Feb 05

Suffering from Blogger Block? Tips for Renewing Blog Writing

Blogging, Personal Branding 1 Comment »

In spite of the fact that I had a painful stomach virus and have been emotionally processing my concerns for the Haiti catastrophe, I have not been able to write an effective blog post.  Yes, I have many ideas of WHAT I want to write about but I just cannot seem to get my thoughts out of my head onto the proverbial paper.  I decided unequivocally within myself when I started my blog that I would not let it fall to the wayside.  I don’t want to become a blog statistic.    So, as always, I used my trusted friend Google to see what tips I could find from others that have suffered the same diagnosis.   I’ve identified and assembled some of the top tips from other bloggers.

  1. Start with a headline. This is essentially what I have done today.  The easiest blog I can write about is my current problem.   Plus, it allows me to “hone down” into a specific problem area and find solutions for it.
  2. Brainstorm. For someone like me who has so many different thoughts run through her brain and  is quite an over-achiever, it may be good just to get into an empty room with no distractions and just type incessantly.  The brainstorming session can actually create several various topics to write on to which later you can separate (if need be) and clean up for posting.
  3. Lower Your Standards. With many things in life, I think it is natural to want to be the best and be able to offer the best advice.  Remember there are millions of blogs out there.  You are the best at what YOU do and what YOU have experienced.  You don’t have to be a genius—just give advice on what you know and your experience and I guarantee that will help someone out.
  4. Set Goals and Stick to Them. The funny thing is that I started this post a week ago and told myself that I was going to post it on the day I started it.  Much to my dismay, it’s now a week later.   Discipline yourself and once you have established a pattern, it will become a habit that you will easily follow.

Now I’ve only listed four but there are SO many tips from other bloggers out there.  Regardless of what may have you suffering from Blogger Block, find the avenue that works for YOU.  One important fact I want to mention is that whatever you blog about, make sure that it is passion-infused with you and your brand.   You do not want to TRY to become something that you are not as it will show in your writing.

This quote from poet William Stafford sums it up:

“I believe that the so-called ‘writing block’ is a product of some kind of disproportion between your standards and your performance … one should lower his standards until there is no felt threshold to go over in writing. It’s easy to write. You just shouldn’t have standards that inhibit you from writing … I can imagine a person beginning to feel he’s not able to write up to that standard he imagines the world has set for him. But to me that’s surrealistic. The only standard I can rationally have is the standard I’m meeting right now … You should be more willing to forgive yourself. It doesn’t make any difference if you are good or bad today. The assessment of the product is something that happens after you’ve done it.”

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Dec 29

The Social Media Branding Revolution

Personal Branding, Social Media No Comments »

A year ago, I was completely “anti-social media”.  Yes, I am willing to openly admit to that shortcoming.  Sure, I frequented a forum or two on various interests—anonymously—not willing to contribute.  However, my reasons were strictly based on watching “To Catch a Predator” on Dateline NBC, having teenage children, and online personal sites.   You see, I had only really looked at the bad side of social media.  Of course, EVERYTHING nowadays can be exploited for bad but when you have children, the natural parental instinct goes into effect (even if you are technically savvy with capabilities to block sites from your children).  Not only that, but I associated social media as a way and means for people to “hook up” sort of like match.com or some other type of online personals.  Therefore, with these two factors added to my already pigeon-holed perception of any type of information technology outside of Information Security, I was completely stymied!

Social media is so important to establishing yourself.  I’m willing to go so far as to say that it is absolutely necessary for you to use social media as a means of personal branding.  It goes so much further than your resume, the “About Us” section to your website, or a cover letter.  I like to compare it to three-dimensionality—you see and learn more about me AND my knowledge set from various perspectives.  No one should proclaim to know it all.  Yes, we have our niches and our expertise areas.  However, social media isn’t just about claiming your expertise.  It’s about putting YOUR own spin and flavor to your niche, expertise, and what you know.

This is definitely old news to a lot of the social media and personal branding experts out there now.  But for those of us who have finally caught wind of this form of expression, it is by far a whole new exciting world!  The one thing I can say is that it truly matters to be personable and just being yourself.  I will finish out this post with a tweet I had posted earlier today,

“Personal branding is simple:  It’s you instinctively!  Your personal brand is instinctively YOU!”

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Dec 20

Branding: Don’t Compromise Who You Are!

Personal Branding, Social Media No Comments »

This is near and dear to my heart!  This morning, I was reading an article by Heather Huhman called, “5 Rules for Maintaining Your Brand Once You Have the Job”. Step number 5 states:  Don’t compromise your brand for your new employer.  This isn’t a jab at employers by any means.  But it is about not forsaking who you are and forgetting what you originally brought to the table at your place of employment.

To talk about my own personal experiences, I’ve been in this situation, unfortunately.  I’ve been so absorbed into a job where I have completely forgot who I was.  I became adaptable to the corporate culture and other tasks not associated with my brand and lost myself, thus, becoming ineffective.  It’s almost like a deep sleep!

With the new age of social media, I think that it is easier to stay who you are.   You stay accountable.   In fact, you are highly unlikely to veer away from your brand because your reputation is at stake—your brand is at stake.  For example, as I blog about who I am and what I know, I am establishing ME!  The corporations, businesses, consultants, and people that I work with now and in the future will want my skill set for ME!

It is possible to be loyal to your employer; however, it’s even more important to not lose yourself.  Losing yourself spells out compromise for you and your brand.  This compromise will then cause your credibility to be questionable.

Don’t lose who you are!  Don’t compromise yourself!  Be unique, yourself, and maintain your brand!

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