evolving from journaling (aka navel-gazing) to thought-leadership (i.e., blogging)
Transitioning from personal journaling to thought-leadership through blogging is a natural progression for those who have developed valuable insights they want to share with a broader audience. Here are some strategic steps to facilitate this transition:
- Expertise: Identify your areas of expertise or unique perspectives. Given your interests in NIH Grants, Interdisciplinary Funding, and the concept of ICCs, you could consider focusing on those topics.
- Audience: Determine who would benefit most from your insights. Academics, professionals in tech startups, or perhaps researchers interested in interdisciplinary projects?
- Value Proposition: Each blog post should offer something of value. Translate complex ideas into accessible insights, how-tos, or takeaways.
- Format: Consider different types of posts, such as long-form articles, case studies, interviews, and shorter, more frequent updates.
- Calendar: Create an editorial calendar to organize your topics and publishing schedule.
- Peer Review: Before publishing, have someone knowledgeable in the field review your post to ensure it meets academic or professional standards.
- Data and Sources: Whenever possible, use evidence to back up your claims. If data is limited, thought experiments and theoretical frameworks can be used to bolster your arguments.
- Promotion: Utilize social media, academic networks, and relevant online communities to share your posts.
- Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Forge collaborations to co-author posts, which will not only enrich your content but also broaden your reach.
- Analytics: Use website analytics to track which posts are getting the most attention and engagement.
- Feedback Loop: Enable comments or some other form of feedback on your blog to learn what resonates with your audience.
Given your note about the "yellow zone" and reaching "the end of the road" in terms of what can be done with existing data, your blog can serve as a space to explore these limitations. Blogs are excellent platforms for discussing the nuances that traditional academic publishing might not accommodate, such as speculation, philosophical explorations, and methodological frustrations.
By transitioning from journaling to blogging, you are moving from an introspective process to a more extroverted one that aims to contribute to the community. This act of sharing itself is a form of leadership. Whether it's helping others navigate the complexities of grant applications or illuminating the nuanced dynamics in ICCs, you have the opportunity to make a significant impact.