Why I started blogging

I absolutely love blogging. It’s one of those activities that I can just lose myself in. I’ve wondered for a while now about whether I should do any blogging about, well, blogging! In that vein, I did an informal Twitter poll the other night and asked if anyone wanted to see more posts about blogging. There were quite a few responses (both public and private), and I think it’s worth a shot. While some of you aren’t bloggers, the information should be interesting and it could give you some helpful tips if your organization is attempting to make headway in the social media space. Plus, this is my house. I make the rules. :-)

I’ll kick it off with a nostalgic post about why I started blogging.

In the beginning…

Almost a year ago exactly, I kicked off my online writing and blogging. It all started when I wrote about the HR certification exam. Just as I was finishing up with that bundle of joy, I started writing as a freelancer for the career blog at Jobacle. At that time, I was almost ready to leave my job for something more HR-centric. As much as I enjoyed working on articles for Jobacle, it was tough to keep doing career writing when I was so serious about HR.

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It was around that time that I really started to realize that I needed my own “venue.” I would have thoughts and ideas with no platform to share them on. It was crazy, because I would come up with half a dozen ideas and lose them shortly thereafter since I had no way to bring them to the masses.

To combat that feeling of not belonging, I spread into multiple freelancing venues and write as much as I could physically stand. But even then I was missing out on the HR stuff I’m so passionate about.

At one time, I was freelancing for Examiner.com, Demand Studios, Associated Content, eHow, Jobacle, and a few other smaller sites.

But it still got worse.

I started seeing things to tweet on and thinking of blog ideas even when doing ordinary daily activities. I would see a blog post and think “I could really add something to this conversation.” So I decided to make the leap.

  • In April 2009, I started UpstartHR on a free wordpress.com blog.
  • In June 2009, I moved to a self-hosted site and officially kicked off UpstartHR with my first video.
  • Since then I’ve moved into teaching mode. I’ve built a handful of sites and now work as a consultant to help others build their own. (If you are thinking about it, I’d love to do a free 20 min chat with you to discuss options. Email me and we’ll set up a call.)

My advice for new and aspiring bloggers?

I believe everyone has something to say. Did you know that 81% of Americans say they have a book in them that they’d like to write? Yet so many never even get close to accomplishing something like that. If you feel like you want to move beyond basic social media and commenting on blogs, then just start one! If you post a few times and realize that it’s not for you, then at least you know for sure, right? Go for it. It’s going to be so much different than you expect. And let me know if I can help in any way.

Why I blog

In short, I blog for three main reasons.

  1. I have something to teach others.
  2. I have a unique point of view.
  3. My life is better with blogging in it!

Recently I read a post by my friend Trish McFarlane called The George Bailey Effect. Her thoughts helped to prompt the post you’re reading now. It’s worth a read!

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2 thoughts on “Why I started blogging”

  1. Trish McFarlane

    Ben, thank you for the mention and glad I could inspire you. You have certainly inspired my writing numerous times. Some people will find that posts you write about blogging will be more practical and helpful, some may find that they don’t apply to them. I assert that the ideas you share about blogging really go beyond having your own blog. It is really talking about expressing yourself and can be related to any medium. I also think that it shows that there are many collaborative platforms and blogging is just one of yours.

    Definitely looking forward to more on the blogging topic from you!
    .-= Trish McFarlane´s last blog ..Weigh In: Professional and Personal References =-.

    1. Ben Post author

      Trish, thanks for the encouragement. I’m really excited about adding this into the mix, and I’m definitely going to try to spin it to the social media angle. So many people seem to forget that blogging is just one more social media tool, so thanks for the little reminder. :-)

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