Exposure is leverage.
Gary Vaynerchuk
In issue #262 of my weekly newsletter, I shared this post by Doug Belshaw.
The post discusses the challenges and opportunities as we “work out loud.” Much of this was inspired by Austin Kleon’s book. If you really want to dig deep on this topic, check out this full session from Kleon at SXSW.
This focus on “working out loud” is some of the focus I have in my blogging. It is also guidance that I give my students and colleagues. As you work, you should focus on digital first, meaning that you create and share using digital tools that makes it easier to share process and product.
Some of the push back on this is that many do not feel like blogging is meaningful, or valuable. As an academic, a researcher, and a scholar…there are many that don’t understand why I would take the time to regularly write and share content online.
The belief is that online content, especially in the form of blogging is not meaningful. Since anyone can write anything, there are no quality checks. There is no credibility checks on authors and/or content.
Serendipitously, this came up this past weekend as I watched Contagion with my Wife. Jude Law plays an investigative blogger that is always on the trail. It’s funny to see the move (from 2011) frame blogging as a medium where anyone can sit in the shadows online and write anything.
There are numerous reasons why I blog. I also understand why many individuals do not blog. I also understand why there are some that question the validity and credibility of blogging. The main reason is…they don’t blog.
Recently, I was in talks with a group to develop an online space where a group could collectively write. I said…you mean a blog. The colleague indicated that…”Yes, but people don’t like the term blogging. We’ll call it something different to make it more attractive. Perhaps, short takes. Or short papers.”
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Exposure builds credibility
Credibility online is a strange concept. My thinking about credibility as it relates to working out loud is that more is always better.
Put more succinctly, I’m thoughtful of this post on Career Advice No One Tells You.
In the post they have a number of points of guidance on career advice that you never receive…but should. Item #9 on that list includes the following advice:
Always be getting more exposure
After you accomplish anything professionally, get online and write about it. Help someone who was once in your shoes trying to figure things out.
Exposure builds credibility.
The bigger the audience you have, the more people will take you seriously.
As you blog, or creating content online, you should tweet, retweet, share, and re-share that same content to get “legs under it.” If needed, you should identify ways to partial out any idea, or components of your content that can last a couple of days, or a week.
Basically, the thinking is that you should have an initial post, and then quote, re-share, and synthesize from the original post.
As they say in the section up above, “exposure builds credibility.”
Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash
This post is Day 20 of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Want to get involved? Find out more at 100daystooffload.com.
