Tag Archives: Problogging

The Psychology Behind Corporate Blogging

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Something I’ve noticed changing over the last two years is how companies perceive blogs. Early on in blogging, despite the success of many great blog networks at the time, companies seemed to think that blogs were really only a tool for average people to write about their lives, and the various minutia that occurred in them.

Blogs at this time were creating a whole community of both Internet celebrities and Internet brands that were parlayed into huge amounts of cash through advertising systems, and sales. Corporations started, very slowly realizing how important blogs could be to their businesses, but we are still on the cusp of this realization going global.

The reason corporations look down on blogs is for a variety of reasons stemming from the massive numbers of personal blogs, to the low barrier of entry.

Personal Blogs

For every successful blog making money, or helping get out a strong branding message, there are probably one thousand blogs dedicated to people around the world talking about their lives. From the perspective of the average company doing research on blogs, they’ll likely come across many blogs talking about their pets, family, friends, and children. This doesn’t convey to them the level of professionalism available in blogging, and thus gives them a reason to think of blogs with a negative connotation.

Spam

We have all seen them, spam blogs are the bane of my existence. They steal content, and they push out crud through the Internet. Companies doing research on any topic will come across at least one spam blog in their searches, and this type of republishing outside of the normal control of the original publisher might scare companies who want to remain in control of their message. Imagine posting an article on your blog and a spam blog picks it up before you realize you’ve made a mistake. You correct your mistake, but the spam blog continues to have the “old” article which makes your company look bad. Small, and simple for sure, but this has to be a concern for businesses going forward.

Power of the Message Versus Money Invested

How powerful is the message going to be compared to the time and effort put into the blog? Companies are used to press releases and the results that can be achieved from them, but what can they expect from their blog? How will it grow, change and evolve over time? Will anyone even care? Companies are always looking at return on investment, and there hasn’t been many case studies released to companies regarding the return on investment of a good corporate blog.

Low Barrier to Entry

If it is too easy, it probably doesn’t have value. I have heard both people and companies claiming that due to the low barrier of entry in blogging, there is little to no value in blogging. It takes almost no time to set up a blog, make it look nice, and start feeding it content. But what companies aren’t seeing is how long it took to get to this point with regard to the barrier for entry. There were companies creating blog software in hopes of lowering the barrier for entry for over a decade. The barrier started high, but these companies weren’t interested in the idea behind it back in those days.

Knowledge and Fear

Most companies just don’t understand enough about the blogosphere, and what it means to be a company participating in it. Because of their lack of knowledge, they are afraid of jumping in and making mistakes, not completely understanding that transparency is one of the key benefits of blogging that will help companies connect to potential customers on a new level of relationship.

Conclusion

Companies can get into blogging, and do amazing things with their blog, but they have to be brave enough to take the first steps, find people that can help them reach their goals in an efficient and inexpensive manner, and be ready to be transparent. Blogging can be an amazing line of communication and community building for any company.

This is one topic where I wish I had taken a psychology degree so that I could articulate better the factors that really go into each point, as I believe someone could make a whole career around the psychology of companies involvement or lack of involvement in the blogosphere.

Originally posted on October 15, 2010 @ 1:28 pm

Always Behind: Stressful Blogging

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As a full time blogger, I always feel like I am behind. When I start my day, I feel like I am working on things that should have been done two days ago, and at the end of my day, I don’t feel a sense of fulfillment, just more stress regarding starting work the next day.

There are always a million things to do, and it feels like I only chip away at a few items a day. There is never that sense of fulfillment that normal people get when completing work, and if you add in the highs and lows of the traffic and comment interaction received on the actual blog posts, you have a recipe for a career that doesn’t feel great. At least when you are working towards meeting other people’s expectations.

From Jeff’s post on the subject:

This feeling of always being behind sucks as it takes its toll on the human mind/emotions. After awhile, blogging isn’t fun anymore at least blogging for others. Now, I should make the point that writing for others is not that bad when you are writing about your passion and working with great people but as an individual, when you are spread out amongst 3-5 websites, the quality of writing suffers, it’s not fun anymore, and I feel as if I gain nothing by subjecting myself to that kind of lifestyle on the web.

I have experienced this throughout my four years of working online, and will probably continue to experience this feeling in the future. It is nice to know that I am not alone, and I hope that others that are experiencing this will all come together and find ways to help each other out.

Blogging as a job isn’t the dream that people make it sound like when they try and sell you that e-book. Understand what you are getting into before you leap in with both feet, and make choices towards employment that you’ll enjoy with the express understanding that you will no doubt enjoy it less once you make it a job.

I have to admit, I am envious of Jeff and his WPTavern idea. I hope it goes well for him, and I hope once he reaches the point where he can work solely for himself that he feels that sense of enjoyment that he currently lacks.

Originally posted on November 23, 2010 @ 5:27 pm

Working as a Problogger

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My current job is Director of Communications at Bloggy Network. It is a career that took a long time to get to. Though long is rather relative. I have been working for Bloggy Network for nearly two years now, and I have learned so much, not only from doing the work, but also from my bosses, and the contacts I have made.

Networking

Networking is really the number one tip I would give to any would-be Problogger. Finding people that can help you in your journey is the key to success. It isn’t just enough to work hard, and write exceptional content, you also have to get people to read what you have written, give you pointers on how to do better, and talk about how great you are.

Without great contacts, there will be a plateau you will hit, and it will be very frustrating. I know what it is like, as I have been to that point before. It almost made me give up, but then I started having conversations with the people I admired online, and they helped me get past that point.

Time Management

Time management is another skill that all the top level Probloggers seem to have in common. They know that the more posts they do that appeal to their audience, the higher their stats will be. Part of my day is spent organizing a break down of time and duties that I will need to perform, both over the course of the day, the week, and the month. I strike things off my list, but don’t remove them, so that I have inspiration, and a sense of accomplishment.

Some might think I am wasting time by making lists and organizing my work, but I know for a fact that I am getting a considerably larger amount of work done than I was before. This preparation time can be very powerful, and almost as difficult as learning how to network properly, especially for those that aren’t natural organizers.

Filtering Data

Another trait that is important when working as a problogger is the ability to deal with massive quantities of data. For some probloggers, this might not be an issue, but as you grow either in a network, or on your own, you will find yourself covering more topics, or diversifying more and more. You will also be dealing with site statistics, different software, e-mail contacts, spam, advertising, and of course finding great stories for your blog.

You will have to be able to quickly filter out information that is not important, and move on. I was able to pick up this skill over time, thanks to reading through hundreds of feeds in Bloglines, in a set period of time.

and Many More…

Of course there are many other skills a person needs to become a Problogger, and the process can be filled with many roadblocks, but over the lifetime of this site, I will attempt to shed some light on my experiences in the world of blogging, as well as teach using the words of others. If you are wondering if Problogging is the job for you, continue to read eXtra For Every Person, and I will be covering more on what it takes, and what it is like to be a Problogger.

Originally posted on August 23, 2010 @ 12:52 pm

Hard Part of Problogging: Writing Content Constantly

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One of the hardest parts of my career has been the continual production of content in an almost conveyer belt style processing system removing a great deal of the creativity and enjoyment that goes into creating something.

It can be hard to produce enough content to make it full time because if you are paid a rate for each post, or for each word, or even a flat rate salary with certain expectations behind them, it can all come down to producing thousands of words each day, which for some people is easier than others.

What it all comes down to is that the more content you produce, the more search engines will have to find your site, as well as the more opportunities you create to build an audience, gain inbound links and build your brand.

From what I have been able to see, producing around two or three thousand words a day is the minimum of what it can take to propel your site into a success, and that isn’t easy.

As I have gone further in my career, I have found the raw production of content to become more and more difficult, especially if I am not well versed in the subject to begin with or can’t focus on my thoughts, opinions, and views.

If you are having problems creating content, then you have to understand that you are going to have a hard time being noticed, recognized, and gaining traffic.

The sites that become a success with one post a week are the exception, not the rule, and so find ways to put content together in an efficient way, and publish it to the world.

I would also recommend finding a balance where here and there you get to spend some extra time in writing a post so you can truly add in your raw emotions, but when you have to get a good three thousand words done each and every day, it can be quite difficult sometimes to give any more to your writing.

The biggest takeaway from this post that I want you all to have, is that you need to be persistent, and constantly producing compelling content. It isn’t easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.

Originally posted on November 30, 2010 @ 11:47 am

Pros of Being a Problogger

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After being in a negative mood yesterday, and getting it all out of my system, I figured I would return today and give a quick list of the advantages of being a problogger, over most common jobs.

Making Your Own Hours

Sometimes I get up bright and early and get to work, other days I lounge around and focus all evening. The flexibility in my work allows me to get many other things done, and removes a fair bit of the stress from my job.

I know I have to put in a certain amount of time to see rewards from what I do, but I can spread it out over the course of the day, allowing me to do bursts of high productivity times split up with times of relaxation, reflection and some gaming.

Writing About Your Passion

Most people that become probloggers make it to that level by writing about their passion, and to be honest, there is nothing better than spending all day researching and writing about the things you love the most.

Early on in my problogging career, I was able to write about technology all day, and so I was more knowledgeable in that area than I ever had been before, and it was a great feeling to be so well informed. It is like taking a class in something you’ve always wanted to know more about and getting paid for it.

Online Community

There is a diverse community of bloggers online who are looking to connect with other bloggers. If you can find a few people that your personality meshes well with, you will find your time online that much more enjoyable.

I have been fortunate enough to work with, meet and talk to numerous people online who have been an inspiration to me, as well as supportive in my online ventures, and a great sounding wall stopping me from making mistakes.

Low Cost Business

I put this last on my list because it is one of the least important “pro’s” I could think of, but it is worth mentioning that problogging is a low cost business. If you have a computer, an internet connection, and something to write about, you are pretty much set. You don’t need an office, expensive equipment, or tons of other overhead.

This means that whenever I want to start a new project, or a different project, I don’t have to empty my pockets, and that most of what I make through blogging goes right to paying my mortgage, food and other such things.

Conclusion

Blogging professionally, be it part-time or full time has many advantages over the traditional nine to five style job, and what I have listed here is only a small bit of what could convince you that this is the right job for you. But before you leap into becoming a problogger, check out my con’s list.

Originally posted on February 22, 2010 @ 2:10 am