I must admit that when I first saw the agenda for the Writer’s Digest Conference, taking place in NYC this year, I didn’t quite understand why there was such a big social media focus at the event. I wondered if the event organizers weren’t just jumping on the bandwagon of the latest online trends.

Gladly, my skepticism turned out to be quite short-lived.  Right from the very first session I attended, I immediately understood that this apparent merging of topics wasn’t any kind of a forced fit, but instead was a natural union that made perfect sense.  The book publishing environment is clearly changing — it’s not just about getting an agent and finding a publisher anymore.

I decided that since my learnings might be of interest to some of my fellow creative friends, I put together this list of 8 things I learned about “21^st Century publishing” and how social media can be used to legitimately bypass the bombarded Gatekeepers and make you a successful Gatejumper.

[Attribution Note:  I sometimes get nervous about whether or not I’ve given adequate and accurate credit where credit is due for particular ideas. Let me acknowledge that the following tips are essentially a mashup of learnings from:  @ScottSigler, @SethHarwood, @BeTheMedia, @ChrisBrogan, and @JaneFriedman. Thanks to all of these great presenters for the learnings!] [FYI:  No affiliate links are used in this post, so feel free to click through the links.]

So, let me know if these points resonate with you, too:

(1)  Your book is just one vehicle to get your message out. As pointed out by David Mathison of “Be The Media”: Your book shouldn’t be your business model or your end game. As with social media, it’s never about the tools. As Chris Brogan makes clear: Your book is a way to connect to people (as also demonstrated by the book, Trust Agents, by Chris Brogan & Julien Smith.)

(2) You are the best person to sell your book.  Successful fiction writers, Scott Sigler and Seth Harwood, are perfect examples of how, especially in the beginning, you should do it all yourself. Create your own platform.  Build your own audience.  See how Seth Harwood simplifies the process he uses in this “How He Podcasts” video clip on YouTube.

Also, consider how Writer’s Digest editorial director, Jane Friedman, clarifies how “publishers sell your book to wholesales, distributors, and booksellers – it’s up to you to reach your readers.”

 Building your own audience first (as Seth Godin also writes about in his book “Tribes“) is what makes getting published easier later (see more at point #6).  Having your own audience also gives you leverage to negotiate better contract terms when the time comes, as emphasized by David Mathison in his book “Be The Media”.

(3) In 21st Century publishing, there are no rules. (Notice how Writer’s Digest editor Jane Friedman’s blog is even entitled: “There Are No Rules”.)  Also, paraphrasing Chris Brogan: “The first one there owns the game. You set the frame. You explain why this is the solution.  Then you deliver it.  You make the game.”  Chris even had a quote that went something like this: “Don’t go where the road leads. Go where there’s no road and create your own.”

(4) “The biggest enemy isn’t piracy, it is obscurity,” that is the way Scott Sigler says it.  Chris Brogan uses the word “providence” to describe how when you “give everything away it will come back to you.”  This doesn’t seem like a logical approach on the surface.  But I believe in how fiction writers, Scott Sigler and Seth Harwood, succeeded by consistently giving away complete and “free serialized audio books” a.k.a. podcasts. (Similarly, Chris Brogan is known for how he gave away tons of free content for years before the book “Trust Agents” came out; Darren Rowse of Problogger fame did it with what became his “31 Days to  Build a Better Blog” book; and Hugh MacLeod, a.k.a. Gaping Void, did it with a full-length manifesto on Creativity which became his recent book “Ignore Everybody”.)

(5) Learn how to be human at a distance. As Chris Brogan explains:  It’s not about you, it’s about your readers. Be there before the sale. Give someone help for free rather than giving them a postcard that they don’t want and can’t use.  Do this right, and you don’t have to sell them anything, they’ll want to buy from you.  Hence, the following point #6.

(6) The easiest way to get a book published is to not try to. This one is from Chris Brogan, too, he describes it like this: The best time to find a job is when you already have one. You’ll exude a different level of confidence.  But, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to put in the hard work either (more on that later).  And, he goes on to explain that this is not “fake it till you make it”. It’s about bringing your best. (Remember the negotiating leverage from point #2).

(7) Focus on finding readers (an audience), don’t focus on finding other writers (unless that’s your business).  Scott Sigler and Seth Harwood remind us that your audience is interested in your message. In finding topics to cover in your blog, focus on your readers and your message; keep the industry stuff separate.  True readers probably aren’t that interested in industry news or the behind-the-scenes processes (other than true die-hard fans). Though, do work with your Industry Peers to cross-promote with them to leverage different audience bases.

(8) Your revenue stream will not come from the book, but from what comes next.  Books are your best $25 business card, leading to other revenue afterwards such as from: speaking; consulting; advertising; being hired for other projects; etc. Consider the progressive steps listed on the bottom scale of this: Be-The-Media’s Product-Pricing Curve.

So, overall, while there are no hard-and-fast rules to success, per se, these are some really useful guidelines to consider. 

As Chris Brogan quips, phones don’t accidentally get new followers, people don’t randomly find you.  There is work involved here.

The closest thing to a formula that I could put together from this event is the following:

• Take Chris Brogan’s advice to “listen at the point of need” by using Search and participating.  Also, market to Google as much as to people.
• Use Scott Sigler & Seth Harwoods’s process of: “Content. Consistency. Promotion.” over a 3-to-5 year timeframe.
• Put in, what Malcolm Gladwell concludes is, 10,000 hours in your area of focus to establish your expertise. 
• Target the achievable, yet still manageable, goal of finding 1,000 true fans, a concept from Wired Magazine editor Kevin Kelly and written about by Dave Mathisen in his book, “Be The Media”.

Do all that, and tell me if that doesn’t work. Either way, that’s what I’ll be trying.  What about you?

Please let me know what you think.  Are these tips and concepts use-able for you?

There is a lot of advice out there.  Ask different coaches for advice on how to be successful and you’ll probably get a lot of different answers, sometimes conflicting, but certainly a core set of common beliefs, too.

Clearly one common ingredient to the success equation is: “having passion”. 

A nice clarification I recently heard goes something like this:  Passion alone won’t make you successful, but without passion, success isn’t likely or sustainable either – or, more technically speaking, passion is a “necessary, but not sufficient” condition.

So, what gets me speaking about passion now?  Well, a recent post on this topic on Problogger: “How Passion Can Transform Your Blog”, along with the “Trust Agents” theme of “humanizing the Web”, has spurred me to share my passions as an experiment to see what, if anything, comes of it.

So, What Am I Passionate About?

Some passions are not so simple to rein in, but here goes….

> I’m passionate about people — though that’s not to say that there aren’t people (actually, quite a few) that don’t totally annoy me more often than not, too.

> I’m passionate about thinking, including: options, possibilities, combinations, what has been, what could have been, what can be, and what is yet to be.

> I’m passionate about how various forms of art (be it: theatre, writing, music, video, artwork, etc.) capture and convey the nuances of the human experience.

> I’m passionate about seeking solutions to conflicts while knowing the certitudes of science seem to be grossly outweighed by the complexities of things like: fluid opinions; steadfast judgments; multiple perspectives; and lifelong evolving experiences.

And, I absolutely admire the confidence of passionate people, especially those that are not afraid to express their opinions (and can artfully do so without alienating or offending those that clearly disagree).

Giving my passions a single name has been tricky, but I’ve decided to forge ahead anyway.

Are We Strange?

Yet our unique passions can seem strange to those that don’t understand them and/or don’t understand what we choose to do with them.

It’s like the Breakfast Club character that I most relate to, the uniquely strange, but still loveable, quirky and weird, Allison Reynolds (played by Ally Sheedy). 

Many people like to root for the underdog, the strangely weird, uniquely flawed, and largely misunderstood personality that doesn’t seek to be the odd man out, but is naturally just different from those of other cliques that don’t understand them.

Our passions can make us seem strange. 

But, to The Passionate, being passionate-less probably seems strange, too. 

What The “Passionate-Less” Don’t Know Yet

I’d prefer to think of the seemingly “passionate-less” folks as those that would certainly be passionate if they only knew how to reign in that which certainly resides within them if they could only recognize it for what it is.

Getting the confidence to boldly direct our passions in whatever apparently strange direction they take us might just be the key to opening the rusty lock of a hidden treasure chest that we all seem to need to seek out.  Wouldn’t we all like to discover the unique treasure map within us that leads us to a treasure-chest full of riches worthy of the journey?

Trusting that the rewards will be there, and the journey will be worthwhile, let’s embark on whatever journey lies before us.  I know I’m ready for the journey.  Who else is in?

Would love to hear where your passions are taking you.  Please share below.  Thanks!

I’m sure you’ve probably heard the saying:  “Less is More“.  I would agree that, at times, saying too much, doing too much, giving too many details can take away more than it adds. 

Sometimes leaving space for someone else to fill in the blanks can be truly magical.  And, often, summarizing ”key take-aways” gets your point across much more effectively than losing someone’s attention half-way through.

The tricky part is knowing when to leave “well enough” alone.  There is often that desire to add or give just a little bit more.  It isn’t always clear when too much is simply too much, or when not enough is not enough. 

Lately I’ve been starting to see how the Goldilocks principle of ”just right” can be nicely applied to embarking on new endeavors.  Consider these examples:

1. While it’s great to have both quality and quantity, sometimes having just the right amount of ”quality quantity” can create the more unique experience.  For example:  Having over 100 people leave comments on an article would be great, but who would really read them all?  isn’t reading through a list of less than 20 comments much more do-able and satisfying?
2. Sometimes paraphrasing thoughts gives just enough info to point someone in the direction of where you’d like them to explore further.  I like how Josh Hanagarne achieves that is this post he wrote on Victor Frankl.
3. Sometimes quick and simple is all that people need or have time for.  For example: A “How To” guide on how to do something quickly probably shouldn’t be lengthy and detailed.
4. Then again, small or “less” is relative.  Someone else’s “sporadic” behavior might be another person’s regular or peak level.
5. Either way, I’m sure we can agree that doing something, no matter how big or how small,  is better than doing nothing.  For example:  Isn’t any reply (or acknowledgement) to a comment or request better than ”the sound of crickets chirping“?
6. Starting small is often the best and only first step.  For example, earning that first dollar in any business pursuit is a great initial goal, as explained in this: Tony Robbins/John Reese interview.

 

In the end, it does depend on what you are looking for.  For me, I’ve been finding that sometimes when I look too much for only big things, I can under-appreciate or overlook those smaller things that can be exactly enough, too.

Can you think of other examples where “Less is More”? or, perhaps the opposite, when “More is Better”?  If so, please share below.  Thanks!

So, who’s going to invent the next form of advertising?  [I must acknowledge that I first came across this question from an iTunes podcast of Chris Anderson discussing his new book “Free: The Future of a Radical Price” with “Bloomberg on the Economy” dated 7/13/2009.]  

As I wonder what the new form of advertising will look and feel like, I also wonder whether it will be discovered accidentally or invented purposefully.  I’m guessing, it will probably be a combination of both because: (1) we will always have Inventors and businessmen who are actively looking to discover the next “Pet Rock”; and (2) like viral advertising, which is effective in its own right, it is always unpredictable to know what will take off and what will not. 

Either way, it sure does seem that we are at the point of a generational shift, as Chris Anderson points out.  Yet, I don’t think that means that the upcoming shift will necessarily be driven solely by the younger (demographic) generation, but instead by the newest (or latest lasting) generation of technological advances. But, that’s beside the point. 

Chris Anderson also points out the psychological impact of our recent atypical recession and also how fragmented the consumer’s attention has become, both of which lends itself to a new operating environment.  

There is clearly a renewed need for true trust and ethical sales exchanges.  The recent passing of Walter Cronkite, “the most trusted man in America”, is just another reminder of how different things have become over the last several decades.  That’s one reason why I love what Chris Brogan and Julien Smith are doing to promote their new book “Trust Agents”.  They are exemplifying what they are promoting. Check out their book’s Facebook page which addresses the trust factor in an engaging and interactive way, using audio, video, and text.

Often in technology, we are reminded that the tool/medium is different from the message.  Maybe now not only the medium but also the messages are morphing.  Cycles of different durations are intersecting with each other differently all the time. We may truly be at a new crossroads of medium(s) and message(s).

Yet, while newspapers, magazines, and older forms of print media/advertising are dying out in this internet age, other older advertising models seem to still be surviving quite well.  Personally, I hate long internet sales copy, but people still use it because it works.  Pitch men like the late Billy Mays, “As Seen on TV” products, or late-night infomercials are all still around simply because they work.  When will they stop working?  Will they ever stop working? Will other things eventually work better or be preferred?   When will new ways of advertising be embraced en masse?

Discovering the next big advertising trend may come from a niche market or it may come from a mainstream company.   Seems the trick now is to do what Jim Kukral does: keep doing stuff and see what sticks.  The more things you try, the more chances you have for hitting a success. (Check out the impressive list of Jim’s projects on the bottom of his home page.)

I’m sure there’s a “Pet Rock” (or two) of advertising out there just waiting to be discovered or created.  Who is going to find the next big generationally impacting one?  Whoever you are, please choose wisely and make us proud!

It’s the first day of a new year, a time when there is much talk about making New Year’s Resolutions.  There are many people with advice on:  how to do it right;  on whether or not any of the resolutions we do make will even last very long;  or whether it even matters any more to make resolutions at all.

What made it easier for me this year was that I had already spent the past month or so, with pen and paper, figuring out what I wanted to do differently for the upcoming “unprecedented” economic environment that we’ve been told awaits us. 

Yes, I agree, for me and maybe for many of us, this will be a year of going back to basics.

So, I was surprised to find that even though I had clearly set up actionable goals, and I felt that I was all set to face the new year, when it came to write my first blog post of the year, I was still at a loss for where to start. 

How can that be?  I had goals that I could easily summarize into three simple words.  Words that Chris Brogan explains should be words that can ”get you started…(and) still be relevant when you’re almost at the big goal”.   (My three goal words are:  Shed. Convey. Strengthen. )

What I was torn between was whether I should write about what other bloggers were recommending (and doing themselves) or if I should write about something totally different, i.e., generally the common themes were writing the typical “2008 Year In Review Post” and/or the “2009 Resolutions Post”.

At first this made me think of the often quoted:  

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
                                   Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken

I decided to let the thought settle for a bit.

It turns out it was quite pleasantly serendipitous for the following Tweet to cross my path on Twitter:

stevepavlina If you don’t seem to be following a well-marked trail, it probably means you’re seeing some pretty cool stuff. The scratches will heal. 1 minute ago from web

This enhanced the metaphor for me as I began sketching out two possible paths “diverged in a wood”.   After getting a bit creative, I realized that there probably weren’t  just two paths diverged in the woods.  There are paths all over.  Choosing one path doesn’t mean you’ll only get to one outcome.

Reinforcing that thought in my mind was this YouTube video that was recently blogged about by Stuart Tan that shows how not to get “hoodwinked into the outcome“, essentially another way to remind us to ”Enjoy the Journey”.

My 2009 Wishes for you:   Be sure To “Enjoy Your Journey Always”!!!

Photo Credit, respres

Not all people are fans of blogs.  There are many people that rarely read blogs much less bookmark them or ever revisit any that they may have bookmarked in the past.  Many people probably don’t even know how to find good blogs if they wanted to.

Important and fair questions that are often asked include:   “Can I even trust blogs?” and, “What do bloggers really know anyway?”  My answer to that would be:  “Probably more than you realize.”  And, the best way to realize and appreciate what blogs have to offer is to find out  for yourself by simply taking a closer look.  Here’s how…..

First, it’s always easiest to start small by reading just a few blogs at first to figure out what you like and find useful.  As your selections increase, it will become more efficient f0r you to subscribe to Blog Feeds and manage those subscriptions through a Feed Reader such as Google Reader. 

The benefits of subscribing to multiple blogs in a RSS Feed Reader (a.k.a., Aggregator)  include the following:

• There are some bloggers that regularly write so many great niche-relevant blog posts that you can practically make yourself a free custom-made book by organizing your favorite blog post printouts in a three-ring binder which you can continuously update with the latest information for free (e.g., for perspectives on using social media consider following:  Problogger, Copyblogger,  and/or ChrisBrogan). 
• Other bloggers, who are newer or not so niche-specific in their writing yet, will write the occasional great and relevant-to-you posts.  Skim through headlines to jump to the ones that catch your attention.
• Some bloggers have PhDs, others are experts-in-the-rough.  Words-of-wisdom do not become truer if they have a higher-education degree behind them.  Lesser-known or ‘differently-educated’ bloggers can have just as valuable nuggets of  life experience to share as the established writers and philosophers.  Consider them all.
• Being skeptical isn’t  always a bad thing.  I find that over-generalizations or blind acceptance of any idea is where we often get ourselves into trouble.  Social proof or group think might be good for a marketer’s pocketbook, and while it can be completely accurate and reliable, it can be just as wrong, too.  Consider this quote from this CNBC post entitled “Timeless and Time-Tested Warren Buffett Watch Predictions“:

The crowd will make mistakes.  Buffett cites this piece of advice from his mentor Benjamin Graham: “You’re neither right nor wrong because other people agree with you. You’re right because your facts are right and your reasoning is right—and that’s the only thing that makes you right. And if your facts and reasoning are right, you don’t have to worry about anybody else.”

• So, for me, I think it’s always important to stay open to considering alternate counter-opinions even for beliefs that you hold strongly.  At the very least it helps you understand other people’s perspectives about why or why not they believe certain things while also helping you consider things that you may not otherwise have come across yet.
• Above all, trust is a powerful and fragile element.  In this free medium, trust differentiates the great and respected writers and philosopher from the rest.  The more exposure you have to someone, their behaviors, and their opinions, the more you are able to get a truer sense of what they are really about.  Trust must be earned over time. 
• Yet, trust can be misplaced, too.  In this CNBC post: “How to Tell the Madoffs From the Buffets“, you get an extra glimpse at how to figure out who to trust.  Look for bloggers that teach, share freely, and build relationships for the long-term. 
• I also like to notice how often an idea is repeated or referenced by others.  Sometimes you might find that the person you might be idolizing for his or her ”unique” ideas might just be referencing commonly held theories from circles of people that you have not encountered yet.  On the other hand, unconfirmed beliefs and theories can be supported and refuted further as well.
• To further round-out the broad array of writing out there, you may even want to monitor bloggers from other niches that can provide ideas that are transferable to your field of interest.

I hope some of these ideas resonate with you and that I was able to show you the value that blog reading and Blog Feed Reader subscriptions have to offer. 

Let me know if you have additional thoughts, ideas, or questions by leaving a comment below. 

Happy Blog Reading!

Extra Bonus:  To get started, if you are interested in Social Media, Writing, and Psychology-related* blogs, you are welcome to download and use the List of Feed Subscriptions that I’ve put together.  Here’s how you can import my manually created list of Feed Subscriptions into your Google Reader:

1. Download my (OPML) Feed by right-clicking on this link and “Save Target As” to a location on your computer that you’ll be able to find later for Step#6.
2. Go to Google Reader.  Sign up for your free account.  Log In.
3. In the lower left corner, below Subscriptions, click on the “Manage Subscriptions” link.
4. Go to the “Import/Export” Tab.
5. Click on the “Browse” button under ”Import your subscriptions”
6. Locate the file you downloaded in Step#1 (i.e., google-reader-subscriptions.xml)
7. Click on the “Upload” button.  And, that’s it!
8. Click on the “Back to Google Reader” link to see the Subscription Folders on the left.
9. Expand the different folders to find the RSS Feed subscriptions listed within each folder.
10. Feel free to delete, move, rename, add, and “star” your favorites as desired.

Consider finding and adding other blogs of interest via Google Blog Search.   Enjoy!!!!!

*Note:  This feed subscription list  includes 100 Fascinating Brain Blogs.

Often the most important advice given to bloggers, writers, or anyone in social media (and probably in business, too)  is to be helpful.  

Whether you believe in good karma or not, it is not often disputed that if you are helpful to others without expecting anything in return, you’ll be surprised at what does come back to you in return.  If your intent is the opposite, you may still get results, but more than likely not the same as if you did otherwise.

For me, the tricky part is in knowing what other people find helpful.  Being helpful means different things to different people.  There are many ways to be helpful. 

I would say that the extremes on the ’scale of helpfulness’, if you will, would probably range from being totally selfless to being totally selfish.   If helpfulness were put on a scale, I would put the following fifteen ticks on that ruler (generally ranked here from better to worse, though I’m sure some of you might re-arrange  the order somewhat):

• Selflessness: Giving all of yourself for the benefit of others, e.g., Mother Teresa
• Philanthropy: Gifting others something that is of high value to you and to them
• Teaching Someone to Fish: Showing someone how to become self-sufficient
• Being a Pebble in the Pond: Giving assistance to others who then Pay It Forward
• Doing Something For Others: Helping in non-financial ways e.g., Habitat For Humanity
• Matching Program:  Enhancing the contributions of others
• Contributions: Helping in a hands-off way e.g. making a financial donation
• Goodwill: Donating something that has more value to someone else than to you
• Reciprocity: Helping others who then want to help you in return for the favor
• Offering Temporary Assistance: Loaning someone something of value
• Bettering Yourself:  Becoming  self-sufficient, no longer relying on others
• Quid Pro Quo: Helping others in exchange for them helping you
• Enabling Others: Helping others to continue to be dependent on you or others
• Providing Entitlements: Providing subsistence to people who expect, demand, or don’t appreciate it
• Helping With the Expectation of Payback

Good determinants to keep in mind when deciding how helpful you want or are able to be to others is to consider the following:

• Why are you helping others?
• What Effort is required?  How much is needed and what can you afford?
• What are the Costs and Benefits  to you and/or others for helping or not helping?

Keep in mind the difference between a ten dollar donation from a Rich man versus a ten dollar donation from a Poor Man.  In the end, it’s still a ten dollar donation.  However, the intent and sacrifice can be totally different for each (whether someone is around to see it or not). 

Helping others doesn’t have to involve major sacrifices on anyone’s part.  Small changes add up.  Start by simply being that pebble that ripples through the pond.  What you can do today will probably be different from what you can do at a future point in your life.  And, don’t forget that improving yourself helps others (your family, friends, and society) in the long run, too.

So, how helpful are you to others?  How helpful can others be to you?   And, please feel free to let me know what I can do to be helpful to you?

HAPPY HELPING!!!!!

Inspired by Chris Brogan’s advice in his recent post, “If I Started Today“, I put together my own list of what I’ve found to be 50 reasons to start blogging (and/or in social media) even if you don’t have a clear-cut business plan or idea.  

My best advice is to start small and build from there.  And, always remember that “starting small” is not the same as “playing small”. 

Here are fifty things that I believe are best figured out along the way:

LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF

 1.  Decide how much personal information you are comfortable sharing about yourself online.  Your comfort zone will relax over time.

 2.  Figure out what you want to say about yourself on your “About” page and in your online profiles.  Get started with some basics, then refine over time.

 3.  Don’t worry about having a professional headshot of yourself at first, you can get one later once you are more established.

 4.  Find out what you like to write about without the pressure of deadlines.  Where will you get ideas? From other bloggers, or online magazines, books, newspapers, TV, friends, radio, feeds, etc.  Try them all.

 5.  Practice varying your post lengths:  share links, quotes, advice, tips, lists, Book Reviews, rants, opinions, etc. Experiment with writing catchy titles and adding meaningful images to your posts.

 6.  Develop your Writer/Commenter Confidence. At first, it can seem scary committing your thoughts and opinions in writing, but that’s part of the fun, too. 

 7.  Get used to the unpredictability of not getting comments when you think you should, and getting comments when you don’t expect to.

 8.  Learn how to keep writing, sharing, and contributing, even when you might not get the feedback or traffic you are hoping for. Trust that it will pay off in the long run.

 9.  Realize that ’seemingly unnoticed’ work is never lost, it can easily be re-purposed into traffic-generating articles or e-book content for redistribution (and profit) later.

10.  Trust that the more online activity history you have, the more credibility you’ll build for yourself.  People are less likely to trust those with just a few posts to their name.

 LEARN HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME

11.  Figure out an editorial/publication schedule that you are actually able to stick to. Realize that it takes time to develop a writing habit.  Readers are a little more forgiving for newcomers that may have occasional gaps in their posting history.  Work to eliminate gaps altogether.

12.  Work towards being more efficient in how long it takes you to write a post, and how many words you really need to convey your message and still hold a time-strapped-reader’s attention.

13.  Develop a commenting strategy.  Others are more likely to comment and find your work if you comment on theirs.  It takes some time to find meaningful places to comment.

14.  Find tools that can help you manage your time, such as search, feed readers, bookmark, tags, alerts, marked/shared Favorites. Build in efficient ways to monitor those information streams.

15.  Figure out how many people you can comfortably follow on each service/tool.  A manageable load at first will eventually need to be managed differently as it grows over time.

16.  Determine whether you get better results by growing your follower base by inviting/following people, or more organically as people find you, or a combination of both.

TAKE YOUR TIME GETTING TO KNOW PEOPLE

17.  Take advantage of being new and get to know your potential competitors without being seen as a threat to them.

18.  ‘Test out’ people before deciding whether or not to approach them with business dealings, partnerships, hiring them as consultants/mentors/coaches, or getting deeply involved in their circles/tribes. You only truly know someone after following them for a while.

19.  Choose a circle of people to interact with where you feel comfortable (e.g., Are they overly political, religious, sales-y, or not enough?)

20.  Decide if the circle of people that you network with is your customer or your industry peer group.  Do they stand for what you believe in?  Does it matter?

21.  Establish your presence and build your credibility over time. Let people get to know you, too. 

22.  Find your voice.  It is more fun and authentic if you express yourself naturally rather than under pressure.  Enjoy a freedom and flexibility that you might not always have once you are more established.

23.  You can’t get accused of Spamming people if you aren’t selling anything. Selling can come later, and might even be more lucrative if based on true word-of-mouth and solid endorsements.

24.  Take the time to learn the netiquette of participation.  How, how often, when, and where is it best to submit comments, respond to replies, agree/disagree, share information, generate and participate in conversations?

25.  Take notes on how other people ask you to check out their posts in non-spammy ways.

LEARN THE TOOLS (i.e., you don’t need everything on Day One.)

26.  Use, then choose, a few core tools to start with.  Don’t abandon these when other tools come along. 

27.  Get used to new tools always being introduced. Some you’ll try. Some you won’t. Some you’ll like.  Some you’ll like better over time.  Some you’ll drop. Some you’ll outgrow.  Don’t neglect your core.

28.  Determine what parts of your online identity is transferable and what parts are tied to a tool, e.g., changing hosting companies, vs changing domain names, vs. changing your design or brand identity.

29.  Take the time to find where your preferred audience is hanging out.  Try new services/tools and don’t feel obligated to keep using services that don’t work for you just because others swear by them.

30.  Play around with Feeds and aggregate what you do on different services so that you can more efficiently reach different audiences in each environment.

31.  Decide what stat measurement tool works for you.  Start with free services and only upgrade to paid services when you really need to. 

32.  Get a feel for how much “flair” you want on your site.  What widgets or badges work best for you? Which affiliate products do you want to endorse? Experiment.

33.  Figure out if you really need every bell and whistle.  You might like to have a forum, but do you really need one before you’re really established?

REFINE YOUR BUSINESS IDEA

34.  Refine and condense your objective to a 30-second elevator pitch or 140-character Twitter-length description.

35.  Listen for the keywords used by your target audience.  Become aware of what can be tracked and what is missed by just tracking only select keywords.

36.  Figure out if the domain name you start out with is going to be the one you want to stay with long-term.  The earlier you figure this out, the better.

37.  Determine if you need or want to compile a business philosophy about how you go to business and how you disclose your affiliations.

38.  Decide what privacy policies you like and need. You might not need this right off the bat, but you will need some form of this over time.

39.  Determine how important it is for your business to have an email auto-responder or a newsletter in addition to a blog.  Neither is probably needed at first.

40.  Create a body of work, then check if it is consistent with your stated purpose.  Decide which needs to be adjusted.

41.  Evaluate whether or not your business idea is too broad or too focused.  Do you have one area of focus or many?  Can they co-exist or do they need to be split up?

42.  Test different ways to monetize your blog. Which ways are consistent with your reputation and mission?  Which are effective?

43.  Find your own way. Your online experience might even turn you into a social media adviser without that even being your goal at first.

44.  Watch which conferences your peers go to. Read their reviews to figure out which, if any, you might benefit from attending, too.

PREPARE FOR THE UNEXPECTED (just in case)

45.  Build up your skills and workflows before a crisis hits so that you are ready to respond like a pro (not an amateur that doesn’t understand the space).

46.  Realize that mis-steps are more easily forgiven or even noticed when your audience is smaller and knows you are still getting your feet wet.

47.  Observe the online spats or disagreements that occasionally arise from certain personalities.  Learn what not to do, too.

48.  Notice how and when things go viral and what happens when they do.  Get a feel for the unpredictability of social media.

49.  Have fun.  It’s easier to take risks with less at stake.  Start small, but don’t play small.  Use your start-up time as a playground to test different approaches.

50.  Appreciate that as a beginner, you can more easily re-invent yourself if your idea or audience morphs into something more interesting or desirable.

To summarize: There is never only one way to get started. Figure out what works for you. One guarantee I can give is this:  “Your needs will change as you grow.”    The key to achieving in this space is to simply get started, stick with it, learn, and grow along the way.  I hope that at least a few of these ideas have demonstrated that there is no better time to start that ball rolling than now!

More and more, we see and hear about social media, social networking sites, and micro-blogging tools.  You probably heard about how the current election was impacted (some even say won) by the grassroots efforts of social networking strategies.

Amid all of this social media enthusiasm, there have also been recent reports about how the older forms of Web 2.0, namely, blogging, is dead or at least dying.  This has prompted some to wonder if we should be dropping the old tools for the new. 

I do not believe that blogging is dead, but I agree that it is changing.  So where does blogging fit into the picture?  Sure, some people (maybe even many people) simply don’t have the time, patience, or interest to read or write a post that is over a few hundred words in length.  Nor do they have the inclination to put together a relevant or thoughtful comment, or to set up and build a meaningful filter (via a feed reader such as Google Reader) on the fire hose of information coming at them. 

But that’s okay.  I’m still proud to call myself a blogger and, at the same time, also a “new media practitioner”.  I believe in the power of the Web to get the word out to a relevant online audience that wants to hear that message, whether it be (1) for social cause activism, or (2) for B2B and B2C communication, or (3) for small business, or (4) from thought leaders and authors to influencers, or (5) government/citizen involvement.

I am not of the typical demographic for social networking sites.  But as I see it, while I’m a few years over 40 years old, I know that Howard Dean, Al Gore and Barack Obama are older than I.  And, they have made their mark with it.

I consider myself to be an internet enthusiast, though I only participate on a part-time basis and am not the typical early adopter.  I started blogging in August 2004 (though infrequently, generally not more than once weekly, with a few months off here and there).  I think I joined Facebook in 2007.  I’ve been on Twitter since April of this year (and Tweet about twice a day). I’ve never used Skype, Instant Messenger, and rarely send Text Messages on my cell.  To me, this is just more proof that we all will use the internet, and are reached, in different ways.

Personally, I also love exploring what’s down the Rabbit Hole.  That’s how this post began….first I read a Tweet by Jason Falls referencing Mark Dykeman’s post, “Do you think blogging is dying?”, which referenced one post by Rough Type entitled, “Who Killed the blogosphere?”, and another post by The Economist titled, “Oh, grow up“.  Sykemann’s post had a comment by the Catch Up Lady who wrote ”I’m Shutting Down My Blog Because Wired Said So…” where she referenced the Wired article “Twitter, Flickr, Facebook Make Blogs Look So 2004“.  Whew!!  Lots of reading, but it gave me a good picture of opinions that meshed with my own.

For me it’s worth it to take the time to read, listen, think, comment, collect, capture, and craft a representation of thoughts into one complete stand-alone piece.  I enjoy blogging and plan to continue doing so.  The newer social media or social networking tools have their place for me, too.  I keep “what works for me”, and discard what doesn’t.  So should you.

My motivation to blog is not solely or primarily celebrity or monetization. For me, it’s about a feeling.  Writing a blog post that accurately captures and represents my thoughts and feelings is something that I find satisfying, whether anyone reads it or not (though having people read it certainly makes it even more satisfying).  I also like the feeling of being a part of a community, contributing, interacting, and participating.  Getting into the game sooner rather than later just gives me the added benefit of feeling a part of evolutionary journey, too.  Clearly, there is room for both the old and the new in the big picture.

Blogging about politics is always risky. Usually quite early on, a reader will recognize which party you support and will respond accordingly — they’ll either keep reading if they identify with you or they’ll move on if they don’t. Few stick around to hear what someone of an opposing political party wishes to espouse unless they’re looking to judge that opinion and its believer as being ridiculous. I say this because I, too, have been there and done that (and try as I might, I still go there more often than I’d like to admit).  We are all human (if that’s an acceptable excuse, I don’t know; you be the judge on that.)

I could avoid the topic all together, or not. As citizens, I don’t think we can continue to avoid these difficult conversations.  I would agree that fighting for the sake of fighting doesn’t accomplish anything.  So what do we do?  How do we approach these conversations respectfully while still being true to ourselves as bloggers and as citizens with points of view looking for solutions and not as journalists that are obliged to be objective in their reporting of events? 

That reminds me of some of the latest advice out there on how to be successful in social media by joining the conversation.  Do so by being yourself. Don’t pretend to be someone you are not. See some of these references yourself here:

• (from Twitter) garyvee says – “if you’re shy – become the greatest shy guy on earth” 08:43 PM September 19, 2008 from twhirl in reply to garyvee
• (from Twitter) garyvee says – “if you’re not good at monetizing, get a bus partner that can.” do what u do & bring in others who can do the other stuff. 08:39 PM September 19, 2008 from twhirl in reply to garyvee
• Another great proponent of being yourself is Chris Brogan in his latest free e-book on “Personal Branding for the Business Professional“: “Be yourself.  It will become apparent rather quickly if you’re being someone that you’re not.”

So, what’s my point? I guess this is maybe (or not) a bigger lead-up than necessary to a thought I wanted to bring up around a recent YouTube video posted by an Iraq War Veteran. It’s a very well done and a very sincere video. That is why I want to be very careful not to disrespect its intent. Check it out here:

Powerful YouTube clip, don’t you agree? I think so. I say that and I am not even a McCain supporter. And, I’m not here to to take anything away from our military’s sacrifices.  Their sacrifices are immense and can never be repaid. [Update 9/25/08: Here's a link to a YouTube video of a soldier with the opposite point of view.]

Nobody likes war, not even McCain himself. He honestly said so himself in his RNC speech where he spoke of the impact on war on himself and his family. As bad as war is, there is the belief that fighting is a necessary evil. McCain ended his RNC speech with words of “fighting” for what you believe in, as seen here:

Maybe I’m naive, but I don’t like the idea of fighting for peace. I want to believe in diplomacy and other means to the same end.  Whatever you do believe, it is clear that this can be a very difficult discussion to have among people of differing points of view.

That’s why I’m looking forward to the work of the upcoming Transpartisan Alliance which is a group that wants to show people how to have respectful dialogue. Here’s how they describe what they stand for:

Transpartisanship acknowledges the validity of truths across a range of political perspectives and seeks to synthesize them into an inclusive, pragmatic whole beyond typical political dualities. In practice, transpartisan solutions emerge out of a new kind of public conversation that moves beyond polarization by applying proven methods of facilitated dialogue, deliberation and conflict resolution. In this way it is possible to achieve the ideal of a democratic republic by integrating the values of a democracy — freedom, equality, and a regard for the common good, with the values of a republic — order, responsibility and security.

I’m hoping the upcoming Presidential and Vice Presidential debates are civil and at least not more polarizing than necessary, if necessary is even an appropriate word. But, regardless of how they go and who wins the debates and the election in the end, solving today’s problems requires engagement of all parties and understanding of all points of view. I’m looking at Election Day as the beginning of that work, not as the end of a fight.  Am I being naive that progress can be made on this front?  I hope not.