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):
I’ve been intrigued lately by a new section of books in the Barnes & Noble bookstore that I frequent. It is a grouping of books labelled “Thought-Provoking”.
Clearly ”Thought-Provoking” isn’t a subject that one can easily build a business idea or a keyword strategy around. People aren’t likely to go to a store or to Google looking for something “Thought Provoking”.
Either way, ”Thought-Provoking” seems to be a viable and growing category of books which might include a mix of psychology, sociology, philosophy and science. Such books are perhaps just as likely show up in the Self-Improvement section as in the Business section of a bookstore.
Perhaps this new category has been spurred by Malcolm Gladwell’s success with his books, Blink and Tipping Point. As a recent article from Timesonline.co.uk entitled, “The 10 secrets of Malcolm Gladwell’s success“, suggests, the popularity of “arcane” books like his might be due to a “sociological transformation of the past 25 years”. An interesting premise. Could there be a “more intellectually curious” business-mindset developing out there?
Are we at a turning point? As the economy slows down and people pull back to take the time to rebuild their net worth and adjust to potentially widespread structural changes, will a new mindset and new work ethic arise, too?
Might not the next ten years be a time when a new set of successes show up to challenge Gladwell’s assertion that there’s not a shortage of talent in the world but that there’s a shortage of people willing to put in the 10,000 hours it takes to become successful? Could these “Thought Provoking” books be a sign of something new to come….
Generally when we hear of a “win-win” solution, we probably think it refers to something good, right? I know I did. I didn’t realize that win-wins can actually be placed on a “scale”, ranging from “good” win-wins all the way over to ”not-so-good” win-wins.
It’s common knowledge that, often, negotiations include some degree of compromise where each party gives in on some points and as a result gets something that they value in exchange. If the “gives” and the “gets” are perceived as comparable (and along with the big assumption that the negotiation was conducted in “good faith”), the outcome is usually considered to be a good deal. Maybe throw in a little face-saving for good measure, too.
I think the difficulty and disappointments come when not all people involved in the negotiations are working towards the same outcome. Read more »
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?
Then also find, in the sidebar on that same site, an ad for a movie trailer about the business and the future of Water, check it out at flowthefilm.com. The trailer seems to depict a film full of convincing arguments, told in a documentary style similar to An Inconvient Truth and the 9/11 Loose Change films. These films can be convincing. Some people are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt. Some are not. Some fall somewhere in-between.
Looks like we need more places that let us hear both sides of an argument so that we can then choose for ourselves about which side we think should win, such as in the relationship-related site called: Sidetaker.com (as heard on Twitter). But then again, I guess our upcoming elections will be the largest scale version of this. It’s amazing how each side of an argument will have its share of people that are adamant about its side being the only way to think about something.
Will politics ever be anything but a game to be won or lost?
Court cases are often won or lost based on the skill-set of the attorneys hired or appointed. It is not necessarily the facts or circumstantial evidence alone that determine innocence or guilt, but it is how those elements are argued. Facts aren’t allowed to speak for themselves any more. Facts just don’t have the personality for it.
Rhetoric
The online post, “The Rhetoric and the Reality“, has found appropriate words to describe how politicians historically “tell the truth creatively” with “dubious claims, exaggerations, and selective statistics”. Or, as the WashintonPost.com’s “The Fact Checker” points out, we are seeing the ”usual share of outlandish spin, misleading rhetoric, and outright fibs.”
Yet in this sound-bite world with busy, low-attention span audiences, oversimplication seems necessary. Wasn’t John Kerry criticized for talking too much? Aren’t other speakers criticized for being boring? Omitting facts does occur when we simplify. But then who is keeping track of the details? How do we know when important facts are being omitted or not? Who has the time to keep informed on all the details? Who are we trusting to keep us informed? And, what are the consequences of placing our trust blindly?
There is so much need in this world that sometimes it’s almost impossible to choose who to help first or to decide what cause needs the most help. And, many problems in this world can easily seem too big for any one person, or even a small army of people, to conquer alone. And, sometimes we don’t think our little contribution is even going to make that much of a difference anyway. But you might be surprised to find out that even little things can make a difference.
As I’m starting to see more and more, it doesn’t really matter how we choose to make a difference in the world around us, it just matters that we do something we care about. This was demonstrated on an episode of Oprah which featured two people making a difference in their own way: Genevieve Piturro started Pajama Program by simply collecting pajamas for children waiting to be adopted; and John Wood started what now is Room to Read by first simply collecting books to deliver to children in developing countries that didn’t have libraries. These are individual people that started something that filled a need and grew beyond their wildest hopes. Their advice was to chose something you are passionate about and move in that direction.
When does Change begin? When is Change in progress? And, when is Change complete? Or, is Change always around us, especially lately?
As of the end of the Democratic National Convention and the beginning of the Republican National Convention, so far, there has been a lot of commentary that is exposing, what I see as, ”Change” that is already taking place. Here is just some of the commentary on Twitter that has stood out for me:
Unlikely Possibilities Are Arising:
huffpost AH: “Barack Obama would not have been the nominee if not for the internet.” -rachelsklar about 2 hours ago from web
Regarding Barack Obama’s nomination speech at the DNC ‘08, was it focused on too many unfulfillable promises and unrealizable dreams? Some would say so. Did it consist of just more talk that we’ve already heard before? Or, did we witness a message that was something more than just words spoken by a charismatic eloquent speaker?
Even Barack Obama himself mentioned that some would consider it just “happy talk”.
To me the message was sincere, unifying and about how true change can happen. It was about what policies he hopes to pursue. The journey ahead will no doubt be difficult no matter who wins this election. To me it helps to know where we’d like to be going. In these uncertain times, I think Obama gave the best vision possible…about a unifying direction that we want and need to strive towards.
The Democratic role of government was clarified as not being about guarantees or entitlements but about personal responsibility along with looking out for others; described as follows:
The purpose of government is to
“do for us what we can not do for ourselves.”
“insure opportunity for every American willing to work”
We are responsible for ourselves and we are our brothers’ keeper
We must do our part
It’s about “individual responsibility and mutual responsibility.”
What’s a “Sing-Along Blog”, you ask? Well, if you love musicals, like I do, then you should enjoy this Three Act piece. I think it runs about 45 minutes. It’s not the most conventional style, but stick with it, you won’t be dissapointed. It’s got action and superheros, a love story and a tragedy. It shows that good and evil aren’t simply black and white. A clever script. Great singing and great songs. Enjoy “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog“ available now free with only limited commercial interruption (or get the season pass and download from iTune’s).
Often the most important advice given to bloggers, writers, or anyone in social media (and probably in business, too) is to be helpful. 
