Blogging in two languages

I've had this idea before and I tossed it away as I thought there's too much work. After reading The Language of Blogs by K, my idea of blogging in Chinese and English resurfaced.

This was my original plan-I'm going to write alternately in Chinese and English. So if you see my post in English today, then my post tomorrow will be in Chinese. If you understand both languages, then you will understand what I write every day. But if you only understand either one of the languages, then you just have to read my post every other day.

Is it going to work? I don't know since I haven't tried it yet. Yet, somehow, if I write this way, I feel like I'm having an alternate personality (like Nikki in Heroes).

Most of the people that I know can read in both languages, (except my dad, but I talk to him on the phone so often anyway). Since my speed of typing in English is almost 10 times faster than that in Chinese, I'd keep writing here in English for now. (It's more time-efficient, right?)

Any ideas? Do you think it's worthwhile to try blogging in another language?

My blog is Recruiter-Friendly

I found this article about blogging and recruiting from Career Journal at Smartlemming. I think the 7 tips for making your blog recruiter friendly are solid advice. After reading the article, I look at my blog again and see if I've used any of the pointers from the article.

And here's the checklist:

1. Clearly identify your identity- Well, from the tagline and the name of my blog, you can tell this is a blog by an actuary-wannabe who likes blogging and have a sense of humor and a tint of creativity. And guess what, creativity and new ideas are the new currency.
   
2. Show you're currently on hot topics- Yes, I read WSJ journal everyday and this post is basically inspired from a WSJ article. I think this tells something. ;)
3. Provide more information- I have my linkedin profile and my resume is always available upon request. But I don't intend to put a link on my blog. Why? This is not my motive to blog, at least not yet.
   
4. Exercise common sense- Fortunately, there's no 'name mentioning' of my current and previous employers here. And I don't really discuss any work-specific things here. (Hey, why would I want to put my dearest readers to sleep?)
5. Omit personal information- Occasionally you may find me writing about my past or how I felt at that moment. Though some people may find it too personal, some people may call it literature. Having the ability to write something that touches another human soul is a gift. And it can apply to the business world. Have you ever heard about - love is the killer app?
6. New entries at least 3 times a month: Normally I write 3 entries a week. So in this sense, I'm committed to blogging.
7. Contribute to other blogs- I guess I'm doing it right now- by commenting other people's blog through my blog.

So I've concluded that my blog is "recruiter-friendly".

(Somehow this saying reminds me of the "cholesterol-free" eggs in the grocery store. ;))



Just two footnotes:
1. Be it recruiter-friendly or not, I love blogging and it is my way to express myself.
2. Blogging may lead you to a job, but don't act too desperate. "If you [blog] to get a job, you'll be less successful. It's just like dating. If you appear too hungry, nobody wants to date you." said Greg Sterling. (How blogging can help you get a new job- WSJ)

Some Changes on My Blog

As you can see, it looked different here! I just felt a little bit bored with the old template. Well, it's time for a change. Somehow, changing a blog template reminds me of the feeling of getting a new hair-do...

Anyway, I hope all of you enjoy the new look of my blog.

If you are also a rookie blogger...

If you are just like me, a rookie blogger, here's something you may want to commit to long-term memory.

This is a quote I read from the Zen Blogger 's Manifesto:

" Write not for others, as there are too many.
Write for yourself, as there is only one."

Maybe I can also sing for myself, speak for myself, and also dance for myself. Sometimes it's just getting too tiring when I'm too self-conscious and care too much what others may think of what I do.

My 'In-and-Out" of Knowledge---Reading and Blogging

Everyone knows the benefit of reading. I love reading- I still remembered, when I was a kid, going to the library or the bookstores was the highlight in the weekend.

Kimber had a post on the habits of reading 30 minutes a day and also applying the knowledge. I think one of my fast and easy ways to put my knowledge into use is through blogging.

(You know, when you are working in the office 8 hours a day, most people at work are not that interested to your learning experience at all. And hence, I need to find a way to release some of my random thoughts here! Who knows, what I wrote may also touch someone's lives? )

I know, I'm not writing any Shakespeare's type of masterpiece here. But still, it does take some thinking to internalize everything I learn so that I can have something to write. And hence, I believe that blogging can increase creativity (well, maybe in my own small way) .

If you are looking for ways to enhance your reading skill, check out this article.

Online Image Trick-- use different online handles

Lori at SmartLemming had a post about online image polishing and how to protect it if you have one. Lori suggested "if you blog, then blog wisely." Coincidentally, the other day, my friend SC had a concern about what to blog or what not to blog as well. She mentioned, "You blog because you want other people to know what's going on in your life, but then sooner or later you are forced to not blog about some stuff because you don't want certain people to know."

A counter-tactic that I can think of is to have different online handles for different purposes. For example, you don't use your real name in a personals/dating websites (to protect your privacy right?). For the smiliar reason, if you have some kinds of fetish or weird hobbies that you don't want too many people (especially your co-workers or employers) to know, but you still want to blog about it or participate in the discussion forums anyway, then create a new email account and have an online handle that is totally different from your professional image. My friend W said it's just like Sydney in Alias who adpoted different names/roles for different tasks.

Overall, your name is your brand. Choose wisely what you want to be associated with it.