I’ve come to believe that switching my focus to this personal blog is one of the smartest decisions I’ve made in my blogging career. For the most part it is a joy to write about whatever is on my mind each day and I am genuinely floored at all of the comments my posts have attracted. While I would not recommend it to anyone who has lots of other commitments I’m also finding that my resolution to post to this blog every calendar day is a good thing for me. I note that with yesterday’s post, I am fully one sixth of the way through my goal, and I’m proud to say I haven’t missed a day as yet.
Not every post becomes popular, of course. There are days when I don’t link to any of my active blogger friends (like Holly, who wants me to stick my head in the freezer), where I don’t do an Empire Avenue mission to draw visitors, shares and comments as well as days when I just don’t bother visiting other blogs to leave a trail of breadcrumbs (err comment back links) and very few people read the post or comment on it. Yet I have been just blown away at some of my posts that have attracted hundreds of readers and dozens and dozens of comments.
And the really wonderful thing is that I am developing a circle of friends and acquaintances who visit regularly and chat with me in the comments section. What social media rock stars never quite seem to grasp is that that social media is all about talking With other real people, whether on their blogs or on Twitter or Facebook or some other web site. I really am proud of myself for sticking with this commitment. And I am genuinely grateful to each and every one of you who reads this.
A lot of the satisfaction really is in the social interaction, isn’t it? I’ve found that to be true, too. Thanks for blogging, Libdrone!
Great to connect with you, Michelle. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Alan, I love your blog posts & am excited for your focus on this particular blog. I love the insights you give & the feeling of intimacy here. I think the thing that Mr. Everything fails to realize is that with Social Media, it’s easy to expand & get HUGE, but the challenge lies in what is important which is making things more intimate as our audience grows.
Rockstars come and go, but the gifted people who actually care about crafting something special have a durability that the Rockstars could never understand or appreciate.
I’m so glad you’re my friend, Jake. Part of me actually does want to become huge and to have thousands of people read what I write every day, yet I greatly fear turning into (as someone put it) “a pompous gas bag”. Thank you so much for helping me to keep it real.
I love your writings Alan, your gentle voice speaks not only to me but many others and it is pleasing to know that you are enjoying writing to us each day. Keep them coming. is all I ask. Thanks for sharing.
I understand your regimen, and would follow your steps. But, what’s the random thing — U+2159 OR 241543903. Is this your new weapon for drawing more comments?
Google each of the terms separately Nicolas. Both have meaning, but it is oblique.
Cool. I was wondering that myself, but forgot about it by the time I got to the end of the blog post. Thanks for asking the question Nicolas!
I like what you have said and i agree about the connecting and chatting with others, but hey, there so many types of characters out there and the ones that care enough to connect would benefit a lot more than those who don’t. This was a nice read and keep on having fun..cheers
The key for you is in finding your voice. That is when your blog is at its most effective and authentic.
Reblogged this on Ransae's Blog.
Thanks so much for re-blogging my post, Ransae. I hope your week has gone well.
discipline … you have it
I hope so, John. But check back December 31st and see if I actually keep it up the whole year. That will be the test.
Whatever be the commitments whether they keep me busy or not make me tired or not i have started making it a point to read and share what you write. Fortunately thus far i’ve been winning time everyday and hope it continues.
Happy Blogging.
Congrats, Alan! I just wish I have the same tenacity and discipline to make 1 post per day on my personal blog. Great job!
My favorite of blogging or (more accurately) social media in general, is all the people that I am able connect with. To be able to interact with a lot of amazing people each day is something I never thought I could do.
I prefer reading original thought to news items, quotations, marketing pitches, photo context and all of the other formats that appear on the web. I will follow your blog with interest, many thanks.
Alan, what can I say but that you have articulated the driving reason most blog or should blog, the meat of the issue so to speak, social interaction. By the way I am out to the store for some T’bones for dinner tonight. Thanks for sharing! Best
After hearing from so many folks that all the pie pictures I’ve posted caused them to gain weight, I fear the steak background may attract comments from other readers who will be sore about their grocery bills, buying the prime cuts of meat. Hee hee. Thanks so much for stopping by today.
The gentleness of your voice is belied by the raw redness of your steaks, but I shouldn’t complain as they certainly don’t leave me with an uncontrollable desire to raid the fridge as your desserts did. How about a nice sunset or mountain view like everybody else?!
I had better not name names because I don’t want any more enemies, but it seems that virtually all of the bloggers and tweeters who have huge numbers of followers are engaged only in telling us in what their great minds are currently thinking about. I am interested, otherwise I wouldn’t be following in the first place, but I do think it would be more interesting if they had the humility to engage in a conversation with at least some of their followers. I have recently unfollowed several who seemed to be entirely egocentric.
Don’t let him fool you – he’s 1/6 gentle kindness, 1/6 wickedly clever, 1/6 literary critic, 1/6 crazy, 1/6 vulgar, and 1/6 full of surprises. And that doesn’t even touch upon the visual banquet he serves up as a backdrop.
Pie pictures have been amazingly successful for me, Holly. And be sure to visit again tomorrow on Saturday when I will be celebrating your birthday with my blog visitors, albeit in my own way rather than by your rules
Laura,
I fear I am about to channel Mandy, who has greatly impressed me by frequently leaving comments that are longer than my posts.
When I first started on Empire Avenue I found myself casting about for ways to be more active in online social media. One night, on a whim, I found a picture somewhere of a pie and uploaded it. The next thing I knew I was uploading pie pictures everywhere all of the time and enjoyed some popularity as the “Pie Drone”. I often posted pie pictures to friends’ Facebook walls, and these pictures often proved quite popular. A couple of my Facebook friends however, are of the canine persuasion and I thought that they might prefer raw steak to pie….which is by way of explaining how I’ve come to have this particular background image in my files.
(And I totally hear you on not wanting to name names. I created the Mr. Everything character largely because I realized it simply would not do to blog all of the time about how (searches and fails to find a Nice word) dumb many strategies advocated by a very popular player on Empire Avenue really are.)
Man, I really, really like the background
A new one every day, my friend
Thanks Alan. Fun and thought provoking. Have shared with my students on my page… (Love the steaks – LOL)
Thanks so much for stopping by again today, Teresa. I’m so glad you are enjoying my posts.
Insightful post – daily deadlines are a real challenge and you are doing great!
I do believe I am actually going to reach my goal of posting every day this year. (I’ve actually been a blogger for more than four years now. I certainly didn’t keep up with this same goal when I conceived it way back then.)
retweeted – well written.
Your background makes we wish for a backyard cookout. ; )
I think you’ll have to wait a couple of months for that, Liz.
I think I missed the pie background but got here in time for the Holly instead! LOL!
I change the background every day
I love the Holly – thank you for leaving it up through my birthday, Alan!
Pingback: My Favorite Scavengers (and the Winner is…) - It's All a Matter of Perspective | It's All a Matter of Perspective