My very first blog was the WORST. BLOG. EVER. And why you should write one too. The sequel.

In May I wrote about how a blog can help you get a job and enhance your career and this past weekend I wrote about how I started blogging in My very first blog was the WORST. BLOG. EVER. And why you should write one too.

Cartoon by Hugh at gapingvoid.com

Why I think you should write a blog:

1. You need a job.
2. You want to keep the job you have.
3. You want to advance your career.
4. You want to have more than just one stream of income (i.e., a salary).
5. You need to continue building and developing your network so you can do any and all of the above.

How can a blog help you get a job?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70% of all jobs are found through networking. Blogging, when done well, can help you connect with other people. Just like I raved about how Twitter has changed my life, blogging is changing my life too. All in really, really good ways. It’s another way to connect with people, and it can give you a platform to learn, share information, say what you think, and build credibility. (It can also be a fiasco if you do it wrong so don’t do it wrong.)

Put your resume on your blog.

Check out what @willieljackson built for Terrell Matthews. This is awesome. You should have one too. I can build one for you. No it is not free. I like you but not that much.

How much time is this going to take?

Be prepared to make a commitment. Blogging is an investment and it requires time and effort to draw readers in and keep them interested and engaged. Once you get started you’ll need to post twice a week at a minimum. I recommend three to five times a week. I know. It’s a lot. That’s why I just said that it’s an investment. PAY ATTENTION.

It doesn’t have to be as difficult or time-consuming as it sounds if you’re smart about it. There are so many things you can write about, and so many ways that you can structure a blog post without spending too much time on it. I suggest a healthy combination of several different types of articles.

• Write a response to something you read. It could be something you read in a book, article, or blog post. I don’t comment on other people’s blogs very often but I do write blog posts in response to what I read and link back to it. (Bloggers like it when you do this FYI. Unless your blog post is horrible or you are launching a personal attack on them but let’s assume that’s not the case and I do not recommend either of these things.)
• Do an email interview with someone. I do these a lot. They’re easy to do for both the blogger and the interviewee and very popular with readers, and I love the fact that unless you are a complete idiot this leaves very little room for misquoting someone.
• Answer people’s questions in a blog post. I do this all the time too. Someone comes to me with a question and I ask them if I can write my response in the form of a blog post and I have yet to have someone say no. Plus even if they said no you could just do it anyway and not mention their name. Ha.
• Obviously you need to write about original ideas that you have related to your field. I’m just saying that not every single post needs to be one of these.

What do you do if you know absolutely nothing about blogging?

Do it anyway. Just remember that you are using social media tools to build meaningful relationships with people. People aren’t interested in “experts” and “gurus” talking at them. It’s the difference between the law of attraction and an obnoxious sales pitch. Developing credibility takes thought, energy, devotion, and discipline.

Be interesting. Take risks. A lot of risks. Be NAKED. Be you.

If you are stodgy and stuffy and all textbook-ish on your blog no one is going to read it. No one. They are interested in YOU. What do you think about what you’re writing about? People want to hear from you. Straight from the heart. Not just what you think but also how you feel.

And no I am not telling you to put photos of yourself naked on your blog. Dear heavens please do not do that. It was a metaphor and not meant to be taken literally. Learn the difference. Especially if you are going to take my advice and write a blog.

I mentioned earlier that blogging requires discipline. Let’s talk about that. Well I’ll write about it and then hopefully you’ll read what I wrote and comment and I’ll comment back and that is called a conversation. Anyway. Blogging requires discipline.

First of all, I said that I think you need to post on your blog three to five times a week. The idea is to keep people interested and coming back for more. Unless you don’t want anyone to read your blog and what is the point of that.

Oh and do not lock your blog. Again. The point.

Anyway most bloggers I talk to, myself included, find that they either have 18 ideas they want to write about all at once and literally can’t crank them out fast enough, or they’ve got nothing. Nada. The well is dry and you’re in the middle of a lengthy drought. These times can be frustrating so here is where the discipline comes in.

When you are chock full of ideas draft blog posts and save them. Even if you just get the main point of the blog post captured in a draft, it’s there and it’s saved and you can write about it later when you have time or when you have no other original ideas. I have about 16 drafts saved right now, and I have another 12 Firefox tabs open to things I want to write about, comment on, etc., at some point.

Ready to get started? I suggest you read How to get a job by blogging in order to learn how to set up the kind of professional blog that will get you hired. This is an excellent article that walks you through the process, step-by-step, with links to and explanations about the things you’ll need. And then check out and bookmark @Animal’s guide to basic HTML for bloggers.

Please be sure to give me the URL of your blog in the comments section so I can read and link to it.