“Give a man a beer, waste an hour. Teach a man to brew, and waste a lifetime!” – Bill Owen
Starting a blog is a big decision. Not only can feeding it posts and updates be like running your own amateur magazine, which is a considerable time investment in its own right. It marks a way of life as you will never stop thinking about the subject you are writing about.
It’s comparative to the writer’s demon George Orwell mentions:
“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.”
I’ll never stop being passionate about public relations and social media, it’s simply a way of life. However, writing about the subject 24/7 does get tough. Especially as life has room for multiple interests, particularly past times outside of work.
When I first began writing about PR in 2008 the blog had three objectives:
- Be a learning aide, a process that will allow me to hone arguments and understanding;
- Begin positioning myself to potential employers as an upcoming digital whizz;
- Be a publication I can enjoy building, a way of intellectual self-expression.
I still enjoy running this blog and will for many years to come. However, as I’ve become more senior at work the blog increasingly has a slight invested interest about it; clearly a big reason for me to blog is to affect prospect buying decisions.
There is nothing wrong with that, but that reality makes a blog feel a little more serious. It’s not quite the level of self-expression I feel I need; it is also firmly categorised as being a “professional” outlet. May I add this applies to my whole “online identity”, it is all PR focused but that has made my virtual self feel a little disconnected from real life.
So… after much thought I decided it’s time to start a second blog about a second passion. Beer! Oh yes, and I even have a snazzy new name for it: http://justbrewing.beer.
Just Brewing Beer is all about:
- Documenting my home brewing efforts, success and failures, along with the recipes and processes I am using;
- Running taste tests on home brews, and potentially commercial beers;
- Writing about any alcoholic events I may be attending.
I’ve already published a couple of posts, including brewing for the first time. However, the blog really is unknown at the moment; this is the first time I have publicised it. Over time I’ll be recording videos for it and already you will see the posts have a slightly more personal touch about them. That still feels uncomfortable but also refreshing at the same time.
So if you’re interested in my new blog please do visit it here. I’m looking forward to getting involved in the online home brewing community and getting to know others who enjoy it.
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