Gayla's question got me thinking about those of us with home businesses who also have personal blogs and the impact that our personal blogging can have on our business.
It's especially important for the work-at-home mom (WAHM) to be careful about what she puts on her personal blog. Why? Because clients or perspective employers are almost certainly looking. How do I know that clients are looking at personal blogs? Because when a new client approaches me the first thing that I do is run a Google search on their name and/or their company name to learn what I can about them.
The questions I'm looking for answers to when I search on a perspective client's name are as follows:
- Are there any complaints about this individual and/or company?
- Do they have a good reputation for working with contractors?
- How long have they been in business?
What is one of the first things that is likely to pop up when a perspective client or employer searches for information on a WAHM's name? If she has a personal blog, that blog is probably one of the first things that a perspective client or employer will find.
What will the perspective client or employer find as they read the WAHM's blog? The answer is up to you.
If the blog is whiney and full of rants and complaints about other clients or employers, then the perspective client or employer is likely to think the WAHM will whine and complain about them as well.
If the blog is sloppy and full of typos and other errors, well, that reflects on the WAHM as well. A perspective client or employer may think that a WAHM who makes such mistakes on her personal blog won't be very careful with their work either.
What we put on the Internet counts. People have a tendency to think that the Internet is this giant, anonymous canvas. It's not!
What you put on the Internet reflects on you and your business so be careful what you post. You never know who might be reading ...
What about you? Do you blog? Does it have an effect on your business? Do you think that effect is negative or positive and why?
A few days ago, I've posted something about a certain subcontractor who now hates me because I didn't hire him. He even wrote about it in a government forum.
At first, I thought that it's something that I should never discuss on my blog. But I also thought of the other potential subcontractors who might read about it from that forum or those who are googling me, say potential clients. So I decided to still tackle the issue to clarify what should be clarified.
Now I'm not sure if I made the right decision. What do you think?
Posted by: Alfa | August 13, 2007 4:33 PM | Permalink to Comment