begin at the beginning

For the most part, I’ve stayed away from blogging. So in many ways I’m a late-comer to this particular party, a newbie even. But I’m no stranger to writing, publishing, the internet, etc – after all, I was the news editor at The Register for a couple of years (1998-2000).

Then I started working in tech-PR.

Figuring that there’s a limited market for the online musings of a PR man, I decided to leave blogging well alone. I was also keen not to fall into the trap that many other bloggers have fallen into; you start off OK and all full of enthusiasm, but over time you get bored or distracted and the blog starts to look a bit tired.

So why decide to start blogging now? What’s behind the sudden change of heart?

Since July 2008 I’ve become increasingly involved in the marketing for a former PR client of mine – an online reseller of IT and business equipment called WStore . So much so, that I’m now the head of marketing for WStore UK.

Conversations with colleagues at WStore recently have prompted a debate about how a company like this can benefit from tools like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and from blogging. In an attempt to find out I’ve decided to do something that I’ve never really been inclined toward (join in..!).

Consequently, I’m on Twitter now too.... http://twitter.com/flemingsean

Also LinkedIn... http://www.linkedin.com/in/flemingsean

I’ve stayed off Facebook though. I’m still not convinced it can (or should) be used by businesses. It also blurs the line between personal and professional which, in my opinion, can cause more grief than anyone needs.

How will this blog help? At the moment I don’t know! But I hope that a spot of active participation will get me closer to answering the question. If nothing else, it will give me an opportunity to write again.