I had a mild panic attack today at work when someone I respect professionally asked me if I blog and then proceeded to ask for the url. He himself is a blogger and it only came up after I confessed to having checked up on him online (I was just trying to give him a compliment!). Anyway, I tried to avoid answering the question, mumbling something about it just being a silly personal blog (as opposed to his blogs about healthcare marketing and Christian literature), but despite my side-stepping, I’m certain he can easily find me if he is so inclined. (And if he did find me…um, well…Hi there!).
I don’t know why I’m so worked up about this. I mean I would certainly never post anything that could get me dooced, but still, thinking about this man reading my petty comments about the M-I-L, my hems and haws about motherhood, the silly stories about my impossibly charming husband…well, it’s hard to imagine him thinking of me as a Serious Professional after reading all the nonsense I post online. I mean, it’s not like my blog serves to teach anyone or promote anything. It’s just not that kind of blog.
But then again, in the age of Twitter when even CEOs are posting random thoughts about their personal lives online, maybe it’s not so bizarre to think about merging the personal with the professional. After all, one of the first rules of Social Media Marketing is to be personal. No one wants to read vanilla tweets from a generic corporate “handle.” They don’t want to know what Coke thinks; they want to know what Kelly the marketing girl at Coke thinks. And yet, to put yourself out there like that, well, it’s scary for Coke and it’s scary for Kelly.
That being said, I’m certainly not considering using this blog to promote the company that I work for, but I am trying to figure out how this blog might teach something of value or share something beyond stories about the M-I-L. I’m sure I have something of value I could add to cyberspace…if I can just figure out what it is…
I’m working on it.
You articulated thoughts I've wrestled with previously, and especially as of late (with the Cheezhead traffic and whatnot). How can someone consider me a Serious Professional when they read my rants about the Bitch at the OB-GYN's office, or about how my life is currently in the state of a train wreck? LOL.
ReplyDeleteWell said, as usual. Your writing is important to a lot of us, but I understand wanting to focus in on something...and add value.
I think that your blog is great and it does add value...it adds value to my life by making me smile and laugh. Also, I love Avery updates and M-I-L stories :-) SO...with all that said, I too understand (as JEssica said) you wanting to add value and focus in on something and I am sure it will come to you. I have struggled with that myself...since I want to start my own blog and all and have been saying that for months! Ha!
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