focus on more and more. Every situation I come across or issue I want to blog about I have been trying to sort out what is my takeaway from this experience or what I’m learning about this issue. I am realizing that’s important not only for me to think about and remember personally, but for anyone who might read my blog.
I am also starting to value the process of writing. I have no specific training on writing (besides having to write a bunch of papers in college) and have never considered myself a great writer. So my blog is a challenge for me to see how good I can become at writing, being more thoughtful about what I put, and being able to express myself clearly. And through the process so far, I have really come to enjoy the process of writing, and I believe I am growing from it. Even though I only have two published posts so far, I have learned from them as well as the 5 or so other posts that I decided not to put up. All of life is about learning and growing, and as a new blogger, I’ve come to appreciate that and try to be more purposeful about it.
Thanks for the insight provided in your blog! And happy holidays!
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Great post, Allison!
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