This is very helpful to me. Do you have any thoughts about choosing topics for blog postings? I have varied experience and interests and am considering starting a blog to keep up my writing skills, keep up with my field (public health and health care research and policy), and possibly drum up consulting business.

Blogging is a great way to reach all the goals you mention. But it’s very, very time consuming. Be careful about starting a blog and telling everyone and then stopping. In terms of a consulting business, stopping in the middle might not look that good. I recommend blogging without a formal announcement for a couple of months. That’s what I did, to make sure I could handle posting every day.

Here are a couple of bloggers who have created a thriving consulting business by using their blog to attract clients:

Curt Rosengren and Ian Christie.

Good luck. I hope blogging goes well for you. I found that I really love doing it.

Keep up the great work on your blog. Best wishes WaltDe

How do you advise polymaths (a.k.a. full human beings) to keep their blogs focused? There seems to me to be a chicken-egg question here: do you develop a business plan complete with your target niche before launching a blog, or do you give it a shot and let it help you define the plan? I’m sure the answer is somewhere in the middle, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue.

Thanks for all your work and wisdom! I’m really looking forward to reading your book.

Think of the blog as a piece of marketing material for your business. If your business changes, you shift the marketing material. If the business fails, you scrap the marketing material for the old business and focus on material for your new business.

There are always a lot of questions you could ask before you start something. A lot of analyzing you could do. Sometimes, it’s just better to start and see what happnes. If you tell yourself you need focus, and you aim for foucs, you will find it.

Thanks for your prompt and helpful reply, Penelope. I was still conceptualizing blogging as quasi-journaling, since the style is typically less formal than that of other marketing media, and one wants to create a sense of personal rapport with the target audience.

I sincerely appreciate your guidance. You cannot stop me from over-analyzing this thing as is my habit, but you have certainly helped me know how to over-analyze it best!

Some interesting comments. Though I don’t use my blog as a business tool the way some of your suggestions seem to involve, I do notice that over the years my style of blogging has evolved.

I think that my childhood ambitions to be “an author” have been transmuted into the part-time activity of being what they called in the 19th century “an essayist.”

Or today - a blogger.

Penelope,

This is a great article that inspires me to create a blog. Do you have any tips on the best tools for creating and maintaining an effective blog?

Tom

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Thanks for asking, Tom. Because this is one of my favorite posts: The Easiest Instructions for How to Start a Blog.

Penelope

Penelope,

How do I start a Blog ?

Syl Haberer

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Syl,

 -Penelope

Great, you can add one more factor

9) Blog is like a product, you can practice all that you have learned about marketing (all Ps) with a blog.

Your post goes to http://inferno.aimk.org/indianblogs/about4139.html (we are running a blog hunt for Indian Business Schools, over 160 blogs). We look forward for your advice.

I am an incredibly technically minded individual. I’m not a business-person; I interface with hardware and software, also known as “intellectual property”; the stuff “copyright infringement” lawsuits are made of.

Blogging can cost me my career, not move it forward.

My goal is to know as much about Mumbai as possible in the next two years. I keep notes and essentially publish them as a blog. I have adsense on it so I market it. I search other blogs and comment on those. That, too, add to my knowledge about the subject.

I could not agree with you more..

i agree. i had an anonymous blog before but now i have a cool, focussed blog, i’m not ashamed to put my name on it!

I couldn’t agree more regarding the importance to blogging to your career. What people need to realize is that a good blog doesn’t happen overnight–they develop and mature over time. It’s like writing a novel: you don’t sit down and bang out a 400 page manuscript and if you’re looking to impress a particular employer, you can’t very well put together your blog a week before your interview (well, you can but I don’t recommend it).

While it may not be a replacement for your resume (at this point in time–5-10 years from now, it very well could) it’s a tremendous advantage over your counterparts that may not have a blog, especially when it comes to demonstrating your knowledge of a particular industry.

Hmmm, i dont know if my blog can get me better job, but it could get me fired. but i love to blog. blog rules (hello cheesiness)

It’s not only about a career. My blog made the difference during my MBA admission interview. Of course, it also helped me land a job later. My blog gives me a sustainable competitive advantage.

I totally agree! Serious professional blogging is good for your career.

I got *blog fired* at the very beginning of my blogging. But that did not stop me. I kept blogging and I must say that thanks to my blog I also got *blog hired* to the best company in my career ever.

My blog helped me to get the job but was not the key point in hiring process - knowledge and skills are always more important.

Anyway, keep blogging and encourage others to do so as well!

I’d seen your article on Boston.com site and found it immensely useful. Specially at a time when I was asking myself whether I shd continue. Thanks.

And pardon me for referring to you as “He”…oops.

Looking fwd to picking up yr book: Brazen Careerist.

I kept putting off doing this, using the excuse that I’m a working mom with a newborn–no time to do this. Then I realized: Uh, Penelope struggles with the same issue and she’s doing it. It’s important to make the time to blog–it’s right up there with long lunches, immaculate desks and watching “Cars” for the 188th time with your son.

I’m an attorney and blogging about my free-time interests coupled with the occasional rant on legal issues that intersect them led to me landing my largest client.

blogging can be pretty dangerous. its addictive and sometimes unproductive. there is hardly any monetary benefits as ads pays peanuts. its taking a lot of my time and energy.

Poor Bihar,
You’re right it can be dangerous. I find limiting myself to half an hour per day works well. But see Penelope’s tips on time management.
Here in Ireland it’s not very popular on a personal career level, though many people are starting to use myspace.
I came across an American 16 year old using an web site video to advance her college career. (See
http://www.kenzilla.com/) I found it very disturbing, but maybe I’m backward. Have to go now my hour an hour is up!!!

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H, Carol. Thank you for pointing out that blogging requires good time management just like anything else.

–Penelope

Hi Penelope,
I agree it’s a great use of technology and marketing, but that’s the really disturbing thing! 16 year olds being so sharp, serious and focused and being able to sell themselves so well! I know when I was 16 I did n’t have a clue.

Many of the older teenagers we deal with are bright, resourceful and clever but would be highly unlikely to put such a detailed video together as they’re still at the career searching stage.

Maybe it’s because our educational system is different and allows teenagers to make up their minds later.

In Ireland you normally do a transition year in your 2nd level school at 15-17 years which steps out of academic stuff and looks at work experience, self directed learning etc. What I found interesting was that even at 16, my daughters grades & hobbies allowed her to participate in great work experience assignments that her friends were n’t accepted on. So even at 16 your life choices are being set, even though you’re still changing!
Daughter still has not decided what career she’ll go for and won’t make her college decisions until she’s 18. She can keep her college options open by making sure she does one additional language and one science subject. Gives her plenty of time for hanging out, enjoying different activities and basically enjoying life. (Hopefully she’ll do a bit of studying as well !!)

Recent studies have shown that teenagers brains are still physically changing and coupling that with hormones, whilst expecting them to make major life decisions - an alien would say are you mad?

I’m very happy that there’s no real pressure on my daughter to make major decisions until she’s 18 and at that stage whether she gets her college choices will mainly depend on her academic results.

In Ireland we don’t pay undergraduate fees unless you go to a private college. The major public colleges however have a better reputation than most of the private colleges. However we have no free pre school education for 3-6 year olds so many people argue it’s favours the better off. i.e disadvantaged kids are highly unlikely to go to college and if we put the money in at pre-school end we’d have a more equitable society

Interestingly since England re-introduced fees more and more people are deciding not to go to college.
So really the disturbing thing for me unless you’re a totally focused teenager like Kenzie (she mentions giving up some activities to focus on her sport…) you end up at a disadvantage before you’re 18!

Hi, I appreciate the commentary about the pro’s and con’s for my daughter’s Kenzilla.com web site, especially yours >>I have to say that this is the best use of a video resume that i have seen.>I’m very happy that there’s no real pressure on my daughter

I am not sure the full width of my comment was posted, so I will try again… :)

Hi, I appreciate the commentary about the pro’s and con’s for my daughter’s Kenzilla.com web site, especially yours >>I have to say that this is the best use of a video resume that i have seen.>I’m very happy that there’s no real pressure on my daughter

I am with you on #3. “Blogging is great training.”. I found that after I started blogging about code, I understood it more :)

Interesting…

Oh I love, love, love this article. I’m an author, writer and CEO and I have a daily blog and I’m loving it. http://www.truthandmyth.com/ceo-blog.html

Hi Penelope, thanks for the great tips. I’ve been blogging for almost a year now as I try to develop a career as a freelance writer. I’m finding it a great way to network and get my name out there. It has provided any work but it has definately increased my confidence and writing abilities.

By the way, I’ve awarded you the <a href=”http://writetotravel.blogspot.com/2007/08/yvonne-over-at-grow-your-writing.html” rel=”nofollow”>Rockin’ Girl Blogger</a> award for your constant and invaluable postings on work, life,and blogging.

Cheers from New Zealand,
Liz

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Thank you, Liz. And I’m happy to hear that your blog is helping you develop a freelancing business.

-Penelope