Blogging: All Pros, No Cons

I have always loved to write. There is something quite cathartic about it. I know most of us probably switched majors many times throughout our college experience, and I’m not the exception. Eight years ago when I was still thinking about getting a degree in English, I thought I might be able to write a novel someday. I’m not throwing the idea completely out of the window yet, but creating a story complex enough to fill a few hundred pages is no cup of tea.

I had my stent with poetry. I also thought I wanted to be a journalist for many years. I do enjoy that style of writing, especially feature stories, but I don’t think I was ever cut out for hard hitting reporting. Take the HBO show The Newsroom for example. Love it! Though, probably not the best choice for me. This brings me to my personal introduction to blogging.

I tried my hand at having a LiveJournal my first go around at college. Remember LiveJournal? At the time, I don’t think I knew what a blog was, and I had one! In 2002, blogging was just beginning to become mainstream. I am about to push the delete button on my old, trusty account that I haven’t even glanced at in five years. Wouldn’t want any potential employers finding out how emo I used to be at 18. 😉  If you still don’t understand this phenomenon, let me try to help.

I thought it was all about the music.

When in all actuality, being emo is more like being Eeyore.

Seriously though, I hate that I had to be lightly coerced to blog for a class to remember how much I enjoy writing on a regular basis. I’ve found that my subconscious has started to look at the world differently. I get ideas I’d like to delve into when I’m riding the bus or when I’m at work, and I have to make a note so I don’t forget. That’s super exciting!

Blogging is so versatile. You’re allowed to have your own voice and share personal points of view, while also linking to other content that you find interesting and want to share with your followers. For instance, I read a blog by Kirk Hazlett today called, It May Be ‘Great PR’…But Is it Ethical? I really enjoyed Mr. Hazlett’s writing style– conversational but also professional.

I’m blown away by the random hits my posts have gotten from tags plus the connections I’ve been able to make with other professionals by sharing my posts on microblogging sites such as Twitter. Twitter has gone right under my radar for years. I never completely understood what a useful tool it could be until I started participating in discussions with #Freberg13, our social media class’ hashtag. We can give/get help from each other and our professor so easily, while sharing pertinent articles and thoughts with the entire class.

It’s becoming more evident everyday that having an online personal presence, as well as a professional one, will be the biggest pro for my future career.

Sincerely,

Amanda