THE ART(SCIENCE?) OF BLOGGING
Everybody is doing it and now The Chartered Professional Managers are doing it too. When I say everybody, I mean 600 million all over the world. All of them are writing blogs.
Blogs are not even 20 years old. But what is a blog? Well, the word itself is a combination of two words web and log. We have always had the word log with us. Ships have logs and scouts have logbooks. It is in these documents that people record their official events. Along comes the World Wide Web and web joins log as weblog and soon this becomes blog. Cambridge English Dictionary defines “Blog” as “a regular record of your thoughts, opinions or experiences that you put on the internet for other people to read.” So why should we at CPM Sri Lanka want to blog? There are of course several reasons.
At our Institute, the chief among our purposes is that we can share the knowledge we have. At the CPM Sri Lanka we have a vast reservoir of knowledge. Sharing what we know will enable us to renew our own selves and discuss with others an array of others’ thoughts.
A blog brings like-minded people together virtually. It is an opportunity to discover who else in this world has similar ideas to yours. Such a discovery will lead to further development of your thoughts.
Many blogs are issue -based. Take for instance, if you are deeply disturbed by the elephant-human conflict. The blog will be a legitimate place to share your feelings, and convince others of your point of view. You will be leading thinking on the subject and you will be able to make an impact and change the way the world is thinking.
Your blog enables you to discuss similar situations and benefit from others’ experience. For instance, if your problem is about parenting or a health issue, you could see how another confronted a similar situation, thus saving you time by not repeating others’ mistakes. It also gives you the confidence to tackle your own issue.
The key to a successful blog is continually updating it. This way, you will search new knowledge, and also make your blog interesting and updated.
As you keep writing on a subject you will become a repository of information on that area. For instance, if your interest is in cooking, you will gather and have information that would make you a consultant. Others will keep coming to your blog for information.
In a world that is becoming smaller and smaller, your blog will help you stay connected to your loved ones and friends. The probability is that your children will be in another country. The blog will give you an opportunity to share pictures and events on real time, eliminating distance and time You will be able to have fun too.
A blog can be used to promote a product, advertise and earn some money too.
How has blogging impacted society? It has a direct impact on journalism and media. In the US we saw several newspapers filing for bankruptcy. There is no need for the morning daily when your news is in the blog. President Obama saw the downside of blogging on society when he said ” If the direction of the news is all blogosphere, all opinions, with no serious fact-checking, no serious attempts to put stories in context, then what you will end up getting is people shouting at each other across the void but not a lot of mutual understanding”. There is therefore a concern. Will bloggers use their now found weapon justly for the good of everybody?
Upali Ratnayake
Management Consultant
Fellow Member of CPM Sri Lanka