I love to read, normally it’s a book, but because of my blog and the HR profession, I’ve started reading a lot of blogs. Blogs are individuals thoughts and opinions, but they are also a great source of knowledge. I’m not sure why I never really thought to research HR blogs before twitter, but I’ll never go back!
I started a new course in my Master’s program and one thing that really caught my attention this time was a request from the instructor. Now, this may have been a request from others, but because I didn’t have a blog, I probably didn’t pay great attention to it. The request was that we did not cite blogs in our papers. I was taken aback by this request, not because I was going to cite my own blog post, I wouldn’t do that … maybe. More so, because blogs are, to me, a great resource that people need to pay attention to. HR isn’t the only profession that has blog writers, of course, however, I feel like HR is one of the professions that #HRNewbies, #HR Pros, and even #HR Possibles, are able to get a better understanding of what HR is by reading what others write.
I’m learning that a major part of HR is the learned from others. I’ve said it many times, college doesn’t really prepare you for what HR is all about. Maybe it’s the courses I’ve had or the professors, I’m not sure, but there is so much that you can only learn from actually doing the job. Just because you read about mental health, employee engagement, the DOL, unions, etc. it doesn’t mean you will understand how to handle the situations in HR.
There are, of course, great blogs that are more than just one author. Blogs like Workology or SHRM Blog that deal with pretty much every side of HR and has multiple writers that are in the profession. Citing these types of Blogs shouldn’t cause an issue. Yes, it is still the opinion of the person writing the article, but that person is actually practicing this field. Steve Browne just released his book, HR on Purpose (get it here: SHRM Store) the things he talks about in his book, he has also discussed in his blog. So what makes the book more credible than the blog?
Two AWESOME HR pros you need to reach out to, if you haven’t already, are:
Jessica Miller Merrell (Twitter) – she runs the Workology site and is someone I definitely look up to in the blogging/HR world. She has a lot going on but she always makes it happen and makes sure everything is of great quality.
Steve Browne (Twitter) – if you’ve read my blog before, you know I think Steve is THE HR guy. He is so helpful and you need to read his book, even if you’re not in HR, it helps you understand people so much better. Make sure you have pen and paper or a highlighter near by, you will need it!
Do you think blogs hold enough weight to be a credible source?
Let me know your opinions by commenting below or reaching out on my social media pages! Also, let me know your favorite blogs to read, I’ll make sure to check them out and make a list of blogs to read on here soon.
Until Next Time …
HRJazzy 
As someone who is an occasional HR blogger, and also a tutor for the CIPD, I would definitely support the point that blogs should not ordinarily be referenced in an academic or professional situation. Ultimately they are opinion pieces in which the blogger is not expected to support their point with research or data. In an academic context this isn’t good enough to justify a course of action (nor is it often in a work context). That’s no disrespect to people like Steve Browne, whose posts I enjoy (haven’t read his book yet unfortunately) but the danger is without evidence to support them, acting on them just becomes confirmation bias on our part (since we tend to like the bloggers whose view accords with our own).
One blogger who I would make an exception for is UK based business and HR commentator “Flip Chart Rick” (most of his recent posts are on economic or wider business issues, but here’s a recent HR one: https://flipchartfairytales.wordpress.com/2017/05/09/ai-still-not-clever-enough-to-be-allowed-out-on-its-own/) – his posts are always backed up by research data, evidence and facts which can be independently verified by the reader.
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Thank you for your reply Simon. Understanding it from this perspective, I get why blogs aren’t allowed as a credible research. I would like for professors/schools to still establish the outlet for students. Newbies need to hear what it’s like in the profession. I think it would have personally helped me understand HR a lot better while attending school and entering the profession.
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