Tonight, I had the distinct pleasure of attending The Cincinnati Women Bloggers holiday party.  Panchinko’s, a charming cafe in Northern Kentucky, was a buzz with the energy of bloggers talking about writing, and writers talking about blogging.  The written word is a powerful tool.  There are few things I love more than sharing ideas with like minded people.  I was delightfully surprised to see a few male bloggers when I first arrived, then as the evening got rolling, more and more men showed up.  Now keep in mind this was a “women’s” event.  At one point, I tweeted: **Guys crashed the gate @cincyblog & @joeywessels at the @cinwomenblogger event, come on-this isn’t a slumber party.

My passion, human resources, is shared with thousands of people around the country, and yet I am amazed at how few people in my industry are actually blogging, and capitalizing on social media’s power.

If you are reading this, you are are not one of those people.  If you follow me on twitter: you are not one of those people. If we are facebook friends: you are not one of those people.  The people I am talking about who don’t care.  And the people who don’t care, are perhaps the one’s who should care the most.

My biggest pet peeve is people who think they know a lot about that which what they know only a little. I know a lot of people who know a lot about HR.  I don’t pretend to know it all.  In fact, the older I get the more I realize that I too know only a little.  I am a new blogger.  I am learning to blog.  It is a humbling experience.  My mistakes are many, but as I make them, I grow.  Tonight, I was surrounded by bloggers who write about a myriad of topics.  What brought me the most joy was finally meeting local twitter pals in person.  I met a person who writes about being single in Cincinnati, a friend who writes about theater, and a couple who extol the virtues of beer.

I met a woman who writes about fashion. I met two people who write about local politics.  I met an engineer who blogs about engineering.  I met an IT expert who blogs about systems. I met a woman who developed a website to bring girlfriends together to help one another.  I met one of the women who started Cincinnati Women’s Bloggers, who brought us all together. 

What was most fun about this event was listening to the stories these bloggers tell.  After all, bloggers are story tellers.  One of my quests is to put the “Human” back in human resources.  One way I can do that is by reaching outside my industry and connect with other people, and the bloggers who write about them. 

What inspires me is the voice that blogs give us.  That is a voice that must be heard.  I’ve grown the most by listening to other blogger’s voices. The voice I hear as I read their posts, speak to me, and my heart.  This is the food that feeds my mind, and moves my fingers across the keys.  As much as I like to joke about about matters human, I do not joke around about this: if we are going to be successful in human resources and recruiting, we should reach out and talk to others, both in and out of our industry.

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