Blogging Tip #2: DO blog to show off your skills.
Using a blog to showcase writing talent is also the strategy of Casey Lewis, a freshman journalism major at the University of Missouri. She's up front about her dream: To "take [Vogue editor-in-chief] Ms. Wintour's job right out from under her pointy Manolos."

Lewis created her blog to stand out from the thousands of girls who crave the same job. It's working; her tips for a stylish college wardrobe and her cultural commentary have earned her stints at Glam.com and Coutorture.com. She's also made contacts with fashion bloggers whom she claims "would do anything to help one another succeed."

Lewis recommends starting a blog that involves a subject you're passionate about in order to improve your writing skills and market your talents. "Always be perceptive to inspiration," she says, noting that magazine ads, newspaper articles and classmates' outfits often turn into blog posts.

Blogging Tip #3: DON'T be a saucy insider.
Sharing your company culture won't break the law as revealing trade secrets would, but it can still jeopardize your job. Nadine Haobsh, a former beauty editor at Ladies' Home Journal, is the blogger behind "Jolie in NYC," which offers a mix of celeb gossip and beauty tips. But in 2005, when her anonymity was still intact, Haobsh characterized her industry as "akin to a sorority." She acknowledged that "beauty companies have so much more money to throw around on press trips, free products and gratuitous gifts," recounting the iPods, getaways and other perks her boss received. On the flip side, she griped, "the entry pay is crap."

Haobsh wasn't fired. She had already given her two week's notice at Ladies' Home Journal when The New York Post outed her as "Jolie." However, the new job offer she had taken—as beauty editor of Seventeen—was rescinded. Human Resources at Hearst Publications explained to her that her blog was unprofessional.