Why TiE members are scared of blogs?

When you think of TiE, you think of people who live, breathe, and dream technology. However, there is one area of technology that has not caught the imagination of the TiE community: blogging. And here is why:

1. A survey early this year by TiE-Boston of its membership base to find out the number of bloggers elicited just three responses.
2. TiE Boston has never addressed the issue of blogging in any talk/speech/panel discussion - probably, one of the most remarkable technological developments during last two years.
3. The TiECON blog has been a disappointment on two metrics: number of links from TiE Boston members pointing to the blog and the number of comments left.

How to leverage blogs for personal and professional success?

There is enough information in the public domain about the value of a blog and I don't need to repeat that here. So here are some tips on how you can make blogging a part of your professional life:

1. If your boss/employer lives under a stone, or has never heard about blogs, or has never read/written one, and bans you from blogging, take the time to teach her/him the basics of blogs and how they are a great business tool. Cite examples of companies like Microsoft and Sun Microsystems that are very effectively using blogs for internal/external communication.
2. While you are encouraged to read your employer's HR policies, generally speaking, an employer has no control when you blog during your private time (though I consider blogging as a business activity if the blog's focus is related to your area of work) as long as you do not divulge company secrets in your blog. Thus, if you work for a semiconductor company, you can blog about semiconductors provided you do not share information that is not meant for public consumption.
3. If you would like to improve your writing skills, join a creative writings class. In the meantime, start a blog talking about your family or hobby or vacation. Great way to become familiar with the tools.
4. If you are cheap, open a blog at Blogger. Otherwise, get your own domain name and blog like a professional - I only spend five bucks a month for my blog.
5. And if you think bloggers are wasting their time, think again. Apart from the brand that I have built, I make a pretty respectable living.

So here is the challenge. Start your blog, come back here, and add a comment below pointing to your blog. Or even better, blog about this initiative on your blog. It will be nice to see a few more bloggers in the TiE community.

- By Jay Dwivedi, who not only blogs for himself but blogs for TiE too.