As an IT Professional it can help to brand yourself when it comes to demonstrating your worth to your current employer or a potential client/employer. Often this is done through blogging or by adding content to different forums or newsletters.
I recently received a request from an individual wishing to submit content to SSWUG.org for publishing. I think this is a great way to begin branding yourself for a number of reasons.
- SSWUG pays for submitted content
- Because SSWUG pays for the content, your submission receives a certain degree of validation confirming your content has value
- SSWUG sends out daily newsletters highlighting new contributions; readers will be aware of what you have written
- Because much of the SSWUG content is pay view only, it can have a higher value in the perception of our readers
- Writing for SSWUG grants you more credibility for your content than simply creating your own web site because writers are screened unlike personal blogs
Of course you could go ahead and create your own blog or write for other sites. Writing your own blog may provide you with a better brand. However, you have to manage the entire site, which may be a lot of work.
Writing for other sites can result in your input getting lost in the forest. You develop less of a brand and more of a single topic contributor.
If you’re interested in writing for SSWUG you can find out more details by going to the “Write for Us” link at the bottom of the home page at www.sswug.org.
Have you been branding yourself? What kinds of branding have you found helpful? Share your thoughts here or by email to btaylor@sswug.org.
Cheers,
Ben