To start, I need to just take a pen and paper and write down facts and ideas that reflect my personal and professional interests. From there I can decide what interests I'd like to expand on in a blog or website.
Deciding whether to have both personal and professional interests on the same site is something I have been struggling with. After reading this article http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/personal-or-professional-how-to-balance-your-brand-online/ I have realized that it is okay to include both personal and professional details on the same blog. They key here is to have a clear definition of what you want to be known for. There must also be a balance between the two profiles.
I also need to decide what the intent of my blog is going to be. Up to now, I've been following course instructions and acquiring experience in blogging but I'm unsure what direction I want to take it in the future. This is my greatest challenge at the moment.
Being in the ESL field, I'm thinking about creating a blog where people can come to share their experiences in the esl field from around the world. I'd like to create forums and have articles where people can come together, offer suggestions to solve common issues surrounding the traveling teacher (great blog name!) and discuss their experiences in different countries. This would be a great use for my blog.
Hmm, after thinking about it, you are now looking at a more accurate title for my blog!
Kevin I like your idea of balance, I get so caught up in trying to be professional I forget that I might come across as a robot. I did google you, just to check out your online reputation, didn't find much. I think you have a great idea, more people visit a blog or website that is interesting and fun, instead of professional and dry. Best of both worlds!
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to measure how much personal you want to share on a professional blog. I started by sharing none at all, but I started sharing educational reflections, and that led into other posts that I wrote just because they were of interest to me. In general, I keep most personal things offline, with the exception of photos shared on Facebook. I do think it is important that your readers get an idea of who you are as a person, and that it isn't all about teaching.
ReplyDelete