Perks and Perils of Blogging
If you're thinking of blogging, you're trying to get your arms around all the pros and cons.
In addition to the ROB (Return on Blogging) benefits I listed out in my earlier posts here and here, there are a few other cool side effects that can be realized:
- free books (from authors who want you to read their book and, of course, talk about it)
- free software (same theory)
- new friends
- wider recognition as the expert you are
- an infinitely useful collection of your intellectual capital over the years
- frequent pick-ups if you're 'quote worthy'
But with all good things, there are usually some bummers. As a blog gains credibility and a decent following, some unwanted issues can occur:
- getting pitched (see below
- spam - both comment and trackback spam (from spam bots as well as shameless self-promoters)
- content lifting, either by people pretending your work really is theirs or for purposes of a splog (spam blog)
Spam and Splogs are manageable and irritating at best. But getting pitched can be a real waste of your time. Don't get sucked in.
While receiving a pitch can seem flattering at first, don't believe all that you read when people tell you they value your work and because you are so "popular" they would like you to [fill in the pitch here].
Some pitches are really, really slick and would have you believe your stuff has been read when, in fact, the note to you is part of a mass communication. If you want to be able to identify pitches or are looking for sample "pitch policies" to post on your blog, check out these two great references for pitch-awareness and what constitutes a breach:
PR Meets Marketing's post "Pitching Bloggers" by Cece Solomon-Lee featuring a list of other resources.
And CK's Blog's "Pitch Practices" by CK (Christina Kerley).
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