A Blogging Weekend
Touchpoint - a conference for women entrepreneurs was just what I needed today. After 9/11 I needed to be in the community and luckily I was. After the roller coaster ride of an economy, I needed to be with new business owners. This group attracts supportive, passionate women of all types.
One of the first women I recognized told me what I taught her at a previous event about SEO is working for her. I saw good friends and made new ones. Kelly, founder of Startup Princess, did a great job. I wish I could’ve stayed for the whole conference.
I was impressed with the presenters and their easy confidence. I want to learn to relax and speak naturally in front of groups. I write and I’m online so much that I swear some of my social skills have eroded. I’m more comfortable behind a keyboard where I can edit and re-write, pause and think. However, the rewards of a good presentation are so good that I’m driven to continue to improve this part of my professional life.
I got in some blog talk, and tomorrow it’s all about blogs at WordCamp (where the crowd probably won’t be full of skirts or pantsuits!). Which brings me to the next point - blogging isn’t for everyone - despite how well it works. This frustrates me but I must accept it.
I’m convinced that blogging is an ideal way for a small business owner to gain visibility for their business because there are few layers and it’s easier to be transparent and authentic when it’s just you or a small staff. Blogging when you have a legal department or lots of red tape takes the joy out of it. If you don’t get it and aren’t committed to learning it, it’s probably not the time for you to blog (or other channels may be better suited to your business). Or you better hire someone who can be fairly close to your business to take over that role.
Ad Age wrote about why you shouldn’t blog and I agree with a lot of it. Commenting on her post was a pain, so here’s my response:
B.L. Ochman (what a great name for SEO!) writes how CEOs should be “willing to update a few times a week. All of that takes anywhere from two to four hours a post.” I’ve never spend two or four hours on a single post. I feel like I’m too slow when it takes more than an hour! The beauty of a blog is that you can write quickly and there isn’t a set length.
I liked what she said here: “A blog is not a quick fix — the results come in the long term, the same way they do with PR,” and I’ll add - social media. I wholeheartedly agree that to be a good blogger you should read. I read so much. I know a few gifted people who could fill pages for years and never run out of interesting things to say. But most of us need to read and think deeply to be good writers.
Another source of good blog posts - conferences where you get to hear smart people share what they know. Expect more after WordCamp tomorrow.
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3 Responses to “A Blogging Weekend”
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September 27th, 2008 at 11:35 am
hi - thanks for the shout out. To be clear, Ad Age didn’t write about why companies shouldn’t blog. I cross post from my blog, What’s Next Blog, http://whatsnextblog.com to AdAge Digital Next http://www.digitalnext.com
As for how long it takes to research and write posts - depends on the topic. But i can tell you that the 10 reasons not to blog post took me days, not minutes, if you include the time i spent thinking about it, researching, reading, etc.
I like to go deep into topics in many of my posts, and that takes time. if you wirte fast, more power to you. I spend a good three hours a day reading other blogs, mainstream media, newsletters, twitter, etc to keep ahead of the pack. And only then do I start to write. so i guess it’s a matter of how you look at it.
September 27th, 2008 at 11:54 am
BL - thanks for your comments and I will change the link if you give me the full URL on your blog.
I have written for a few blogs (paid) where they don’t want to pay for research time. They want it quick. It takes time to well research posts - as you point out. So out of necessity (ROI is ruling my life a little too much lately) I’ve had to just get it out. Not quite newspaper style, but also not the luxury I took in the beginning. Of course the quality suffers…
I guess I’m saying I’m jealous…
Janet
October 8th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
thanks Janet for mentoring at Touchpoint, your presence is greatly appreciated and enjoyed by all, you ARE a legend…;) The sparkly Fairy Godmother of Internet Marketing makes everyone more comfortable knowing that just maybe someone can tell them what’s up! And you do know how to grant their wishes quite beautifully, can’t wait for the retreat!