Leads to whose proper introduction? Well, yours of course, silly. That is — if you’re the devoted blogger that I’m thinking you are. Essentially, the long-form content route can only be an effective ice breaker (on behalf of you to your audience) if you utilize it wisely and consistently.
After all, don’t you want your readers to get to know you as much as they can possibly know you in a long-distance online relationship? Look at it this way: what you put out online before the eyes of others may be the only window into your soul that you’re able to open for them.
And if I were you (just sayin’), I would want to depict who I truly am on the inside to others, so they can feel like they’re getting as much of the real you as you’re comfortable in displaying online. (Of course, never tell ALL your business and ALL your mind. That’s just plain dangerous and not too commonsensical when navigating on these online highways.)
So, what I’m trying to get at is that long-form content, such as your tried-and-true blog, is a place where you’re not limited (to a certain number of characters) in conveying your message with your knowledge base, thoughts, feelings, ideas, perspectives, goals, and visions attached. You have ample space and time to get out there what you need to get out there from your preferred choice of long-form content platform. And blogging is one of the best mediums for laying it all out there.
As a writer, I’ve been completely drawn in to introducing myself to the world in the blogosphere. And I’ve tried other mediums, such as podcasting and video, but blogging is my jam. Can anyone else out there relate to what I’m saying here? Writers write, and I’m so much more comfortable in bearing my soul through punching my keys than the verbal communication route. So, I choose to put my fingers and keyboard where my mouth is and let you all know who I am through the words in this blog.
Have you been able to get a sense of who I am? If not just yet, give it some time. This blog is a reflection of me, myself, and I. But you have to read some of the stuff in it in order for my true essence to shine through. In any true relationship, it takes time, commitment, and effort to get to know someone. Right? Or am I right?
Oh, and this isn’t one-sided by any means. I need to get to know you as well. (But I’ll hold the relationship stuff to a future “Blogging Truths Be Told” coming to you very, very soon.)
What I will say is, if podcasting and/or video are more of YOUR thing, then do the world a favor and make sure you give yourself a proper introduction to it that way. After all, you’re going to put your ALL into the medium that best suits your personality and liking. And you want to give the best first, second, third, and “into infinity” impression of yourself as possible. Don’t you?
Oh, and another great thing about long-form content introductions is that they hang around for awhile. So, you don’t have to keep constantly re-introducing yourself each time you get onto your platform of choice. I know I’ve come onto my blog, many-a-time, and felt free to keep moving forward by introducing you to fresh content as I continued to build a rapport with you.
Why? Well, because I don’t feel trapped in a continuous loop of going back to the beginning of our relationship to provide you with a “Hello, my name is Jana.” My long-form content speaks for itself; and everything that I’ve posted from the very beginning of my time here at Degrees of Maternity (with the exception of a few tweaks here and there) is still present for you to go back to and easily peruse at your convenience.
Genius concept, isn’t it? Your written stuff (in the case of a blog) getting to stand the test of time — until you absolutely want to obliterate it once and for all? (Actually, obliterating what you put out into the online airways probably isn’t an accurate statement if I’m completely honest about it. Your stuff probably lives into perpetuity somewhere in the technology realm. But I’ll leave that discussion to someone who understands it.)
Anyway, what I’m trying to relay here is that long-form content lasts and is an excellent way to make your mark in the online space you’re in. Just hang in there with it. Give the people what they want, which is more of YOU. And be honest about what you’re delivering to them. I mean that’s the only way they’ll get to know who you are, what you’re about, and how you can be someone who they value having an online relationship with.
And I’ll end here by stating that short-form content, such as your regular contenders in the social media space, are also viable options for making initial introductions of yourself to your audience. I’m not here to discredit their worth. But they can be quite short-lived in your audience’s feed and memory banks and only give little snippets into your true essence. Over time, those short-form pieces can be put together to create a very picturesque image of who you are. But why rely on the fleeting stuff too heavily?
If you want a lasting relationship with your audience, I would opt for some form of long-form content to provide the people what they need from you which, again, is more of YOU. And then, sprinkle in a little short-form content here and there for good measure.
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