What treasures are waiting to be discovered.
1,547 miles away there is a 12.5 year-old boy who misses his father and could care less about blog posts that teach you how to make money online, master social media or how to become a better writer.
That is because he doesn’t see any value in any of that and since it doesn’t translate into a benefit for him he says he wants dad to come home. The business lesson here is that if your prospect/client doesn’t understand the value proposition in what you are offering they aren’t going to sign up.
You won’t get the deal and the business will go elsewhere.
The parenting side is different because on that side of the fence that kind of response just…sucks.
Beauty/Value Is In the Eye Of The Beholder
Instead of the dog warming my feet and the peals of laughter intermixed with the sounds of sibling fighting there is a glass of Scotch and music keeping me company.
Perhaps I should focus on the business side here and talk with you about how you can’t always identify which posts will be popular and which will fall. Your stats can help you make some decisions but you still can’t predict it all, as that wacky Shmata Queen would say there is no accounting for taste.
The reality is some people will love you, some will hate you and some won’t care much either way.
My best advice is to do the best you can to produce content you feel good about. Give it form, shape and substance and move on. Don’t waste time following silly remarks to “create epic shit.”
Epic lost its meaning long ago and now it just sounds like ridiculous sales crap.
So go out and write. Go and do your best to write with passion and personality and do so consistently. If you sustain your effort and work on building relationships with others good things will happen.
How Often Should You Update?
When I increase my output I see a direct correlation between the amount of traffic and comments I receive, even during down times like summer.
But none of this makes a difference to that 12.5 year-old boy I mentioned before nor does it any easier for me to try to explain why I made the move and why one day he will too.
I could show him the picture of that pyramid and tell him that one day we’ll go visit and that we’ll have an adventure. He’ll like that. He’ll smile when I tell him about and then debate which one of us is more like Indiana Jones.
Write Because You Love It
If I told I write because I love it he would probably respond favorably and then ask me why. He is not a big fan of writing because it is hard for him and he thinks it takes a really long time.
And because he once watched me write a press release in about 25 minutes. It irritated him to see how fast and how cleanly it was produced but I told when you write because you love it things are much easier.
Not to mention that when you practice something over and over it becomes second nature and you find it is much easier to do than if it is something you rarely try.
Practice goes a long way, but it still won’t help you figure out how some people can listen to Justin Bieber like eating shrimp.
What about you? What do you think?
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Andy June 30, 2013 at 4:22 am
Interesting post, I’ll admit I have admired how frequently and consistently you’re able to post.
I would make one slight alteration:
“The reality is some people will love you, some will hate you and THE VAST MAJORITY won’t care much either way,”
Haha.
Jack July 1, 2013 at 9:30 pm
Hi Andy,
The most important thing to do is to just write. People spend a lot of energy worrying about how to or what to write and not enough on the actual work.
Andy July 2, 2013 at 7:30 am
I fear you’re right.
Geoff Livingston June 26, 2013 at 7:30 pm
Can’t disagree with this post. I just cut a post a week, and traffic dropped, but I like writing more now. And as a result, three it is, not four!
Cheers!
Jack June 26, 2013 at 9:35 pm
Hi Geoff,
I am fan of finding ways to increase the joy of writing and it sounds like you did it. That is cool.
Jason Darrell June 26, 2013 at 2:17 pm
It’s hard getting your head around the ‘some people will hate you’ bit.
Only just stopping taking it personally.
With so many online, there are bound to be a few with no taste, right?
Awesome post, Jack. On the father bit, 1.5 miles, 1,500 miles, 15,000 miles – if you can’t be there, it sucks, you’re right. x
Jack June 26, 2013 at 9:34 pm
Hi Jason,
Some love, some hate can’t let it push or prevent us. The motivation comes from within. You are so right about the distance, you are there or you are not.
Joe June 25, 2013 at 4:21 am
The lesson I’ve learned is in the end, the business portion of things doesn’t matter much. The 12.5 year old, and the rest of your family and dear friends, is what matters, and what brings the best flavor to your pen (keyboard). The “business” result, cold hard cash, is just a tool for me to make my family comfortable and happy.
If I see the phrase “create epic shit” now, I immediately disengage. Cause I don’t think you’re epic? No. Because you’re following the crowd and doing what everyone else is doing. You don’t need to use the word “epic” if that’s what it actually is.
Like I’ve said previously, epic should be used to describe Cleopatra, Avatar, Ten Commandments, or any live Springsteen show. Not a 1,500 word essay that you wrote to sell me something. I did that in high school. 😉
Thanks, Jack.
Jack June 25, 2013 at 9:38 pm
Hi Joe,
It makes me crazy to see “epic” in almost anything but snarky terms. So much of that “epic shit” is just “shit” and I suspect that it is only the newbies who believe it.
Betsy Cross June 25, 2013 at 1:21 am
Frequency of writing isn’t important, I’ve learned. Personality is as well as emotional connection. I have no problem staying engaged with an author that posts once a month or even less. I look forward to some author’s posts as I would an anticipated party or event. I love when a post pops up in my reader from these authors.
If I hadn’t seen it for myself, and experienced the drought between reads that made me appreciate their writing more, I never would have believed that less writing, if it was good stuff, was just as valuable as frequent posts, and that readers’ devotion and engagement didn’t suffer much. Instead, followers and commentors look like they increased.
Jack June 25, 2013 at 9:34 pm
Personality is huge, but I disagree with you about frequency. I don’t think many people are as determined as you are.
If they don’t see regular posts they tend to go elsewhere. I could be wrong, but…
Although I think it is worth noting that it does depend on how long between posts too.
Joe June 25, 2013 at 12:48 am
You are right. I have to write more often.
Jack June 25, 2013 at 9:29 pm
Hi Joe,
Aye aye Captain, have at it.