Drea Knufken is the Senior Writer at the popular blog Business Pundit. She has helped expand Business Pundit into a more expansive business resource. I reached out to her to learn more about her adventurous career and get her thoughts on blogging during these exciting times …

Damien Hoffman: Drea, you have had quite an adventurous career! Can you tell me how it all led to Business Pundit?

Drea: I studied business management and politics in college, then went to work in sales in Silicon Valley. After that, I worked in a variety of advertising, editorial, and support functions. I decided that although I liked the energy of a big corporation, I wanted a career path that was more independent, creative, and entrepreneurial.

So I went to work at a software startup while pursuing a travel writing career. My work there introduced me to established travel writers. I made enough connections to land a book deal for Backroads & Byways of Colorado,published by Countryman Press last year. I took on several other writing jobs in the industry, including creating Web content, writing about arts, nightlife, cuisine, and material for event planners.

After a while, I realized that I didn’t want to build a career exclusively on travel writing. I learned that what interests me most isn’t just describing something — you do a lot of that as a travel writer — but getting to the root of it, demystifying it, learning from it. I started to seek out topics conducive to that kind of work. As I searched for an appropriate topic range, I built a small business around content production so that I could sustain myself independently.

I found myself thinking about business and the economy more and more. As a small business owner, the functions of my company started taking up most of my time. I was constantly finding ways to improve my processes, market, and build my range of expertise.

At the same time, I’ve always had strong opinions on the way businesses and the economy are run. When I was working in corporations, I thought a lot about ways to improve management processes and company structures. When I worked at a startup, I thought about the best ways business could be developed. I never voiced those opinions, because they weren’t part of my job function, but these things have always run through my mind.

For those reasons, when I saw an advertisement for a new Business Pundit blogger, I jumped at the chance. I had never thought about vocalizing my thoughts about business before — and didn’t know there was a forum for it. Business Pundit was a surprise, and it has been a treat. I savor the process of learning more about business, the economy, and finance every day. It’s amazing being able to interact with experts on a range of topics, get feedback, and get to the bottom of things.

Damien: What has been your experience growing Business Pundit and writing?

Drea: Working on Business Pundit has been a really positive experience for me. When I came in as a blogger about a year and a half ago, the blog was in transition. Its founder, Rob May, had created one of the first business blogs on the Web. He had a devoted following. He was an independent thinker, thoughtful writer, and avid business observer.

I came in with the task of growing the blog’s readership. That required posting more content geared towards a bigger viewership, in a wide variety of business-related fields. More lists, a more scan-friendly layout, that kind of thing. More topics likely to pique wide interest.

So the blog grew into something more general. The blog was built upon its original author’s voice and opinions, but had to switch gears into something aimed at attracting a much larger audience. When I took over, I made connections with different people and blogs than the original author had. There was definitely a period of adaptation there. But after a short while, the blog started doing really well. The formula had changed, but the general interest in the topic hadn’t.

In general, I’m excited about the people we’ve attracted for interviews, the books we get to review, and the overall range of topics we cover. It makes for fun blogging.

Damien: Given those core competencies, what are your goals with Business Pundit?

Drea: Provide general business coverage, including current news, business tips, interviews, book reviews, and analysis of trends. We also cover the people, products, and oddities of the business world.

It’s a fun, engaging resource for anyone interested in business and the economy. Our goals include creating quality content, finding fascinating people and products to inform readers about, and sharing up-to-the-minute news with an international business-minded audience.

Damien: Drea, the media is undergoing a major transition. How do you see things unfolding over the next few years?

Drea: That’s a tough call to make. Here are my guesses based on current trends:

Serious reporting will shift more to nonprofits and universities. Although it takes time and money, traditional journalistic stories play a crucial role in the democratic process. They put events in context. They tell the whole story, not just snippets or sensationalist bits. As a result, readers use journalism to inform their civic and personal outlooks.

Universities have been collaborating more with journalists to create the kind of reportage that could replace newspaper stories. College students are bright, cheap labor. They have the time and equipment to devote to stories. Nonprofits have also been receiving grants that support balanced, complete stories. Their websites will become more visible and accessible over time.

The current direction of things includes punditry, personality-based reportage, and facts manipulated to appeal to peoples’ pre-existing opinions. I think that’s a trend, although I’m not sure whether that trend will hit an apex as soon as the next few years. Eventually, government regulation of the Internet will result in a shakeout, or better technology will make it easier to find customized sources of information. At some point, ingesting media won’t feel like a deluge anymore. Opinionmakers will have their place, but they won’t have primacy as they do today.

Crowdsourcing, real-time information, and interactive technology will have bigger roles to play in the process of reporting stories. Technology will contribute to a major change in the journalistic profession, but it won’t change peoples’ need for relevant, timely, balanced information. I think that will become more apparent within the next few years. Technology and entrepreneurial journalists will respond more visibly to that need.

Damien: Drea, thanks for taking the time to share your adventurous career and thoughts about financial blogging. I look forward to staying in touch.

Drea: Thanks, Damien. Speak with you soon.

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