Most of my blog posts at UPworld.com have been on the topic of netgiving – a term I use to describe the enlightened online interaction that reaches beyond mere networking. There is one aspect of netgiving I’d like to highlight here, for readers who are developing their own professional architectural blogs. It is the counter-intuitive practice of offering a product or service for free.

 
You may have already noticed this trend; some professionals now offer free material online that they once would have held in reserve for their paying clients. Some free offerings I’ve seen range from industry white papers, newsletter subscriptions, downloadable e-books or instructional videos. In some cases the free item may take the form of an hour of consultation or some other one-on-one professional evaluation. Due to download technologies, the printed or recorded giveaways don’t cost the giver anything beyond the time and effort to produce the original content, while ongoing newsletters and offers of free services could amount to a real time commitment (time away from billable tasks!).
In most cases, all that is required in exchange for the free material is the reader’s name and e-mail address. 
The idea behind such giving is to establish one’s credentials, to build trust, to display expertise on a given subject – specifically, the goal is to cultivate relationships with potential clients.

 
Does your practice lend itself to netgiving? What could you offer online to potential clients (or even to fellow professionals)? While you don’t want to simply give away your lead product or service, there is probably some content you could part with that would be benefitial to your readers. Let’s discuss this (please leave a comment below).

If you’d like to know more, here are four books (in order of publication dates) that address the concept of “free” as an essential online marketing principal:

• Free Prize Inside: How to Make a Purple Cow by Seth Godin
• Marketing 2.0, Freemium & ROI by Luca Grivet Foiaia
• Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide by Amy Shuen
• Free: The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson

In the few months since I launched this blog (dedicated to encouraging and equipping fellow architects to start their own professional blogs) I have seen several developments that are worth noting. If launching your own blog seems daunting, you may find solace in numbers. Here are three blog communities you could affiliate with or just visit to see what other professionals are producing.

The industry-specific networking site, UPworld, which is built around the global Real Estate, Design and Construction fields began its blog feature last year. Selected UPworld members agree to provide one publish-ready post per month. The site administrator regulates the posts so there is a fresh flow of new content for member-readers.  UPworld is free but it has moved to ”by invitation only” enrollment; please let me know if you’d like to check it out and I’ll email you the link. My series of blogs explores netgiving, a term I use for enlightened online interaction beyond mere networking.  

There is a new industry-based blogging venture that I just encountered through one of my LinkedIn groups. It was initiated by a young Engineering Marketer named Curtis Lewis. The site is called AecPress and serves ”interior designers, architects and builders (who see) the benefits of engaging in social media” and seek an audience of peers for their blogs. This audience aligns with my target niche, so I’m right in there with Curtis. Membership is open, so please take a look at AecPress.

I have one final example of industry-directed blogging - and along with it a humble request. Mark Buckshon at Construction Marketing Ideas has established one of the finest construction blog networks. To showcase the quantity and quality of the blogs, he has established the Best Construction Blog competition. Follow this link to the official ballot; from the titles alone you can see the array of specialty niches within the construction industry. There really are some fine examples of professional blogs that you can peruse for information and blogging inspiration. Why not vote for one or two? (I’ll tuck my request in here: While you’ve got the ballot open, please vote for my blog, “Building Content“. It is seventh on the list. Soliciting votes like this is okay, it’s actually approved by the concert rules. Thanks!)

I invite you to access these different blogging communities. If you have any specific questions, please let me know. And as always, feel free to leave your comments here.