Blogging as expert? Best to be honest.

Darren Rowse has a nice post for those blogging as experts. That’s certainly the case for lawyers and other professional service firms.

I’m in complete agreement with Darren that you need not be an expert to blog on a topic. You may be learning an area. You may be a guide to a topic. In both cases, the information you are sharing with others can be very valuable. And there’s no doubt you’re going to grow your network.

But you’ve got to be transparent. As Darren says, blogging has a way of exposing frauds. Tell people who are and what you’re up. Tell them what you’re learning, trying, or experimenting with. It’s okay. People like people who are honest and down to earth. Those characteristics will carry you a long way on the blogosphere.

LexBlog has clients who have done exactly this. And in the last year or two that they have covered a niche topic, they have developed an area of expertise, grown their network, and obtained new business.