SheGeeks: What College Students Can’t Get From Blogging
Jonny
· 1 year ago
Hey, this is basically a reposting of a comment I just made on the first link in your story, but I am interested in as many views as possible :)
Your call to blog (and its potential benefits) is something I have been reading more about recently, and my interest has definetly been piqued, to the point where I have started writing down ideas - however, I am hesitant about the potential pitfalls. I am a final year computing science student, and I have been wondering, for a start, whether or not those in the computing business, especially those at the more traditional business end of the market, would like the idea of hiring someone who blogs? I know the snazzy web 2.0 twitterers in the IT business would probably, or at least possibly like the idea, as it shows you are passionate about your field; but might not many other companies find the idea of someone who is used to broadcasting what they think and know unsettling, given the tendency for secrecy in business?
I am also scared I might say something I would later regret, or possibly something which people might infer to mean something which was not intended. Do blogs allow you to delete your posts? :) Even so, it might get cached by search engines and just stick around… I don’t know, is there any encouragement you could offer?
Cheers
P.S. what does "Veryify my post" do? I just left it unchecked.
Corvida Raven
· 1 year ago
While your fears are valid to have, I don't think they'd be an issue. Most companies will let you know whether or not you can talk about certain things the company may be working on. If they have a problem with you demonstrating your competence through words and being able to properly and effectively explain things to the common user, then that's their loss and you shouldn't worry about them or be with a company that is that restrictive. ;)
Start the blog and go for it :D I'd love to hear your thoughts. Why not talk about some projects that you might be working on personally? You never know what could happen until you try. :)
"Verify my post" just means that you sign up for Disqus to keep tabs on comments for articles that you've commented on that uses the Disqus commenting system :) You should check it out when you get a chance.
jonnyphilip
· 1 year ago
Yeah, I figured that it wouldn't be a problem once you got a job, as you can just use common sense and/or instructions to decide what you can write about. I was more worried about not making it passed the resume/covering letter stage, especially when everyone appying has the same degree and no experience, as it is little things like that which could tip the balance either way. I'm gonna check with the careers service at uni before I start, just in case :)
Dave Ambrose
· 1 year ago
Very important point: "This correlates with Meg Robert’s point about college students not having enough time to blog."
thornley
· 1 year ago
Interesting post Corvida. I can tell you that I ALWAYS look for evidence of something special, intelligent and passionate in the online presence of the people that I hire. And to be honest, if the first I hear about someone is when they hand me their résumé, I'm unlikely to hire them. There's just no excuse in the era of social media to not have developed "brand you."
Corvida Raven
· 1 year ago
There are plenty of excuses. Not everyone is aware of how these things work. Meg Robert pointed out some very good points in her post. Not everyone is into the web like that. Sure they're on Myspace and Facebook, but it's for an entirely different reason and not to establish a professional brand but a personal one. It's why my Facebook page is private and I don't own a myspace account. It's not for my professional life.
I just happen to be interested in the internet and social media in particular. Others aren't and you can't penalize them for that. That's not their fault it's of no interest to them. We can't control what's interesting and what's not.
Bug in a Kitchinette
· 1 year ago
I would disagree with the above comments Its all about exposure and experience How on earth do you know the skills and / or contacts you make will not lead to anywhere People read blogs , it does not cost much and its certainly no worse or expensive than a night at the frat house , movie or bar
Out Wrong
· 1 year ago
Nicely done. I guess I should just shut down my blog now and go outside and play. (And on top of that I could never get your commenting system figured out for myself. There's like five different places to link. Wow!)
Daryl Tay
· 1 year ago
Hey Corvida, I'm going to disagree with jobs and long-term gratification. You and I both managed to get an internship via blogging (not actually a job, but work with me here). Do students not get blogs because they're blogging nonsense, not blogging at all, or is it truly not a viable option for employment? I just read and blogged about someone in the UK who got hired on Twitter! it's a crazy world of opportunities right now!
I don't know how long-term you're referring to, but my "proper" blog has only been up for about 5 months and I'm feeling very gratified. True my subscriber count is in the double digits, but I know there's a small community forming that's very supportive and encouraging, and that's all the gratification I need!
Corvida Raven
· 1 year ago
While we have had success, it all depends on so much. I had a great support foundation when I started, the topics I'm talking about also happen to be really popular even if the field is crowded. Plus, as a student who took the spring semester off, I had a lot more time to stay on top of these things.
Too man factors come into play when dealing with the job and long term part of the equation and those factors can become daunting to college students who are short on time and new to blogging.
Malcolm Tyson
· 1 year ago
Good post... I once tried to start a blog ..then instant gratification came into play. 12 posts and zero comments later I just stopped. And I think many other college students suffer the same fate.
Seeing a blog with an extremely active community really encourages you to start your own.. then when things dont go according to the plan you devised you just stop.
so yeeeeyup blogging is definitely a long-haul thing.
Lim Ee Hai
· 1 year ago
Blogging is fun but do not neglect the essential and objectives of studies.Take blogging as a stepping stone to gain experience before graduation. What seems hard to get can be gotten later.
Jose Estevez
· 1 year ago
I encourage all bloggers to register in ilounging.com and blogg. Thank you very much.
Nathan Lanier
· 1 year ago
College students are better off investing time in a personal homepage than a blog. A nice, clean homepage with CV, a resume, and some personal anecdotes is more than enough to get your name out there. And unless your name is Jason Kottke, it shouldn't be too hard to get yourself hi up in Google's search results.
Jas Talents and Models
· 11 months ago
Classroom blogging is a means to keep fellow classmates informed of happening, events gossips etc. Blogging can be very time consuming but can also be very addictive. You either love it or hate it. Of course, if you are serious blogger and your blog is generating some revenue, it will spur you on.
All Comments
Your call to blog (and its potential benefits) is something I have been reading more about recently, and my interest has definetly been piqued, to the point where I have started writing down ideas - however, I am hesitant about the potential pitfalls. I am a final year computing science student, and I have been wondering, for a start, whether or not those in the computing business, especially those at the more traditional business end of the market, would like the idea of hiring someone who blogs? I know the snazzy web 2.0 twitterers in the IT business would probably, or at least possibly like the idea, as it shows you are passionate about your field; but might not many other companies find the idea of someone who is used to broadcasting what they think and know unsettling, given the tendency for secrecy in business?
I am also scared I might say something I would later regret, or possibly something which people might infer to mean something which was not intended. Do blogs allow you to delete your posts? :) Even so, it might get cached by search engines and just stick around… I don’t know, is there any encouragement you could offer?
Cheers
P.S. what does "Veryify my post" do? I just left it unchecked.
Start the blog and go for it :D I'd love to hear your thoughts. Why not talk about some projects that you might be working on personally? You never know what could happen until you try. :)
"Verify my post" just means that you sign up for Disqus to keep tabs on comments for articles that you've commented on that uses the Disqus commenting system :) You should check it out when you get a chance.
I just happen to be interested in the internet and social media in particular. Others aren't and you can't penalize them for that. That's not their fault it's of no interest to them. We can't control what's interesting and what's not.
Its all about exposure and experience
How on earth do you know the skills and / or contacts you make will not lead to anywhere
People read blogs , it does not cost much and its certainly no worse or expensive than a night at the frat house , movie or bar
I don't know how long-term you're referring to, but my "proper" blog has only been up for about 5 months and I'm feeling very gratified. True my subscriber count is in the double digits, but I know there's a small community forming that's very supportive and encouraging, and that's all the gratification I need!
Too man factors come into play when dealing with the job and long term part of the equation and those factors can become daunting to college students who are short on time and new to blogging.
Seeing a blog with an extremely active community really encourages you to start your own.. then when things dont go according to the plan you devised you just stop.
so yeeeeyup blogging is definitely a long-haul thing.