Twice in as many weeks I was with a group of people where someone mentioned their blog, others chimed in and someone felt left out. Felt left out because they do not have a blog or a place to link when inspired to post on other blogs or forums. The interesting thing was the apologetic attitude. "I have been meaning to start a blog" and related comments. It was like they were asked if they have a cell phone.
Truth is, the vast majority do not participate on blogs and forums let alone author and moderate one. But, as it becomes abundantly clear that blogging is not just for kids and columnist want-to-bes, the pressure is on.
As companies encourage participation on company blogs and building the personal brand online options are plentiful, people are finding themselves in the middle of activity all around them. The feeling that if they are not in a position to add value and be found online, they are missing out. Some of my recruiter friends go as far to say candidates that can not be checked out online, are out! Ouch. Where do you go to find info on the consultant or small business you are going to engage? The glossy website is not enough anymore - we now seek out their company blogs and forums.
The independent career maker coupled with the fierce global competition of commodity corporate jobs equals real need for marketing yourself well on and offline. To make it in this competitive landscape, one needs to get noticed, toot your horn without self-promoting - Book Review on jibberjobber.com: BRAG! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It.
So are you forever unemployed without a blog? Well, of course not. However, building your brand without the online presence is putting you a step behind.
Don't have time? You don't have time to not invest in developing and maintaining your brand. At minimum, build that free profile on places like LinkedIn, Ziki, etc. and post in areas of interest and expertise to add value. Seek out forums like my Business and Career Forum. You can start your own topics while replying to others. You can create an identity in a place where all your posts are linked in your profile which also tells the reader about you with links to your work or profiles for more information. No excuses, get involved so you don't feel left out.
Great post. I absolutely agree that a blog can extend your personal brand. You are right that you need to have an online presence to send people to. I have a personal Website, LinkedIn profile, and blog. All of these things are connected to one another so people can find out about me fairly easy. If you use a system like MySpace, then I would be careful to not include any information that may embarass you. We have all heard the stories of employers not making offers to people because of a questionable MySpace profile. Don't put anything on the Web that you don't want to come back to you.
Posted by: Jason Jacobsohn | June 10, 2007 5:46 AM | Permalink to Comment