• 

eCommerce teaches us to think like a general manager. Ecommerce exposes you to product marketing, supply chain, pricing and profit management, customer acquisition, cross-selling, up-selling, customer service and much more. So many jobs let you see a little piece of the puzzle, but never the whole enterprise at work. Ecommerce gives you a feel for customers. Ecommerce encourages a deep appreciation for the value of Brand Experience and Customer Experience. It makes you a better storyteller. It forces you to take a customer-centered view of the world. It exposes you to not only what customers say they’ll do, but to what they actually do. eCommerce teaches us to think like a general manager. Ecommerce exposes you to product marketing, supply chain, pricing and profit management, customer acquisition, cross-selling, up-selling, customer service and much more. So many jobs let you see a little piece of the puzzle, but never the whole enterprise at work. Ecommerce gives you a feel for customers. Ecommerce might make a difference in your life, not just your day job. Some day in some way it’s going to be pretty damn handy that you paid your dues in eCommerce. Maybe you want to promote your band. Or help raise money for your favorite charity. Or start up your own company. Or turn your favorite hobby into an extra source of income. Being smart at eCommerce is something practical and relevant that can last a lifetime.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.