Bloggin’ Nora!
The past two days have possibly been the bleakest of my blogging experience to date. You see, I don’t blog to make money out of blogging, I blog to help market our businesses. And it works, there’s no two ways about it. But, all the hoopla and nonsense has come to a head recently and let’s just say it doesn’t overly interest me.
I didn’t start this venture with Robert as a means to raise my profile as a blogger - yes, there are benefits - that’s the nature of blogging, but it’s certainly not about becoming some hotshot celeb business blogger who spends all of his time jetting about delivering power messages to all and sundry who’ve had their blog whammies tweaked. Believe it or not, I have a business to help run. If a blog helps our business then I’m a successful business blogger. That’s all there is to it. Although confusing them with my accent could be fun.
My concept of BLOGthenticity is to provide a resource for smaller businesses who want to start a blog, but can’t afford consultants. Y’know, to help them do it properly - that’s all. I did it and I know others want to do it, so why not help them out. For me it’s the nature of the blogosphere and the blogosphere is how the internet was designed to be.
However, what a difference 24 hours makes. Today I’m more chipper about blogging than I’ve ever been. For six months I’ve been ploughing a lone furrow in the sheet metal world and bashing my head against a brick(tin?) wall. It’s difficult operating a blog without a niche to operate in. It’s not impossible, but it makes life harder.
The other day I commented about the biggest hot and cold rolled steel strip site in the UK, Steelstrip Resources, looking like they could benefit from a blog. The guy had left me a comment previously that he was going to link to The Tinbasher because he liked it. For me that’s enough considering the closed nature of most of the subscription based sites relating to the steel industry.
Providing a link on his front page was really rather nice of him, so I gave him another little mention.
The next thing you know he’s started a blog:
I had heard of Blogs, but never understood what they were and the discovery of the Tinbasher’s blog was a revelation to me. Anyway the net result was that I decided to use this medium as a convenient way to publish my thoughts on aspects of our industry as the days go by, and hopefully invite comment. Anyway, since it was raised by Paul on the tinbasher’s site, I will pick up on the points he raised regarding the cost attached to access to information in our industry.
And from there he expands upon my post and a tangible curve of the blogosphere for sheet metal and steel is born.
And that, my friends, is good enough for me.
Filed under: BLOGthenticity, Paul, Why Blog?
I Love It! That’s great news. Congrats, Paul!
I know. I’m still over the moon now - which is a strange English football saying meaning quite pleased.
His site is the biggest of its type in the UK, so hopefully the thing might gain some momentum. Then again, I won’t hold my breath!
I subscribe to several business blogs. So many are promoting themselves and stroking each other to so that the strokee will promote them that I’ve been very disillusioned and don’t know what to believe. Thank you for being true to yourself. It’s very refreshing and I think what you do is in the spirit blogging was meant to be. I would love to hear what other subscribers think.
It does seem to get a bit incestuous at times, I must admit. I know I’ve benefitted from quite a bit of stroking.
But, I think there’s a difference between those who blog for their existing business and those who are spinning it in order to obtain business.
I’m not saying this is the case with all of the marketing/pr blogs - far from it. But, I do share your confusion at times.
I think everybody shares the same feeling that blogging, when done correctly, is a fantastic marketing tool for your business. If I had the money I’d seriously think about getting a consultant in to set the thing up including the basic linking structures and adding to directories and RSS set up. Let them do the boring stuff.
I think it’s important we understand how blogging is meant to be and fight that corner. Especially for the little fella.
Thanks for dropping in and leaving a comment.