(Insert Don LaFontaine voice here)

“In a world, where communication infrastructures are expanding exponentially within this digital World Wide thing we call the Web,” getting the “word out” doesn’t seem to be a problem anymore. However, how that word gets perceived is a whole other issue altogether.

Blogs & Bloggers have become powerful weapons (yes weapons); they have damaged individuals, careers and even companies. They have also made careers and corporations soar to new heights. Many talented professionals fear what the responsibility of expressing an idea or thought in this medium can do. I know first hand; I’m one of them.

Edward B Lytton, is known for that little quote ”The Pen is mightier than the Sword” and although I have carried that adage around my whole life, I have never seen it more prevalent than I do with the internet and personal blogs. In this age of over information and under fact finding, all too many personal agendas and small consciences are reporting the way of the world. Does your blog do this? Does it share a factual base of information about our industry or is it so chalked full of personal opinion that you fail to serve those who work the trenches along side you?

Over the last few years I Googled blog sites for content. I learned quite a bit and even found several key forums I still visit daily for reliable information about items that matter to me. The unfortunate part is while I played on the net, one of my dearest friends Dave Mendoza started up his blog, sixdegreesfromdave.com. I listened as he talked about future content. I shared ideas with him about how the homepage should look and ultimately envied the fact he did it while I sat back and did nothing. Sixdegreesfromdave.com is part of my daily dose and I’ve learned so much from “El Dave” over the last year. I am proud to call you friend; thanks for all the personal support.

It's time to start thinking of the blog as your friend. A Skillfully written blog can boost your own personal branding and help you connect with a target audience in ways only understood by those like JCR Licklider who dreamed up the intricate symbiosis between man, machine and the network. A Blog is “the new” first impression, the new Curriculum Vitae… and it speaks as much about you as it does about the subjects you write.

Al Bernstein, writer and radio talk show host, once said “Success is often the result of taking a misstep in the right direction.” He knew the journey would not be perfect, especially in the beginning. I’m sure we all did. I know nothing feels as challenging as sitting down and writing out your introduction to the blogosphere, because here is mine. The point I’m getting at is when you look back at your efforts, when you finally analyze all you’ve done in the name of your personal brand, what mistakes did you make and how did you correct them? More importantly, are you still feeling those effects?

For those who took the time to choke down my first post, thank you! My Blog will be known as, “The Civil Side” and yes, a double entendre because of the market niche I recruit for and the topics I plan to discuss. I hope to share my successes and failures with you and others who recruit/source for the civil engineering discipline and all recruiting in general.

Fred Allen, the Comedian was heard saying, “I like long walks when they are taken by people who annoy me.” Let’s hope I never feel that way about any of you.

Stay tuned…