A website or a blog is like a business card for a person. When we meet people in real life, we exchange business cards and just like that, an online personal address of a person could be considered a personal website/blog. Let’s hear from real successful people who share their views on why it's prudent to invest in a personal website or blog.
With the advent and pretty well establishment of social networks some people have moved on to them for their communication needs but a personal website/blog still holds great importance and can help in professional and business dealings.
We have got some real examples of how people have seen the great advantages of having a personal website/blog.
First up, we have Janet Newenham, a blogger and journalist who has a travel blog that has consistently ranked in the top 100 travel blogs in the world.
She has her blog posts regularly published on Huffington Post and has even got a post published on National geographic.
She is now on a path to start her own travel startup. You can reach her on Twitter.
- Why did you think of having a personal website/blog in the 1st place?
I was moving to South Korea to teach for a year and wanted a way to document my travels and show my friends and family back home what I was up to.
On arrival in Korea I suddenly had so much to write about as life there was unlike anywhere I had ever been.
Friends loved reading about my experiences while friends in Korea loved to read my recap of every weekend so they could easily relive the great memories made.
- How has it helped you professionally?
It has made me a better writer and a better listener.
It had encouraged me to get more active on Social Media, to reach a bigger audience. This in turn helped land me a professional PR job just because the company CEO loved my blog and loved how active I was on Twitter.
Now I have decided to blog full time and hope to make all my income from blogging and freelance writing.
Having a blog makes you an influencer and the more you blog and the bigger your audience, the more of an influencer you become.
- Why do you think a website/blog is still important in the age of social networking?
Social Media is good in the short term.
It’s good for getting the word out there or promoting links. The blog is all about content, and good content.
There is no point in being active on social media, in my eyes, unless you have somewhere for all those followers to end up.
Somewhere to direct them to, and content that will inform them and entertain them. Without good content, they have no reason to keep coming back to your social media channels.
Next, we have Luca Filigheddu, who has been Manager, Global Developer Ecosystem at BlackBerry and has held various other positions at the company, is an entrepreneur and again a good friend.
You can connect with him here.
- Why did you think of having a personal website/blog in the 1st place?
I started my blog in 2005 to share my views on VoIP and to get in touch with other experts in the same field worldwide.
- How has it helped you professionally?
A lot! I was listed among the top VoIP bloggers globally for a few years and my profile got a lot of attention. Ultimately, I was hired in BlackBerry in 2012 thanks to the people I knew at that time.
- Why do you think a website/blog is still important in the age of social networking?
It is still important to find my professional legacy. I stopped blogging and rarely do now. I had written some articles on Medium, Linkedin and Facebook though, but no more blogging like before.
I still have a small blog on Tumblr though.
Also, since I love technology and gadgets a lot I had to ask a fellow tech blogger and another wonderful friend Myriam Joire to share her views.
Myriam is a senior tech blogger at various tech blogs like techcrunch, Engadget and more, is a contributing co host at TWIT LLC and has held various high profile positions at Pebble and Sony.
You can connect with Myriam here.
- Why did you think of having a personal website/blog in the 1st place?
When I started blogging back in 2006 it was a thing 🙂 Also, it wasn’t nearly as saturated as it is now. This was before social media, Twitter didn’t exist, and Facebook was for schools only.
I wanted to improve my writing, and I was passionate about phones (especially the nascent cameras on phones) so blogging was a natural fit.
- How has it helped you professionally?
My blog kind of made me internet famous.
That’s how I ended up working at Engadget as Senior Mobile Editor for 3.5 years.
That in turns opened more doors, like my exec job at Pebble and my freelance consulting business today. (See my Linkedin profile for the details.)
- Why do you think a website/blog is still important in the age of social networking?
Yes, I think a blog is still important today as a centralized place for content, but podcasting, vlogging (YouTube), and social media (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram) are definitely more significant today, especially when it comes to engagement with readers/viewers/listeners.
I really think of social media as micro-blogging.
So there you have the experts from different fields who have gained professionally by investing in a blog/website.
It can start with a passion or sharing content or even just creating an online presence but if done properly and professionally, a website or blog can really work wonders.
It is a worthwhile investment and you never know what doors it might open for you so consider it seriously.
Also, do let us know if you have some stories to share regarding your blog/websites and we would love to hear them in comments.
Photos: Shutterstock
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