Do You Have a “Voice?”
Lisa Haneberg, over at Management Craft has a post entitled “Blogs - a business or a person” that has me thinking. For those of you who have read Bren’s “Slacker Manager” know that he has a voice in the crazy world of business. As Lisa points out, Bren is the Slacker Manager in her mind. I see it that way as well.
Bren sold his blog recently and they had a period of try-outs for new writers. I am not criticizing Bren for selling his blog. It was a business decision. After reading Lisa’s post though, I had to agree that there is a fundamental shift here. Slacker Manager has been re-branded.
Dan Schawbel at the “Personal Branding Blog” might have the best insight on the issue. I am going to email him and see if he will give us his perspective. He told me that people identify with blogs based on “voice.” His first recommendation for me was to rewrite my profile. He said that people read profiles to hear “a voice.” If they identify with your voice, they stay - if not they move on.
I agree with Lisa. She said it best, “I am Management Craft, Management Craft is me.”
Am I the Blogging Boss, and is Blogging Boss me?.
What do you think?
Comment by Dan Schawbel
Your voice is part of the appearance element of your Personal Brand. The easiest way to promote this element is through a blog, where you post from your own experiences and let others comment, using their own knowledge of the subject. Your voice is directly impacted by your credibility and authenticity. You need to match who you are as a person to what you write and how you come off as. That is the real Brand YOU!
Comment by Lisa Haneberg
Eric: I think we are our blog’s voice - and this is for better and for worse. This calls upon us to own what’s happening (or not happening) on our blogs and when we think it is time to go, that voice goes dark for a while. It might be different with some blogs, but most of us have a very distinct voice that attracts some and repels others. This is great and the way it should be. The guest writers over on Slacker Manager have been super, but none have the blend sharp wit and caring sarcasm that Bren did.
Comment by Eric
Dan and Lisa, thanks for your comments. Consensus is that we are our blog, so I am the Blogging Boss.
Actually, people I know that read my blog call me by my blog name sometimes.