For anybody who doesn’t know, Brazen Careerist is taking the world by storm. One of our newest undertakings is taking the remarkable community of young professionals we’ve gathered online and bring them together locally, offline.

Hence, Brazen Meet Ups were born, our first being an event in Washington D.C. and out second in New York last week. And I must say, both events and everyone we met have been extremely amazing and fun.

The most rewarding part about these meet ups for me is that I learn so much. Brazen’s bloggers have so much knowledge to share that it’s almost overwhelming to have to find ways to recap all the important elements. So with NYC we came with a plan: Interviews.

Brazen Careerist is actively working with companies who want to connect with Generation Y and blogging is one phenomenal way to do that. So, our first topic of discussion was why our community is blogging and how other people can succeed in the blogosphere.

So without further adieu, check out some of Brazen’s finest get interviewed by Life Before Noon’s Carla Blumenthal at the Brazen, NYC blogger meet up.

The video, and the blogger’s fantastic advice speak for itself, but here are a few important points to remember when you’re starting a company blog to reach out to Generation Y. Because effective company blogs and effective personal blogs are really not that different.

Connect with bloggers like you.

In our video, Allison Jones of Entry-Level Living commented on the power of reading other blogs in order to streamline more juice into your own. She couldn’t be more right, but there’s more to it than just that.

When you’re new to the blogosphere, the best way to gain “street cred” is to get to know people who are already established online in your niche. If you’re an entrepreneur, scope out the nets top entrepreneurial bloggers. If you’re into freelance writing, meet some successful ones online and find out what they’re doing right. And if you’re in HR, looking to reach an elusive demographic like Generation Y, align yourself with the pros and take it from there.

Check out the all-star squad of online HR leaders over at HRM Today. The team includes Brazen’s very own Lance Haun, as well as some other HR bloggers that I have no problem calling exceptional at what they do.
Keep at it.
Adam Gilbert of GuruGilbert.com said it best: Blogging is just like staying fit. You have to keep at it if you want to see results.

The problem is you never see results right away. And just like working out, sometimes it’s just easier to say forget it and tune into something that yields more immediate results.

Make sure to keep yourself in check. Interaction on your blog is not going to arrive overnight. It takes time and patience. So in the meantime, keep tweaking things. Figure out what works and what doesn’t.

Many blogs will die in a span of 2-3 months. And it’s not because they were doomed from the get go. It’s because the blogger got stubborn, or lazy, or impatient and didn’t keep trying new things. Just like working out, you have to try a lot of different exercises before you find a routine that’s going to give you what you want.
Just have fun.
The traditional way of connecting with young recruits via job boards, job fairs, etc. are boring, and their dying off. Forget your traditional job descriptions, leave corporate jargon at the office and please, loosen the tie and have some fun.

The coolest thing about Brazen is that we all likely consider ourselves professional when it comes to what we’re really passionate about, but the best of us know that it doesn’t mean you have to be serious all the time. From newly established entrepreneurs like Scott Bradley, to the career coaches like Ann Mehl, to people like Dorie Morgan who traveled all the way from Philly to hang out with BC, the one thing we had in common was that we knew how to take it easy and have a good time.

I once had the opportunity to do work for a pretty cool executive at my first company. While he was dabbling in new ways to communicate with his global team of employees, he discovered that his suit-and-tie corporate image was creating some detachment.

So he started communicating through vodcasts. One of the videos opened with him throwing a football around while walking to his office. Cheesy? Yes. But it spoke to people and gave him the angle he needed to become more personal.

But you don’t need to make a video of yourself throwing around a pigskin to connect with Generation Y. Just be authentic. Forget the corporate image and just speak the truth. If you don’t think you can handle it, find an employee who can, or hire one who will.

To sum things up, just make sure to remember your purpose. The old ways of recruiting are dying and social media is a tool your company can’t afford to ignore. Find your niche, keep at it and don’t take things too seriously.