When I first conceived of this blog post I was going to address the positive, life-saving impact of building codes demonstrated in the Chilean earthquake. Within hours of the initial event the building code theme was already emerging from the ongoing broadcast coverage; so who better to expound on it than a practicing Architect who deals with code issues regularly?

Appartment Building, Concepcion, Chile

I didn’t take action right away however, and when I did sit down to write (that is, to gather data and potential blog links) I learned the building code aspects of the story had already been well covered. It was a good idea, shared by many and developed quickly online. These writers had produced timely news-based posts for their blogs. I hadn’t.
 
Although this blog, Building Content, does address current events and trends, it is not intended to be a news blog, per se. News reporting, aggregation, and commentary are popular blog types, but Building Content has a different objective; it is specifically devoted to offering coaching and content to fellow architectural bloggers. The earthquake in Chile was no longer news, but it still held a story.
 
As I looked at how others were covering the earthquake, I saw a range of writers’ insights. The facts of the event were set (other than the rising death count, which is the human aspect that trumps all other data) but each writer beheld – or imposed – a different perspective on the story.
 
In my evaluation of blog coverage of the Chilean quake and building codes, I found the more pertinent theme for readers here:
 

A professional blog should manifest the writer’s a unique point of view.

 
In light of this, let me show you how five different bloggers have approached the building code aspects of the Chilean earthquake and presented the story to their readers in a unique way: 

USA Today – Lessons learned should be lessons applied; “I look at the reports of collapsing bridges and highways in Chile and worry what would happen here.”

The Huffington Post - The significance of preparedness; “No living Haitian had experienced a quake at home when the Jan. 12 disaster crumbled their poorly constructed buildings.”

Treehugger – A refutation of “the Libertarian point of view (that) building codes are evil and an intrusion.”
 
 Seattle Times – A look at the socioeconomic context of the building codes; ”Poverty is what ultimately kills most people during an earthquake”

News busters – Exposing a political activist’s ”gotcha” quote about Haiti’s lack of building codes.
 

When you initiate a professional blog post be accurate with the facts and details, of course; but press beyond the raw data. Deliver your experience and expertise as well. Whether personally or professionally, share your unique point of view as you write. If you engage your audience and promote dialogue, your blog will be richer and your reader may, in time, become your client.

Now, add your own content and make this a conversation; please comment below.