Why Every Freelancer Should Have A Blog

Why Every Freelancer Should Have A Blog
Written by Samuel in Blogging

What do you think of when people mention that they have a blog? Vacation pictures? Funny stories about the weekend? Let's be honest -- blogs are too often interpreted as "internet diaries" for mothers and teenagers. But in reality, blogs are probably the best vehicles for delivering information that is timely, current, and to the point. In fact, in today's world, if you are a web worker or writer, then you had better have a regularly updated blog yourself. Here's why:

Refine Your Craft
Anytime you have to communicate a concept or process to a group of people, you will improve your skillset on multiple levels. Not only will you become better at writing, you will also improve in your particular craft because you will tend to research more knowing that your visitors expect quality.

Stay Current
Blogging forces you to stay current in your industry. In a recent survey by A List Apart, 95% of web designers, developers, and writers admit that they stay current by reading relevant websites/blogs (compared to 76% that say books and 32% that utilize conferences or seminars). You're not going to earn any guru points if all your posts cover the same content as every other blog from the last two years.

Create Opportunities
This is one of the most important reasons to keep a blog. There are so many exciting companies and technologies being created every day (just flip through an issue of Fast Company). If you ever want to be a part of such opportunities, putting yourself "out there" is the first step, especially if you don't already have the connections to the "movers" in the industry. There have been a number of examples of people who began with a blog and ended up with a partnership in a promising web startup or an offer from a major media outlet. Furthermore, the blog really is the new resume and you can believe that it's a great advantage for any job-seeker.

So where to get started with a blog? Well, we'll save that for another post this week.

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Community Comments

Anthony Brown
12/10/2007 8:23:39 AM

Great post! I've just recently decided to take a small step into the freelance world (continuing to work full-time). My blog at this point has been mostly a moblog, but you've inspired me to actually get some thoughts out of my head, and onto the site.

Chris Pugh
12/10/2007 9:07:30 AM

I have blogged for many years now but most of my blogs have been focused on thoughts about my life. Now that I am entering the world of freelancing, where do I draw the line? Should I consider a personal blog where I would post my random thoughts as well as a more public blog centered around my freelancing or career options?

Brad Pyne
12/10/2007 9:37:25 AM

I'd rather everyone in the world have a blog than a My Space. Good entry, you are the only blog I continuously check day to day.

Robin Cannon
12/10/2007 9:56:37 AM

How focused do you feel a freelancer blog should be on purely professionally related issues? At the moment I think I'm falling between two stools - my blog does have a reasonably strong focus on technical issues and web topics but I also throw in the occasional personal post or comment/review on TV shows or movies. That's to some extent because I'd actually quite like my blog to have a wider interest but as much because I'm writing about things that I'm interested in both professionally and personally.

Samuel
12/10/2007 11:31:10 AM

If you see your blog as a "channel" for your career and future opportunities, then I suggest keeping the personal stuff relegated to another blog. I would do this for the same reason that you try to give relevant and professional information during a job interview.

For most potential clients/employers/partners, the personal stuff tends to be "noise" that distracts them from your professional posts. And you don't want to miss out on a job because your a potential client loathes the fact that you spend your weekends watching Laguna Beach re-runs (which should be a travesty in anyone's book :)

So anyways, I'd rather keep a personal blog separate -- and don't worry, your style and personality will come through on a professional blog anyways...

Robin Cannon
12/10/2007 12:42:51 PM

Yeah, makes sense. I guess having developed my site initially as a personal website, a good while back, and when I did a major redesign/rebrand it was at a time when I was starting to look more actively at moving towards developing freelance work and a professional web presence I've ended up with a bit of a mish-mash.

That being said, I do want to retain a certain...um...quirkiness to the site as there can be the danger of professional blogs being too dry. My move towards freelancing is to some extent inspired by a site I stumbled across called barefootbusiness.com, which is about developing your own business for overall life quality rather than simply for making high income. As a result I want the site and the business to be something that reflects me and my personality.

But I agree that the mix of personal/professional can be confusing and probably doesn't present me in the clearest way. Think I will start looking at making this site, which already has a largely professional aspect and (imo) good branding a purely professional/technical based site - while remaining accessible, and then look at developing a site more personal to me if I want to focus on that aspect also.

Many thanks for the advice.

Brett
12/11/2007 8:33:10 AM

I think there is a huge value in engaging in community blogs. You get to interact with people in the same industry and can bounce ideas and such off each other. People that aren't utilizing these sites are at a huge disadvantage I think, especially people just starting out.

I easily spend 100 dollars every so often at Barnes and Noble getting magazines and books.. but what I have gained from visiting sites like this one and many others, far out weighs what I could get from any book.

Linda
12/11/2007 10:33:04 PM

Just make sure that if you do create a professional blog, don't host it on Blogger.

Soni
12/12/2007 2:40:55 PM

I read a lot of books, but I find that the overwhelming majority of my most up to date information comes from other bloggers sharing their knowledge, so why not give back by sharing mine.

Robin Cannon
12/13/2007 4:44:59 PM

Certainly agree with you on hosting on Blogger, Linda. But I do use Blogger for hosting on my own FTP for my blogs, which at least for now I feel pretty comfortable with. It's a lot more configurable and styleable than I think is acknowledged. While I have been looking around Wordpress on and off for a while there's nothing as yet that's given me a concrete motivation to move to that option.

Francisco
1/31/2008 12:52:24 AM

Awesome post, i am new at blogging but from what I've gathered. Blogg are the way to go. Awesome post.

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