Balancing Micro-Business and personal blogs

Bloggers can generate mixed messages when they have several blogs that are cross-linked but not harmoniously related. I feel this can alienate their blogging public(s) and may lessen their chances of doing business.

On the other hand, those bloggers whose personal and business lives are happily integrated seem to develop multiple blogs that work well together. When this occurs, the users benefit from a richer experience.

If your business persona is vastly different from your private blogging persona, you are going to may create a negative impression in your business audience  by tightly linking the two. Even if you attempt to conceal your private blog by writing anonymously, it will eventually be discovered.

Like small town merchants, business bloggers will quickly learn to avoid controversial topics like political and religious issues. One avoids actions which will cause people not to buy. A personal blog often thrives on conflict. This may be good for traffic, but it’s bad for business.

For business bloggers whose lives and businesses are worlds apart, maintaining only one blog and making it an informative business blog with their business personality showing through may be the best way to go.

For those fortunate bloggers whose business and public personalities are seamlessly connected, there is a good chance that they enjoy life in all of its aspects and their various blogs offer a fascinating view of related areas of interest. I know of a few like this and I visit both their personal and business blogs without feeling a sense of disconnection.

These business bloggers with well-integrated lives use their personal blog to share business and life experience information that will help others. In doing so, they reveal enough of themselves to generate confidence in their expertise and judgement. There is no doubt about it, personality or lack of it comes through in one’s posts. I think blogs build a reputation faster than any other forum I know of.

To summarize, I think the communication power of a blog has to be used wisely. Make sure what the message is for each blog and only link blogs that have complementary messages.

Update: Thanks to PC4Media for challenging my incompletely expressed thoughts with an entirely different viewpoint. This graphic from Russian Illustrator Dana sums the problem up nicely.