Reasons for Not Blogging: 1

Why do people not blog? 

Often I am asked the other question - Why should I blog? For me the answers are different depending whether you are talking about a personal blog or a business blog and of course many people have the two combined.  Leaving aside the reasons for a business blog, which are easier to articulate, I have come across several reasons for personal blogs including:

• I use Facebook to stay in touch with friends - sometimes I want to say more than can easily fit into a Facebook post (I know there are ways around that issue) and if I am investing the time to get my words together, I'd rather have a copy outside of Facebook, in case they change their IPR rules
• If you find something interesting and not well documented or easily findable elsewhere, e.g. fingering for difficult banjo chords, write it up and put it in a blog - it's easy for you to find it subsequently using Google and it's available for others as well.
• If you write for yourself, and write about what you are interested in and thinking about, if you are lucky you'll find others interested int eh same who can maybe help you with your thinking.

When I have spoken to people who I think should blog, as I'd read their blog if they did, the reasons they have given for not blogging include:Image by Toastwife

• I have nothing to say worth saying - its all been said before
• It feels pretentious blogging, as though I am the world expert on .. why else would anyone read my blog?
• I don't have a clear idea of my audience - Who am I meant to be blogging for?
• I am scared at the idea of standing up in front of a huge audience and yelling at them to be silent saying "Listen to me I have something important to say.
• It seems like it would take a lot of time  -I don't have time to spare
• The audience could be millions, particularly if I make a spectacular ass of myself.  And my foolishness would be there forever. 

I think there are answers to all of these objections. But  I am not sure trying to answer the objections is the best way to encourage someone to blog.

What objections have you heard expressed and how would you encourage someone to blog?

Two Blog Or Not Two Blog?

I have been blogging since the time when blogging required you to hardcode a page in HTML. Whilst it is true that blogging tools have made the physical process easier, there are other factors which still need consideration. Online identity is a serious thing. Our online identity is not only our Google results, our CV or our street-cred - it's who we are and, more sombrely, our epitaph. We really ought to give our online presence careful consideration in every respect.

In the past I have been very experimental with my online image. I used to update my Facebook profile picture a number of times a week - mostly whilst on holiday! In the end I decided that I was spending more time than I was prepared to give and ended up with the avatar that I use today. (Go here for fuller explanation.) Now I am facing a new dilemma: blogging in two different places.

When I was setting up my blog I took some advice from Euan Semple. I was of the opinion that I ought to have two blogs: one for business and one for pleasure. When I asked Euan why he had only one blog he explained very simply "It all comes from the same place. My head is all jumbled up with all kinds of stuff so why separate it?" I took his point and my head and shoved it all into the one blog, itiswhatever.com. Now my dilemma is different as I need to draw attention to my work blog in order to generate traffic and hopefully some work. Let's not kid ourselves, we're all at it - we are all blogging, and we are all blogging in different places, different styles with different people. When I upload new photos to Flickr or comment on my cousin's holiday photos in Facebook I have just updated my online presence, and therefore blogged. And I don't even need to mention how I micro-blog in Twitter. I am now embracing the opportunity of blogging in different areas (but with one avatar!) Footnote: When I was in PwC I was blogging in two places anyway as I had my own internal blog in which I posted some very useful information that could be used by the whole organisation. As I said, your online presence is your epitaph.

Hello world!

Nick and I have spent some time trying to come up with a name we both liked. We were set on Social Side but then realised the domain socialside.com was gone. Then we were going for Social Slant - I even bought socialside.com - but we gave it second thoughts after Euan Semple suggested it might age badly. Then looked at Glass Beehive but again the domain was gone. Eventually we both agreed with Bright Beehive. So without any hesitation I hereby open this Bright Beehive blog. And god bless all who sail in it.