Blogging to tell your story could be cathartic. Everyone has a story to tell, and it can be good, bad, or ugly. There may be happy or sad endings. LinkedIn is one of many places to share your story.
On LinkedIn, you can share your story by creating a post, an article, a document, or a video. If you share a video blog, it is known as a vlog, and you are a vlogger who creates video content.
In contrast, a blog, which is created by a blogger, is written content.
Blogs can entertain, empower, educate, engage, or enlighten – the five Es of content marketing.
While most of my writing is to educate, I have a personal story to share about fire. Fifteen years ago, I lost everything in my life to fire, including my pets. I shared this sad but true story on LinkedIn.
Fortunately, there was no human life lost, but after I recovered from the experience, I decided to volunteer as a business member for the Berwyn Fire Company and still help with fundraising events. One of my main contributions is supporting the annual Turkey Raffle and silent auction, and I utilize my technology skills.
At this time of year when we give thanks, please support your local fire company and EMTs financially. Their budgets have been hit with all the COVID-19 PPE costs and more. Have no fear, they are there for you 24/7/365, ready for you on the front line.
In a previous article on How to and Why LinkedIn Publishing, you will find useful information for writing your blog on LinkedIn. Some of the information is also applicable to other platforms.
If you have not yet written an article on LinkedIn, it’s a great time to start. When you write this article, you can consider it a blog, and you can publish it on your website (if you have one) or other platforms. If you don’t have a website, you can create a blog site on several different platforms.
When interviewing two local bloggers, they had a couple of tips to share about blogging:
Brandyn Campbell shared one of her favorite anonymous quotes: “One of my favorite pieces of advice for bloggers is, ‘If you’re your authentic self, you have no competition.’ Don’t worry about whether a topic has been written about before. Adding your spin and experience to post makes it yours, which makes it unique.
Brandyn does anti-racist communications consulting and is passionate about helping her clients, committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, articulate their values into the language of their business. Her experience as a blogger enables her to help organizations shape the next steps in their story.
If you want to follow her, here are her handles:
Another local blogger, Christine Tarlecki Trimble, is the author of Engchik Eats, a local food, and lifestyle blog. She notes, “I write what I know. Starting a blog is daunting and scary. When I was laid off, I began to think about what I liked and what I wanted to write about – so food was the obvious answer. I seek out local chefs and local restaurants. Especially in this climate, I seek to create relationships with my local community.
This year hasn’t been easy, and like many of you, I was laid off (again!). But I have a strong writing and digital marketing background, so I can use my blog and my skills to earn a freelance paycheck.”
Christine notes she has been lucky with people reading her blog, and she has promoted it on social media. Readers have voted her blog the best local blog because of the relationships she has built with them.
She also just started a podcast because she loves interviewing people as much as she loves writing about them! Christine has found subject matter experts to interview for features, and as a skilled blogger, she can tell their stories and create my blog, one story at a time.
If you want to follow her, here are her handles:
Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Podcast
NEXT STEPS
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AUTHOR BIO
Lynne M. Williams is the Executive Director of the Great Careers Network, a volunteer-run 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides career development and networking connections for 1) job seekers in career transition, including veterans, and 2) employed and self-employed for career management.
Aside from writing keyword-focused content for ATS resumes and LinkedIn™ profiles, Lynne is writing her doctoral dissertation on LinkedIn™ for Job Seekers. She is a contributing author on “Applying to Positions” in Find Your Fit: A Practical Guide to Landing the Job You Love, along with the late Dick Bolles, the author of What Color is Your Parachute?, and is also a speaker on career topics.
