As I mentioned in my introductory post, I blog utilizing several personas: JeSais for my personal blog, Carmen Electrode is my work affiliated online persona, and Joe Welder for my boss. It sounds more complicated than it is.
I won’t go into too many details about my personal blog– mostly because it’s not really relevant to search engine optimization. I started it learn more about blogging. I would note, however, that if you do blog, keep in mind you are not necessarily as invisible as you think you are. My own personal rule of thumb is to never post anything online that you would not want your mother or future employer to read.
The company I work for, Arc-Zone.com, sells welding accessories. Primarily an online business, we serve a variety of clients from independent fabricators to industrial manufacturers around the world. For work I manage the two company blogs: CarmenElectrode.com and JoeWelder.com.
One way that I distinguish the voice of Carmen Electrode from Joe Welder is by selection of topic. I use the CarmenElectrode.com blog to (hopefully) dispel some myths about the kind of work that welding is, and the kind of women who actually weld. I also write about equality in the workplace, and other issues of importance to women welders. And Rosie the Riveter–I blog about Rosies. I repost articles profiling the original Rosies, stories about the Rosie the Riveter Parks, statues, and memorials, and I also write regular profiles of women in the industry for a section I call “The New Rosies.”
The Joe Welder blog is primarily my boss’ platform (who is the owner of Arc-Zone.com) so the posts are topics that reflect his history in the racing industry and as a master fabricator as well as his personal interests: So Cal culture, cars, mountain biking and green manufacturing to name a few. One regular feature is Ask Joe for write-ups of technical inquiries, and the solutions our company experts provide. We also post about customer service, new products in our webstore, and how we differentiate ourselves from others in the industry.
Another tool I use to distinguish voice is diction and word selection. For Carmen Electrode I tend to use more flowery, “feminine” language… a voice that is probably closer to my “real” voice (though maybe a bit more hip and fun!). Jim (my boss, aka Joe Welder) writes many of the posts himself, though I do edit them for him. I strive to maintain his diction and his use of words like “dialed in” or “check it out” or “bitchin” even when writing posts as “Editor.”
Whether I’m online as Carmen or Joe, because these are business blogs there is a level of professionalism that we always maintain. It is one of our company’s core beliefs that in order to flourish, we must maintain a positive atmosphere. The blogs are not places to dish dirt on the industry, on our competitors, or on vendors that let us down. Instead they are places to celebrate the industry that we contribute to and benefit from. I’ll talk about this in more depth in my next post on maintaining integrity.
–
Jennifer Simpson, aka JeSais
DID I BLOG YOU?
http://akajesais.com/