Learn more about the benefits of blogging and how you can get started to make your mark in the blogosphere. There's no better time to get typing. Blogging as a voice actor should certainly be on your To-do List. There's a very small learning curve and often the software is free to use.

What are some of the benefits to you as a blogger writing a blog?

- A greater web presence

- More relevancy

- A global means to communicate to customers and peers directly

- Higher search engine rankings

- Ability to receive positive feedback and constructive criticism

Those are some technical benefits of blogging, however, there are many other benefits that will broaden your horizons and network of acquaintances, colleagues, and friends.

Blogging also connects you with

- Your community

- New customers

- Fellow bloggers

- Organizations

- Friends

Dozens of voice talents and voice actors already have blogs that they use to promote their services, demos and use as tools to converse with other people about the voice industry.

A while ago, we published a blog post that recognized some voice talent bloggers. Since that post, there have been many other voice talents who have joined the blogosphere and added their voice (both figuratively and literally) to the happenings of our industry and beyond.

To set the record straight, every level of the industry should be blogging. Right now, the vast majority are voice talents blogging.

I foresee that coaches will be blogging, providing some value upfront via the blog about voice overs, vocal health, and present opportunities that lead to more students signing up for their classes. It would be interesting to see casting directors and agents blogging as well.

Trust me, you don't have to look far to see that there are hundreds of questions out there about agents, how to get one, who should I go with, and the list goes on. If every agency had a rep blogging about what they look for in their agency, if they have openings for particular voice types, and so on, those lines of communication would do the industry good, giving a positive first impression to potential clients while establishing their platform as a voice talent agency.

Another aspect of the industry that is regrettably nowhere to be seen are the unions, perhaps the element of the industry that would benefit most from having a blog to educate members and potential members of their organizations.

Wouldn't it be great if someone from AFTRA, SAG, ACTRA, Equity, or any other union was blogging in effort to dispel myths and answer frequently asked questions about their union via a blog? People would be more informed and would likely join such unions more decidedly if more information was presented before having to make a commitment.

If everyone in this industry was blogging, or at least representatives for every aspect of the industry, there would be less confusion, more lines of open communication, and further development and unification of the voice industry as a whole. If the entire industry was blogging, it would be seen as an industry, not as a fragmented piece of the larger entertainment fold. Technology has done much to improve the business of voice overs over the years and blogging is another way for us to use technology to our advantage.

Now, for some objection handling:

If I blog and give away my knowledge, what's to stop others from passing it off as their own?

Stop right there! Sharing your knowledge is not giving others carte blanche to plagiarize your work. Etiquette in blogging is pretty strict. People who reference a work or source will note it in their post with a text link back to where they found the information.

If I give away too much information, people will never buy my product or service.

The opposite is true. By presenting useful information to your audience, you build trust and authority. Smart consumers know who the real deal is, so if you're providing quality content and ideas, they'll be coming to you to get the job done.

Only writers and journalists are allowed to publish material.

Have you ever heard of citizen reporters and citizen journalism? Every day, regular people take the time to report on what they see. Citizen reporters and bloggers were instrumental in getting the word out in times of natural disaster (re: Hurricane Katrina or Tsunamis) and give a voice to stories that often are not picked up by larger media bodies.

More and more, traditional journalists, writers, newscasters and even courts of law are relying on content created by educated people or and those with exclusive information that was not covered by local news.

I hope I've given you some inspiration and motivation to start blogging!