In Bob Walsh’s book Clear Blogging, he interviews Zane Safrit, the (now former) CEO of Conference Calls Unlimited, a company who has embraced blogging as a viable way to create and sustain relationships with customers. It’s working very well for the mid-size business, keeping customers while others struggle to maintain their base.
I was struck by the way Safrit answered a question about why more CEOs haven’t embraced blogging:
“Coming back to your question about the CEOs, I think that a lot of them are curious. I think they’re perplexed. And I think that they’re stuck in the mind frame of, ‘Well, I’ve got work to do. I don’t have time to blog and talk with my peers and talk with my customers, and find out other ideas, better ideas, clarify my own thinking and keep us moving forward. I don’t have time for that. I’ve got work to do.’”
I don’t think it’s just the CEOs who think this way. Blogging is not always easy, and it does take time, but the rewards, both professionally and for our students, could be great. What do you think are the benefits of blogging? The challenges?
(photo by foundphotoslj)
Benefits: You can talk to anyone about just about anything. It connects people with common interests and provides different viewpoints, and it has much more of a human feel than publishing a paper.
Challenges: Unless you have the Nike “Just Do It” attitude, getting going and started can feel like this enormous rainstorm cloud closing in on you and leave you panicky about making mistakes, vulnerable about your own position, and adds one more iron in the fire. It’s unfortunate that the only way to ease into the process is to make your own. I am still wondering how I do this with students and have yet to research that process. (My next big dark cloud looming in the distance)
I guess the other thing is expectations I had. Now knowing that hardly anyone is reading my blog (which seems to be kind of normal), it has become more of a journal for me, rather than a place to promote conversation. This shift of thinking has allowed me to become more prolific and less worried about “what others will think.” I don’t know if this is a challenge or a benefit
Benefits: Valuable communication tool which can be used universally, as well as locally, and in any environment or setting.
From an educational viewpoint, students would think of this as a “cool” way to express constructive ideas as opposed to text messaging
Challenges: CEO’s would have problems embracing this technique. Take away the excuse of not having enough time, I think fear is the real factor as it is with most of us. However, this will not be a problem with students–they have no fear.
Personally, I will feel more confident when I can see what’s going on (visual learner).
I think that one of the benefits of professional blogging is that a person doesn’t feel as isolated in hie/her profession. Just knowing that there is a community of supportive people out there in cyber-space for you to bounce ideas off of is helpful. Swapping ideas & lesson plans can also be a great help. However, I do understand that it can feel like another thing added to the never-ending to-do list for teachers and other professionals.
You’re exactly right. It does take time. But the benefits, the ROI, from blogging regularly are enormous. Let’s take an extreme example. Let’s assume no one ever reads the blog. Ever. But each day you write, you put down in writing your ideas, you organize them, present them…you gather data and examples to support, you reference other posts, you comment on current events, personal or professional. The ROI comes from the boost in how organized and clear are your ideas, your stands, your writing skills. That’s the ROI in a vacuum. But blogs don’t live in a vacuum. There’s their added power. The interaction, the exchanging, the challenging, the sharing, the correcting…of ideas and tools and resources and support. For anyone willing to share their ideas in writing with friends, neighbors, family, colleagues, strangers.
Thanks.
Zane,
Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments. One of the concepts teachers, like CEOs I suppose, find hard to fit into our days is concentrated reflection. It’s encouraging to think of the blog as a space for this, but more: a public space where we can benefit personally as well as allow others to add to or take something from those thoughts.
Thanks again!