You've read their blogs, but have you ever wondered what prompted an MT from Pennsylvania to write about teamwork and trends, or where a man found the confidence to expound on a female-dominated industry? We asked our dedicated bloggers how blogging and other social media tools have affected their career development. After reading their insights, check out their blogs on ADVANCE's HIM Insider.

"Blogging has been a positive experience not only professionally, but personally. It has caused me to slow down, pause and think about my professional and personal world from a more thoughtful perspective. I find myself more acutely aware of some things that in years past may have gone by without a second thought. Like most people, I have a very busy life, and some days can be very stressful. Media tools such as blogs and Facebook, whether writing or reading, offer an outlet that does not take me far from my work environment (after all, they are on the computer) but allows me to connect to others in the professional environment, as well as family and friends. A short read on one of these sites may make me laugh, educate me about something new, offer a point of view I did not consider or connect me with a loved one, all of which help make daily tasks a little less stressful. Sometimes just a short break clears my mind enough that I can focus and return to work more energized, just from having that brief peek into someone's blog thoughts or Facebook post. I haven't quite ventured to Twitter or any of the other social media, but I have also learned over the years to never say never! 

"I am not really looking to advance my career, per se; I am content in my transcriptionist position and am not looking for work anywhere else! However, the process of blogging has provided an opportunity to work on my writing skills and learn to put on paper what I observe in my corner of the world. Like most people, I wear several hats in life--MT, educator, member of the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI), state delegate for Pennsylvania AHDI, small business owner, volunteer in our community, parent and spouse--and on any given day, the puzzle of how those roles fits together is partly shaped by how I view it. And how I view it leads to the blog; it gives me the perspective to connect the dots of my life while challenging myself to articulate it and actually post it for others to see. That final step, posting, is part of the challenge--to make public private thoughts. 

"Even before beginning the ADVANCE blog, I was a voracious reader, devouring anything written. My family has joked for years about how I not only cut articles out of newspapers and magazines but also used them or--heaven forbid--mailed them to someone! Writing blog entries has motivated me to keep up on my reading, which is difficult in this age of information overload. As educators and practitioners, we need to stay current, not just with the technical aspects of our subject matter, but with the world at large. Blogging helps me stay at the top of my game, or at least keeps me upright in the whirlwind of life. By the way, a longtime friend told me years ago I should try writing, as I had a unique way with words, and I am actually starting to believe her!" 

Judy Lichtenberger, CMT, AHDI-F
Author of "MT Connections" 

"Using social media has become an important part of the way I communicate with clients, prospective clients and colleagues, and has had a definitive positive effect on my career.

"The process that seems to work best for me is to use a blog as my primary tool for communication, and use Twitter and Facebook as a means of alerting followers when new information is posted to my blog. This is mainly because both Twitter and Facebook have inherent limitations in terms of the amount of information that can be disseminated in one tweet or post, whereas a blog is free of this type of constraint.

"In my view, the value of resources such as Twitter and Facebook lies in their real-time qualities, that is, their ability to facilitate virtually instantaneous communication in a concise format. On the other hand, blogging seems to me to be a more permanent, relatively static way to disseminate information. Using each to complement the other is, I believe, a successful combination when it comes to business as well as personal networking.

"I do find it interesting to observe that men and women tend to revert to gender stereotypes when using social networking resources. The relatively few men in my circle of business-related friends (I am in the medical transcription business, after all!) tend to use Twitter and Facebook almost exclusively to share business-related links. On the other hand, most of the women with whom I'm connected on Facebook or Twitter seem much more likely to share personal information and observations. I tend to follow this same general pattern; I confess that I spend a fair amount of my time on Facebook hiding quiz results; I'm not really interested in knowing what song from the 1980s best describes my Facebook friends!

"Having said that, the reality is that social media's blurring of lines between personal and business communication isn't necessarily all bad, annoying Facebook quizzes notwithstanding. Professional success is, in the end, about connecting with people, and even we single-minded men recognize that a certain amount of personal interaction with clients is usually good for business. The bottom line is that social media has made the process of communication a lot easier, and the importance of communication for success in business can't be overstated."

Jay Vance, CMTAuthor of "The XY Files in an MT World"