From a guy who wants to start a blog.
I’m a big fan of the Punk Rock HR. I love reading your stuff – it gives me a good laugh and some great info at the same time. I’m looking to get off the sidelines and actually start blogging myself. I’m new to HR and I’m new to blogging, but I thought it would be cool to see what it was like to give it a shot and track myself through this part of my career/life. I wanted to see if you had any advice for someone just starting out, since you’ve done a great job getting yourself going and you’ve clearly developed a great following so far.
Wait, buddy, are you writing a blog about yourself or about HR?
I used to write a blog about myself. I did it for three years. Then I realized that no one cared. I would never be Dooce. I would never be a rockstar. I would never make any money. I started Punk Rock HR because I wanted to write about something I know: mediocrity in the workforce.
Now I write about my career, I give out career advice, and I interject myself in the story. Guess what? 99% of the internet still doesn’t care. It breaks my narcissistic heart.
So if you are going to start a blog, develop some thick skin. Then check out the competition on my blogroll. I have a list of great writers who have something to say about the current state of talent acquisition in America. They have a passion for doing things differently. They offer great career advice. They know how to tell a story.
Read those blogs and ask questions. Leave comments. Open a Twitter account. Start microblogging. Then jump into the pool and see if you can swim with these sharks.
What do you guys think? What’s the most successful way to start blogging about HR? What are some resources you can offer this guy?
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Thanks Laurie-
I too, am considering starting a Blog. Any advice,suggestions would be Fab! Have a great day!
The best advice I have seen on Blogging comes from Merlin Mann of 43 Folders. http://www.43folders.com/
His advice: “Write about what you are passionate about. Find your vocie and your passion, and blog the shit out of it. Oh, and edit everything – twice….”
There ya go – the secret to being a successful blogger
Take your ego out of the situation entirely. Do it now or you’ll either be forced to later or you’ll stop blogging. Don’t base your experience on how many comments or attention you get. Hell, I still have posts that never get any comments. Blog because you want to and have something you need to say. And, like Laurie said, be active in the online community by reading & commenting on other blogs, get on twitter, and even join groups (HRM Today, for example). Find your voice and then own it.
If you start it, stick with it. I hate reading a blog that is written well and is funny but is never updated. I would say at minimum post it once a week but if you want to be successful, follow Michael advice and blog like a crazy person (figuratively speaking and all).
If you are still unsure, post comments on the blogs you read. It’s a great way to make connections with other bloggers.
Be active on other blog communities and others will be active in your community.
I started a blog once. Lasted two days. My advice: a successful blog is not a part-time job. If it’s not your job, life will get in the way. If you want to blog part-time, you’re doing it for yourself, because you won’t have much of a following if you post once a week (unless, of course, you are famous for other reasons than your blog).
I think that there is an assumption that many people make when they start a blog that if they start writing, people will come. Not true. If you blog, they will NOT come. You need to go out and find your fans and convince them through content to read on a regular basis.
Don’t fear sucking. There’s no crying in blogging, you’ll have good posts and shitty posts, that’s life. The difference between success and failure is often sticking with something, even when you have bad days, or in this case bad posts.
Also, make sure you have things to say. If you blog once a week for a year, that’s 52 original things you need to have to say. You can do the math on increased frequency.
@adowling – I don’t think Michael was saying blog with a high frequency (and I definitely know that’s not what Merlin at 43 Folders said). “Blog the shit out of it,” literally means come at it with a passion and energy that carries through to your writing. Don’t do it just to do it. Do it because you love it. (just wanted to clear that up)
@Everyone – In that same talk, Merlin also mentioned that a blog isn’t just about passion. It’s passion + voice. If you love something, but have nothing unique to say about it, no one will care. You may even start to bore yourself. So have an opinion and voice it clearly.
As a blogger myself, my advice: It’s harder than it looks. If you really care about it, it takes time, energy and stick-with-itness to keep it going. The first month or two easy. When you hit the point where you wonder if anyone is reading, it becomes a lot harder.
Good luck!
Like others have already said, start your blog if you really feel passionate about it and ready to continue even if no one gives a dime about what you have to say. I myself am new to blogoshere – hardly two months and guess what, I am yet to get a comment! lol But I don’t mind, my prime reason for starting to blog about HR was not to get popularity (duh!), but rather a place where I can write about stuffs that I feel passionate about. If I get followers, well and good. If not, no worries. I will keep on writing anyway.
@Shennee Good luck — you can google blogging tips and see the results. Lots of good resources out there.
@Michael Yeah, just like that, it’s so clear!
@Minion It’s so funny because I went for YEARS without getting comments — and I would say that comments don’t equal influence. I learned that my ideas were out there, but sometimes people just don’t have anything to add. Also, there are tons of lurkers out there. So right now I’m giving mad props to lurkers.
@adowling Being active in the community is so true — and being a decent person also helps. Nothing worse than someone who generates lots of content, is active, and has a shitty disposition. I see this on the pharma blogs I read. I’m like, really, dude, stop buying your own press. It’s a blog about the pharma industry. You’re not curing cancer.
@HRPuter “If you blog, they will not come.” So true. No one cares about my blog. It’s the WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? factor. If I don’t offer content to my readers that speaks to their interests, they’re outta here. It’s about finding the sweet spot where my passions connect with their self-interests.
@Puf There’s no crying in blogging? LOL, this blog *has* made me cry. That’s so sad. PS — Did you just do math on my blog?
@Chris That’s such an interesting observation about the enthusiasm curb and the readership gap. I wrote for a year before anyone really noticed Punk Rock HR. Honest to god, the gap made depressing.
@Sakib You are a trooper and very altruistic. I’ll go check out your blog.
@Laurie – and look at you know! You’re z-list/internet famous!
@Laurie, It’s my audition, for when you win the powerball. You can hire me to do math for you!
I thought very long and hard about blogging as one more tool to participate in the HR world. I think you have to get really clear about what you want and then figure out the tools that are right for you. In my case, I really have neither the time nor interest to blog every day, and I think it’s silly to blog on a schedule. You get a lot of noise that way.
I decided to blog about a specific outline of things that are important to me and fairly unique to my background and interests. If we get through that outline and I find it’s worth it to continue, I will – but I see it as just one more way to own my name and to give interested parties a way to find out more about creating the HR function for privately held companies.
If you think the end game is blogging, you’re missing the point. It’s a tool, one of dozens, to get your name out there and to connect to people in your field.
Damn, you people give good advice!
@Chris, your expansion is spot on, but you obviously have seen the talk.
I forgot but on a post I recently wrote about what HR can learn from geeks I included a link to Merlin Mann speaking on blogging. Got to the bottom of the post and you will see something called hold that cheese or something like that. That is a one hour version of the speech I cited above. The link is below.
http://www.thehumanracehorses.com/twitter/11-things-hr-can-learn-from-those-geeks-over-there/
I hear him speak last year in Orlando at IZEAfest which was a 3 day event of uber-bloggers which I attended for $50 bucks. The 2009 IZEAfest is coming up October 1-4 and promises to be equally rewarding. For $125, you get the blogging advice of a lifetime and events at Busch Gardens in Tampa and SeaWorld in Orlando. If you would be interested in attending, you can get more info here. it really is a great deal.
http://www.thehumanracehorses.com/events/
check out mc frontalot’s song “I hate your blog” for current generation perspective. (Great nerdcore band by the way)
If your blog is not based on a service or product, but just to give HR advice people are going to be more interested right off the bat. If you want to get followers make sure to keep up on current events that effect HR and write catchy thought provoking posts. PunkRockHR does all of that and look at the number of followers and comments Laurie has. Also, make sure that your posts are edgy and not straightforward and boring. No one wants to here about the straightforward crap.
@ Chris “The first month or two easy. When you hit the point where you wonder if anyone is reading, it becomes a lot harder.”
So true.
@ ReviewSNAP “Also, make sure that your posts are edgy and not straightforward and boring. No one wants to here about the straightforward crap.”
Ouch.
It is really hard to keep going sometimes. I do it because I love the subject and think I can make a difference and help in some way. But it’s also satisfying to write something I feel proud about.
@Chris I’m a celebrity in my own mind, but my cats don’t see it.
@Puf You’re hired!
@Franny Thank you, that’s a great comment.
@OldMan So funny & you are hardcore nerdcore.
@Review I think you can write something good without being edgy. The trick, edgy or not, is to be relevant. Sometimes I fail. We all fail. Then we pick ourselves up and write something else.
@Clare You should be proud of your blog. It’s great. EVERYONE CHECK IT OUT.
I still consider my blog personal but I try to add more corporate stuff I learned at work. I used to write the real, juicy (aka emotional posts) blogs in the past but I got over that. Enough of the drama.
Now, I want to make more meaningful posts that will be helpful to others.
You’re right. You can write something good without being edgy, so let me rephrase my comment. The blogs that seem to be more successful, especially in the HR blogosphere, are those that are a bit more edgy. They don’t have to be edgy, but from my observation they seem to get more activity.
having blogged for less than a year, I don’t have a ton of advice to offer, but I have noticed a few themes that I agree within these replies.
Talk about something you feel is worth talking about.This is your shot to make a difference in either your life, the lives of your readers or your profession. Be passionate about what you are righting about and people will read it.
Read tons of other blogs. This particular tactic helped me a great deal. Very quickly I found that there were a lot of blogs out there with what was probably great information.. I simply didn’t care enough to read the whole damned thing. By contrast, I found a few blogs I simply could not miss. What is the difference between the reads and the read-nots? Once you figure this out for yourself, you will be that much closer to finding your true voice.
Finally, once you have written a few good pieces, go out there and find other bloggers. Read them, comment, engage them. They will help you find an audience. Along the way, you have made a few cool web buddies and life will be good.
I have been considering a blog but I feel that I wouldn’t be interesting or creative enough. Right now, I do have a blog out there that I don’t advertise because I use it mainly to get things off my chest about my personal life. Writing, whether it be in a journal or now this blog, it makes me feel like there is a weight lifted off my shoulders. So to me others may see my blog as dumb. Ok, yeah, I have more confidence in my work than I do with my personal life. I love the Venting HR Guy (http://ventinghrguy.blogspot.com) and I would love to write about work and HR stuff but I want to be unique too. How do you write about a particular subject so many other people may be writing about yet keep enough uniqueness to stand out; whether it be HR, life (obviously everyone’s lives are unique), economy, religion, pick a subject. I have to admit that I have been getting into a bunch of different blogs about many different subjects, reading the comments left, etc. and I am feeling very intimidated. There are some great bloggers out there and envy them. I wonder if I could ever be one too??
IMHO— to be frank, and not larry– I don’t think this kid has enough experience in HR to be giving any real advice about it– I think he/she needs to write about the daily dirt and annoyances– the tabloid crap that happens every day in the HR– or any other world, fof that matter. THAT I would look into, if just for a chuckle before I go to the john.
@Mari I wrote emotional stuff on my old (anonymous) blog. I once asked a friend if he read my blog and he said, “No, I don’t want to kill myself.” Oh snap. I stopped the drama shortly after that.
@Review Yup, I think you are right. Maybe Scrubby’s blog should be edgier.
@George The best thing about this blog is the connections it has made in my life.
@Sara Any chimpanzee can blog — being a good one is tough. Do you have one blogger that you really admire? Having a blogging mentor is a good way to start. I read other blogs, too, and I’m always blown away by the content. It’s really fun to read blogs that are written by talented and humble writers. I just want to scream, “Do you know how awesome you are?”
@MattyMat Do you read Venting HR Guy? He does the tabloid stuff.
Great post Laurie. Awesome advice from everyone.
I have recently started a personal blog and this is actually my very first comment to a blog I have been silently following…yes I am one of those lurkers.
A list of stuff about blogging that I am dislodging from my brain:
1)I get a thrill when even a few people read my blog posts. That *anyone* reads my blog is a weekly miracle. In three years, fewer than 3000 folks have clicked on my blog. About a third really was me, clicking on the blog to check if anyone else clicked on the blog.
2)Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook help. Make sure you update your status when you post something new. Also, writing comments on popular blogs like PRHR helps.
3)The whole thing about passion is so true, but won’t necessarily bring more readers. My most popular post was written in a fit of frustration in about 20 minutes. The post really rocked and attracted new readers. I spent three days writing one of my least popular posts, did tons of research, even wrote a math formula. The post really rocked and no one read it. Oh well.
4)Your blog can be about anything you want it to. Don’t worry too much about focus, or audience. I love reading stuff that ‘s personal and not too work-focused.
5)Blogging will introduce you to new technologies and you will feel all web-developery, even though all of the tools make it incredibly easy.
6)Put some funny shit in there, and a few curse words. Just because the world is getting too uptight and needs to lighten up.
7)If you are ever out of ideas for posts, interview your friends and mentors, add a photo and – pladow – instant blog post.
@ Laurie Thanks!
My advice: Look at what Laurie does so well…She lets her personality shine through. From the title of the blog itself to the compelling titles of each post, it’s pure punk Laurie being irreverent and authentic. She peppers her sage advice (and it is wise indeed) with humor that never fails to make me smile. I am not an HR professional, but a manager who looks forward to reading Laurie’s blog every day. Don’t get me wrong. I am NOT suggesting that you copy Laurie’s style (as if anyone could!) But, if you can imbue your blog with the same personal tone and authenticity, you will touch people as Laurie has.
I care, Laurie.
I want to add…Don’t discount the love from lurkers…I’m a major lurker online for many reasons, but back to my point…
I think we get “lost” when we are online – we post something, thinking “if we post it they will come”, and we wait for people to come across it and yell YES!! Yes!!
No, really, that’s not how it works. We’re all very busy, running our houses, running our jobs, running our kids here and there, trying to keep up with off-line life and sometimes online life takes a secondary seat. That doesn’t mean you don’t make an impact in people’s lives, or that a well-thought out post from months back doesn’t come up in a search and change someone’s life.
We live in an instant feeback world. Sometimes we don’t get feedback on how awesome we are, and, our human side kicks in and asks, why are we doing this? I feel so sad and lonely…
I’m getting all choked up now because I originally found Laurie years ago when her blog was more personal and she talked more about her cats. A co-worker and I would go to her site whenever we needed a comic relief. Wow! Was it that long ago?
You didn’t know that, now did you? Thank you for all of the years. I feel like we’re tight, you know, like the way I’m tight with Ellen Degeneres because I love her comedy and I watch her on TV. Now, we’re not going to hang out, but I’ll be there, waiting for your next post.
Ok, that was a big sappy comment. I better go read some case law to smack the sap out of me.
@Carmen’s advice is *totally* on the money: every single point. But #5 is especially good — blogging can be a fantastic low-risk/high-reward way to grow your interactive chops, if you want to.
Good things come in sevens today, and here’s another list of no-bullshit, typically useful advice from @Copyblogger: The 7 Deadly Sins of Blogging – http://bit.ly/YoYLI. This site is a must-add for your daily RSS feed, BTW. “Write to Done” is another great resource and thought-starter: http://writetodone.com/.
Finally, I’ll toss out the old chestnut that writers write: if you have something to say, you’ll find a way to say it. Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly….
There’s some great advice here.
I’d only add:
1. Pick a domain name that isn’t too narrow. That way, if your focus changes, you’re not locked in. I thought I was going to only blog about straight job hunting advice, but I got bored with that in about three weeks and started getting snarky. I’m glad my domain name is nonspecific enough that I can branch out a little when I feel like it.
2. Understand that it’s a huge time commitment. I thought I could do this when my kids are napping…nope. Writing is only a small part of it; there’s also reading other blogs, networking, corresponding with readers, technical stuff….it’s a LOT of work. Fun, but time consuming.
3. If you think you might run ads, bite the bullet and self-host (i.e. use wordpress.org instead of wordpress.com). You’ll learn some mad tech skillz, and you’ll have more flexibility. A great resource for beginning blogging from the technical side is http://www.abdpbt.com/tech
4. Don’t take it too seriously. It’s supposed to be fun. If it’s not fun most of the time, you’re doing it wrong.
Great Advice!
I am reviewing the guidelines because, although I have been writing as a “guest blogger” for HRMarketer.com, I am going to blog for HRmarketer.com in my role as a Human Resources Professional.
I was able to “pick my own topic”, and I chose Spiritually in Business! I think this could be considered edgy, because after working in HR, for 20 years, I know that this topic is often considered taboo. There are many ways to go wrong in the attempt to bring this issue into the work place.
However, it is sorely needed. Just look at the Madoff and Enron debacles. I thing HR could serve as the watchdog, in these matters. What say you folks? Is it time?
Just read it– funny stuff–
Dawn, I think my chief concern there would be the implication that spirituality would have something to do with things like the Madoff and Enron debacles. That would seem to imply that people who are “spiritual” are less likely to do bad things than people who aren’t. I disagree with that point of view, but my own thoughts aside, I don’t think there’s any evidence to support it. Ken Lay was a churchgoer, and Bernie Madoff seemed to have particularly targeted people from his own religious community.
@Dawn – Another thing to consider, why is that HR’s job? We’re trying to move away from the babysitting role. If the heads of companies can’t make smart and ethical decisions, you really think HR is going to have any influence over that? And if they do make smart and ethical decisions, that should trickle down into the whole culture of the organization.
@Dawn & Everyone – Another thought: Edginess is not about your topic. It’s about your voice. Think about some of the best and worst professors you’ve ever taken class from. The good ones could make anything interesting. The worst could make the best topics in the world turn into nap sessions.
I disagree with the notion that a blog has to be edgy. I think having an opinion and a unique voice is far more important. Laurie is edgy, but that’s her voice.
John Ingraham is not edgy. But he’s got a clear opinion on things, he knows his shit, and to many people, that’s really interesting to read.
Keep in mind that in blogging, you won’t appeal to everyone, and if you try to, you’ll fail. Find your voice, and your tribe will find you.
I started a blog last December to have an outlet for writing and more fully participate in the on-line world. I’ve had on-line friends for a while (people that I only know on-line) and like handing out in the on-line world.
That was my specific reasons for blogging. I am not interesting in driving traffice, will not measure my worth by number of comments, won’t get hurt if people that I link to don’t link back to me, etc. To echo others, figure out exactly why you’re blogging and what you want to get out of it.
Only other advice is to never blog about how you haven’t blogged in a while because you’re soooo busy. I judge those who blog about how boring they are.
After 4 years of doing this I have lots of bits of advice but here is the first 2:
- Keep your blog private for 1-2 months or the first 20+ posts. This way you can do it on your pace without the “pressure” of adding content. It does two things. 1) Once public lots of stuff to read versus one or two posts. 2) After that much time/posts you will find out if you really want to do this or not. You can walk away without anyone knowing you tried and stopped.
- You know the saying about dance like no one is watching? In the beginning, no one may be reading. And so what. Do not care. When I started I did not have a visitor for a week. Mostly because my Mom did not have Internet. Celebrate the minor milestones like 1, 10, 100 visitors a day. When you have your first 1,000 visitor day, have a beer and then forget about it. You are for the most part the same person at 1 visitor as you are at 1,000. The only difference being more people “know” who you are.
As always, great input and advice from a very knowledgable crowd! I’m too am on the verge of diving into the blogging pool and appreciate Kerry’s (ClueWagon) advice about choosing a domain name as that right now is one of my biggest questions.
While I’m a medium Twitter user, I’ve been a good lurker too which has provide a great deal of insight on how I wish to approach my own blog.
I’m also hoping that by having a blog I can have conversations with a broader group of people as it can get lonely Tweeting at midnight with no one to Tweet back (which begs the question – where are all the West coast Tweeters???)
I have a blog that I started as a personal account of my life and the never ending balancing act of being a working “HR” mom and a control freak wife.
In between my life snippets, I have some nice ‘generic’ posts about situations I’ve encountered at my workplace. *disclaimer* Names have been changed/eliminated so that I don’t get fired.
When I look back and read the work posts, they make me laugh and remember that I really do enjoy working in HR – even though sometimes the freaking job drives me CRAZY!
Hi:
Great comments. I have written a blog posting about spirituality in business. It brings up some great points about separating religion from spirituality.
Here is the blog URL:
http://hrmarketer.blogspot.com/
it is my contention that spirituality in the workplace will emerge, and become acceptable as a topic of conversation, and even a guiding principle. One reason for that, is that the baby boomers are aging, the first of them turned 60 recently. Not only that, but because of the draining of their retirement savings during the recent economic downturn, they will be forced to continue working.
I feel really passionate about this issue, and think it might change the way people act in business environments. It seems to me that current business practices force a disconnect in people’s spirit during work hours… What is that about?
How can we keep mismanaging resources, treating people badly, all in the name of corporate greed?
Can HR be the thought leader in this change?
What do you think? I invite your comments on my blog posting.
Well, I am probably the FNG to all of this. Not only blogging, but the site development, content, publishing…all of it. I have a highly visited site but not much interaction. So, my content may not be what people are looking to discuss. And, that is where I believe you have to make a decision.
Determine where you want to go with your blog. Is it for networking, income, changing the world? I started out with the belief that it would serve as a social medium for professional networking. When I evaluated the content and my opinionated POV, I determined that I would do best to remain anonymous. Therefore, my name is in no way attached to the site. Am I going to change the world…who knows. But, the blog is just as much therapeutic for me, as it’s intent to serve the public.
So, determine your intent and path and be sure it is where you want to go. This will make blogging more enjoyable. After all, if it is no fun, you will likely not do it for very long anyway.