Features

Promoting Professional Geekery #45: Write About Progeeks And Progeekery

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(For more Promoting Professional Geekery, see this Roundup of past columns.)

So you want to promote professional geekiness, to inspire, to help.  You’d like to write about it.  The only thing is you don’t have anything to write about.

You’re not a resume expert, you’re not a coach, you’re not really good at the whole advice thing.  Not everyone can do it, of course, but you know for sure that you really, are really BAD at this, or at least don’t know where to start.

Or perhaps you just don’t have enough experience to be the expert.  You’re a new progeek, an up-and-comer, or something similar.  So what can you do?

You can write about us.

Not advise, not guide, write about us.  You don’t advise or help progeeks (since you’re not sure you’re capable of it).  What you do is help show what we do and who we are.

You can:

  1. Interview people who are progeeks (Hey, i suggested that you be interviewed, so turn the tables).
  2. Analyze and write about trends in jobs and progeekery.
  3. Profile who industries or career subgroups (it might even be a book).

You get the idea.  With a bit of effort, it’s easy to help people be progeeks and improve their progeekery by giving them information and making them more visible.  If you’re not a coach, you can be a reporter and analyst.

Best of all?  In time, you’ll start getting the knowledge and skills and experience that may let you go deeper and start coaching and advising . . .

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach for professional and potentially professional geeks, fans, and otaku. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/

Promoting Professional Geekery #42 – Be Interviewed

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(The Promoting Professional Geekery Roundup Is Here)

A big way to promote the ideal of the professional geek, the fan-to-pro dream, is to be that dream.  However people actually have to see it in action, and there’s more to do after the usual blogging, books, con speeches, and so forth.

That is to be available for interviews – and to get interviewed.

See you’re testimony to the Power of Progeek.  Also you’re probably good-looking and charismatic.  So we need you out there sharing your wisdom and experiences, and if nothing else your bad examples.

So first, be available for interviews:

  • Make sure there’s contact information on your site, blogs, cards, etc.
  • Make sure that if you are interviewed, you list it on your website with contact information, so people know you can and will be reached.
  • Respond to any contact requests on interviews promptly.
  • If anyone contacts you about information, note your availability for said interviews.

Secondly, go get interviewed.  No, this isn’t arrogant, this is about you sharing your knowledge in a format that people like.  If you’re uncomfortable then reconsider or tone it down, but you need to seek out changes to share you and what you do.

  • Join groups like Help A Reporter Out (http://www.helpareporter.com/) and respond to the posts for information and interviews.  Yes, journalists and researchers are seeking people like you, so go get involved.
  • If you hear about calls for research, information, and interviews go for it!
  • If you’re helping out people with a website or other form of communication, offer to do an interview as a way to share information.  It’s a pretty efficient format, actually.

You’ve got a lot of wisdom to share.  This is just one method to do it – and one that’s pretty efficient when you do it right.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach for professional and potentially professional geeks, fans, and otaku. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/