Should All Learning Professionals be Blogging?

A new feature from the Learning Circuits Blog -- The Big Question: Should all learning professionals be blogging?

My answer: Maybe.

Thank you, and good night.

But seriously, the question itself is (intentionally?) nebulous. Because "blogging" is a nebulous concept. People blog for various reasons, and in various forms. I'm doing this simply as a matter of emotional release for the challenges I face throughout the day. That way, my wife doesn't have to hear me complain when I get home. However, most of the eLearning blogs I read, like eLearning Technology (thanks for the "shout out", btw) tend to be more of an information clearinghouse and tips, for lack of a better word. Harold Jarche has a lot of theory. Brent Schlenker focuses on a lot of new products and the future of eLearning. It's different strokes, for different folks.

I think a great justification for all Learning Pros to be blogging is as a matter of communication with students and co-workers. In my company, specifically, I think it would be great to have an internal blog about new courses we're rolling out... things we're considering... and feedback from all of our current courses. It could even be useful for new ideas and theories about "selling" that we may come across, and want to get out there... but don't have the time to make a new course or add it to a previous course. And don't think I haven't raised the issue before...

As with anything, people respond differently to different challeneges. And honestly, I know some people that would get nothing out of blogging, and may even be distracted by it. So again, should everyone be blogging? Maybe.