1. Self-promotion and image crafting

If you were to Google ”Brett Tilford” a year ago, the only thing you would have turned up was a two-sentence bio on my old employer’s website and some archived race times from my high school competitive swimming days.  Pretty pathetic.  A recent survey found that over 75% of employers were Googling the names of perspective employees and that 35% of those surveyed have eliminated a prospect because of what they found.  After a year of  blogging, along with a healthy dose of involvement in other social networking sites, a search for my name yields plenty positive of results.  Notice my use of the word positive in the previous sentence.  One factor to be very aware of as you launch into the blogging and social networking world is that this can be a double edged sword.  In other words, don’t act like an idiot online.  The idea is to promote and shape your online image.  Be authentic but always put your best foot forward on your blog.

2. Relationship building

The ability to leave comments and interact on a blog really opens up the opportunities for connection with a wide range of people.  Initially, the only people likely to frequent your page are family, friends, and colleagues, but over time you’ll notice names popping up in various comments that you don’t recognize.  People from different states and even countries may interact with your content and have their lives enriched by it.  Send them an email thanking them for their thoughtful comments and in no time you’ll have connections that span the globe.

3. Stand out from the crowd

You’ve probably heard the term information overload and the havoc it’s wreaking in our lives.  It’s as if we’re drowning in a sea of information with no land in sight.  Our problem isn’t too little information, it’s too much information.  When you write, you’re developing a necessary and powerful skill in our current world: the process of taking in information, synthesizing it, and then infusing it with meaning.  If you can learn to effectively collect, synthesize, and infuse information you begin to set yourself apart from the competition and strengthen your personal brand.