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| Sharing is sexy, Puss. |
"Pro bono" is Latin for "for the common good." This entails at least two things: promoting a cause to help the public and doing it for free. The term usually refers to legal professionals who lend their skills to help out individuals who do not have the means of paying for professional services.
Pro Bono Blogging Examined
Of late, many bloggers have caught up with the trend. Is this pure foolishness? Apparently not. The practice is good in at least 3 ways:
- It brings out the human being in you. Oftentimes, the search for profit could make you a robotic money maker. A pro bono blog post every now and then leads you back to the truth: that you are human... that you have feelings... that you can do your share to touch one life.
- It challenges your creativity to customize your blog post to fit your niche. The recent turn of events in Japan and how the gaming industry responded is a perfect example of how two unlikely subject matters can be melded meaningfully in a custom-made press release. You can do the same for your blog post.
- It fosters the spirit of volunteerism. Both the recipient and the volunteer benefit from the activity. According to the World Volunteer Web, volunteerism allows you to learn new skills, experience a sense of achievement and belonging, boost your career option and interact with a diverse set of people.
Helping Kassandra
In light of the above information on pro bono blogging and on writing to promote the common good, I'd like to take the opportunity to plug in the cause of Kassandra. I first knew about the child from Connie's blog post on helping children. I know I could have blogged about cats and other causes, but Kassandra's story moved me. The child and her mom hail from a place close to my heart: Cebu.
