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I started blogging since eons back. Make that light years ago, when Yahoo was the dominant search engine. Working as a deskbound library officer allowed me the luxury of time to start learning HTML and designing my first few webpages using Geocities (Google these names, if you must)
When the grandfather of social networks, Friendster appeared on the scene and introduced a blogging platform, I was sucked in. I blogged frantically. Ritually almost, on a daily basis. Blogging became a passionate expression of thoughts and emotions for me. Coupled with the small base of readership I had, it made me feel accepted and validated.
Over the years since then, I have started and still continued blogging on various platforms. I write on many topics from financial planning to communication and self development. It proved to be an expansive base of content for me to share with my audience.
Why Blogging?
Unlike tweets, statuses or Tik Tok videos, blogging to me personally carries a fair bit of credibility. Many industry experts still stick to blogging as their main source of information sharing. Bloggers like Seth Godin, remains as my inspiration. It appears to me that when one blogs, his/her online gravitas is more established.
Blogging requires you to sit down and organize your thoughts into writing. Coherent, consistent and clear. While this may sound tedious for the Tik Tok generation of creators and contributors, this is exactly why blogging is more serious.
How Blogging Builds Your Credibility?
If you blog long enough with more maturity, thoughtfulness and sense, people will always take your posts credibly. As with books, the more things you write, the more you tend to become a subject expert. This is also true for blogging.
I have been at the end of references and consultations from strangers and clients, who referred to my posts. Some still asked for the context of my blog posts. Some still cite my blog posts as insights and wisdoms. Some still consider my blog posts as reference materials for their own writings. In short, blog posts carry more weightage as a thought piece.
If you are in the capacity or profession where your thoughts mean something, blogging is a good beginner's platform to start on. The more you write consistently, the more your presence will be established. Readers will form a relationship of trust with you over time. This will put you in good stead for future consultations or opportunities. Professions such as financial consultants can best utilize blogging as a medium of building credibility.
How To Start Blogging?
- Decide on theme/topic.
- Register yourself on a blogging platform. ( I recommend Wordpress )
- Start writing short pieces of content on your selected theme/topic.
- Blog for your intended audience.
- Blog with a call to action, preferably.
- Your perfectionist streak will kick in. Ignore.
- Blog in your own style and personality.
- Build on a blogging momentum.
So there you have it. A strong reason for you to start blogging away. Remember to blog from your source of knowledge and resources. That is how your build on your credibility. Your readers will not care about how much you know, until they know how much you care.
Hijazi is the founder and program curator for The Barakah People. A passionate student in the arts of communication and marketing. He has over 2 decades of industry experience in the fields of salesmanship, entrepreneurship, finance and public speaking. Hijazi counts reading books pleasurably intoxicating. It is far more likely to find him marooned on an island with a book, over anything else.
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