You all know me…blogging come easy to me…so I had to stop and think a bit on how to answer “my” question. Sure, there are “clinical” answers to that question…boring! Is a good blogger, highly intelligent? Are good bloggers brave, do they have “the business card, some kind of status, some position or responsibility or do they just need or thrive on attention? After a few minutes of navel gazing…I realized that those things are clouds and fog…with that understanding the sun came out!
In the light…it become clear that a good blogger is simply someone who is alive, someone who has a passion or an opinion, even if it is contrarian! Simple stuff.
Why blog in the first place? You blog to inform, to question or challenge, to engage, to provoke or to express an opinion. These are behaviors of a living being, of having a passion about “something” or wanting to be heard. Blogging give us the medium to express ourselves WITHOUT fear…in a professional way of course…It gives us the chance to show-off our knowledge and insight and to challenge in front of the world. What a great thing that is?
There are other reasons as well. We create a personal identity in the professional world, we build our personal brand by blogging. Others will wish they had said what you did…or they will take exception and challenge. That has value way beyond the here and now…It is about your value, your worth and your future. No Fear! Personally, speaking I am often wrong…but I try to never be in doubt!
Pick a topic, take a position and say something that you believe or question. It is your blog…not SAPs, not the IBU’s, no one’s but yours…remember I said we are all professionals. You will gain prominence from your opinions and not from your silence. Keep in mind that being “out there” is good for us all and most especially SAP as a company…create your personal brand.
Add a picture or other eye catcher to get and hold attention, include links to aligned topics or topics you question other blogs or articles or papers for example. Be sure that you give a clear statement of where you are coming from! Tell a joke, story or a funny anecdote. These are what make blogs “sticky” and memorable!
How long should a blog be…Shorter is better…I can’t sit still for long…neither can anyone else. And the pace of today’s society is making things even worse for holding attention. Set a goal of 500 words…a little under is OK… a few hundred over is not bad…but no more! If you have more to say…make two blogs…see how easy it is! This blog is “too” long!
Am I preaching…absolutely…trying to be that ambassador! Go here and you can see a ton of blogs in a sortable format.
Ok, so I have written a blog…I have put my heart into it…expressed my position of support for a topic, an opinion or just plain disagreed! No what do I do? So far it is just you and a digital piece of paper! You need to let the world know you had something to say. Where should you post the blog…many answers to that. Planet Automotive is probably not the place to post your writing. Rather post it in SCN internally…this is open to the world. Post it on Digitalist. And as professionals I am sure most of you have a LinkedIn profile…post it there…build your brand!
Not the end though! You posted your blog in a public place…great…now people can find it, if they know to look for it! Use Twitter to amplify the blog…to inform Twitter followers that you have something to say. You can do this on your personal account…AND send me the link to your blog and I’ll get it amplified on SAP Industries via Channel Reach. And guess what…there are thousands of followers of SAP Industries. AND…those followers have followers and on and on.
Blogs often lead to follow-on blogs…some of them become self-perpetuating. Or they open thoughts for other blogs…the point is that after the first one they are really easy and the shyness goes away. The euphoria of speaking and being heard is wonderful. Topics will never cease to manifest themselves.
Believe when I say that blogging is both self-promoting and FUN with a capital F. Don’t let work get in the way of having fun, ever!
In the light…it become clear that a good blogger is simply someone who is alive, someone who has a passion or an opinion, even if it is contrarian! Simple stuff.
Why blog in the first place? You blog to inform, to question or challenge, to engage, to provoke or to express an opinion. These are behaviors of a living being, of having a passion about “something” or wanting to be heard. Blogging give us the medium to express ourselves WITHOUT fear…in a professional way of course…It gives us the chance to show-off our knowledge and insight and to challenge in front of the world. What a great thing that is?
There are other reasons as well. We create a personal identity in the professional world, we build our personal brand by blogging. Others will wish they had said what you did…or they will take exception and challenge. That has value way beyond the here and now…It is about your value, your worth and your future. No Fear! Personally, speaking I am often wrong…but I try to never be in doubt!
Pick a topic, take a position and say something that you believe or question. It is your blog…not SAPs, not the IBU’s, no one’s but yours…remember I said we are all professionals. You will gain prominence from your opinions and not from your silence. Keep in mind that being “out there” is good for us all and most especially SAP as a company…create your personal brand.
Add a picture or other eye catcher to get and hold attention, include links to aligned topics or topics you question other blogs or articles or papers for example. Be sure that you give a clear statement of where you are coming from! Tell a joke, story or a funny anecdote. These are what make blogs “sticky” and memorable!
How long should a blog be…Shorter is better…I can’t sit still for long…neither can anyone else. And the pace of today’s society is making things even worse for holding attention. Set a goal of 500 words…a little under is OK… a few hundred over is not bad…but no more! If you have more to say…make two blogs…see how easy it is! This blog is “too” long!
Am I preaching…absolutely…trying to be that ambassador! Go here and you can see a ton of blogs in a sortable format.
Ok, so I have written a blog…I have put my heart into it…expressed my position of support for a topic, an opinion or just plain disagreed! No what do I do? So far it is just you and a digital piece of paper! You need to let the world know you had something to say. Where should you post the blog…many answers to that. Planet Automotive is probably not the place to post your writing. Rather post it in SCN internally…this is open to the world. Post it on Digitalist. And as professionals I am sure most of you have a LinkedIn profile…post it there…build your brand!
Not the end though! You posted your blog in a public place…great…now people can find it, if they know to look for it! Use Twitter to amplify the blog…to inform Twitter followers that you have something to say. You can do this on your personal account…AND send me the link to your blog and I’ll get it amplified on SAP Industries via Channel Reach. And guess what…there are thousands of followers of SAP Industries. AND…those followers have followers and on and on.
Blogs often lead to follow-on blogs…some of them become self-perpetuating. Or they open thoughts for other blogs…the point is that after the first one they are really easy and the shyness goes away. The euphoria of speaking and being heard is wonderful. Topics will never cease to manifest themselves.
Believe when I say that blogging is both self-promoting and FUN with a capital F. Don’t let work get in the way of having fun, ever!
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