Perfectionism, Identity and Blogs

One thing I've noted both first-hand and witnessing other bloggers initiating into the world of corporate blogs is the effect that authorship - a by-line - has to create an online identity. This is a vital component of the successful blogs - personality and voice - and an important differentiator to what make blogs distinct from much other media (and share more similarities with syndicated columnists or talk show hosts).

The other side of the coin is that people tend to take their blog posts too seriously. What do I mean?

When I started blogging I would re-read and re-write my posts several times; double-check spelling and all the links and quotes. And if I wasn't feeling particularly "on", I'd avoid writing altogether. I've seen corporate bloggers do the same thing - often to the nth degree. Seeing your name in print - associated with an article you wrote - for posterity (or at least a very long time with permalinks) can be a little intimidating. It's your reputation, your credibility at stake - the post becomes an extension of yourself and what you represent. Perceived external expectations for quality can keep one sharp and focused…or they can lead to stress and potentially burn out. However, for the most part these expectations for perfectionism are internally created.

A blog post will never be perfect. There is no time for perfection; while a professional writer rewrites their story several times (7-10 times for published non-fiction) and has the benefit of professional editorial review and copy-editing…a blog should never have that level of scrutiny or you're probably missing the boat on getting your message out in a timely manner. And thus, the post will always appear to come up short - at least according to the author - compared to the ideal post in their mind's eye. Nope, it may not be good enough to publish in Time Magazine.

Eventually what I see is the pressure is too much. Blog posts trail off because they're too much work - at least in order to meet our lofty expectations. This is particularly an issue with corporate blogs - where the standards appear even higher than for personal blogs.

It's important to explain to corporate bloggers they will be forgiven for a few mistakes, a few typos, a few unremarkable posts - freshness, rawness, intensity, frequency and immediacy are much more highly valued qualities in the blogosphere. A huge shift in thinking for most of us.

Myself included.

Again, my identity (appears) to be at stake.

For a blogger, there will never be no shortage of reasons why it's not the ideal, perfect post.

If you've done any amount of writing two factors to effortless writing may have been stumbled upon. 1) Being in touch with your "muse" and 2) writing uncensored, unfiltered from that place of connection - that is the rich soil that the authentic voice emerges from. Blogs are more about raw but precious gemstones than countless rewrites and continuous polishing for a flawless jewel.

And most importantly, stopping short of 100% completeness, wholeness and perfection leaves room for your audience to engage, collaborate, and add to the work. I hope you know that these posts are merely works in progress and not completed masterpieces.

I invite you to take up your own brush to the canvas...either in the comments or on your own blog or in your own private thoughts.

Author: Evelyn Rodriguez | Jul 13, 04 | Permalink | 0 comments
Category: @ Evelyn Rodriguez | Topic 2 Corporate Blogging

Comments

About: The Global PR Blog Week 1.0 is an online event that will engage PR, marketing and business bloggers from around the globe in a discussion about blogging and communications. The event is scheduled for July 12 - 16, 2004.

Links: The New PR Wiki

Recent Entries: Looking forward to 2.0; Site Statistics and Trends; A participant’s final thoughts; Traditional PR is dead - Long Live DIY PR; Quiet is the new loud

Recent Comments: Rick Barry on A Very Brief Look at Blogging for the Uninitiated Executive; George Mc Quade on The Battle Over PR; Duncan Adams on Robert Scoble interviewed on Corporate Blogging; Kevin O'Keefe on How to launch a corporate blog for a professional services organization; William Luu on Site Statistics and Trends