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Due to the ongoing personal branding and social media craze, everyone is trying to brand themselves as a person interested in so-and-so or an expert in a specific area. As a consequence, there are an abundance of blogs out there telling you how to blog, what to blog about, or what not to blog about. 10 ways to do this, 5 ways to do that. Rebecca Thorman tells readers not to write about social media , unless they have something really unique to contribute. Otherwise, it’s getting old.
True, there is an abundance of writing about the topics of social media and personal branding, but does that mean we should stop? There are always going to be new developments in Web 2.0 and social media, and the field is constantly evolving. It’s like saying we should stop blogging about politics, or marketing, or public relations. After all, there is tons of material on these fields already. But just like social media, these fields (and many others) are changing and adapting — and there’s always something new and important to add to the conversation. And if you are working in or constantly reading blogs within a certain topic, obviously you will feel like there is an abundance of writing about that topic. But for outsiders who happen to stumble upon the concepts of blogging and social media, there is always something new to learn - and so, we should keep writing.
So I say: forget all these rules. Write about social media if you really want to, if you care about it. Forget what people are trying to tell you about what to blog about, when to blog (certain hours of the day and certain days of the week are apparently “the best” time to blog!), how to become known as an authority, or how to blog and get more readers. I’m not saying that readership isn’t important: it is important to know your writing is being read, and a growing readership is affirmation that you have something to contribute to the conversation. Half of blogging, is, after all, the community - so I’m not saying not to worry at all about how to generate readership. But for a moment, forget about all the rules and restrictions, tips and tools — and just blog.
Just write for the hell of it. Write whatever comes into your mind at that moment. Hit publish whenever you want, even if it’s 3am and no one’s “listening.” Write what you love, what you care about and are most passionate about. And most importantly, be yourself. Don’t confine yourself to a “niche” or a “brand.” If you’re itching to write about something outside your brand, just do it. Stop worrying what others will think of you. Because people want to learn about and debate the issues, but also they want to get to know you - who you really are. So if you’re not yourself, and if you’re not writing what you love, you’re definitely not going to enjoy blogging or make the most of it. And what’s the point of spending so much time and effort on something that you don’t genuinely love?
So I realize that this post is slightly hypocritical since it’s telling you what to write indirectly, but I hope you can look past that. So think about it. Stop worrying and let yourself be free. Write based on your passions and excitements, not based on what social media gurus tell you to write about. Just be yourself. Now is that so hard?
Photo credit: flickr user ayumina
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April 6, 2009 10:06 am
I think that if you really care about what you're writing you can't lose. The great thing about Rebecca's post was that a bunch of people realized that they didn't really care that much about social media. So they shouldn't be writing about it.
The most important thing is to be true to yourself. And the best way to become a good writer is to focus on your voice. Content will always change and evolve. Just like you'll always change and evolve.
April 6, 2009 10:44 am
@Ryan -- I think Rebecca's post is great, and I definitely think that if you're not passionate about social media then you shouldn't spend all your time writing about it. But if you do enjoy it, I don't see why you should stop -- even if what you have to say isn't all that novel or groundbreaking.
April 6, 2009 10:55 am
I think a lot of it comes down to why you are blogging. A lot of people get into blogging for some sort of marketing effect and then proceed to only write about various forms of online media and marketing, and heavily network with other marketers. The obvious problem is that their efforts are being directed at the wrong audience as these are not necessarily the people who will be interested in their product or service.
It's all about what larger conversation you want to be a part of and why you are writing in the first place.
April 6, 2009 4:17 pm
I love this paragraph...
"Just write for the hell of it. Write whatever comes into your mind at that moment. Hit publish whenever you want, even if it’s 3am and no one’s “listening.” Write what you love, what you care about and are most passionate about. And most importantly, be yourself. Don’t confine yourself to a “niche” or a “brand.” If you’re itching to write about something outside your brand, just do it. Stop worrying what others will think of you. Because people want to learn about and debate the issues, but also they want to get to know you - who you really are. So if you’re not yourself, and if you’re not writing what you love, you’re definitely not going to enjoy blogging or make the most of it. And what’s the point of spending so much time and effort on something that you don’t genuinely love?"
Great post, Akhila.
April 6, 2009 4:28 pm
Brian -- true, I agree that people write for different reasons: personal branders v. personal bloggers. I wrote about this in a previous post, but I'd love to see more people combining the two. I feel like personal branding will force you into a box and prevent you from writing about whatever you might really be passionate about, and at times this can be 'unauthentic.' To me, the most authentic and yet professional and interesting blogs can combine personal branding with personal insights. It's important to be able to write what you want, even if it doesn't fit into the "niche" that you might have created your blog around. Because otherwise people don't get to know who you really are, and won't be able to make a personal connection with you...not to mention you're not going to enjoy it as much.
Kari, thanks for your comment! I'm glad you enjoyed that paragraph!
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UVA (Darden) MBA Admissions Deadlines for 2010-2011
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The University of Virginia's Darden School of Business recently published its application deadlines for the coming admissions season. Here they are, followed by our comments in italics:
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