Archives for June 2011
Why Do You Blog?
Why do you blog? Have you ever thought about it? Do you do it for fun? Is it business related? What drives you and how long do you think you will keep on doing it?
Triberr, Twitter, LinkedIn & Livefyre
I don’t know about you but Triberr, Twitter, LinkedIn & Livefyre sounds like a tongue twister to me. Been thinking about all of the aforementioned and more….
Been a part of Triberr for several months now, that means more than two and less than a decade. For those who are unfamiliar with it Triberr represents a tremendous resource for bloggers. What it does is provide a simple way for bloggers to increase their reach exponentially. In theory it is a tool that small bloggers can use to try and broadcast their message to a much larger audience than ever before. And while that’s certainly true it is a mistake to try and use it solely as a bigger soapbox and microphone than you could before.
The real strength in Triberr lies in its ability to help you connect and engage with others. Triberr is what led to my connection with Gini and Lisa and the guest post that followed at Spin Sucks. Triberr is what led me to make connections with a ton of other bloggers too. Really, I could and should link to a bunch of others. Really I should link to a lot of other bloggers that come from other places around the blogosphere because it is the people that make it run. Â And that is something that I think that we forget sometimes.
What I mean is that we often talk about content being king and the importance of trying to make every post amazing. We talk about how there is a low barrier to entry and how anyone with a computer and an internet connection can set up a blog. We talk about all of the distractions that compete with our very important blogs but sometimes I think that we forget to stress that we need to talk with and not to people. Stop broadcasting and listen for a moment.
My kids and I talk about this. We talk about being conscious and aware of our surroundings. We talk about paying attention to our friends and the importance of giving back. It is important to me that I do something to help them see how much more the world has to offer when we don’t just take. Well, sometimes I think that I forget about that. Sometimes I get so caught up in all of the chaos that I miss the mark. So while I am busy pushing them to do and to give I don’t.
That brings me to Twitter. A friend recently complained that my Twitter stream seems to be filled with nothing but links. I didn’t conduct any sort of analysis so I can’t say that she is wrong. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out that she is right because part of being in Triberr means that I help my tribesmen by tweeting their posts just as they do for mine. Â The takeaway message from this is not to stop and measure what I am doing. Frankly I don’t have time. I am in the midst of riding out a storm so the last thing I want to do is track every tweet.
But what I can do is try to make a point to engage more. I can make a point of trying to make sure that I am doing a better job of interacting with people on Twitter.
And that my friends brings us to the ever so lovely and engaging LinkedIn. Dear LinkedIn the professional social network that we use to try and improve our lot in life by finding a better job. Something more fulfilling that pays six times what we are currently earning and requires that we work six times less. Lovely little LinkedIn where so many people ask their friends, family and colleagues for a recommendation. Well, I am here to say that think that quite a few of the recommendations are as my political science professor would have said, Balderdash. They are authentic frontier gibberish. The exaggerated tall tales of Pecos Bill and Paul Bunyan. In fact I believe that Babe The Blue Ox is more likely to come walking through my yard.
Ok, that is not true of all of the recommendations but quite a few are bunk. I have received more than a few requests from people asking me to scratch their back so that they can scratch mine. That sort of defeats the purpose of it. That devalues the recommendation and makes me question all of them. Maybe it is unfair of me to do so, but I just can’t see a reason not to.
On a related note, I have to fix my profile. It is lacking and I find this to be as troubling as the poor condition in which I find my resume. While I may protest that I am more than words it is still true that most prospective employers will begin engagement with me via that little piece of paper so I suppose that I should work on improving it. Or maybe I should just ask for recommendations from all of my contacts. If I get ten percent of them to give me one I’ll have 20 something reviews that I can use to toot my horn.
Because it is all about engagement and that is why I keep staring at that saucy temptress, Â Livefyre. It is the commenting system that is supposed to turn your blog into something far more active and engaging. Use LiveFyre and watching your comments go from just a few to many. At least, that is the concept. Of course those wacky folks at Spin Sucks overwhelm my inbox with updates about who has said what and to whom. I have adjusted my settings from overwhelming amounts of notifications to slightly less frequent and I am still being besieged by emails.
I suppose that if they were all about me I would be less concerned. I suppose that if they were all tied into posts that I have written I would shrug my shoulders and smile. Smile broadly because in some corners of the blogosphere comments are considered to be currency and that would make me quite wealthy. Alas, that is not the case so I suppose that I shall just have to hope to one day be more than I am.
Or better yet I could take this moment to be less insouciant and remind myself that there is a correlation between blogs and icebergs. As you may know, three quarters of an iceberg is located underwater which means that only a tiny bit of the ‘berg is exposed. In the case of blogs it could be said that three quarters of the readers do not comment so it is really important to remember that you may have far more readers than you realize. There are those that are vocal and those that lurk just beneath the surface.
TheJackB’s Father’s Day Gift Guide
“I am not one of those who in expressing opinions confine themselves to facts. I don’t know anything that mars good literature so completely as too much truth. Facts contain a great deal of poetry, but you can’t use too many of them without damaging your literature. I love all literature, and as long as I am a doctor of literature–I have suggested to you for twenty years I have been diligently trying to improve my own literature, and now, by virtue of the University of Oxford, I mean to doctor everybody else’s.” Mark Twain- Speech to the Savage Club, London, 7/6/1907
“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” Mark Twain
“Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Have you ever noticed that sometimes the post that you write doesn’t match the headline that you have written. It happens to me all the time. I suppose that you can attribute to composing at the keyboard. I don’t work with outlines. I simply write the tale that is being told inside my head. Ignore all that and keep reading. The good stuff is below.
Father’s Day is coming soon and I have a list of things that I want. Some of them might be more difficult to obtain but it doesn’t mean that I can’t dream, scheme or work to obtain them. So my friends here are some of the things that I would like.
1) A personal chef and trainer. Been looking at this 42 year-old body and it is showing signs of the mileage. Since I can’t trade it in I figure that it is time for a tune up. Note that I expect that along with the chef and trainer will be time to take advantage of their services. I figure that one way to do that is to have the studios use me as the star in some action film. I haven’t ever wanted to be an actor but damn if Keanu Reeves can do it so can I .
So Hollywood make me an offer, pay for the trainer/chef and then pay me to get back into the kind of shape that my body wants to be in.
2) A Paid Vacation– I haven’t had a paid vacation in years. I am ready to take time off where I don’t spend any time on the trip working, thinking about work or wondering if I should be thinking about work.
3) A Book Deal– It is on my bucket list, writing a book that is. I am ready to be paid to write the great American novel or maybe just the good one. Hell, pay me and I’ll write the average one. Relax, it won’t be average. You publishers don’t need to be nervous because the 17 long time readers of the blog, my family and five friends will buy copies of it. And 25 years after I die it will become required reading in school and students will come to hate my name as they will associate it with homework.
4) A New Car– I have a 2000 Honda CRV with 110,000+ miles on it. I’d like a convertible but I would settle for a new sedan that has some power under the hood.
5) A trip to Israel– Some of you might ask why this isn’t listed under paid vacation and to that I would answer because. Because I promise the kids that I would take them to see our family and friends. Because it will be an amazing trip but it is not going to be the relaxing trip that the paid vacation is. This will be great fun. I haven’t been back in far too long so I am ready and as mentioned the kids have never been.
6) An iPad2– Never thought that I would say it, but I am jonesing for one of those suckers and I don’t have the cash to buy it now. But that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t list it.
7) A Flatscreen TV– Don’t own one. Got an old 26″ Panasonic that works well and has been reliable, but I am ready to upgrade.
8) Peace of Mind– Had it, lost it and am looking hard for it. I expect that I will recover it sooner or later but don’t expect my sanity to come along with it. I lost that at birth I expect that we’ll be saying that I am still crazy all these years later forever. It is ok, I am good with it.
There is more to say and more to write but no time to do so. So for now I shall bid you adieu. Until we meet again….be good.
The Business Of Blogging
More than a few eyes rolled when I told them that I am involved the business of blogging. I like to think that some of it was due to the chaos surrounding us. After all we were at a party for a six year-old and the soon to be unemployed Chuckles The Clown was doing a stellar job of mishandling magic tricks. I almost felt bad for Chuckles. It is one thing to not be able to fool a room full of adults and quite another to not fool a room full of six year-olds.
I suppose that you could say that I was holding court. I was standing next to an ice chest full of beer and surrounded by a group of fathers who were absentmindedly watching Chuckles muff his performance. Our hostess probably would have been less than pleased to know that I was taking bets as to how long it would take before the kids turned into an angry mob. I am sure that she would have been less pleased to hear me wonder out loud if the kids would tar and feather the poor guy. Blame it on the removal of the filter that used to guard my mouth.
There were a half dozen men standing there and the conversation had already touched upon kids, school, movies, sports, kids and finally work. I hadn’t intended to mention a thing about blogging but one of the guys thought that show and tell time meant talk about Jack’s blog. Mind you he hasn’t ever read it. He just knows that I have one and had heard that I might be making money from it. He also knew that one of the other dads wants to start a blog and thought that it might be useful to ask for my help.
Except his method of asking was to tell Tom that we should exchange numbers because he was certain that I knew enough to help him become a successful blogger. Really it was an obnoxious way of trying to twist my arm to get something for free that other people pay for. That something being, my time and expertise.
I was irritated by the whole exchange. Maybe I am to blame for part of it. Maybe karma bit me in the butt for screwing around, I don’t know. Truth is that I don’t care. What I do know is that when I am asked nicely I am always happy to lend a helping hand. But that helping hand has limitations because my time is worth something. I don’t say that to be obnoxious, arrogant or flippant.
My time and expertise is worth something. I have skills and experience that people pay to use. It happens on a regular basis. I have clients that hire me to write for them. I have clients that hire me to consult with them regarding marketing plans. I have clients that hire me to talk about social media plans. They pay me for my time. I leverage my skills and experience so that I can put food on the table and support my family.
The doctors and lawyers that were among those standing next to me don’t work for free. I know this not just because it is obvious but because I brought it up in conversation. You see when the eye rolls came I made a point of giving a 2 minute talk about blogging and how I have used it to make money. I wanted it to be understood that I am a professional whose skills are in demand. I wanted it to be understood that I am available for hire. You never know who needs help and I figured that it couldn’t hurt to do some soft networking.
Jim could have used a softer approach to ask me to help Tom. I Â would have been glad to talk to him and offer some professional guidance. Instead I had my arm twisted and found myself as the recipient of a two thousand word post and a half dozen emails asking for advice. I handled the situation politely and professionally. I gave Tom some quick and easy pointers. I talked to him about what platforms he can use and why he should create a Twitter account. When he asked me if I would take a look at his blog when he set it up I said sure.
And then I told him that I was sorry to cut things short, but I had to go because a client had hired me to build a blog for him. That part was a lie but I was trying to politely let him know that I get paid for my time. I suppose that I could have just come out and said it, but this worked for me.
The experience reminded me that people who haven’t run their own business or worked in a capacity where they had to bill their own hours don’t always appreciate that time really is money. And when it comes to the business of blogging that always holds true. I just wish that more bloggers understood that or appreciated that when they work for free they are hurting others and not just themselves.
The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me
A thousand years ago the Shmata Queen yelled at me because I hadn’t gotten a colonoscopy. Even though she took great pleasure in stories about my digestive distress she told me she thought that I was being ridiculous because I hadn’t given some doc the chance to explore my nether regions. I explained that I do things in my time and on my schedule to which I received some sort of growl that sounded like “men” and assorted mumblings that probably weren’t complimentary. I of course responded with a hearty, “I love you too dear.”
Somewhere before, in between or after this conversation my parents expressed their frustration concern regarding my desire to do things on my schedule. Now you’ll forgive me for the lack of precision regarding the chronology here, but the reality is that it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because this is how I have been my entire life. My mother likes to tell the story about how when I was around a year they thought that I might be deaf.
Apparently I didn’t always respond to them when they called my name and they began to grow concerned. So my father conducted his own test of my hearing. He stood behind me and banged on some pots and pans. According to family legend I turned my head and glared at him as if I was irritated that he had interrupted whatever I was doing to entertain myself. Important side note for those who are new to the blog. When I was five I got in trouble for doing something and was sent to my room. Not long after I was sent there I came back out and challenged my father to a fight, with the premise being that if I won I would be allowed to come back out.
In case you are wondering he failed to entertain my idea and I remained stuck inside my room.
Fast forward from 1974 to the present. My new friend Leon sent me a link to a very interesting article. Let me share the beginning with you:
YOU believe, because it is one of the last self-evident, incontrovertible truths, that raising a child is one of the most influential jobs in the world.
And that’s why you will find what comes next so difficult. All those extra bedtime stories read, violins purchased, chess clubs driven to, trips to the museum made, cosy fireside chats delivered; all the arguments over homework and bribes, all the blueberries served, all the guidance offered, all your values instilled, all your world-view shared, all the worry, heartache, effort, blood, sweat and tears of being a responsible parent. All the things you do that make your child special. It’s all for nothing.
Or, as Bryan Caplan, the American academic and author of the new book Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids, puts it: Adoption and twin research provides strong evidence that parenting barely affects a child’s prospects. If parents gave themselves a big break or redoubled their efforts their kids would turn out about the same.
I’ll let you chew on that for a bit. I expect that I will probably blog about it at length. But in the interim let me share with you the best thing that my father ever said to me. Ok, I can’t say for certain that it was the best, but it is up there.
A few years ago dad and I were hanging out together. I don’t remember why or where the family was but I remember telling him that I was frustrated about a few things. It was the sort of conversation that we probably wouldn’t have had before I became a father in large part because he would have told me to suck it up and I would been pissed off by it.
Truth is that I expected the same sort of response this time, but I was so irritated that I just blurted it out. And that is when he surprised me by saying that he used to worry about what I would do career wise but that he didn’t worry any more. That is the abridged version of the conversation, but you get the point.
It might sound silly, but sometimes when things feel rough I think about it and it takes the edge off. So thank you dad, you still make a difference and an impact in my life.