Last night I met up with a friend for dinner. We got talking about this blog and at one point during the conversation she said, 'On the Internet, everyone has a voice'. And that's completely true. Whether we're writing a blog, commenting on someone else's, sharing a link with friends or just liking something on Facebook, we all have something to say, and the Internet gives us an easy and quick way to do that. In fact, often having your say online is a lot less scary than doing it in person.
Yesterday's post was about the dangers of this and how, if that voice isn't used wisely, it can get us in big trouble. But today I'm going to turn that around and look at the other side, the way in which we can use the Internet and the power it gives us to make a positive impact, not only on those who read it but on our own futures. Today, I'm going to blog about blogging.
Why do people start blogs? Originally they were online diaries (web logs, hence 'blog'), used by those who were going travelling and wanted to keep their friends and family back home up to date on their adventures. But nowadays they're used for everything from sharing a hobby to giving advice, documenting a life experience or even something as simple as a day-to-day journal.
Some blogs become big news, like Never Seconds, in which ten-year-old Martha Payne from Scotland shared photos of her school dinner every day, and scored each one out of ten. Martha hit the headlines when her school told her she had to stop blogging. Since then she's raised a staggering £129,000 for charity, won several awards and just yesterday she met the president of Malawi.
Other blogs are read by just a handful of friends and family. But they all have an impact. People subscribe to blogs because they want to read the next update. They comment because they have an example or opinion they want to share. Maybe they don't agree with a post and want to start a discussion. And so the blog becomes not just one person's voice, but a community.
A good friend of mine, Sian, is moving to Turkey next month, and decided to blog about her preparations and the adventure ahead. Over time she realised she had more to say than just talking about the move, so now her blog tells a more general story about her life, her cats, her Bucket List and her travels, among many other things. It's funny and genuine, and I highly recommend that you take a look at To Fethiye and Beyond. And what's great is that through the blog she's met new people with common interests, who she'd never have known otherwise. These new friends come from all over the world and have offered to help her fulfil Bucket List items, and offered her reassurance and encouragement that her move is going to be a good one. Sian's also just heard that her blog won a Best Moments Award - not bad going for someone who's only been writing for six months!
By starting a blog you can also raise your own profile as an authority on a particular subject. Katie, another friend, started Musings of Guitargalchina to blog about films, a long-time passion of hers, just over a year ago. She wanted to get into film journalism and her blog gave her the chance to start writing, developing her style, and meant she had something to show to potential editors. Through promoting the blog to fellow film fans and bloggers, Katie's now written for five other sites and is a regular contributor to three, sharing her thoughts and opinions on the world of TV and film. Her blog has hundreds of followers and she's part of a thriving online community, regularly coming into contact with journalists and others within the film industry. Writing the blog has also given her confidence in her own ability and style.
Maybe you're worried that you have nothing to say. Not true - we all have hobbies and interests, and we all have something to say about them. Or maybe something really annoys you, and you just need to get it off your chest. There are almost certainly others out there who feel the same and will be happy to join the discussion.
You don't even have to write if you don't want to - take pictures, make videos, record podcasts. All these are just as valid and will allow you to get your voice heard. Try to find an angle that hasn't been covered before; that way your blog will be unique and is more likely to get noticed - because after all, as I pointed out yesterday, on the Internet you never know who's paying attention.
But even if you don't make headlines, it's ok. It'll look great on your CV, and you might make some new friends. Those people will care what you have to say, and that's a great feeling!
If you have a blog that you'd like to share with everyone, please let us know in the comments.
Who remembers life before Facebook and Twitter? Social networking has become such a natural part of our lives that we now don't think twice about writing all our innermost thoughts online for all to see. I have Facebook friends I never actually talk to in real life and haven't seen since school, but I know everything that's going on in their lives, I've seen photos of their wedding and their new baby and I even know what they had for dinner last night.
Our behaviour on social networks like Facebook has a huge impact on how others see us. The content and frequency of our status updates, the links we share and the photos we post all give an idea of who we are and what we're like. Sometimes it's not accurate; I know quite a few people who have an online persona that's completely different to how they are in real life. And it can be used to our advantage - if we use it wisely.
But the problem is sometimes we forget who else is going to see what we get up to online. Potential employers now check Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as a matter of routine before hiring anyone. With some sites like Facebook, there are security settings that mean you can keep members of the public from seeing your profile, but others, like Twitter, are completely public. Everyone can see what you write and how often - if a recruiter knows you're currently working but can see you're tweeting all day, that's not a good sign. Don't be like Connor Riley, who was offered a job by Cisco but then lost it after tweeting negative comments about the prospect of working for them.
Equally, you have to be careful about what you say and do online in case your current employer sees it. Complaining about your job, being rude about customers or just posting content that others might find inappropriate is a risky business. Here are some examples of people who suffered unforeseen consequences from their social networking:
Ashley Payne, a high school teacher from Georgia, was asked to resign from her job because her school saw photos of her drinking on Facebook. They felt the photos 'promoted alcohol use'.
In 2009, Kimberley Swann from Essex was fired after three weeks from her job as an admin assistant; she'd written on Facebook about how boring it was - even on her first day.
Cameron Reilly, a guard at Buckingham Palace, was sacked after he posted rude comments about Kate Middleton, because she didn't look at him as her car drove past.
Three Burger King employees from Ohio were fired after posting a photo showing one of them standing in two tubs of lettuce used in the restaurant. Although it was posted anonymously, the restaurant and consequently the employees were identified within twenty minutes.
All these mistakes were avoidable; just by taking a second to think about who might see their status, all these people could still be employed. But the problem with social media is that sometimes you don't have any control over what happens. Paul Marshallsea from Wales was sacked last week from the charity he worked for after footage of him heroically wrestling a shark in Australia went global. He was on extended sick leave from work and his boss was unimpressed, despite the universal praise he received for his courage.
The short version of this post is: nothing's private any more. Social networking has changed the way we communicate and the downside is once we've written something it's out there and we can't take it back. So check those security settings and think twice before updating your status, because you never know who's looking at them. It could be a recruiter. It could be your boss. Or, worst of all, it could be your mum...
