I have an account in every available social media platform today. Even Meerkat and Periscope, which I haven’t had any idea what to do in it.   I’ve been blogging for almost 8 years already. I enjoy posting a lot of stuff on Facebook and Google +, sometimes on Pinterest too. None exceeded my amazement with twitter. Why?

Platform for a new enterprise

We hacked #HealthXPh on Facebook and Google + (Hangout), but we formalized our new enterprise with twitter. To think, the series of “fortunate events” started with a reply to a tweet by @endocrine_witch.  #HealthXPh’s main platform today is still twitter.

Troubleshoot your way to everything with a tweet!

One of twitter’s strength is that you can find people easily who can solve (your) problems quickly.  I once tweeted about my telco’s lack of response to my complaints. Within minutes, a technical support person DM’ed me. Problem solved. I also tweeted a unfamiliar technical glitz while troubleshooting my old macpro.  A Mac guru tweeted a link to the solution to me!

Amazing industry news feed you can tailor easily.

As my personal learning network, I get newsfeeds about my industry from twitter. Even those from role models that are impossible to follow in other social media platforms,  I can freely follow on Twitter. In most cases, scientific articles that I missed (reading journals really take much time nowadays) but are relevant to my industry found its way on twitter!

Tremendous connection growth!

The growth of my industry connections grew tremendously with twitter. In fact I have more industry colleagues abroad than locally on twitter! And if you want to grow your network on one specific area, twitter is your social network.

Learning new skills is a tweet away.

Did I mention I learn new skills from twitter? How? Well, most links to skills or DIY sites are shared on twitter. Even the link  that landed me on the awesome graphic social media platforms like Pinterest or instructables came from my twitter feed!

New opportunities?

Of course there are things that I wish twitter would lead me to, like new clients and business opportunities. That will come sooner than later I guess. Look, in one year I have opportunities opening up via twitter more than I can handle. What’s more to ask?

Oh, just a bonus. I find people on twitter more open, more helpful and more intellectual. Yup, but that’s just me.

Have you tried twitter? Who knows?! 🙂

I’m @remoaguilar on twitter. Follow me there too!

(H/T to Mark Schaefer’s The Tao of Twitter” and Guy Kawasaki’s “Art of Social Media”  for the amazing ideas and tips!)

I’ve been asked a few times about blogging. I offered bits of information here and there but nothing close to actually churning out a 60 minute blabber. To jumpstart the orientation, I gave  an intro talk on blogging for professionals. Guess who are my audience for this talk- people  on mainstream media

Frankly, I made a mess in that tutorial. I got the audience more confused after the tutorial. But guess what? That mess piqued the minds of my audience. They never ran out of questions! Which is a good thing!

I think.

For techie guy like me, an intro tutorial to blogging is ironically, super technical. The real challenge is translating the technical gibberish into understandable concepts. To think, I was talking to mass communication people entrenched in mainstream media!

So I’m writing this post not as an excuse for that messy tutorial, but as a prologue to that tutorial. I’m drawing similarities between blogging as an alternative media and that of the mainstream media.

So is blogging right for you?

Let me answer that question with three traits I noticed with great  bloggers and/or great writers. I’ve  been blogging since 2006. While this doesn’t make me an expert on blogging, I fairly had a head start noticing passionate bloggers and those that just blogged overnight and left.

Bloggers read a lot.

They read everything their mind could absorb. Even with topics that aren’t in their list of interests. These blogger’s cerebrum have grey matter gyrations  that can hold bazillion of information. Their thirst for information is unquenchable. They’re like informations “sponges”. How they process these information is really up to the blogger.  What I’m sure is, they read a lot- a lot more than an average individual does. This is why internet is like booze to them. They are a fan of information explosion. Bloggers are voracious reader.

Bloggers write a lot

Of course. They match what they read with writing. It may be on a scratch paper, a tissue paper, on ticklers, or on notepads, ipads or what have they.  Their mind is just spewing ideas every moment. Most people worry about grammars, spelling and so many things. Yes, these are valid concerns.  Write first, then edit after. I’ve learned blogging this way, and every friend I have knew how much I suck with english spelling and composition. Not that blogging has greatly improved my grammar now but at least I can write with greater confidence than before. Seriously, gramar, spelling and composition is important too, but first, write. Then you worry about these stuff when you have something to edit!

Bloggers are very passionate individuals

Their passion is unstoppable. This is what drive their persistence, their determination and sense of fulfillment. Yes, you can write dis-interestingly, but with blogging, every good reader will know if your writing just for the sake of writing. Don’t ask. Blog readers are an intelligent crop of information-getters mind you. So again, a blogger should bevery passionate about blogging. Otherwise, I would recommend you stick with just writing stuff in your mind.

Last thing.

Don’t get into blogging with moneymaking as your first, main reason

I said first, because I personally knew a blogger who went into blogging for money, and suceeded. But they’re what? upper one percent? You’re chance of making it big the first time you blog is slimmer than you getting hit by a lightning. Of course you can earn money while blogging but that will come in later. Personally, I’ve spent more money on blogging that what I’ve earn from it in six years. This does not include the perks and freebies I get sometimes (that’s a different topic ), but less than more, I’m spending for it. I came to the conclusion years ago, that blogging is not my source of income anyway, or in the future.

So is blogging right for you? Try asking yourself if you’ve got the traits I mentioned above and you’ll get your answers.

Fellow bloggers, what can do you think is the best tip you can give to these new bloggers? Please comment below for your answers.