This is the 10th anniversary week of the web log journal, known by it abbreviation as blog. It took me about a decade to switch from Lps to CDs, so it seems reasonable that it would take about the same period of time for me to get into blogging. Now that I have, I would recommend it as being very therapeutic and a break from the everyday routine of work.
A lot of the blogs written about work life and job hunting are done as commercial ventures by professional writers, sometimes it is a second gig for a feature writer or freelancer. Internet advertising is turning into big bucks, and corporations are capitalizing on people’s need to find employment.
In the kind of work that I do blogging has opened up a channel to connect with people that I wouldn’t ordinarily have except one on one. Readers get to learn a little about me, I get to discuss things I think matter, and hopefully provide some measure help or assistance. And, no money changes hands in front or behind the computer.
I don’t know if I have mentioned it, but I am the only one out of some 350 people in my department to have an open internet journal. That status does afford me the luxury of saying, “Well, if you don’t like my blog, just try writing one yourself.” Not that I have really ever gotten to say that to anyone. It is just a prepared fantasy comeback should the occasion arise. What I have suggested is that some of my co-workers try blogging in their areas of expertise. The reply is always, “Oh, I would love to… but I just don’t have the time.”
Since I write this journal, in closing I want to brag a little about myself and the County’s cultural orientation to the success of its employees. Recently I received an International Public Management Association for Human Resources, Certified Professional designation. This involved evaluation of qualifying education and professional experience, and passing a fairly difficult test involving knowledge of Human Resource competencies. Receiving this certification would not have been possible without the support (in a number of ways) of my department.
You can see our mission statement posted on the main HR web site (where people may or may not pay attention to it), but in the context just described I wanted to list it here for you to see how it is applied one employee at a time:
The Human Resources Department’s stated mission is to strategically partner with County departments to effectively attract, retain, develop, nurture, compensate, manage, and lead a world-class workforce.