Archive for February, 2009

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Make It Happen

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

Overwhelmed.

There are just so many great people creating new things, interacting in new ways and developing things that are simply amazing. You probably have a good idea of people you see that are, put simply, making it happen. Ideas, apps, content, conferences, charities, businesses and individuals all just buzzing at the speed of light it would seem.

You can watch these ideas, these people and sit in amazement. Then you can think – why didn’t I do that, why can’t I do that. Then, somehow possibly you realize – you can do what ever “that” is. It isn’t about hype, it isn’t about smoke and mirrors. It’s about being real, meeting real needs and creating positive value.

Or you could just keep sitting there, staring at the computer screen being a skeptic. Staring at the wondrous time we are in during the transformation of the web, communication and personal interaction…pointing out how it will never work, it will never change anything. You may even be able to talk to friends, colleagues or family about how it won’t work, how it’s wrong – complaining, being envious or jealous of those doing….

Maybe, just maybe, you will go and MAKE IT HAPPEN.

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Why I Gave Up: Quantity vs. Quality

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

A while back, I started posting a book each day, with a link back to Amazon for the book. I didn’t do it very long. Why? There really was no value in it for you. Yes, part of it was associate links – just trying to get a bit of monetizing going on. But the other aspect was, I thought it might help the readers I have.

Instead I started getting more posts, but no quality. So I gave up on it. Smart move in my view. I wish to create some form of positive value for those that come along this blog – and that just wasn’t accomplishing it for them. Nor for me.

It’s about quality, not quantity in many realms – this one seems to be one of the most classic applications of that mantra. Blogging, Twitter and truly social media as a whole seems to have two camps: Those focused on quantity and those focused on quality. There are a few who accomplish both…they are the kingpins of social media so to say. They consistently produce thought provoking content, interact with a large number of people and do both at an astonishing rate. Then there are those who create tons of content, but nothing that jumps off the screen if you will and generates readership.

What about you – do you focus on quality or quantity in your content creation, social interaction and general day-to-day activities?

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Posted in Blogging, Casual Blogging, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter | 1 Comment »

Red Lights

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

As I was out and about driving this morning, I managed to hit every red stop light on the way. Frustrating? You bet…I was in a hurry.

However, it got me to thinking – there really is nothing wrong with a red light – it’s traffic control. So that got me to thinking about red lights in social media, blogging, programming, web development – you know all the things I am really enjoying in my technology portion of life.

Having a red light in these areas is a time to pause. A time to reflect on what you have learned, what you have shared. Help received, help given. It’s also a time to prepare for the upcoming green light – when you start writing more lines of code with a clearer thought process, write a new blog post after a great reflection or share something great with your community that was shared with you.

Is having a red light in your technology interactions a bad thing? I don’t think so. Is it good when you hit many red lights? Not really. Can you use a few to reorganize your thoughts, processes and gain some clarity about the road in front of you? I bet you can.

What do you think of red lights in your social media interactions, blogging, programming or whatever interactions you have on a daily basis? Good? Bad? Necessary evil?

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TwitterSheep – What Types Are In Your Flock?

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

In a mimicking post styled after Danny Brown, whom you should give a read if you don’t already, I present to you, my Twitter Flock! According to TwitterSheep.com this is a keyword cloud based upon my follower’s bios. Would appear I have the most followers in marketing, media and social – or is it “Social Media Marketing”?

Twitter Flock for @southplatte

Twitter Flock for @southplatte

Gives a great insight to people who you might want to follow as to types of followers they have and such.

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Write As Though Your Voice Is Being Heard

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

I have seen it time and again, but feel it should be revisited.

When you are blogging, tweeting or otherwise publishing content (blog comments count too!), write as though you have an audience of 100,000 and that you are being read, and heard.

This “confidence” makes you write better, more focused and more direct…even if you only have a few RSS/Email subscribers (at this point I have 15 RSS subscribers and 1 email subscriber), or only a handful of followers on Twitter – or what ever networking site you are using.

It also prepares you for the day, should it come, that you have 10,000, 20,000 or even 100,000 readers of your content.

So write as though your voice is being heard!

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