Just calling yourself an entrepreneur doesn't really tell anyone anything about what it is you do. They come in every stripe, shape, odor and passion, and what's a great solution for one might not be so useful for another one. One thing everyone needs, though, is a web presence, right?
For example, I'm a freelance writer, and everyone in my field, supposedly, needs a clip site. I dragged my heels on it for the longest time because I've been too busy writing to write about what I've written about in the past, but, legitimately, sometimes people and employers are curious to see. Almost everything I do exists online -- aside from the handful of print magazines I write for -- and none of my colleagues use the same approach.
I suspect this will be true in your field, too. Some bought their own domain and use WordPress. Some use Tumblr. Some just operate on Twitter. It all depends on your needs and what you're looking to get out of it, but if you haven't taken a look at Tumblr, now might be a good time. Tumblr is still a relatively new company, but its proven its usefulness and effectiveness since forming in 2007. Quantcast pegs Tumblr's daily global users to be somewhere around 11.5 million, and visits to its sites at 15.3 million. By comparison, that's an estimated nearly 10 percent of what Facebook gets, but still, a number too large to ignore outright.
Last year, Mashable wrote a piece on the pros and cons of Tumblr for small businesses, and all its points still hold sway. Here's one line that really sticks out from that article, if you're unsure of Tumblr's practicality:
"Many business owners see Tumblr as a kind of social hub, allowing them to facilitate and build upon social media efforts via other channels. “Tumblr enables us to expand on the content that we post on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare and drive further traffic to our sites,” says McIntyre of The Standard Hotel."
I chose to use Tumblr because it's free, it takes seconds to post something (even from an iPhone) and as that Mashable piece concludes "granted, you probably won’t be pulling in the dollars directly via Tumblr, either, but you will be engaging with your customers, and perhaps building a stronger base for future business." I've gotten some work through my Tumblr, so I can attest this is certainly the case.
Check out Tumblr.
David Wolinsky is a freelance writer and a lifelong Chicagoan. In addition to currently serving as an interviewer-writer for Adult Swim, he's also a columnist for EGM. He was the Chicago city editor for The Onion A.V. Club where he provided in-depth daily coverage of this city's bustling arts/entertainment scene for half a decade. When not playing video games for work he's thinking of dashing out to Chicago Diner, Pizano's, or Yummy Yummy. His first career aspirations were to be a game-show host.
