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Blogging: What’s in It for You?

We ask ourselves over and over: What’s the big deal about blogging? If you have an active Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter account, that should be all you need as far as this whole social media thing is concerned, right? Well, that may not necessarily be the case. College professors and PR professionals aren’t continuously buzzing about social media for nothing. While it’s important to know what PR pros are talking about in their blogs, it’s also important to join the conversation.

As you enter the blogosphere, here are a few points to keep in mind:

1) Be informative

We have hundreds of thoughts running through our minds every day. Our thoughts can be professional, industry-related, personal or just fun and random. Either way, these ideas can potentially be useful to someone else. Detailed discussions in class or professional seminars and meetings at work often trigger new ideas, strategies, goals and initiatives. Writing these ideas out and publishing them to a blog may boost your credibility and help other individuals better develop their own goals and skills.

2) Develop professionally

It’s imperative to stay on top of the social media movement. Although it’s called a trend, social media is more of a movement that continually forces users to engage and interact. It allows users to be as formal or informal as they please. A blog is a great professional development tool because it links professionals and those aspiring to be, connects businesses to consumers, associates people who have similar interests and also sharpens writing skills.

3) Get organized

Blogging is a productive way to organize your thoughts. Instead of writing on sticky notes, napkins and random scraps of paper every time you think of something cool or interesting, you could simply use your blog. Each post will be an electronic copy of everything you’ve thought on any particular day. Having a blog may help you with your job, school work or organizational affiliations as you refer back to things you’ve written or read.

4) Learn!

Taking on the responsibility of keeping an updated blog forces you to stay active; you have to stay on top of blog-worthy topics. Whether you’re finding your inspiration in the news, trade publications, entertainment media or someone else’s blog, blogging is a constant learning and growth experience. Soaking up loads of information and sharing your perspective takes a good bit of work, but the rewards make it worthwhile. Try it out!

If you have a blog or you’re just starting out, post the link and share your experiences.

By Miah Evans

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