How to Launch a Career With Your Blog

Your blog can get you the career of your dreams. According to the following article from Fast Company magazine...

Silicon Valley start-ups and media behemoths aren't the only ones realizing the rewards of the rebounding Web economy. Already, many A-list bloggers have generated significant income from running advertisements on their blogs. Though with an estimated 53.4 million blogs expected to launch by year-end, according to Perseus Development Corporation, it's safe to assume that not everyone is going to get rich from blogging. So what's in it for the up-and-coming blogger, beyond creative self-expression?

Blogging can be transformative –- placing you on a new career path, earning you a book deal, or catapulting you into the field of your dreams. Just ask some of the folks we spoke with.

"My blog has led me to change my life," says Jeff Jarvis, author of the media and news blog, Buzz Machine. "I left my corporate job to take the consulting gigs, speaking gigs, and writing gigs that have come my way as a result of the reputation I built up through my blog."

Jarvis, a former critic for People and TV Guide and a founding editor of Entertainment Weekly, gained blog popularity while criticizing mainstream media and lauding citizen media. He eventually said good-bye to his full time gig to consult for The New York Times Company and the Guardian, among other media companies. He's also associate professor and director of the interactive journalism program the City University of New York’s new Graduate School of Journalism. "All of that came about from the blog," says Jarvis.

Read the rest

Rob Humphrey: Sales Executive

Got to hand to Rob Humphrey. He just lost his job but he's been blogging for a year and has a terrific online profile complete with testimonials. Plus he's pro actively telling his peers he's available.

Rob is a job seeker who "gets it".

The French Jobseeker and Résumé 2.0

I found this one on Michael Specht's blog. He calls it Resume 2.0;

"With everything being 2.0 these days I guess it wasn’t long before Resume 2.0 came along. Vianney Lecroart a 30 year old French developer has created a resume based on Web 2.0 features and ideas. To quote Vianney:-

I’m a 30 years old French guy living in Jouy en Josas / France.
I’m looking for a job as a Team Leader, I enjoy working on challenging projects using Extreme Programming methodology.

What is interesting other than being a bit “gimmicky” this style of resume actually provides you a better idea of what Vianney has done and can do, it also shows the type of person he is. In my mind a great example of showing your skills to a prospective employer. I also love the use of colours and styles that simulate many of the popular Web 2.0 companies out there."

Article: Show you’re a thought leader in your industry with a thlog

I was recently quoted in this article on Small Business Review about blogging.

Beyond the Blog - the Thlog

by Gary Stern

In 2001 and 2002, ancient history in Internet time, savvy business owners who were looking to tap into current trends and build rapport with customers and prospects began to launch blogs. The world of blogging has since exploded—Blogcount recently reported that 547,157 blogs were updated in one month—and in that sea of navel-gazing, silly link swapping and armchair punditry it’s not easy to build brand awareness.

For 2007, marketing experts advise, it pays to rethink your approach. You’ll get a payback on the time and effort that goes into writing and updating a blog, they say, if it shows you off as a thought leader in your industry. There’s even a new term for it—the thlog--coined by Vicki Kunkel, CEO of Leader Brand Strategies, an executive brand management company based in Chicago, though many people still refer to them as thought leader blogs.

Thlogs work because they offer “more value-added information for busy business people or consumers,” Kunkel says. Think of them like the op-ed page in newspapers, where experts offer insight and explanations of recent developments. “It positions you as a leader,” says Kunkel. “You’re on top of trends and the market. You have an ability to analyze your market and come up with important conclusions,”

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