When people learn about blogging, they’re often shocked that people “just” give away knowledge for free. I have a very simple way of viewing knowledge online.
Why You Should Give Knowledge
Knowledge can be gained anywhere now. Look at Wikipedia. It’s not perfect, but it is an amazing resource. Consider the relatively limited amount of information that encyclopedias held in the pre-internet age.
Knowledge is free.
Implementation is where you charge for it. Implementation requires a different set of skills than just absorbing knowledge; you have to be able to analyse the situation from more than just your own point of view. You have to be able to consider the implications and outcome of actions. You have to be able to motivate the client to take the correct action based on your analysis of the implications and outcomes. You have to be able to summarise the real needs. You have to be able to package the knowledge that will fix the needs into an easily accessible package.
How often do you take action on knowledge anyway? I bet it’s less often than you think you do. I know I think I take action a lot more than I actually take action. There are a million pages of advice in this world (this blog included) and less than a million hours in the day to read, let alone take action.
So why should you give knowledge freely? Because it’s already out there.
How do you feel about “giving way” knowledge as a blogger (regardless of your niche)?
My only struggle is feeling like I’m not qualified to give away knowledge! But then, I suppose I have tried to bring awareness to my pregnancy conditions (PUPPP and gestational diabetes) lately so I guess that counts. I give that away because, selfishly, it makes me feel like I’m being heard/validated the more people are educated on them. I also feel like maybe it will help others and build a connection too. I frame it all in a personal context rather than preaching (I hope).
It is a hard one, but for example in my tonsillectomy recovery blog post (which is going weirdly well on Pinterest, which I find hilarious given that they have that “tried this? does it work” button), I feel confident that I make it very clear in my blog posts that I am writing about my personal experiences only, that I’m not qualified, and above all else follow what your doctor told you. If someone is choosing to ignore all those three things that are spelled out at the top of the post, I literally don’t know what more I could do!