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A Blog Mentor Is Hard to Find

A Blog Mentor Is Hard to Find

A crusty old journalism professor I once had used to preach the following:

“To get where you want to go, you should talk to someone who has been there.”

Ideally, that’s where a mentor comes in. A wise and trusted counselor who influences our work and supports us along the way. You know, the older guy who has earned our respect by example. Now all he has left to accomplish is helping shape today’s youth. I’ve yet to find my blogging Mr. Miyagi (See Karate Kid), and I have a few ideas why:

1) A numbers game.
Perhaps there simply aren’t enough success stories. Sure there are a lot of bloggers, but how many of them have achieved success and notoriety? With very little room in the penthouse, the number of top bloggers is seriously limited.

2) There’s no time. Blogging is not most people’s full-time job, meaning that would-be blogging mentors don’t have time to commit to taking people under their wing. With the little time they have, they are constantly developing and growing their own blog(s).

3) The load is shot.
If bloggers took the time to mentor, they’d have less to write about. Simply put, many bloggers use their blogs as a primary forum to offer advice. If they started to mentor people away from their blog, they’d potentially be stealing their own content.

There are some Websites where you can pay for a blogging mentor, but that’s not up my alley. Last time I checked, Mr. Miyagi never charged Daniel Larusso. A mentor does it for the passion of the sport, not a pay day.

See Also
time management

Do you have a blogging mentor? Any ideas on where to find one?

View Comments (10)
  • I totally agree with this post. One solution I’ve thought of (and this may not be for everyone) is that we can at least learn from blogging experts by getting their online publications. We have to be careful though in choosing the ebook we’d use as reference.

  • Most of my blogging mentors would have no idea that they are mentoring me just because I am taught through the blog posts and emails. On the odd occasion I will email people to ask questions but find that products are where I find my mentors.

    As you said most bloggers do not have time to mentor, so if they create a product, we should buy it and learn from it!

  • I think that your third argument is flawed:

    “If bloggers took the time to mentor, they’d have less to write about. Simply put, many bloggers use their blogs as a primary forum to offer advice. If they started to mentor people away from their blog, they’d potentially be stealing their own content.”

    That’s not true. As a matter of fact, I am a guest author at a blog directed to people in my area of expertise, and I also mentor 2 junior professionals who are just starting to blog. What I learn from their struggles I can use as fodder for my own blog posts; the fact that I help them away from the blog doesn’t mean I can’t use the same advice in a more generic manner (i.e., without mentioning their particular weaknesses or individual struggles) in the blog. Helping them has actually helped me find new topics to blog about, because it allows me to see things from the perspective of people who are just starting.

  • This is an interesting concept that I had not considered – Blog Mentors. I don’t officially have a blog mentor but subscribe by email to a handful of bloggers that are inspiring and educational (even if they are not in my niche of the real estate industry). There is always something to learn and improve upon especially since social media platforms will continue to change!

  • I had never even thought that blog mentors existed :)
    Reading blogs that are informative surely helps though?

  • I am currently interning with the Surropa.com – the ultimate online shopping destination for fashion apparel and merchandise from top Latin American brands and designers. In the past year I have been working with three different companies and their new wave on social media. Along the way, it has been important for me to note example blogs. It was like being back in grade school where the teacher showed you what worked and what you should aim towards. The blog world works similarly.
    So Blog Mentors although hard to find are a must.

  • Now this is a topic I was searching for. It is complicated trying to find an individual to mentor you when they may be busy with their own blog. I think sometimes, they do not want to tutor the competition. So blogger like myself, have been left out in the cold. I just cannot understand that. I think it is sad to have to pay for a mentor. But if you need help then you need help. Most of all critique is also very important to blog writers as well.

  • Came across this article just as I was about to launch my blog on guess what? Blog Mentoring. Funny how things like that all align.

    Cheers! :)

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