Blogging, Blog Writing, Business Blogging and BNI

I am the speaker next week at the Ballantyne Business Network BNI meeting and I am starting to put together my materials for the presentation.

My 10 minute talk will be on blogging for business--a topic that I am very familiar with, and one which I will enjoy sharing with the group.

However, this group of people is a new one for me, and I am nervous about it already. So I am making up for my lack of comfort with preparation--thinking about what I want to say and how I want to say it, a whole week early. Luckily, the topic is a passion, and speaking in public is always made easier when I know the subject matter as well.

That said, I have much preparation to do, and a week hardly seems like enough given all of the other responsibilities I have this week.

Pete McGourty, Charlotte-based life coach extraordinaire has asked me to write everyday as an exercise to pull out my thoughts and creativity, and to dump out that which is muddling my mind. I am remiss to say, that I have scrapped the paper method he prescribed and have taken up blogging instead. Call it a modern twist on good old-fashioned life coaching, (is there such a thing as "old fashioned life coaching"??) But alas, if you find my entries start to ramble more than usual--blame it on Pete. I am doing my homework...

All this blogging and soul-searching and web focus has made me want to really dig in and get my own sites and blogs in better shape. I should be making some changes over the next few months before the re-launch of Confessions of an Introvert to the blogs and site.

Well -- I need to go do laundry, clean up the kitchen, run the vacuum, get the mail, pay the bills, and take a pain killer for my back before I head out to my son's soccer practice.

Meg



Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

Business Blogging, Writing All Day, and Movies from the 90's

(for 200 Alex...)

I had a busy weekend, and surprisingly I did not take my usual Sunday nap. I am a firm believer in the theory that you can make up for not sleeping during the week, by sleeping on the weekends. I am sure there are actual doctors with fancy degrees who would tell you otherwise, but I am totally ok with thinking I can make up for my bad sleeping habits with a good nap every 6 or 7 days.

--except today.

Today I went to the gym, did breakfast with the family, signed up to go horse back riding at the Ann Springs Greenway, watched a few old movies (Bruce Willis marathon...) and wrote. And wrote. And wrote. In act, as you will note I am still writing... odd. Actually today I have been trying to get some of my past blogs updated with some good meaningful content. I have a ton of great stories to tell, and business networking advice to share and I needed to get that out to those of you who are hungry for it. Besides, blogging is good for business -- especially when you are a business blogger....

Well, I have neglected to do my morning papers today. Perhaps my excessive writing about writing will suffice for the day.

Busy week coming up with a lot of funfilled activities and networking. I am hoping that I can get some good writing in this week as well. My blogs are in a sorry state and I have to make sure that my clients don't go ignored while I am networking and horse-back riding!

- On that note, I always tell my business blogging clients not to ramble and I have come to that point where I started on a ramble and I am ending on one as well. -- So if you are looking for something a touch more coherent -- check out the Blogging for Business blog.






Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

Writing and Consultation Rate Sheet

I have added a new 2008 Rate Sheet for my writing and web consulting services. Click here to download the PDF.

The Business of Writing/Parenting

I am in the business of writing. Am I a writer? I don't know.

That is what I told the kid who was selling magazines though. Here is the story:

Skinny kid clearly not from my neighborhood comes to the door. Gives me canned and nervous speech about how he is from the inner city, looking for a way out of his underprivileged life. He wants to know if I will buy a magazine. "Help him" he says. He says he knows I don't need magazines.

He sees my hesitation. He asks me what I do for a living. I notice he is taking in my hair, dress, house. He says "let me guess... full time mom."

I could have killed him. He lost all possibilities of business at that point.

(Sales Tip of the Day: Go ahead and make assumptions about the people you are selling to, but never, under any circumstances tell them what those assumptions are.)

I said, dead pan..."I'm a writer"

So why did it bother me? Well, for one, I have always hated the term "full time mom." Even parents will partial weekend/holiday custody are not referred to as "part-time parents." Parenting is work... but is it a job? That could be debated. It sometimes takes the place of a job. Sometimes it is in conjunction with a job. I do my "job" of writing, often while doing the "work" of parenting. Or at least I do the writing while my son sleeps, take conference calls while my son is in school and dream up story, blog and content ideas while driving the delightful preschooler to day camp/grandmas/chick-fil-a.

I am a full-time mom. All moms are full time... all dads are full time. It could be argued that mothers and fathers are not often full time I suppose... but "moms" and "dads"... semantics perhaps. That kid has no idea.

Maybe I just don't like that I look like a "mom" at all. Perhaps that is why that bothered me. He figured I looked "mommish" -- ug.

I did not buy any magazines. Although I gave the kid a soda as I told him "no". Thinking back, that was a pretty "mommish" thing to do.