Today’s post is by a student in my buddy Steve Boese’s HR Technology class at the Rochester Institute for Technology. Carolina Correa, the author, likes my blog. You can already tell she’s brilliant, right? :-)
Her comments on communication are worth reading twice, and I picked my favorite phrase from her selection as the title for this post. She kept the formatting simple, so any emphasis is mine, but the eloquent words are otherwise her own and make my writing look like an arthritic one legged mule in comparison. Please make her feel welcome!
Blog, Blog, blog, blog…. What is the big deal? Let\’s face it-blogging is a form of freedom but not necessarily for everyone. It is a pure form of communication that allows the “blogger†to express an opinion or facts to an audience that either “gets it†or maybe not, and gives the reader a chance to provide feedback whether or not the blogger wants it…
As a tool to the HR community as with many other professional groups, blogging offers a place, a sanctuary of sorts, filled with both familiar and comforting statements and tidbits of industry wisdom stirred together with some thought provoking and sometimes controversial viewpoints.
I digress, the essence of any great blog site has to be value; a message, a connection, a common thread or the clear sense of community and purpose. The usefulness of blogging is pretty much undeniable but nonetheless somewhat misunderstood in the mainstream. To blog or not to blog is a debate that only finds answers when discussed in the context of finding value, this is true not just for the HR community but just about any profession seeking the comforts of connectedness.
Interesting though is the fact that a big part of the HR profession and the community that endeavors to make a living in this field is connection; maybe it\’s a wayward piece of knowledge looking for a home, a missing skill set, the “right†person for the job or maybe just a missing perspective on a particular issue for some poor soul trying to save the world (or just his/her job).
Why blog? Who cares why, it\’s the process that creates the value and the connections that prove to be both powerful and impactful in helping change the sometimes muddled viewpoint found inside our four walls. HR is alive and blogging is giving us depth of understanding, community, connections and meaningful feedback… or not….
Well? What did you think of Carolina’s post? Leave her a comment below to show her some love.
My view of SHRM apparently is different than the growing disdain among my fellow HR Professionals. As I was developing my knowledge of HR at the University of Michigan, I was given a great deal of support by SHRM either directly or indirectly. There in lies the key to why I feel that SHRM is still a relevant organization. Continue reading 
