I’ve recently been rewriting some blog bios and wanted to capture key points to include. It’s generally good to have a bio of varying lengths (one sentence, 100 words, 250 words, etc). Numbers 1 and 5 below are required and can be squeezed into one sentence if necessary.

1. The first sentence should include your name and clarify what you do, and for whom (your audience).
   “My name is Kevin Barefoot, and I am a technical writer and product support manager who operates Barefoot Consulting, a freelance business that helps Vancouver-area software companies plan and manage documentation and support.”
2. The second sentence should indicate key professional achievements (including awards, degrees, memberships)
   “I  hold a degree in writing from the University of Victoria, and for the past ten years have worked at Creo and then Kodak as a technical writer and product support manager where I ensured that software products met business goals by managing service through the stages of alpha, beta, and production.”
3. The third sentence should indicate what differentiates you from the competition.
   “I have spent significant time learning from and helping end-users, and defining an overall support plan covering areas such as: service risks, tools, and profitability; beta programs; end of life or migration; documentation; training; translations; call reporting; and maintenance requirements.”
4. The fourth sentence should indicate what you are working on now, or interesting side projects.
   “Lately I’ve become interested in using social media tools to deliver service and support.”
5. The fifth sentence should include your contact information.
   “You can reach me at kevin dot barefoot at gmail dot com or @kbarefoot.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 10:00 am and is filed under Blogosphere. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.