5 Ways That Blogs Are Changing The World
Keywords: Blogging, bloggers, writing, make money blogging, advertising, personal branding, website traffic
Article Body: Blogs have been in the popular conscience for well over five years now, having reached their peak of hype around 2004. Although the hype is shrinking, the utility of a great blog certainly isn’t. With blogs completely uprooting multi-billion dollar industries, changing the value of information and education, and rapidly changing the way humans communicate, they’re one of the internet’s greatest powerhouse achievements, and a massive sign of the changing times of our world. With power extending across industries, bridging gaps between different countries, and dramatically changing the makeup of our communications businesses, blogs aren’t just a fad, they’re a hugely powerful social and technological movement that’s going to change the world.
#1 – Blogs unite visionaries. There are millions of blogs out there, and millions of bloggers. If blogs have given us anything, it’s the ability to rapidly and easily get in touch with influential people, and develop ideas amongst one another. With almost every major industry player being online in some form or another, blogs give us the chance to get in contact with people that we’d likely otherwise never talk to, and spend time discussing issues that we’d otherwise never have the chance to talk about.
#2 – Blogs improve our writing. In 1980, you needed an agent and a publisher to get your writing out there. Now, you need a blog. The barrier for entry has been reduced from a multi-million dollar publishing house down to a micro-publishing platform that everyone has access to. With this change in publishing has come a dramatic change in our writing abilities, access to feedback, and ability to communicate with publishers and fellow writers.
#3 – Blogs power markets. Need to advertise your new product? You’ve got two major options. The first is to market it through the conventional channels — TV ads, radio, newspapers. All are impersonal and fail to make a deep connection. Your other option is to market yourself through different blogs, and create a network of followers that’s miles deep. Build a marketing resource by writing to people that share your interests.
#4 – Blogs have changed companies. If you’re a manager looking to hire a highly skilled and able employee, where are you going to look? There’s Craiglist and Monster.org, but the people there aren’t spectacular, they’re not interested in you, and most importantly, they’re not in tune with your thinking. Your blog readers, on the other hand, are exactly the opposite. When you need to hire, try putting up a post on your blog explaining that you’re looking for help.
#5 – Blogs are possibly the greatest personal branding resource around. What comes up when people search for your name? For most, it’s nothing. For others, it’s a Facebook profile packed to the brim with pictures that aren’t exactly flattering. In order to market yourself well, you need to make sure that those search engine results reveal the real you. Use your blog to SEO yourself, and make sure that potential employers, business partners, and other people can find you when they search your name.
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