Lately, with development of internet technologies and worldwide web, the most wide-spread turned out to be phenomenon of bloggering. As you can see, this ‘miracle’ didn’t go past the author of these lines. So, what is blog?
Blog (from web log – ‘network log, or journal’) - is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. A blogger is a person who writes blogs. Blogosphere is a collective term encompassing all blogs and their interconnections. (Wikipedia).
Something similar existed before but it was called a little differently (notes of a journalist, a traveler, a doctor, a politician, etc.) and published on paper sheets.
It comes from all this that the main and most important distinction between blog and diary is in location – ‘Internet, the Web’. Besides, blog supposes its public review, development of the involved topic in comments, and there is also possibility of public polemics with the blog’s author.
Form the very beginning in our company there has been a distinct line connected with describing the personal impressions from communicating with banks, studying the financial sector, and also putting into words received emotions. In the beginning our ‘bloggering’ was a bit spontaneous and bore features of personal initiative of each employee. But in the course of company’s development there was made a decision to come to this question systematically, which afterwards grew into recommendations on writing blogs, creating the system of defining the winners (according to criteria: interest, practical use, and convenience of statement), and forming prize money.
We can define several directions of ‘usefulness’ of the blogs for their author. So, if you write blogs, you are your own:
- PR-manager (personal PR). By identifying yourself openly, you give everybody an opportunity to get to know your inner world (personal and/or professional). You show both your personal emotions, and your professionalism, which can afterwards help you in job search. And it concerns PR of your company too. But remember that there is also ‘black’ PR.
- Self-tuition (improving your statement skills). It’s not necessary for you to become a journalist, but skills of transforming, clear putting and describing your thoughts can help your self-improvement and self-development (and it will definitely not lead you along the way to degradation). Besides that, you can set more and more new ‘standards’ in reaching perfection in statement of thoughts and writing blogs.
- Psychoanalyst (analyst). It is no secret that a person opens themselves from the new side every day – skills, facets, abilities. That’s why writing blogs can be considered a check for your own skills, possibility to know yourself better. In addition, you can share positive emotions, and pour out the stored negative information.
- Archivist (keeper of memorable moments). Many of our deeds, thoughts, emotions are soon forgotten. Some you wish to forget at once, but there are the ones you would like to remember more and more. Your blogs will be able to remind you about your emotions and speculations at the moment of writing.
- Employer (producer). Some the most enterprising bloggers consciously or subconsciously made bloggering their means to earn their living. Maybe, you will be able to set such a target?
- Attorney (defending your own opinion). Publicity and common availability of blogs give a chance to express your own point of view freely, and also, if there is necessity, to stand for it (by means of comments on comments).
- Guide (in life and interests). To extend the circle of acquaintances, wish to be recognized and find people with similar life and professional views – this is not the full list of very significant reasons for writing a blog.
- Animator (game director). Sometimes you just want to do something that is unacceptable in common life and among common actions. So everyone creates entertainments to their souls: cinema, hobby groups, or blog-writing (for money, or just to discuss the politicians, or to praise a neighbour).
Each of you has the right to decide which purpose you are after, describing the speculations in blog format. Modern companies should think about writing blogs like one of means of making the company more public (if it, of course, is included into strategy plans), and in this case it would be good to stimulate the employees to write blogs, directing them in professional course of company’s activity. One thing is indisputable – ‘bloggering’ is really becoming more and more popular no matter what purpose you have, whether you realize it or not, whether you write for pleasure or ‘to order’ of your own feelings or corporative aims.
Good luck to you, and success in bloggering!
