To blog or not to blog – that is the question
Following Miruna’s post on philosophy and translation, I will embark on an attempt of a meta-post regarding a very profound and life-determining question: should anyone start a blog?
The digital era is all about one thing: information. Every day we are bombarded with content coming from all fronts, from instant breaking news from the other side of the world to distracting and hypnotizing YouTube cat videos. We are 0.2 seconds away from accessing any kind of information thanks to Google and anything we want to know is on the internet because someone has already asked it or put it there.
This brings me to the point: how is anyone’s contribution going to make a difference in this multitude of all-encompassing content that has already been produced? Actually, how will they even be heard or seen? With this many people pitching in and creating content, there will surely be someone who’s doing it better, faster, stronger.
This is, in more general terms, the question that taunts anyone who’s professionally coming-of-age, the “how am I going to stand out and make it?” that represents the daunting unknown. Now, if your aim is to become the next Beyoncé then I wish you all the luck in the world, but if you’re interested in opening a blog, I am here to tell you that you can do it. The secret is looking at the issue from another perspective.
Here’s probably what you’re thinking: “There are already 2000 people blogging about what I’d like to get into, they’ve got thousands of followers and they’re absolutely amazing.”
First of all, who cares. In these past few months I’ve come to realise that writing a blog is more useful to myself than anything else in a very therapeutic way. It allows me to take two or three hours in my weekly schedule where I sit down and focus on something else than work, I research areas of my profession that I’m interested in or I’d like to further explore, but most of all I express my thoughts and opinions – never mind if no one reads them, that’s the least of it. The important thing is that I have elaborated them and they’re somewhere else other than my mind. A blog is for you to develop and express your interests, not for anyone else.
Second of all, everyone starts somewhere so there is no rational point in feeling intimidated by the other “seasoned” bloggers – one day they were just like you, starting out from first base, the only difference is that they tried.
Lastly, you might never know so it’s definitely worth “trying”. Worst case scenario you will not become the next Proz Community Choice Award winner, but point #1 of this article has already showed that that’s not why you should run a blog. The experience with Apertis Verbis has already proven more than rewarding and I don’t think we can boast a readership larger than “i venticinque lettori” (the twenty-five readers) of the great Alessandro Manzoni.
You have probably been told that you need a blog, presence is key, you need to be there. This is partly true: if you’re going to open a blog just for the sake of having a blog and increase your digital presence it will lack originality. You must be the first person engaged by the content you come up with, research and elaborate – if you aren’t no one will be. You have also been told that you need to set a very unrealistic publishing schedule. Let’s face it, if you’re running a blog by yourself you most probably won’t have time to post once a week: it takes time to come up with interesting content, research it, get the right angle, and then write it. Life will also come in the way, with the out-of-the-blue last minute translation project (we still have to pay the bills right?) or the devastating flu that forces you to bed two days in a row. Having a schedule is important, but it needs to be compatible with your professional and personal life. You think you can post every two weeks? That’s fine. You need to skip a week because *insert annoying life setback*? The world is not going to wake up upside down. Remember, you’re in this (mostly) for yourself.
Going back to the Philo-Shakespearian interrogation, my answer is to most definitely blog. Give yourself the chance to try and I guarantee that you’ll be in for a surprise.
