Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
Meet the Team: Ross
Each month we will be showcasing members from our brilliant 360 Digital Starters team. First up, is Ross – a former English teacher turned content writer who now spends his working hours creating entertaining, engaging and challenging quizzes and tests for millions of users around the world.
Meet Ross!
Hi Ross! You’re first in our new ‘Meet the Team’ series. Tell us a little about yourself and how you ended up in Berlin!
I grew up in Pennsylvania, US, and lived in many different cities and states in the US before I moved to Berlin. I had wanted to move here for many years, as I thought it would be a great place to live, and I also wanted to learn German, because it is my dream to translate German literature into English.
Wow! How come after years of teaching English you decided to become a content writer?
I was a freelance teacher, which I enjoyed, but I was ready to move on to something with more long-term goals. I wanted a challenge of developing and growing in a new, less familiar environment. And I got lucky when I was offered an interview here!
The transition [between job roles] was smooth and I still teach a couple of classes a week. I never look back, as working here is more comfortable and relaxing, and I also enjoy spending time with the people here.
What are your favorite topics for writing?
Word games. They are always fun. I also really enjoyed recently writing a quiz about New Zealand. It was challenging, because this quiz is for New Zealanders and, when I started, I had no idea about the country, but I had a great time getting stuck into the research.
Ross enjoying the sun on our office balcony.
How would you describe our company culture?
I would say it’s really laid-back. The company is (presently) not so big, so everyone has an opportunity to get to know each other. My friends from larger companies often complain that they sometimes have no idea who they’re working with, whereas, even though I have often had to skip our company events, I feel 100% comfortable with everyone in the office.
We are going to play beach volleyball next Friday – feel free to join.
OK, I’ll probably join, but I am really bad at it.
Me too. What inspires you?
I love to research and write about topics which are completely new to me. I also like to take a source text and rewrite it completely. I spend a lot of my spare time writing creatively and, along with some short stories, I have been working on a book, which I hope will be published one day.
If you were an animal, which one would you be?
I would be a deer: they are quiet, they like nature and they run away gracefully.
Well, we hope you won’t run away from us – gracefully or not. If you had to though, what would your alternative dream job be?
I would love to be a Volcanologist, spending my days studying volcanoes. Also, I can imagine myself being a cook, even though I am terrible at cooking.
Introduce Yourself (Example Post)
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.
360 Digital Starters 