Experience Interview Series

Interview, Part III
On Blogging and Getting Burned

This is a part of a series of interviews on freelancing 101 with Ned, a fellow PiA fellow who has held freelancing and stable jobs on the mainland and now works for a business magazine based in Hong Kong.

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Thomas: How about setting up a website with clips, etc. as a reference to give with pitches?

Ned: Never done it, but i like freelancers who do. Then people can find you.

T: Would you recommend blogging to make a name, to get self-established?

N: Hmm, it can be dangerous...you need to do it very well if you want to be successful. Be very careful of errors, of saying something that is invalid. ALWAYS fact check yourself

Stating your opinion is OK (but be aware that this could hurt job prospects depending on where you want to go, whom you want to work for, etc.). A blog is you and you are the only one accountable.

T: How about if it's not news or opinion oriented?

N: I guess that could be good. As long as its not racy, your sex life, etc. I think its good.

I just recommend anyone blogging to be weary of writing something that could be misconstrued as a statement on an issue. Someone once wrote (on a blog ironically) that the internet is a big, dark place and you just don't know who is out there. Everyone has a different risk appetite, you just need to know yours.

T: Any examples of getting burned by the net?

N: At one of my old jobs someone blogged about having an interview with us the next day (saying he was surprised he got this interview, didn't really want it but was going anyway), we saw it, and he made a complete fool of himself. It was rather stupid,
because he was a good candidate on paper.

T: So was the interview still held?

N: Yes, we let him wallow and at the end said, "Thank you for coming in--you have a very interesting blog!"