“Blogging. It’s the future don’t you know? Anyone who’s anyone blogs these days, it’s taking off in a BIG way. Yes, I know it’s been around for ages. No, it’s not just for whiney pubescent teens. The whole thing’s had a bit of a makeover and if Lily and Kanye say it’s cool, then it’s cool. OK? Crikey, you can even turn it into a bloody career; look at Perez for Christ’s sake. Would you like to earn as much he earns? Thought so.
What’s that? Am I hearing you right? Emma, you work in the world of communications and you haven’t got your own blog? Are you mental? That’s like not being on Facebook and we all know that those people are absolute wierdos! Its like a vegetarian working in a butchers! It’s ludicrous! In this field, not having a blog is tantamount to career suicide and we’re in a recession. Go figure.
Do you want to be good at your job or not? Do you? You do. Well then get blogging now young lady and make it snappy.”
OK, this conversation with a senior colleague may have been ever-so-slightly elaborated. But you get the overall jist. I dragged my sorry self back to my desk, wondering where the heck I was meant to find this superfluous time to start a blog. As if I didn’t have enough to bloody do.
The more digitally-inclined people in the office have ensured me that keeping a blog is an essential means of social networking. You can articulate your views and opinions, communicate with others and be expressive (“yeah, but I can do all that via email or by painting a picture”). Cynicism aside, I like the concept. But surely I have enough ‘means of social networking’ to waste my time on already? I mean, if you want to ‘socially network’ with me why don’t you poke me on Facebook? Follow me on Twitter? Add me on MSN? Heck- Be old fashioned and drop me an email. Surely you don’t need to read my self-important drivel on here too.
Well, you’re here now so you might as well hang around.
It is a rather pleasant Saturday evening and I’m alone in my East-end flat. The washing is done, the flat is clean and I’ve even put in an appearance at the gym. No more excuses, I’ve got to start this thing. First problem- what to blog about? Last week my friend, upon realising that an acquaintance from uni had set up a fashion blog, sneered ‘I see X has started up a blog about fashion, who the bloody hell does she think she is?’ Similarly, a staunchly- conservative guy on my degree course created a blog entitled ‘The Tory-Graph’ which he used to relentlessly bang on about in seminars. As a result he was made the subject of ridicule in a secret Facebook group created by my peers called ‘The Tory Graph is a Load of Old Tosh’.
Yikes. So fashion? Too bitchy. Politics? Too pretentious. Work? Don’t even go there. Anything I post here can be subjected to criticism and I could be judged ruthlessly. How often are you supposed to blog? Daily? Weekly? Daily is surely too much. Monthly suggests you’re not that keen a blogger. Do you advertise your blog? I see some of my counterparts tweet out links to their blog or put it in their Facebook status. There’s a whole world of blogging etiquette that I’ll have to grapple with.
So here it is. My first blog post is about starting my blog (yikes, that’s a blogging cliché right there.) So who know where I go from here. At least I can go into the office on Monday safe in the knowledge that I have held on to my job for another day…
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