The JackB

"When you're in jail, a good friend will be trying to bail you out. A best friend will be in the cell next to you saying, 'Damn, that was fun'." Groucho Marx

Archives for March 2013

How To Write A Blog Post Only Smart and Sexy People Will Read

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LoVE Dot. Dot .dot .

Someone asked me how to write a post in five minutes but I was feeling a bit saucy so I used a headline that some might call linkbait. On the other hand every good headline should have an element of linkbait in it.

Or maybe what we are really saying is linkbait is a pejorative term when the post it directs you to has no redeeming value for the reader. I don’t have time to mull that over with you now.

So instead let’s talk about you can write a post in five minutes. Maybe you provide Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger and include links to older posts that newer readers might have missed like:

Between those posts you might help people recognize that you are someone who covers multiple topics because writing should be fun and Blogging Doesn’t Have To Have A Point.

Maybe you should keep sharing links to help breathe life into some older posts:

Or maybe you should wait until you have more than five minutes to blog.

What do you think?

If Johnny Cash Were A Blogger

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[ C ] Marc Chagall - Scene de Cirque (1958)
You won’t find Johnny Cash here, but there is a story…
“Action speaks louder than words
And I’m a man of great experience
I know you got another man
But I can love you better than him

Take my hand, don’t be afraid
I’m wanna prove every word I say
I’m advertisin’ love for free
So, you can place your ad with me”
Hard to Handle- Otis Redding

Don’t let the Otis Redding quote throw you because my pal Otis fits into this post perfectly. He works regardless of whether you think blogging has to have a point or not and that is because the best bloggers are storytellers.

I firmly believe it to be true which is why you can find The Best Bloggers Are Storytellers Part 2 and part one as being among some of my favorite posts.

Take A Deep Breath and Keep Reading

Yeah, I know there is a lot going on here but I have faith in your ability to follow the thread and am confident that your critical reasoning skills are strong, even at this late hour.

Johnny Cash is one of my favorite artists for a long list of reasons, but much of it is centered on his story. His story intrigues me as do the tales he tells in his songs. There is feeling, there is emotion, there is movement.

He doesn’t have what you would call a pure voice. You wouldn’t find him doing the same sort of music that you catch Josh Groban, Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble doing. His voice wasn’t silky smooth, there was an edge.

I like the edge.

Maybe it is because I have one or maybe it is because to me it helps add something extra to the stories.

If Johnny Cash Were A Blogger

Johnny Cash would be a better blogger than Barry Manilow.  Ok, that is subjective but I like Johnny’s stories better.

If you ask me for my advice I will probably never suggest you try being all things to all people. You can’t make everyone happy and doing so will only make someone sad, probably you.

This wacky world we call the blogosphere is littered with the wreckage of bloggers that failed. Some had early success and flamed out and others just never hung on long enough to get to the place where they felt comfortable.

And that ties into Johnny for me and why I like him.

I see him as someone who understood he was flawed and who figured out how to be ok with that. I don’t know that to be true. I didn’t read it in a book or see it anywhere I can cite with authority.

It is my perception.

Perception is Reality Here

Perception is reality here and in the real world, at least it is for many people.

But what I am talking about isn’t how others perceive you, but how you perceive yourself. I am talking about your personal self image. I am talking about when then lights go out and you are alone with your thoughts, what do you see.

Your perception of who you are impacts your life. How you think of yourself has a direct connection with so many things.

I relate to Johnny. His stories resonate with me.

It is not a complete match. There are things that I can’t relate at all too, but that is ok.

You and Your Readers

Here is how it all ties together, or at least how I see it. One of the tricks to building a successful blog is building a community and creating a connection between you and your readers.

Johnny’s music caught me a long time ago and now he is one of my go to guys.

That is the sort of thing you want to create and build for your blog. If you can do that, good things will come from it.

What do you think?

 

Blogging Doesn’t Have To Have A Point

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Up and Down...

If you buy into the mythology promulgated by the people who know about blogging you must do it their way because they have tens of thousands of subscribers, they make tons of moolah and some people call them A-listers.

Man, that would be grand, to be called an A-lister and to know that the 287 people who aren’t related to me and don’t follow me online actually know my name. Come to think of it, I have more Facebook friends than that so maybe I should aim higher.

Don’t worry friends, this is not a passive-aggressive attempt to slam anyone. As I have said before when I choose to go after someone I do it in a way that makes it clear– in other words I use their name or at least their website.

But that is not what this is about.

This Is About Blogging

This is about blogging or maybe more accurately it is about writing.

It is about my theory that the best bloggers are storytellers and that every story is like a good soup.

There is a base, there are ingredients that go in it and then a mix of spices that can make it amazing or awful. I suppose there could and should be a middle ground, but I don’t usually find it, at least not when it comes to food.

I really enjoy my meals or I don’t. For that matter I find few things to be as disappointing as a bad meal.  A good meal is spiritual.

Hell, sometimes a great meal is like an orgasm that just makes your body tingle and it is always made better when you share it with someone else. Food is communal in nature.

Google Music

I am a fan of music and of Google Music. One of the reasons is because they give out free songs and I am a fan of free, but not just because it is free.

I like it because sometimes I am exposed to music I might not otherwise listen to. And since you asked here is a partial list of what I have picked up via Google Music.

  1. Could You Be Loved- Bob Marley
  2. Empire State of Mind- Jay-Z
  3. Band On The Run- Paul McCartney
  4. Living For The City- Stevie Wonder
  5. California Love- 2Pac
  6. Let’s Get It On- Marvin Gaye
  7. Sitting on The Dock of The Bay- Otis Redding
  8. I Will Wait- Mumford and Sons
  9. Baker Street- Gerry Rafferty
  10. Crazy on You- Heart

Ok, raise your hand if that list made you want to play Songpop or if you thought it was sort of eclectic.

And Now Something For The Men

Gentlemen if you and your boys find that some days you suffer from that “it feels like a swamp down there” feeling may I suggest you try Fresh Balls.

That is not an affiliate link nor is it a made up name for a product. Hell, some people might consider it to be marketing genius. It is edgy, but it is memorable.

And no, I won’t tease you about it the way I would if you picked up a Mangroomer.

The Click Came

That click I was waiting for came a while back and turned life upside down but the upside down, inside out part  isn’t done yet. But the thing is I feel pretty good about it, the shaking isn’t done yet.

The shaking isn’t done and there is more to this click, but my gut says it is all going as it should be so I am just riding the wave. That is the name of the game, go with the flow, roll with the punches and just enjoy the ride.

Blogging Doesn’t Have To Have A Point, it just needs to be fun.

The Hamster Wheel Called Content Marketing

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In a perfect world you would read these words under very specific conditions that would vary from person to person.

In that world it would be in whatever setting you found to be most relaxing. For some of you it would be on the beach while sipping your favorite drink while others would be ensconced in a library where you sit in an overstuffed chair drinking a hot mug of coffee.

Whatever, whenever and however you did it the situation would lend itself perfectly to your hearing these words in the manner that was most likely to find you alert, interested and open for thoughtful consideration.

U.S. Troops Surrounded by Holiday Mail During WWII

Reality Check

Reality for most of you is probably far closer to what we see in the picture than the moment I tried to create in your minds. We’re running from place to place and doing our best to juggle our responsibilities and keep the balls from dropping.

Hell, I am no different than anyone else. I am here banging out a quick post because I am running on the content marketing hamster wheel.

But what I can say is that I am also doing it to see what sort of quality I can pump out in the ten minutes I allocated for writing this and because I want to share these thoughts right now while I am thinking about them.

What I Want and What I Need

This post is part of my working towards obtaining what I want as well as what I need because there is a distinct difference. This post is about my rolling my eyes at the idea that every post needs to be focused on the reader and that we should write “You” instead of “I” because it is more likely to keep people from pointing and clicking elsewhere, got to reduce that “bounce rate” you know.

That is how you get stuck in the echo chamber, writing solely for others and not for yourself. It is how you stifle creativity, kill passion and shut your personality off.

Not going to do it, not me.

Time Is Short

Time is short, life is short and I am interested in making the most of it. It is why I pay attention to the hamster wheel and why some of my friends have been blogging about it too.

It is why I picked up and moved 1,500 miles to a place where I didn’t know anyone and where I have done nothing but play pioneer. I saw opportunity and figured it was time to answer the knock on the door.

I saw a chance to go after what I need and what I want. Don’t over analyze that line because it is not what some of you think.

My ten minutes is up and it is time to go to work so I am going to end this now. There is more to come later and not just because I am feeding the content beast but because writing soothes my soul.

What about you? What are you doing to try to bring joy to your life?