Some Things I’ve Learned from Blogging
First of all… most of us aren’t as interesting as we think we are. I really respect people like Seth Godin who have something valuable to say every day, and can say it without fail… in his words, they ship.
These are some of the things I’ve learned:
Have Something to Say
This is true in a lot of areas. A good concept, like a good story, has a beginning, a middle, and an end. If I can do a good job with the story, I’ll get my point across. Sometimes what you don’t say is as effective as what you do.
Here’s a good resource… why telling a story can be very effective: Squirrel, Inc.
Take People’s Time Seriously
If someone is willing to take a look at the site and read a little, I should respect their time and their mind. I shouldn’t burden them with having to pick through my clutter. The design is the interface and often it’s the message too.
A good resource for basic design ideas: Before & After.
I Should Own My Thoughts and Material
I need to write as I speak, from the first person, not as someone else. After all, these are my thoughts and my ideas, I need to be committed to them… it makes it part of my story.
Simple is Better
I’ve always been impressed by people who can take a complex subject and make it easy to understand. It’s not easy to do… sometimes it’s elusive, but it’s not impossible… it takes more time. Simple is not to be confused with easy… thank you Ronald Reagan.
People Fill in Their Own Blanks
Many times we don’t need all the background and a lot of detail, we get good at making the links between thoughts and conclusions. Word pictures can be almost as effective as regular pictures. People are as smart as you give them credit for being.
Little Things Aren’t
Details matter… especially when you’re committed in print or the web. It’s worth spending the time to get things correct, consistent, and compelling.
Guy Kawasaki’s New Book
One of my heros, Guy Kawasaki, has just released his new book, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions. This is his first book in quite a while… it sounds worth the wait.
Enchantment explains how to create delightful, voluntary, and mutually-beneficial relationships with people. The book is great for organizations that are introducing products, closing sales, and establishing brands.
Guy is the co-founder of Alltop.com, an “online magazine rack” of popular topics on the web. He was the chief evangelist of Apple Computer. Kawasaki is the author of ten books including Reality Check, The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, and The Macintosh Way.
Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions is available here.
Passing of Last American Veteran of WWI
Frank Buckles, the last American to participate in World War I passed away yesterday, he was 110. He had to lie about his age to enlist in 1917 (he was 16 years old).
Breaking Down Barriers
We create barriers to being effective, to delivering, to selling… and to a lot of other things. We build them internally and we maintain them locally. We create them with the best of intentions… but when they’re no longer relevant, they’re profoundly harmful.
Removing barriers takes some courage and real commitment at all levels of an organization. The short-term pain is offset by a faster and better organization. It’s the basis for creating employee engagement.
The current Gallup Management Journal addresses barriers in an article by Tom Rieger from his new book Breaking the Fear Barrier, Gallup Press (later this year).
First Book from Seth Godin and Amazon’s Domino Project
It’s here… Seth Godin‘s first book for the Domino Project. The book is Poke the Box. Seth writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything.