Thanks to a recent blast of inspiring coffee meetings, book recommendations and conferences in other countries, I’ve started to zero-in on my niche, escaping my comfort zone and taking on different kinds of clients. I’ve defined my elevator pitch, trashed the background story of “how I got here” and embraced what I’m doing now.

I don’t exactly have a routine, but I am focused on a few things: my health, writing, and striving to continually make an impact. The second item is where I try to devote most of my “working” time, and have ramped up my contributions to Forbes. I’m also finding freelance work elsewhere, though the total number of blog posts I write per week ebbs and flows.

The tough part about freelancing and consulting full-time is that it’s hard to keep everyone up-to-date about what I’m doing, where I’m going, and sometimes most importantly – where I’ve been. I’ve finally decided to launch a weekly newsletter highlighting some of the articles I’ve written, other places I’ve been published and occasionally additional articles elsewhere I think are interesting.

Twitter can be noisy and I know that not everyone checks Facebook as much as I do. If you want to keep up with me – and the latest in tech news and trends – I’d love it if you’d sign up for my weekly email newsletter. It’s totally free and there’s no commitment (which is an awesome combination by itself)…..plus you’ll be the first to receive special discounts on events and know about giveaways (which I have several upcoming.)

And stay tuned for more blog posts here. This recent kick of inspiration has me more motivated than ever to devote some much needed attention to this blog just as much as the others. Can’t wait to share my ideas with you!

Blogging is a good way to share your thoughts and expertise about a topic. It can help keep your customers or clients up-to-date about the newest products or trends related to your business, or can help establish you as an expert in your niche. If you’re looking for a job, having a blog is an excellent tool that can serve as a portfolio of your skills and knowledge. It’s how I got my first job in the social media industry, and even if  your job is in a skilled field like plumbing, it could help get you more jobs in the form of clients. No matter what you do, or who you are, blogging has emerged as a component of personal branding and is critical for establishing your specialty, your expertise, and your voice. There are several things to keep in mind when using your blog to establish your personal brand.

Make It About You. Personal branding is about establishing yourself as a brand, and your blog should be no different. Make sure you use a domain name like YOURNAME.com. You don’t have to title the blog your name, but name sure you have optimized your blog so it can be found when people search for your name. If you don’t know how to do this yourself, WordPress has a few good plugins to help with SEO. (I personally like All In One SEO Pack.)

Write About You. Or, at least, write what you want to be about. I have been blogging since I was in elementary school, but before landing a career in social media I was actually a paralegal with a degree from the University of Washington in pre-law. I didn’t want to do that – I wanted to do what I did best (blog, tweet, etc.) I got hired into the scene with a blog that sold my strong writing skills and acted as a hub for my presence on other social networks like Twitter. I then started with Chris Pirillo after blogging about social media for a year “for fun”. If you want to be known as an “expert” on a topic, or just known for your strong skill set,  make that the focus of your blog. Others will soon recognize you as such an expert.

Keep it Consistent. Keep your personal branding consistent. Use a similar design and the same profile photographs across all social networks, business cards and other branding tools. The easier it is for people to recognize you, the more they will remember you. If you can be the first person someone thinks of for a job opportunity or other prospect, then your personal branding strategy has worked.

I have been blogging for a really long time – like a ridiculously long time. The platforms have changed, the people have grown, and the topics have evolved. As I have moved between these platforms and grown myself, and have turned my passion for blogging into a career, I’ve learned there are a few essentials that every blogger needs to be successful – whether personally or professionally.

A smartphone. The goal of  blogging boils down to one key directive: write about your thoughts. Blogging is not a place to copy and paste other news, nor write out your thesis. Every blogger has personal thoughts about even professional topics, and it helps to know what is going on in your world, however you define it, to stay inspired and on top of trends. A smartphone can keep you up-to-date with latest and breaking news, gossip, other blogs and your friends’ thoughts via Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or other feeds. It also helps that most smartphones are shipped with a basic note taking app so you can always jot down your thoughts on-the-go.

A notepad and pen. Inspiration has no limits to where it strikes. I always keep pen and paper next to my bed in case my mind starts to wander as I fall asleep. I’ve often written a 300 word blog post in this environment, where the idea might have been lost should I have waited until morning. (I might have also stayed up all night thinking about my idea otherwise as well.) If you don’t like taking notes on your iPhone or Android, having a small notepad and pen in your purse or bag can help you capture ideas or remember events while out and about to blog about later.

A whiteboard. Ideas really can strike anywhere – such as in the kitchen, or in the bathroom. A notepad isn’t always ideal to write out or diagram a blog post, but a whiteboard can make it easier to jot down an idea or sketch out the flow of a blog post in the event an idea strikes and a pen and paper isn’t accessible. Crayola even makes special markers just for shower and bathtub walls for those who find their genius in the shower.

A camera. If you have an iPhone or Android, you already have a camera you carry everwhere. Pictures help explain the story behind your blog post even better, resolving the old adage to “show, don’t tell”. If you’re inspired and out-and-about, take a picture, then email it to yourself to upload to your blog. If you don’t have a camera on your phone, or the quality of the pictures is relatively crappy, make sure you always have a camera with you. Bonus tip: Learn how to use picture editing software. Even free apps like Picnik can increase the impact your pictures have in your blog.

A calendar. A successful blog requires dedication, which you can define. Whether you want to blog every day, or only once per week, you need to be able to set aside time to write, edit and post your blog. Consider drafting your post when you have the most time on a weekend and scheduling a half hour on a Tuesday to review and post it. The key is to make sure you give yourself time on a consistent schedule to devote to your blog to keep not only other people interested in reading it, but yourself interested in writing it, too.

What are your essential “must-haves” for blogging?