To Blog or Not To Blog
 Social media experts agree that blogging is one of the best ways to present your platform, build a customer base, gain visibility and drive traffic (read: bring customers and clients) to your site.
That said, blogging is not for the faint of heart; it requires content galore, a strong voice (after all, writing is not just any old skill, and all writers work for years to cultivate a voice), and most of all, commitment: You have to do it regularly.
Blogging is a literary form in itself. Think of the bloggers you want to read every day: practical, pithy marketing advice from Seth Godin; the insider's view of Washington from Politico's Ben Smith; the honest take on intimate relationships from social critic Dalma Heyn. You want to be in their company because they may be witty or wise or radical -and you trust them. They're thought leaders. But they'll all tell you this: they've been at it for a long time. And for every Heather Armstrong who gets thousands of hits a day, there are thousands of bloggers who struggle for years just to get an audience.
So, you're a thought leader, too, and you've decided to blog. In my view, there are four crucial points to keep in mind as you begin. - A good blogger hits a nerve. Know your audience. Have a viewer in mind. Who is he or she? What is she interested in? Talk to her and her alone. Go to the core of your message and give it to her each time you blog.
- A good blogger knows how intimate blogging is. Seconds after you press "publish," a reader can comment. It's this interaction and proximity to readers that makes this art so immensely personal-even if the blogger isn't writing anything personal at all! Be ready (and allow time) for interaction.
- A good blogger writes the way he speaks. Some posts are useful and add to the quality of our relationships at home or in the workplace; others express feelings most of us keep to ourselves (and the blogger lets us revel in her bloodletting). Choose your style and voice and stick to it.
- A good blogger doesn't hog a reader's time. Sure, you're an expert, but readers check posts between meetings, while brushing their teeth or eating a bedtime doughnut. So get on with it: Write concisely, make your point, give out the information and be done.
Finally, clients and bloggers-to-be, know what needs you are addressing and why you're the (only) one to fill them. Once you've done that, and are fully committed, go to
it-you're ready to have fun!
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