Blogging: Don’t Let Social Networks Like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter Replace Your Blog
2009
Blogs are still the number one way to get Google to pick up a story. Just yesterday my webmistress posted a story I wrote to my blog and in less than 20 minutes I got a Google Alert that it had been already catalogued.Don’t let tweeting, chatting and commenting stand in for real communication. By blogging you have a chance to elaborate on your thinking, give your opinions on the news, inform your followers and write something that will really stick in their minds.
Think about how long it would take to distinguish yourself as a thought leader through your tweets. It’s not going to happen as they aren’t housed in a repository that is easy to revisit. A blog post, however, can be referenced easily over time and serves as a magnet for producers and editors who are looking for experts on topics.
Don’t know what to blog about? Check the headlines of the New York Times or check out The Huffington Post for the most popular articles of the day. You quickly see how many comments an article topic has generated and you can create a spin-off topic for your readers.
Think blogging is too much work? Ask for guest bloggers to contribute. To streamline the process create guidelines so your guest bloggers know what to expect and you get the kind of quality posts you want.
Cross reference. Since blogging gives more value in terms of information you can link to others blogs as well as your own. I always think it’s kind of awkward to link to your own information manually, kind of like tooting your own horn, but if you ping it or use other social bookmarking tools everyone knows it’s not really “you” doing it.
