How To Hire A Blogger
Blogspotting, A BusinessWeek blog, is asking the question of how (and whether) to hire a blogger. The author, Stephen Baker, is appearing on a panel today in Chicago, and put the question out there how his readers would hire bloggers.
There are a lot of interesting comments in the, uh, comments, several of which I disagree with, but instead of dwelling on those, let me tell you my criteria for hiring bloggers for clients.
1) Be A Blogger, Not A Writer.
Professional writers and freelance journalists are good at what they do. They have writing chops, research ability, and the background to spin prose that can be published in major media outlets. I don't hire them. They're too pricey, they rely on their backgrounds, and they often have problems understanding the nature of blogging versus writing. Blogging is a community activity. A good blogger spend just as much time reading other blogs, leaving comments, and e-mailing other people as they spend writing their own blogs. A blogger has to write well, but their social networking abilities are more important than whether or not they have a journalism degree.
2) Have Passion For What You Write
You can't fake blogging. Well, you can, but I don't want someone who is writing just to get paid. If you're writing for home improvement, find someone with carpentry skills. If you want a fashion blogger, find someone who has a real interest in it, one that will last longer than three months. Passion in blogging, like all passion in work, leads to success.
3) Keep Their Background In Mind.
The recent firing, forgiving, resigning of the John Edwards bloggers should be a lesson to would-be employers. What you wrote on the Internet, even on personal blogs, is going to be a factor for your new employee. If you write a light bondage blog in your spare time, don't make the mistake of thinking no one will find it when you go write for a conservative bank. Employees absolutely have to read past writings in depth, and make a decision on whether past mistakes create the wrong image for them today.
Many people will disagree with me, but clinging to issues of privacy or claiming that your personal writings don't affect your employment when you are a blogger simply don't hold water. When a company hires a blogger, they hire all of the success and baggage that person brings with them. They get all of the "reputation" the blogger built up, both good and bad, and it's not smart for us to pretend otherwise. So employer beware - do your homework, and make sure you're hiring someone you're comfortable that you won't be firing them a month later for things they wrote before they started working for you.
4) Don't Hire A Know-It-All. Hire A Learner.
Because I'm an expert in blogs, people are often amazed when I haven't heard of a website, or a new technology, or a wildly popular new site that revolutionizes an industry. The problem we always run into is there are more sites added daily then we could possibly learn about. People also surf in clusters, so it's entirely normal for someone to be an expert on one area of your industry, and be completely oblivious about other areas.
Rather than hiring someone who knows all the sites you do, or nods their head and says they know every site you mention, instead focus on hiring people who are quick learners, good researchers, and curious to the core. The goal is not to know everything, but to have a broad base of knowledge, a solid social network, and the ability to find out about a site quickly.
Finally, if you are hiring, make sure you have a clear sense of what you want a blog to do. If you have no purpose for your blog, other than having one, don't be surprised when you don't meet your goals.
There are a lot of interesting comments in the, uh, comments, several of which I disagree with, but instead of dwelling on those, let me tell you my criteria for hiring bloggers for clients.
1) Be A Blogger, Not A Writer.
Professional writers and freelance journalists are good at what they do. They have writing chops, research ability, and the background to spin prose that can be published in major media outlets. I don't hire them. They're too pricey, they rely on their backgrounds, and they often have problems understanding the nature of blogging versus writing. Blogging is a community activity. A good blogger spend just as much time reading other blogs, leaving comments, and e-mailing other people as they spend writing their own blogs. A blogger has to write well, but their social networking abilities are more important than whether or not they have a journalism degree.
2) Have Passion For What You Write
You can't fake blogging. Well, you can, but I don't want someone who is writing just to get paid. If you're writing for home improvement, find someone with carpentry skills. If you want a fashion blogger, find someone who has a real interest in it, one that will last longer than three months. Passion in blogging, like all passion in work, leads to success.
3) Keep Their Background In Mind.
The recent firing, forgiving, resigning of the John Edwards bloggers should be a lesson to would-be employers. What you wrote on the Internet, even on personal blogs, is going to be a factor for your new employee. If you write a light bondage blog in your spare time, don't make the mistake of thinking no one will find it when you go write for a conservative bank. Employees absolutely have to read past writings in depth, and make a decision on whether past mistakes create the wrong image for them today.
Many people will disagree with me, but clinging to issues of privacy or claiming that your personal writings don't affect your employment when you are a blogger simply don't hold water. When a company hires a blogger, they hire all of the success and baggage that person brings with them. They get all of the "reputation" the blogger built up, both good and bad, and it's not smart for us to pretend otherwise. So employer beware - do your homework, and make sure you're hiring someone you're comfortable that you won't be firing them a month later for things they wrote before they started working for you.
4) Don't Hire A Know-It-All. Hire A Learner.
Because I'm an expert in blogs, people are often amazed when I haven't heard of a website, or a new technology, or a wildly popular new site that revolutionizes an industry. The problem we always run into is there are more sites added daily then we could possibly learn about. People also surf in clusters, so it's entirely normal for someone to be an expert on one area of your industry, and be completely oblivious about other areas.
Rather than hiring someone who knows all the sites you do, or nods their head and says they know every site you mention, instead focus on hiring people who are quick learners, good researchers, and curious to the core. The goal is not to know everything, but to have a broad base of knowledge, a solid social network, and the ability to find out about a site quickly.
Finally, if you are hiring, make sure you have a clear sense of what you want a blog to do. If you have no purpose for your blog, other than having one, don't be surprised when you don't meet your goals.
posted by James Durbin @ 12:33 PM PERMALINK
2 Comments:
This is a great post. Many businesses are facing this very issue right now. I will give you a hat tip on my next round-up.
Good advice on not hiring a know-it-all. I always try to work with people who compliment what I know AND who actively seek to learn more. This whole web thing moves way too fast for someone to know everything. So I would say, if you find someone who knows it all - run.
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