It’s can be very eye-opening when you make a decision to listen rather then speak (or write). Over the past three weeks I’ve been consumed with events like our family holiday, a week of house guests, not to mentioned some interesting developments going on with my “other” job. After a few days into my family vacation, I decided that I wouldn’t allow the pressure to maintain stats and subscribers and blog. However I would just listen, no response, no email, just listen.
Here are three observations that I noticed over the past few weeks.
No One Noticed
One of the most interesting things is that no one really noticed that I hadn’t blogged. My stats showed some fluctuation, but my subscribers increased. Those that did subscribe never inquired what was causing the lack of blog posts. What I realized wasn’t that I needed to fear blog fade or reader loss, but that perhaps a blog built around a community is like a friendship that is built not by frequent get-togethers, but built on the things you share in common. It’s like friendships you have that if you don’t see each other for months or even longer, you pick up where you left off.
There Are More Echoes Than Voices
One of the things I did do was read all the blogs that I subscribed to. Usually I would take a few hours every few days and read what others have written. One thing that stood out is that there are a lot of blogs that are saying the same thing. Everyone posts about the latest gadget, the latest Web 2.0 application, rehashing productivity tips and tricks, but very few are blogging about cutting edge thoughts and ideas in their area of interests.
I spent a lot of timing thinking, re-imagining, and re-planning my strategy about my blogging initiatives. How much time would I spend being a voice versus how much time I would spend echoing what someone else said. Three posts a day that are just echos or one post a week with rich content that leads to conversations and action. It’s the difference between the Back Street Boys and Prince, flood the market with a new album every six months or produce an even greater demand by producing an original product every few years. It’s all about demand, but it’s also about longevity.
The Possibilities of Are Endless
In this ever changing arena called the global village there are projects and networking taking place that just doesn’t inform, but is built around activities that link people together. Groups like Prosper.com, who connect people with money, Grasshoppers who connect people to opportunities and groups like JustCause and JustGive who connect individuals to causes that make a difference financially, globally, and enviromentally.
What do I do with these new found observations? That’s where the challenge takes place. What are your thoughts? What things have you learned over the past few weeks?
photo credit: Lost in Scotland
Technorati Tags: blogging, grasshoppers, proper.com, justcause.org, justgive.org
