"As a writer, you spend much of your writing time alone," says Mary McCauley Smith of Absolute Write. "You may have thought this peculiarity went hand-in-hand with the writer's life, but perhaps it runs deeper than that.  Maybe you are an 'innie'," she suggests, referring to the Myers-Briggs preference for introversion.

Sorry, Ms. Smith, but no; actually,  my Meyers-Briggs "errs" strongly on the extrovert side. You made me think, though: Are there more "introverted" and more "extroverted" styles in blog content writing?

Introverts and extroverts differ from each other in three ways, Smith explains, and each of these traits affects your writing life.
 

• Energy usage – Introverts are energy conservers.  Extroverts are energy users.
   
• Response to stimulation –  The noise and hustle of the world can overwhelm an introvert, while extroverts are thrilled by a variety of stimuli.
   
• Approach to knowledge – Introverts like a narrow, in-depth focus.  Extroverts prefer to collect a wider base of data.

In my profession of corporate blogging trainer, I work with business  owners and professionals, with their employees, and with Indianapolis freelance copywriters to create blog content, often for SEO marketing blogs.  While I confess I hadn't been viewing any of these writers in terms of their Myers-Briggs preferences, now that I think about it, I agree with Byron Walsh, author of "The Upside of Being an Introvert". After studying introverted leaders such as Mohandas Gandhi, Hillary Clinton, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and Mother teresa, and extroverts Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, Steve Jobs, Marie Antoinette, and Winston Churchill, Walsh concluded "it takes both kinds to make history".

I think effective blog writing takes both kinds, too.  Consider research, for example.  You could make phone calls, talk to experts, visit different stores and facilities, interview customers for testimonials, or…you could rely on Internet research to glean most of the information you need.

With the practice of writing blog pposts for others becoming increasingly common in the corporate and professional worlds, whose Myers-Briggs preference is reflected in the content?  It depends…on the target audience, and on the business owner or professional practitioner who's being "introduced" through the blog.
 

Five years ago, in crafting the mission statement for Say It For You, I wrote the following:

"A ghost must use her 'third ear',  not only hearing what you want to say, but picking up on your unique style of saying it.  That way, the ghost can speak your message in your 'voice', to your customers.  A good ghost blogger should not, herself, be seen OR heard!"

 

Every industry or profession can be approached in different ways, and blog content writing for a business or professional practice is the perfect way to offer a “bi-partisan” presentation of the issues.

As a trainer in corporate blog writing, I know how crucial it is to differentiate yourself and clarify the special “slant” you have and your position on the issues faced by your industry or profession. I’ve gone so far as to tell new bloggers. “Blog more what you believe than what you do.”

An article that appeared two weeks ago in the Indianapolis Star called “A Bad Deal or a Bargain?” reminded me just how important it is in blog writing to express points of view in addition to offering product and service information.

The Star piece was addressing the debate about the Indiana Gasification Project, which would construct a plant in the southern part of the state to convert coal into “synthetic gas”. The newspaper page was divided down the middle. On the left side, Steven Francis of the Sierra Club and Ed Gerardot of the Indiana Community Action Assn. were making the point that a coal-to-gas plant would hurt ratepayers. On the right, Mark Lubbers, project director of the gasification company, discussed reasons why building the new plant makes sense.

I think the same effect could be achieved in blogging for a business or practice by having a guest blogger explain her point of view, then having the “host” blogger tell her side of the story.

Now, I’ve always taught that reading competitors' blog posts is a great form of market research for business owners launching their own blogging strategy.  Even repeating what established bloggers have said (of course in each case properly attributing the material to its source) forces "newbies" to think about what they might add to the discussion.

But today I’m talking about using your blog to present opinions on industry or professional issues.  Rather than you summarizing what others may think, or the way competitors have chosen to handle the problems, why not invite some of the actual “thought competitors” to express their ideas on your blog site?

In providing blog marketing services to my Say It For You clients, I try to keep in mind the rule Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham shared with Oprah: Always remember to write for people at least as smart as you are.

Why not use corporate blog writing to put conflicting views about a particular subject (your guest blogger’s view and your own) out there and let smart readers judge for themselves?