tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536666202192801656.post3856561198750225096..comments2023-12-19T05:13:40.123-07:00Comments on A Little Bookish: Friday Coffee Chat (23)–To Blog or Not to Blog?Carinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06306757884348058544noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536666202192801656.post-80063229116212630712012-06-15T18:25:48.212-06:002012-06-15T18:25:48.212-06:00A colleague linked me to this site. Thnx for the d...A colleague linked me to this site. Thnx for the details.<br /><i>Also visit my web page</i> ... <b><a href="http://www.pictureblast.com.au" rel="nofollow">Picture Booth Adelaide</a></b>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536666202192801656.post-43850683768881856932011-04-16T07:58:28.203-06:002011-04-16T07:58:28.203-06:00You bring up a really interesting topic, and it is...You bring up a really interesting topic, and it is one that I am very concerned about myself. I feel that in this age of hyper-connectivity that many people feel far to comfortable with vomiting their everythought onto the screen while lacking the self disgression to filter their thoughts. <br /><br />This, I feel, is caused by what I can only think of as the hyper-isolation of the modern world. What I mean by this is that while there is an overabundance of interactive stimulus between the umpteen-millions of people on social media...the act of blogging or facebooking or what have you is a private undertaking where even if there is an immediate response from someone else the effect is dulled by the screen infront of the writer...a sort of technological distancing that (I have noticed) has made people feel less responsible for what the say or announce to the world at large. This is why employers may search for prosepective hires on the web because they do not want to hire someone who is not able to make the distinction between what is and is not appropriate to post on a blog or other social media.<br /><br />Sorry for that diatribe...what I am getting at is that there is a risk of blogging when interviewing for a job but only if the blogger is not willing to take ownership of the ideas that are being conveyed and do not have a sort of professional candor (ie no pictures of being a drunken mess on facebook or blogged list of former lovers on a website that is open to the public...extreme examples but I have seen them). Thinking in this regard I feel that you have nothing to fear with your blog. You will not be turned down for a position simply because you prefer fantastical literature compared to say political non-fiction. The very fact that you have seriously thought about that being a factor proves to me that you have enough self-awareness that the blog is highly unlikely to get you in trouble with a potential employer.<br /><br />Now in terms of whether you should continue blogging the truly import question is "Does blogging make you happy?" If it does (and that is the impression that I get) then continue blogging even during this difficult time. As long as it is not getting in the way of your job search voicing your opinion about the literature you love can only be a good thing for you in terms of stress relief and personal enjoyment. I was recently unemployed and gave up some of the things that I enjoyed doing because I felt that getting a job was more important. While it was true that much of my time needed to be spent in looking for work I was miserable untill I picked back up some of those activities. Also employers can tell during interviews if you are miserable and that may turn them off. So it it important to make sure that you are giving yourself some time for fun activities.<br /><br />Finaly, I do feel that blogging can be an asset when applying for work for two reasons. First, even if you are not looking for work in publishing it is showing that you have a skill with written communication which is an important trait to have. Secondly, and more importantly, it shows that you have interests outside of the work you are looking for. In my experience this is very important to employers because a person who is single-mindedly fixated on any job or activitiy is more likely to succumb to burning out then someone that has a creative outlet (ie blogging) to turn to in order to relieve stress and recover from the repetitive humdrum of the average persons working life.<br /><br />I guess this all has been my long winded way of saying YOU have nothing to worry about with this blog and that you should ablsolutley continue blogging if it makes you feel good, just make sure leave time for the job search and everything will work out just fine. Good Luck!Patchesnoreply@blogger.com