What kind of merry-go-round are we on, folks?
The questions keep flying in circles:
- Is a blogger a writer?
- Is a blogger an author?
- Is a blogger bona fide?
- Should a journalist become a blogger?
- Is a blogger a reporter?
- Is a freelancer a consultant?
- Should I write in the first person or third person if I’m one person?
OHMYGOSH, already!
Let’s set the record straight so everyone knows the following:
Bloggers are writers. They write every day they post an article. Sometimes the piece is short, sometimes it’s personal, sometimes it’s in-depth investigative journalism like this piece by Amy Tobin on Sunday Social Justice.
Would bloggers be able to pass muster every day writing by journalistic standards? Nope, but they’re not trying. On occasion a piece comes along the likes of squarely on the rump, and that piece deserves high praise and slotting into a publication the likes of Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
Oh, did I already mention Amy Tobin’s work? I’ve never given double link love in a blog post before and I’m gifting Amy with that first…and, she knows why!
Bloggers as Authors
Photo Credit: Jayme Soulati via iPhone 4S on AA flight to LA
Are bloggers authors if they write books? Many a blogger has written a book; I’m not the first to re-purpose a treasure of archived content into a useful and educational business book.
In case you didn’t know, I recently self published, . So, bloggers can write books; have you? Does that make a blogger any less of an author? NOPE! But, some do believe so; and, that’s OK. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.
Journos as Bloggers
For sure a journalist ought to blog, but I bet the topic of the blog would not be akin to their daily beat. That would be a bit strange. Perhaps a journo could blog about a hobby or something; that way, the blog would not interfere with daily writings for the online or offline publication.
Is a freelancer a consultant? Well, you can read on that topic right here and see if you can come up with an answer any better than we could!
First Person or Third Person
Should you write in the first person or third person if you’re one person? A subscriber suggested my newsletters should be written in the first person. That shows I’m writing the content about myself.
Why?
Doesn’t everyone want to give the impression their practice is larger than one person? If you write in first person, it’s too personal and seems full of braggadocio. I can’t, and public relations professionals rarely if ever write in the first person as we’re writing for others.
I’m all about ghost writing for myself; the ones who really know me under the cover will know who’s minding the store. What about you? First person or third?
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