It was somewhere in my early twenty's when I decided to be more active and focused on a thing that was once just a hobby--blogging. But back then, labeling myself as a professional blogger still didn't make sense that much. I was and still working as a professional employee in an IT company and that really eats up a lot of my blogging time. Having been immersed to the blogging world really dumbfounded me on choosing which path to choose. Is it either working for somebody else or working for myself? I think the latter suits me better. Somehow, circumstances favored me enough (made me brave enough, as well) to make a decision and create a whole new reality for myself. With enough time, I shall be ready to continue what I started and go to the next level of becoming a professional blogger.
What does it take to be one?
Based on what I learned from the first leg of DigiPro Bootcamp, a pro-blogger should:
TEACH, and not just inform
Whenever you blog about something, you should not only just inform your readers about a specific topic but you should also learn how to teach them. Information alone is not enough to justify your content. The weight goes to what your bloggers get from you after they read your blog.
Have ENGAGEMENT, and not just traffic
Yes, you have a ton of traffic in your blog. But the question is, does it have any engagement going on? Is there any interaction between you and the readers of your blog? Do you ever receive real comments on your blog posts? Engagement is a big key factor here.
Have a COMMUNITY, and not just followers
A pro-blogger builds a community whom you are intertwined with, not just with a bunch of followers who don't actually connect with you.
Has a BUSINESS, and not just a blog
Your blog is not just a blog, it is your brand. It is but a business where you actually invest significant things like your time, money and effort.
THOUGHT LEADER
A pro-blogger is a thought leader and not just blogger. You are a forward thinker. You pioneer a relationship and deliver value to your readers that align to your blog, your brand, you.
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I am a brand. I am not just a blogger. Nested Thoughts is my brand and I am proud of it.
During the whole session, sir Ruben shared a lot of his personal experiences to us and hacks on how to become a pro-blogger. A pro-blogger should have influence, and in order to achieve that, credibility, trust and relevance should be present. According to him, a "pitch" is important especially if you are attending an event. He made us make our own and mine goes, "Hi, I am Katherine of Nested Thoughts and I help people become confident by looking good." A pitch should be straightforward and not too long and should always catch what your brand is all about. And speaking of events, it will be useless that you come there without even handing out your business card to other bloggers and possible collaborators/partners. Whenever you're in an event, you should always know who to find to be able to network. But, events are not really essential to a pro-blogger. One primary reason is that it doesn't really help you rank among others. Your blog is not there to be filled with events you've attended and gift certificates and freebies you've received. It is there to be filled with great, informative and quality content necessary to your brand niche.
I realized a lot in our 5-hour session and it's just the first chunk of the whole thing. There will be a lot to learn about, reflect and realize more and I am beyond ready.
This bootcamp would not be made possible because of Global Hub Serviced Offices, eStratMedia, Globe Prepaid and of course, the Cebu Blogging Community. Thank you so much to these folks!
I hope I shared and taught you something from this blog post. I can't wait to share more of my knowledge from the upcoming bootcamp sessions!
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