A lot of Filipinos think that blogging is a form of being “emo” or it’s just a personal online journal. That’s how people in the 1990′s thought about blogging. It’s already 2010 and the opportunities and possibilities blogging offers can literally change lives. It can bring you money, it can put your career on the fast track, and much more. I always try to encourage my friends and colleagues to blog because it has definitely made such a huge impact on my professional and personal life. Here are 4 reasons why I think Filipino professionals should start blogging.
Everyone has a personal brand and our brands are defined by our words and our actions. What people see us do, what they hear us say, and what others say about us are the primary three ways that determines our brand. Blogging is one the most powerful and effective ways to build your personal brand.
In the eBook, Social Media Guide for Filipino Entrepreneurs, I said that companies should use the internet to focus the eyes of their prospects to the good things about their product. The same can be said for career professionals. You can use the internet to keep the eyes fixed of your prospective new employer, colleagues, and boss on your “good” side. Blogging provides you with a platform to publish content that you want to associate yourself with. You have full control of what you post and upload. Think of your blog as your portfolio where you want to showcase your best projects and your expert opinon on industry topics.
With blogging you just don’t have 15 minutes of fame, you have it forever. I’ll be discussing more on how to leverage blogs to build personal brands in the upcoming Make Money 2.0 Seminar this Saturday.
There are a lot of ways to monetize a blog. Google Adsense alone from my other sites pays for the monthly amortization of my car and also contributes to other utility costs. For more information on how to make money through blogging, you can check out this post: Make Money Online Blogging. Note that we will also be discussing this during the seminar on Saturday.
Bloggers get invited to a lot of events. Before there were only like 1 or 2 per month. Now there are dozens of blogger events going on left and right. The good thing here (other than the free food and the goodie bags) is that it allows you to network with marketing executives from host companies. It also allows you to meet fellow bloggers. I can’t count how many restaurant owners that I now know personally because of my Pinoy Food Critic blog. This site, New Media Philippines, also opened the door for me to meet fellow internet marketing professionals and entrepreneurs.
This is one of my favorite reasons why I blog. When you’re a blogger, you need to regularly update with fresh and new content. This means that you need to be constantly on the lookout for news and trends on your niche/industry. This keeps you very hungry for knowledge which in turn leads to your growth. Ever since I started blogging I’ve been a voracious reader. I follow a lot of blogs, read a lot of books, and sometimes I can’t take my eyes off Twitter doing searches on topics that I find interesting.
Blogging offers so much for Filipino professionals. Start one now. 
Very true. I think this not only applies to Filipinos but to everyone in general.
I got into blogging mainly because my job was what one might consider “menial and redundant office work”. Blogging pretty much got my noodles ticking again, and had me brushing up on my creative writing skills.
Good read.
Thanks coffeebugg.
Very true indeed ! I agree on all the points especially the point that blogging makes you sharp.
I’ve learned so much ever since I started blogging actively. Glad you feel the same way.
I agree, blogging made me aware of what’s happening around me specially on the topics I am interested in. Now, everything that crosses my mind is a potential blog entry.
Haha I know what you mean. I keep a notebook with me at all times so that when I have a blog entry idea I write it down so I don’t forget.
Hi sir, is it advisable for an incoming college senior like me to start a personal blog or should I start blogging already regarding my industry?
Thanks in advance.
Yes because blogging is all about positioning. The earlier you start, the better. Just make sure that whatever you will blog about is something that you are passionate about.
hi i wanna join the world of bloggers but is clueless on how to start..may i ask for some help.thank you.