Commentary on Blogs and Blogging

Like many other web-users, I was skeptical of blogs at the beginning. I thought blogs were only used by people writing online diaries so they would be visible in public and accessible to everyone. Indeed, many bloggers make use of the medium to present themselves.

Over time, however, I realized that you can use blogs for professional purposes, too. I am using my Blog on market research to learn about new trends and developments and making valuable professional contacts. I’ve learned that blogging is a very effective medium for professional preparation.

Blogging has changed my personal working habits.  I have learned to present myself better, to offer opinions, and to invite commentary. Researching my field on the web and reporting on it, I’ve learned how to separate relevant from irrelevant information and to develop more sophisticated ideas of my topics. Being able to see what others are writing about and being able to compare them has led me to clarify my topic.  Summing up, I can say that blogging has helped me to understand the market research better and learn lots of new professional vocabulary.

I am writing about topics I am finding in specialized journals and scientific publications. I am analyzing and commenting on what I find so I might offer valuable perspectives for professionals this field. I am especially pleased that the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) has again taken notice of one of my Blog entries and listed me on their News page. Here is the link. This was highly motivating and has led me to write more about the topic (Competitive Intelligence).

To conclude, I can say that blogs are a powerful medium for professional purposes.  They help students to gain experience in the earliest stages of their chosen fields of study  To maintain a blog, of course, takes time, training and planning. But it can be done, as I have learned, in about 40 hours of class and study time.