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Blogging In A Safe Community

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This is a great reminder that blog posts get seen by the whole world. It’s easy to forget that when we’re blogging in our safe communities. Let me share a story that may help you edit a little more, or less, given the topic…

Shakirah Dawud is one of the most fantastic writers I know, and her blog at Deliberate Ink covers a bunch on writing, words, copywriting, and other topics. She asked me to guest post on a topic I couldn’t address, and it took me weeks to stretch my thinking to come up with a topic relevant to her audience, her blog’s theme, and something I thought I could speak to.

The post I wrote was along the lines of whether marketing can write for PR. It’s not something I ever think about, but I stuck my neck out to write in Shakirah’s safe community and promoted it within my network.

The post was well received with in-depth discussion in the comments, lots of questions, lots of friendly debate, and more RTs than I’ll ever see at my house. (Very cool.)

Then, an editorial assistant from Ragan.com sent an email at the end of the day asking to re-publish my post. Ragan Communications is a national company delivering PR, marketing, writing and other content, products, workshops, training courses, etc. to our industry.  I gave my approval, and the post went live at 5 p.m. last week.

The next morning, the first two comments were negative from anonymous folks, called trolls, who are keen on negating most of what they read but never add their name to their statements. That didn’t feel good, but I thanked each for their heartfelt negativity and said something like “all comments welcome.”

The next eight or so comments were more in-depth; some negated the writing, the concept, the “blanket statement” and even argued, in not so many words, I was full of it. A professor of public relations made some decent remark in a neutral way.  I took my time responding to each person and thanked them for their comments.  All the while, I was hoping for no more responses.

Why?

That community on Ragan.com had no idea who I was, had never seen me, didn’t know my qualifications, had never seen my blog, etc., etc. It was really easy for them to negate me, rag on me, call me stupid, or whatever, because they didn’t know me.

Think about that…when you write a blog, people in your community begin to get to know you, your traits, quirks, personality, tonality, and they form opinions. They determine whether to come back and keep reading or whether you truly aren’t the flavor of the month. When a post is published as a one-off in a community accustomed to who knows what and there’s been no prior engagement, the opportunity is ripe for the bombs to fly. Not saying I got bombed over there at all, but I can say it felt uncomfortable, for sure.

What I learned from this experience:

>>I am more grateful for YOU, this community we’ve developed.  When people disagree, it’s obvious, yet daggers aren’t sharp and pointed.

>>When you launch a blog, there’s safety in obscurity. Don’t hope for stardom before you’re ready; in fact, I’d like to hide under my rock a bit longer (not that this single blog post is going to change my life).

>>The tonality and ‘raderie are what make blogging fun for me. Upon reading those comments from complete strangers, I was cringing, although no one really fired any bullets. It was just uncomfortable, and I wasn’t used to it!

>>The content we write as bloggers can go anywhere — on portals, on other blogs, on ‘zines, be fodder for reporters/media, employers, and more. This story is a reminder that anonymous eyes read our material.

>>I’ve lurked on a few occasions when a guest blogger writes malarkey on a national business blog, like Forbes or Fortune. I watched as she/writer was taken to task so strongly that I felt badly although I agreed with the comments. The funny thing was the writer was nowhere to be found…she never responded to anyone’s comments.

If you’re going to take a position in your writing which could be construed as other than mainstream, stand up for your beliefs. It’s more damaging to let commenters control the message than it is to be front and center engaging people in comments as you protect your brand.

Thoughts?

 

 

 

Is “Been There, Done That” Arrogance Or Expertise?

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When you say “been there, done that” to a crowd of peeps, what comes to mind as a bystander? Arrogance or expertise?

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used that phrase in the past, but when I think about when and how, it’s usually in jest with someone who knows me well and also knows I’m not bragging or jockeying for position.

The blogosphere produces many arrogant people; you know who they are because you either elect to read them, or you do the eyeball roll and move on. I’ve been called arrogant before; I think it’s because that person mistakes my confidence for arrogance. Maybe they think I’m just an expert so my knowledge comes across as arrogance because that person regards themselves as slightly less confident.

There are so many of us who started our blogging journeys about the same time. Others shot to stardom quickly and made names for themselves; some are still plodding along trying to determine whether and how we want to make some dough on this thing. And, many, many are blogging without confidence.

Been there, done that! Heh.

See how easy it is to use that phrase when someone shares their trials and tribulations? Imagine how recipients feel when they hear that, especially if the delivery is done without genuine warmth.  Then it’s just plain old arrogance.

What I’m trying to say is the been-there-done-that mentality will come back to bite you in the patout when you’re least expecting it. The world is small; people talk, clients complain and gossip about one service provider over another, and reputations are made or undone.

Don’t be arrogant, people. Earn your expertise, but don’t laud your skills over others as loftier-than-thou. Having expertise and sharing the lessons  you learned whilst poking fun at your own expense are the best way to build true relationships. Getting preachy about it just doesn’t fly.

Should Health Of Blog Community Align To ROI?

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I had a post all ready for today, and then @TheJackB spat all over my blog in comments. I could not let that slide, so this post is a compilation of his musings and mine. (You get co-authorship, TheJack, but just not in the byline…heh.)

The Sales Lion wrote a post yesterday about why community is not Holy Grail of blogging that I’m sure is creating a slew of comments, not the most of which is Gini Dietrich (although I’ve not been over to comment myself). Marcus said something to the effect that “Gini shocked the blogosphere admitting her business almost went bankrupt in 2011 in spite of her healthy blog, Spin Sucks, and its huge community with lengthier commentary.” (paraphrase)

IMHO (In my humble opinion), Arment Dietrich is a service firm; it delivers professional services and seeks clients to pay it to stay viable. Gini is the point person, face, poster child, CEO, founder, biz dev artist for her firm, and, oh, yeah, she’s chief cook and bottle writer for her highly popularly ranked and accoladed blog, Spin Sucks. Her new product, Spin Sucks Pro, for which peeps will subscribe to content and teachings via webinars and writings from around the ‘sphere, launches soon (after a one-year delay during which she had to fire a tech team and start from scratch). (Never write sentences like these two.)

When you’re running a successful digital marketing/PR shop with staff and expensive headquarters near the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, and you’re launching a brand new online moneymaker that fails and requires an immediate new investment in tech dollars and clients refuse to pay you for six months and the economy sucks (like Spin), then what’s so surprising about a firm nearly going belly up (in spite of a successful blog and community)?

This dilemma is one many successful entrepreneurs face —  how to clone oneself. We are the brand and brain power clients wants, hire and require. Using Gini Dietrich was a poor example to showcase that a profitable business has nothing to do with a healthy blogging community, and here’s why:

The target audience for Spin Sucks Pro are PR, marketing, social media peeps; a healthy community of such is required to ensure that Gini’s new $ venture succeeds. Can you imagine if she had attempted to launch Spin Sucks Pro without putting all the sweat and tears into building a healthy and growing community at its precursor? Right.

 

Here’s what THEJACKB had to say in comments here yesterday:

Yep, I commented on Marcus’s post. I was half awake at the time and uninterested in picking that post apart but I am not convinced that there is a relationship between Gini’s biz and comments.

Fact is that if you can demonstrate to brands that your blog reaches the eyeballs that they want to get in front of then you can make money blogging. It happens, and any one of us has the opportunity to make it happen. It might not make sense for some of us to pursue that path but the opportunity is there.

Let’s circle back to comments and community. You and I (Jack and Jayme) have talked about this, and I’ll repeat that I don’t see comments as being currency. They aren’t always useful social proof for whether a blog is popular, influential etc.

But that doesn’t apply across the board. Fact is that many of the people that speak at blog conferences get their positions as faculty because of their community and the comments. It is not impossible to get a gig without, but it is much easier when you have it.

Data mining is useful for bloggers. When you start to break down who your readers are you can learn all sorts of interesting things. During the past four days more than 4k uniques took a moment to read my post.

Two PR agencies and several brands were camped out on that post for extended periods of time. I don’t believe that they hung out there solely because they loved the writing. There is something more going on. My job is to figure out why. Maybe it is because they are looking for a writer or maybe it set off a keyword alert, but I’ll put money down that there is a money making opportunity tied into it.

Let’s circle back to the question of can you make money and approach it in a more direct manner. Let’s pretend that blogger XYZ has a product/service that they sell and that there is a valid value proposition tied into it.

Blogger XYZ needs to learn how to close. Ask for the order. Stop pussy footing around with “you might be interested or want” and ask for the sale. Remember Alec Baldwin in Glen Garry Glen Ross- “Always Be Closing.” (Excuse me while I reconnect the IV, the coffee drip just ran out.) (Indeed, Friend, you exhausted yourself with that spittle.)

What say you? (This is edited; thank you, Marcus.) Are business success and community related? Need you have a thriving blog community to also have a thriving business?

 

Blogging Voice, Topics, Gifts

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There are more than a million blogs and no way to hit them all; nor should you try. As a blogger, it is so hard to keep motivated and keep on publishing.

Someone paid me a huge compliment the other day about the quality of the content I publish, and it brings me back to these few things (probably alive and well in the echo chamber yet bears repeating):

Make Your Blog Yours

Your blog is what you make it. Only your commitment will make it successful. Doesn’t matter how many subscribers you have; peeps come because of what you say and the passion with which you write.

I have noticed many bloggers writing about life, depression, motherhood, struggle with medical issues or family woes who earn hundreds of comments and RTs. I try not to look at my less-than-10 RTs or 30 comments in comparison because it makes me wonder what’s wrong with what I’m saying and whether it has merit.

The answer is…NOTHING.

I write a specialty blog (not about life and emotion) about my profession in public relations, business, marketing, social media, and whatever strikes me in re current events and global affairs. The peeps who visit are similar or same. That’s a major point…what you write about breeds a community of likes. You will attract dog lovers if you write about dogs; you will find numbers guys if you promote analytics. More mommies will read your blog than non-parents when you write about kids every day.

Topics

When you write a blog that is a mash up of various and sundry topics, can you realistically expect your community to grow if they have no idea what they’ll get when they visit? Humans, by nature, appreciate few surprises. Goes the same with a blogging community…take a look at yours and see if you’ve been able to capture and keep 10 peeps in your community.  If I’m right, it could very well be that your content is too broad; test the waters for a few weeks and write about a theme or topic you appreciate. Watch your passion come alive and your community, too.

Motivation & Voice

Motivation and voice are huge factors to blogging success. Let no one tell you how frequently you have to blog; do what’s comfy for you. The very best tip I can offer is to strive to find your voice. I have two significant pieces on voice coming soon to Spin Sucks and Spin Sucks Pro. In one of them I say “I write like I talk and sprinkle f-bombs and flowers all over.” (That’s mostly in comments, but it’s very true.)

Do you write like you talk? I visited Jason Konopinski’s blog for the first time and was so shocked at his voice, I asked him in comments whether he always wrote in this style? My surprise came because his comments are laden with snark and cajoling; when I read his academic voice upon my first visit, I was blown away. Here’s the deal…it works for him! He’s the blogger, he owns his writing, style, voice, and ideas; so, too, do you. Have the confidence to put yourself out there because you can!

Blogging Gives Back

Blogging provides the opportunity to give back. I loved, loved the gifts I gave around Christmas inviting peeps to Share Your Blog Here and the subsequent follow-up post 50+Bloggers To Know Now. All over, peeps are saying in comments “I found your blog at Jayme’s 50 list.”

I received comments, thank you notes, tweets, a growing community, and more hidden gifts I can’t realize.  The best thing is I didn’t expect any of it!

Blogging provides these hidden rewards and the friendships you create and grow via the written word. So keep on, Friends, and if you have a question along the way, please ask. Every blogger’s journey is never smooth; when the twists and turns go straight, from there it’s a clean sail.

 

 

 

 

50+ Bloggers To Know Now

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This is the culmination of the post I wrote, . I have no idea how many bloggers listed their creations here; more than 50, for sure, and I’m so happy to have reached my goal. Thank you!

Some folks could be cross-referenced, but I put them into only one category. If I’ve made a mistake, please do apprise me; I’m expecting to have some problems especially with a project of this magnitude and detail (not whining!).

So, read on, folks, and please do try and visit your peers? I’m eager to meet many of you, and have already begun my journey to visit. Thank you again for participating!

ANIMALS

writes at and is dedicated to feral cats, stray cats and shelter animals.  She also likes to attend charitable events for the local shelters and rescue groups, so you will find follow up commentary about her experiences.

BUSINESS & LIFE COACHING

>> started just nine months ago, but has had her business for 28 years. She is a business and life coach/strategist, and former Olympic level coach and television sports commentator. She parlayed her skills from the athletic arena to the business world, where she assists people to be the best they can be, in business and in life. She’s on Twitter @kdillabough.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

>>blogs about customer service and the customer experience at the soon to be renamed If anyone has a great customer service story (bad or good) that has some CS lessons, he is open to guest posts.

ECO/GREEN

>>On her page for , Christine shares green tidbits primarily from and about Chicago. Sometimes they pertain to Terracom clients, many times not. Sustainability and eco are her things. So stop on by for ideas, news and curiosities.

FASHION

>>Lisa writes a blog called and (you guessed it), it’s about a combination of style inspiration, fashion marketing and small, independent indie designers.

>>I think this blog, is written by Cathy, but not too certain. Regardless, I went there and saw some fab photos of Florence, one of the most amazing cities in the world.

FINANCE

writes a blog in German about . He promises there is a Google translation service attached so you can read all about what he has to say. Hansjorg seeks more readers and commenters.

HUMAN RIGHTS & FREEDOM

Jlidi writes Kacem 4 Change at a which is a cocktail of news from Tunisia, Palestine, the MENA region, and it’s about human rights and Internet freedom. Equally he worked as a social media specialist and IT journalist but he likes to keep this blog to advocate for positive social change and human rights.

LEGAL MARKETING

writes a forum to share ideas and tools for legal marketing in the Social Media Age.

>> writes at about law student recruiting and law firms.

Life & Happenstance

writes about life, and she talks about it, dissects it, figures it out and comes to know that even though there is different perspectives and ideas, we’re all in it together! Visit her blog .

>> Hajra writes about personal experiences and how life is just a series of sarcastic events. She says the only way we can get across is to complain and move on!

>> writes at , and this is the blog where you learn the answer to every question you ever had but didn’t know. He provides a thorough explanation and education on how to blog, write, talk, cook, read, speak, code, and much more. Read my blog and you will become a better person and your IQ will increase by a minimum of 5 points (7 if you are Canadian) and not only that but God will love you more than he/she/it did before.

>> Al’s “blog” is — Communicate, Appreciate, Respect, Encourage and try to Influence and Inspire Positive Change.  His main goal is to help improve morale in the workplace.

writes , although recently posts on favorite podcasts, thoughts on Google Plus, and sport and music are included.

writes uniquely at While he’s not write a blog per se, he’s got a site oriented to guides as well as question and answer topics. He focuses on supporting others and networking with those who love to learn and help others. Not too long ago he started accepting guest posts to help authors get a little more online exposure. He is Canadian and loves connecting with people around the world.

Marketing

blogs at where she likes to think that what she writes is just that…Spot On. Her topics are mostly about marketing, social media, metrics and ROI of both; branding, small business, and PR. She often throws in a post or two about her kids and she’s friendly to newcomers.

writes a blog for in Sweden. Guarded by basset hounds, stranded in Sweden, blogs (and podcasts) at about digital marketing, communications and occasionally rather worrying Norwegian pop music. Welcome!

Gibson writes a communications-related blog where she sometimes talks about different and inventive ways to use her firm’s products and services. For the most part, she offers up public speaking tips, customer service related topics, and tips on writing effectively.

writes at and it has no one set topic.  It can cover web, mobile, technology, or current events.  She’s accepting guest bloggers, too. Jennifer works with companies in almost any industry and likes to offer a variety on her blog to showcase people her clients could potentially work with and learn from.

is part of a collaborative B2B marketing blog at.

writes a blog at Posterous on .

MOMMY BLOGGERS

writes at Her blog is about being a French Mum living in London and struggling to understand the Brits. (LOL!)

writes as part of the blogging team and is the primary writer as well as editor at here.

NOT-FOR-PROFITS

>> blogs for the . It is the largest independent health philanthropy in the Connecticut to improve children’s mental health, health policy/advocacy, oral health, and racial and ethnic health disparities.

PERSONAL & POETRY

>> Kathleen Krueger posts her original poetry at .

>> Adriene about personal items and poetry, and she talks about the writing life, personal observations, societal issues, and more.

Public Relations

>> Mary Barber blogs at on public relations, social media, communications and what makes a stronger community.

is a blogger at on all things marketing, public relations, social media, and small business. 

posts  about all things related to and related communications agencies; growing business and better managing the business you have; and enhancing staff performance, motivation, communication, and leadership skills.

REAL ESTATE

>> Derek writes about everything related to the real estate industry.

ROOFING/CONTRACTING

blogs about, his travels, and life as a small contracting business.

Small Business

>> Tea Silvestre writes which aims to help small biz folks find and share their secret sauce with the world via online marketing strategies. She is a marketing consultant/coach, writer, foodie and has a slight WordPress fetish.   (Uhm, what does that mean?)

>> Justin Brackett launched a new blog at .

>> Kelly Kautz writes a blog at .  It’s about marketing for small business owners and solo entrepreneurs, with a focus on real-life examples and inspiration.

>> Maranda Gibson writes a , a fledgling blog launched in the last few months. It has a wide range of topics from public relations, small business, and some great organizational tips for businesses and personal needs alike.

>> Billy Delaney writes and he’s also launching The Small Business : a social tool for finding the customers who want the products you sell. He is chief navigator, educator-teacher-learning moderator for small business’s that have no direction, or have lost their directions.

Social Media

>> Ari Herzog explores — less about tools and applications and how-tos but more about analytics and deep thoughts.

writes a blog for her firm, . The topics she covers are social media, website design and development, and mobile.

blogs from Costa Rica (I’m threatening to visit) on the topics of , entrepreneurs, and startups.

>> is our Queen, and we already know , and she kindly wanted me to reach my goal of 50 bloggers and thus is participating here (I would’ve added her anyway).

started blogging last year at and it is ramblings about social media sites, philanthropy, social activism, my job\internship, and “stuff she finds that’s cool.”

>> Jason Konopinski, (another ) blogs about topics including social media trends/tactics/tools, content creation, organizational and change management. A bit of a mixed bag at times, but he tries to stay on topic.

>> Monyelle Mingo writes and is focused on breaking down social media marketing into chewable pieces and also developing skills to tackle fear evoking challenges.

>> Michelle Quillin writes on powerful tips for combining social media, blogging, video and more to build relationships with and get your message out to your online audience. Every now and then they write go-after-your-dreams inspirational posts, or share experiences they’ve learned over the years.

STAFF/EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE

>> If you employ people, read. His special field is helping managers in small medium business to improve the on job performance of their staff without training courses. (Love this guy.)

TECHNOLOGY

Carolyn Nicander Mohr writes at The and it’s a personal technology blog designed to help explain the developments in personal technology to the everyday person. The blog is written in plain English, no tech jargon or geek speak allowed! If tech is fun and/or useful, she explains it in a user-friendly way.

TRAVEL

>> Amber-Lee Dibble writes and is a manager at Pioneer Outfitters in Alaska. She writes about living in the “bush” and a very remote, fly-in area in the mountains of Alaska. The blog provides her way to chat and get to know people in a way never before possible. It allows folks to see inside life in Chisana and what it’s like to live on site of the last historic gold rush and to home-school her children. She writes about the trainees that come to us for Survival & Guide Training and pretty much whatever else comes to mind…especially, grizzly bears!

WRITING

>> Kathleen Krueger writes a with random topics on freelance writing, book reviews, spiritual pondering and random life musing.

writes about the writing life, entrepreneurship, and writing right. Find her .

>> T. Shakirah Dawud writes at  and is on , too. She is a copywriter and editor. She blogs about the usefulness of words and how to use them well in both regular and marketing/sales contexts. She has a regular compulsion to blog about social media as she  sees it happening, and to offer basic marketing tips to business owners.

>> budding business is , and you can find him on Facebook under Luke Brown and his writing services as a retired attorney.

>> Stacey Myers works with and gives them ease and freedom in creating an online presence and also the odd newbie getting started online.

 

OMYgosh…here is the best list evah! Enjoy!