Blogging Truths Be Told: You Don’t Have to be a Subject Matter Expert to Blog

There’s a time and a place for the non-expert. And, that time is now and that place is the blogosphere. Seriously? Yes, seriously. Today is the day that I pump up the newbie, the novice, the amateur, the non-know-it-all, because the individual who doesn’t have all of the answers has just as much of an opportunity for blogging success as the subject matter expert. 

And if I’m being totally honest here, most people can more easily relate to the individual who doesn’t have everything figured out and doesn’t present him- or herself in that all-knowing light. (Actually, I don’t believe that any human being has all knowledge in any particular area of focus; but he or she can become very gifted within it. And that guru can be looked at as almost superhuman. But I assure you, that subject matter expert (just like all the other humans around here) had some level of work that had to be put into his or her content area of genius in order to rise to an “advanced” level of knowledge and experience.

But I’m telling you the truth when I say that people in the blogosphere not only value the person who knows his or her stuff, but they value the person who’s coming in at ground zero and climbing the stairs to each new floor step-by-step.

Readers appreciate experiencing others’ journeys right alongside them.

And I think the reason folks appreciate the journey others go through is that it gives them something realistic to experience. I think there’s a layer of learning you lose when absorbing the knowledge of a blogger who’s already mastered his or her area of genius and that’s all he or she is willing to share with you — that level of expertise at the top without sharing the journey it took to get there.

I can’t begin to recount the life-impacting differences that were made in peoples’ lives when one person (at a non-expert level status) was willing to share his or her journey on how he or she reached success. Mind you, this successful person is still not an expert yet, in my opinion. (And the term expert is subjective anyway. Your definition of expert is never going to exactly match up with someone else’s.) 

And, I’m going to let you in on a little secret here, okay? Are you ready for it? You sure? Okay, here it goes . . .

Those propped up to be subject matter experts in their particular area of genius still have much to learn. No one knows it all, and we are ALL in a position where learning and growth are necessary in order to stay relevant, beneficial, and alive.

So, there you have it. You can look to people who have “arrived” as being the end all-be all, or you can recognize them for what they are — pretty much you when you look at the course all human beings go through. We live and learn, grow and hopefully get better. The novice and expert share this same path. Profound, isn’t it? 

Now, don’t get me wrong. Learning from the best is a good thing. But, don’t always consider the best to be the only individuals you can glean knowledge from. As a matter of fact, there’s a lot of wisdom you can gain from those who have absolutely no idea what they’re doing but give it a try anyway. Obviously, there are going to be things you learn not to do, but you’d be surprised at the golden nuggets that present themselves in the learning experiences of the novice, as well. 

And hey, when it comes to blogging (no matter what level of blogger you consider yourself to be), someone out there can appreciate a thing or two about you and the content that you’re willing to impart to them, especially when you don’t present yourself as having all the knowledge and experience there is to get. Because, no one has it all. I don’t care what they tell you. The gurus don’t even have a surefire solution that works for all people in all cases when it comes to reaching levels of mastery in any one area of life.

So, the non-expert is at a really sought-after place in the blogosphere.

Because we’re all unique and highly-complex as human beings, there’s someone out there that needs to know your particular journey, because you’re going to be the one he or she can more easily relate to. And, he or she is going to need to see the progression of your novice-like steps. Please understand that there are people out here who just want to know that there’s another regular human being somewhere in this world who is getting better and better at what they do each and every day by doing realistic/doable things that push him or her closer to the desired results.

People who aren’t perfect, who are new, or are unlearned but are constantly learning something. People who are willing to share their knowledge and experiences — all the good stuff along the way but the bad stuff too. People who don’t claim to have all the answers and who are seeking those answers right alongside you. People who are real and have nothing to lose (but everything to gain) by sharing their life lessons in hopes of inspiring others to make the necessary moves toward reaching their successes, simply by placing one foot in front of the other and taking steps toward that end goal.

So, don’t think you need to know everything there is to be a blogger these days — whatever the subject matter you’re blogging about may be. Just be you. Keep it real. Share your journey — what you know, don’t know, and are working on attaining. And those who need the content you’re offering will find you. They somehow do.