HOW BLOGGING IN ENGLISH CAN HELP YOU BECOME A THOUGHT LEADER?

The term ‘Thought leader’ is getting more and more common in the English language. As people increasingly turn to online resources to develop themselves professionally, thought leaders are ever more visible predicting the direction that a particular field of work will take in the future and sharing their advice on how to be more effective. There are thought leaders in a wide range of areas but they tend to have one thing in common – many of them have blogs.

「思想領導者」這個名詞正在持續發熱中。隨著人們越來越傾向於使用網路資源來突顯自己的專業，做為一個思想領導者更能預測特定領域的工作未來的發展方向和提供更多對於事業有幫助的建議。思想領導者比比皆是，但他們都有一個共通點－大部分都擁有部落格。

So what is it that makes blogging so appealing to thought leaders and what can we learn from emulating the way they do it?

部落格為何如此吸引這些思想領導者去使用？我們又能從模仿他們的作法中學習到什麼呢？

Organise your thoughts

The benefits of writing a regular journal are well documented and blogging can bring similar benefits. Having to organise your thoughts into a cohesive piece of writing is a great way to organise and catalogue them. Even if they are just ideas, getting them into a public-facing form means that they will be well organised if you want to go back and build on them later.

組織你的思維

充分的證據顯示出有規律的書寫日記能帶來許多效益，撰寫部落格亦有相似的效果。將各種思維凝聚並且發表出來是一個非常好的做法。盡管只是一些構想，當你將這些想法文字化並公諸於世時，有助於日後更有條理的去修改或重新架構。

Develop your ideas

Because blogging is such a dynamic medium, it’s a great way to develop ideas. You can respond to comments from readers in order to develop an argument or case for an idea. You can also see what people find interesting or useful so that you know where you can be most helpful to your readers.

開發你的構想

由於部落格是個非常靈活的媒介，所以撰寫部落格對於開發構想是一種很好的方式。你能藉由回應讀者對你的評論來豎立你的論點與陳述實例。你亦能理解大眾的喜好並且清楚了解到你的讀者想要的是什麼。

Establish a personal brand

Brands are an important part of business and in an increasingly competitive job market, your personal brand, or how you are perceived by your peers, is vital to developing a career or being considered a thought leader. Having your own space on the web to publish content means that people’s perception of you is shaped by the quality of your own work rather than what others say about you.

建立個人品牌

品牌對於企業來說，是個非常重要的環節。隨著職場競爭越來越激烈，建立個人品牌或獲得同事的認同感對於發展事業或成為一個思想領導者是不可或缺的。當你在網站上擁有發表文章的專屬空間，讀著便能直接由你的創作來評論你，而非道聽塗說。

Engage with communities

The blogosphere is a lively place famous for trolls and arguments. It is, however, also a great place to find people who work in similar areas and who can support and share ideas with you. Connecting over a blog post you have written is a great way to meet like-minded people.

和社會接軌

部落格是個充滿著網路釣魚和爭執的平台；然而，部落格亦是能找到在類似領域工作的夥伴與擁有共同思想之人的好地方。你能藉由你的網路文章來和這些人建立連結。

Build a platform

As you write more, you might gather a following. Building a platform of people who will help you share your ideas is a great way to get your message out there. While writing for yourself is good, sharing valuable ideas with others is probably the most rewarding part of blogging.

建立平台

當你的文章越寫越多，你的網路追隨者也會隨之增加。建立你的個人平台更能使你的文章被散布與分享出去。撰寫部落格是件美好的事，與更多人分享你的想法，或許是經營部落格最有意義的部分。

So, which thought leaders do you follow and how do you stay up to date on what they are writing? Share your answer below and recommend one thought leader you think language learners will find most valuable.

你正在追隨哪些「思想領導者」並且如何跟上他們的腳步呢？和我們分享你的答案並且推薦一位你認為對於學習英文最有幫助的部落客！

原文出處 English Live