CGM blog: The beauty of blogging

31 Oct CGM blog: The beauty of blogging

I love blogging.

How else would most of us, short of being a newspaper columnist or media diarist, get our views out to the wider world?

Blogging (short for web log) began in 1997 – it is an article on the web, basically.

But I’d argue it can be so much more.

A blog is an opportunity to explain your take on things – a platform for personal opinions for sure, but I’d argue it is at its most effective when used to shed light on darkness rather than heat on toxic subjects.

For every incendiary political blog, there are dozens of informative blogs across the web which offer useful advice and opinion on matters far and wide – often written by smart, savvy bloggers who earn a full time living and career by being guest bloggers, columnists, opinion makers, reviewers and campaigners.

At its best, blogging is about connecting with your audience – an invitation to encourage people to interact and share views.

It is like starting a conversation – only you’ve set the context so it is on your terrain which can have a positive, professional impact.

You see, people buy in to people (rather than from people) so if you blog your beliefs and express industry knowledge, and we like your attitude, guess where we go looking for advice and to buy products or services.

And it isn’t just about ‘kerching’ – or written blogs for that matter. Video blogging is on the rise and hugely popular as it can have visual appeal and is great for SEO.

Done badly, blogs of any type can have a negative impact. Too many bloggers simply regurgitate other people’s views or think of themselves as would be shock jocks – offering a diatribe of ill-informed, controversial opinion just to court notoriety.

No such thing as bad publicity? Well, yes actually. Being a court jester can come at price – often your entire business.

For many, blogging works wonders – and we’ll provide oodles of inspiring stories and tips to write and present your own written and video blogs at November’s CGM Business Media Club meetings.

Our Birmingham club theme is how to make your video blogs, while our Worcester club will focus on blog writing.

If you want to find our more, why not book to see how our blend of media training, personal development and quality networking is all about and is benefiting businesses across the Midlands.

For further information visit CGM Business Media Club.

Chris Green is an award-winning author and broadcaster and managing partner of Chris Green Media – which inspires business people and organisations to communicate better by connecting deeper.