There’s an article published courtesy of FastCompany.com which highlights the benefits of blogging to one’s career. The article highlights a number of individuals and their blogs, from Jeff Jarvis and BuzzMachine to Hugh McLeod and the Gaping Void, describing how blogging allowed some to quit their jobs, allowed others to extend their own services (such as consulting), or market other products (books). For example:
Blogs can also lead to full-time conventional employment, particularly for people who work in media. Blogs can provide a talent pool, from which mainstream media outlets recruit staff. In the past month, two bloggers were hired for high-profile positions in mainstream media because they earned reputations for their unique approaches to writing celebrity gossip. Corynne Steindler, editor of the media gossip blog, Jossip, was hired to write for the New York Post‘s Page Six and Gawker‘s Jessica Coen was hired to be deputy online editor for Vanity Fair.
I guess the bigger question is — does the FastCompany article give the false impression about how easy blogging is?
I think it does.
The blogs it profiles are the equivalent of mega superstars in the blogosphere; many either had fame, fortune or connections before they blogged, or, worked their collective assess off, or got lucky enough with the salacious writings that someone felt it would sell.
The unfortunate reality for many bloggers is that many toil in complete obscurity, some producing actually some pretty good stuff, never really reaching the lofty heights that the FastCompany article suggests. Of course they may produce ancillary benefits to some, but I think to not incude how the vast majority of bloggers work — and without discussing the requisite amount of work it takes for some bloggers to “go pro” is entirely disingenuous. And perhaps, a little dangerous.
