Yesterday I was approached by someone who was interested in increasing their writing portfolio and offered to write posts for my blog. They would stay true to “good, useful posts/articles on education/college/online education etc.” but would like to make sure they had a by-line and a link to their web page.
I found this idea interesting and intriguing, but also a little invasive. It’s my blog after all. So turning to Brent Schlenker, I ask for his opinion and advice (once again). He too thought he may have been approached by the same person; or is it a coincidence we got the same email from 2 different people. Brent suggested that, “if your blog is a brand and you are serving a group of readers then it might be a good thing. In this case, any time you can add value to your brand, whether its your content or not, its a good thing.”
I’m still unsure how I feel about this co-authoring. I’m not sure I’m at the point yet to open my blog in this way. I’m not sure that I my blog has a “brand”, but that’s a great thing to think about and strive towards.
I’m curious as to what other think about this idea. Is your blog your own? Is it only to capture your learning experiences and items you find to be interesting? Or is it something more? Was your blog once yours and now serves a much larger audience?
If it’s something like a guest post, and clearly labeled as such, then I think it can be beneficial for everyone concerned. That’s a pretty common occurrence, so if you think of it like that it might not be so bad. Guest posts are an occasional thing though, and it sounds like this is someone who wants a long term relationship.
Does this individual have his/her own blog already? Does the existing content seem like it would be a good fit with what you do?
One of the reasons I read your blog is because you’re an actual practitioner and these are your real-life experiences. Is this person a practitioner, or someone who would research and write from a second-hand perspective? Having someone analyze research and theory or summarize case studies can be valuable, but it isn’t the same as how someone in the trenches views those topics. Would that second hand research help your personal brand, or would it deflect focus from you as an actual practitioner?
Of course, if this is someone who would write from the perspective of an online student, that’s a different question, and I could see first-hand experiences as a student being a good compliment to your current content.
I guess for me it depends a lot on the individual. Even with a good fit, I think I’d still lean towards keeping my blog as my own personal learning platform rather than co-authoring. I’d certainly consider guest posting though, and maybe this person would do that to build their portfolio.
Thanks for the responses and input everyone. I think at this time I am going to continue to post content on my own. This blog is an extension of my learning experiences over the past year and is also a collection of ideas and information that I find intriging in the blogging world and else where. It’s my little elearning diary and for now will remain mine alone.