This is a guest post I wrote for FreelanceWritingTips.com.

THEY say blogs have been around for ten years now, writes Dave Lee. Some would say it’s even longer than that, but as it stands, no-one really agrees on when the first blog started. And, even after all this time, no-one can agree on how useful they are either.

Linda Jones (who, the observant ones will have realised, is one of the people behind this site) was once cautious about how useful a blog can be to an aspiring journalist.

In Press Gazette last year, she wrote, amongst other things: “What can aspiring journalists learn from blogging? Meeting deadlines? Possibly. Interview skills or news sense? I think not.”

I agree, but that’s not to say a blog can’t be a student journalist’s trump card when it comes to breaking a new market. Linda wrote that article a year ago, so maybe her opinions have altered a little, but in my experience blogging has been the deal clincher in just about everything I’ve done.

Think of this scenario. You’re interested in, say, shoes. You read Shoe Mag every month and you think you’ve got a great idea for an article. You prepare to email or call the editor of Shoe Mag with your idea when all of sudden you realise that not only do you not have any experience with Shoe Mag, but you don’t have any experience with any mag. You’re stuffed.

But wait. You’ve been blogging about shoes for the past two months. You’ve attracted shoe fans from all over the world to your work, and even other shoe bloggers are linking to your blog. “Ah ha,” thinks the editor. “Even though this student hasn’t worked for a magazine before, they really do know about shoes, this blog is great.”

And there you have it. You’re in.

Of course, this doesn’t just apply to shoes. The trick is to find something you know about, and stick to it. Don’t meander, or you’ll lose your readers.

I used to blog about everything in my life in the one place. Nights out, girlfriends and football used to occupy the same space as my journalism articles. Big mistake. Have a personal blog, by all means, but only let editors see you at your writing best. Now I only blog about issues relating to the media and more specifically student media. After less than a year, my blog has brought me opportunities in magazines, local newspapers and even national ones.

My friend Dan took up blogging this year after relentless pestering. After a few posts about his beloved Blackburn F.C, he was soon snapped up by theoffside.com as their official Blackburn blogger. He can now say he’s a sports journalist specialising in Blackburn F.C. – because that’s what he is.

In a nutshell: Get blogging. There will be something you love, so write about it. Comment on other people’s blogs too, and they’ll have look at yours. I could go on for hours about how to promote your blog, but really, the key is just make it GOOD. And don’t be afraid to show it off.

Linda was right when she said having a blog doesn’t make you a journalist. Football boots don’t make you Alan Shearer, but you’ve got a better chance by putting them on.

Dave Lee is a student journalist studying at the University of Lincoln, where he founded and currently edits the student newspaper, The Linc. He also writes for several publications, specialising in new media, technology, social-networking and student media.