Is blogging a help or a hindrance in your career?

If you listen to some commentators, having a large online footprint will be THE only way you'll be found in the future. Job boards will die, and all Recruiters will be all over Social Media tools writing Boolean strings, mining LinkedIn, Facebook, reading blogs (etc) and just finding you when they need you.

So therefore, you need to have a Facebook account a LinkedIn profile, a Twitter presence and be furiously writing blogs..... Therein lies a question though..

What happens when what you write is not what a perspective employer is looking for? If you're writing a blog, then the chances are at one time a perspective employer may read whatever ill thought out, past midnight dribble, which has entered your head, traveled down your arms, through your fingertips onto a keyboard, into the computer and posted online.

Do you need to think about the fact that, this post could make or break your career? The next big break could come from a reader of your next blog or even comment on a blog. (even scarier, what if people judged you by the quality of your Tweets or Re-Tweets)

That tends to put a little more pressure on you, when staring at your keyboard, it's 12.12 am, and you are mid rant as well. GULP!

Do we as Recruiters weigh all information evenly? I'm wondering myself, and I don't really have an answer.

I really enjoy Social Media, I enjoy the community, I love the communication but am I doing a positive or negative thing for my career? Blogs are by nature a genuine expression of one's self and thoughts, authenticated by this "real" feel. I know lots of HR people who prefer a more formal style of writing and get worried when reading articles in real work vocabulary and pace. These posts are a reflection of the real me, if people like it then OK, if not then I guess we wouldn't have a good match anyways. Time will tell I suppose.