Admittedly I’m a fairly outspoken individual. I enjoy engaging in conversation and do so regularly – with whoever is around to play devils advocate. Throughout my childhood and into my adult life I’ve always enjoyed being social and fairly outgoing. Talking to people, regardless of the circumstances, has never really been a problem for me. However, for the first time in my life I’ve found myself to be pretty much speechless. The reason? Blogs.
I don’t know a whole lot about blogging, or the blogging world for that matter, so I had a fairly open mind when I found out that I’d have to create my own blog for online PR. The first thing I did when I found out that I’d be creating my own blog was some research. I started reading blogs. I read up on things I like such as hockey (and sports in general), music, organizations I find interesting, and so on. I read a wide variety of blogs and have even bookmarked a few. But, even with all of my bookmarked blogs and growing insight into the blog world, I’m still not an active ‘blogger’. I am, for all intents and purposes, a passive blogger. I read them, some I follow regularly, but I don’t post any comments. I don’t have anything against posting I just haven’t yet. I haven’t posted yet because I haven’t been able to think of anything substantial or relevant to write.
I found the same problem when I was trying to write the very first article that was to appear on my own blog. I couldn’t think of anything that I could write about that other people would want to read. Maybe it’s my naivety and greenness with respect to the blog world, but from what I’ve experienced so far blogs seem to be for the most part glorified online diaries. And please, before anyone gets personally offended by that comment, look at the source. I’m new at this. I really have no idea what I’m doing yet. But, I’m willing to give it a try and find out what all the rage is about.
What I do know though is that a) One of the things that attracted me to the PR program at Centennial was the fact that the course administrator had a blog that seemed to be relevant to the field
b) Blogging gets a lot of coverage . Serious blogs, and bloggers, seem to carry some big time weight in their respective fields/industries
c) With the growing emphasis on social media and technology with respect to PR/marketing/communications, blogging is no doubt going to be an essential tool in the future.
That’s all for now. Any thoughts?
8 Comments
Marc-
A wonderful start, I especially enjoy the colour scheme of your blog.
Your first entry seems a bit tame for an admittedly outspoken individual. I know you have much stronger opinions than that, enlighten us!
At the very least tell us a little bit about your personal life.
Like Marc, I also am new to the world of blogging. I never even knew what one was until this summer. I was in Barcelona and my roomate had created a blog to tell her friends and family about her experiences in Barcelona. In that case, it really was a glorified diary.
When she told me about it I thought it was unnecessary because she could just write an e-mail to those people who actually cared about what she was doing in Spain.
Like Marc, I am excited to learn what all the hype is about. Everyone nowadays seems to have their own blog and I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon.
Not to mention, Maggie, that you had to : )
Good start, Marc. Honestly, you’re kind of right. Blogs are often “glorified diaries,” but don’t you think they’re great ways to find out what the biggest names in PR think about… well, everything?!
It’s all about telling anyone who’s interested what you think about varying subjects. Blogs sometimes have a bad rep because bloggers abuse the fact that they can write whatever they want without a purpose. That’s what makes us different.
You’re smart, creative and opinionated. Here’s your chance to let a whole lot more people know that! (How’s that for a compliment to warm up my audience?)
P.S. While you’re at a loss for words in this new venue, I’m finally in my element. We’re polar opposites. Wanna fight about it? : )
Look at it this way ~ years from now, when you’ve posted too many blogs to count and you have experience under your belt, newbies like us will be reading you and learning.
You’ve just opened another door . . .
This post definitely hits home with me. It seems like I can talk almost anytime and anywhere, but what on earth do you say on a blog – and you mean people might read it! To be honest, I have been surprised at how freeing this experience has been and now I even find myself picking up “blog ideas” in my every day life. Knowing you Marc, you’ll have tons of quirky, interesting posts in no time.
I know what you’re sayin Marc. It’s tough to decide what is important enough to share with other people. We’ve had lots of ‘personal brand’ thrown on our laps. I wouldn’t take it too seriously though. Blogs are like digital rants to me. Filled with 1s and 0s. So I say rant on. You’ve got an audience now. We’re listening.
As a lifelong journal writer, self-reflection (and self-criticism) come naturally to me. Blogging adds another layer: self-consciousness–the feeling that “everyone is watching.” Little did I know I need not fear that, because after many months of blogging, I get very few comments….few people read my blog. So, now I don’t worry about who reads my blog. Instead, I enjoy the interchange with readers who make relevant comments on my topics. You’ll likely get to that stage too.