I just finished listening to a good interview with Danny Brown and found myself nodding my head. I don’t remember who turned me onto him but they were shocked when I didn’t know who he was. Â I suspect that they rolled their eyes when I said that the question wasn’t whether I knew him but whether he knew me. It was tongue in cheek but there was a degree of sincerity there. Allow me to clarify.
I have been impressed with Danny and think that he is a sharp guy who seems to be very knowledgeable and quite capable. I have been a regular visitor to his blog for a while now and I expect that I will continue to be. I go there for the same reason that I visit other blogs- because I learn and or relate to the content they share. But I am not impressed by popularity. I don’t care if you have a million readers, a million dollars and or a million comments. Those things don’t help me pay the bills, teach my kids or save the world. Doesn’t mean that they aren’t valuable and or good people.
Nor am I impressed by people talking about A-List bloggers. To me that is a throw away terms that doesn’t have much meaning but I don’t wan’t to go off on a tangent here so we’ll save that for a different day.
What I love about blogging is that it provides access to people that I wouldn’t otherwise encounter. One of the things that I like and appreciate about Danny is that he responds to comments. He engages and interacts. It is one of the things that I like about Chris Brogan too. These are people who have very large readerships/following but they understand that blogging and social media are about engaging with others.
Blogging has taught me that writers write. It has reminded me that though it is sometimes uncomfortable we have to engage in self promotion. If you don’t work on marketing yourself you will likely labor in the dark and find that your voice is drowned out by the surrounding noise. Advocate for your own self and success but remember to be humble, honest and engage with others. When you give back to the blogosphere the blogosphere will give back to you.
Blogging has taught me that music and quotes can help me find a path in the dark. It doesn’t mean that I don’t have moments where I am frustrated or that I don’t think that there are problems with blogging. Â Blogging has taught me that the write mood changes everything.
It has taught me that sometimes the man/woman behind the keyboard can be exceptionally cruel because sometimes bloggers bully. But there are far more examples of bloggers banding together to raise money/awareness for causes that are worth fighting for.
Blogging is where I sometimes write about visions of paradise. It is where I have learned about The Art of Writing Fiction and have discovered pieces of myself and MLBF notes that I had forgotten about.
The blog is where I learned that there is much joy in reading old posts about the children. Time moves so quickly and so much happens that it becomes easy to forget so much of the stuff they used to say and do. Cruising through old posts reminds me that some of the things I write about are the same. Sometimes I wonder if that means that I haven’t grown but most of the time I am ok with it. It is much harder to see how much we have grown than it is to see that of our children. I won’t ever stop commenting about how writing is a skill.
Really the crap that I know about blogging is easily condensed into a few lines. Be real, be authentic and engage. The real measure of social media influence is based upon whether people will respond to your call to action. I don’t worry about whether people will read, comment or tweet about me. Won’t lie and say that I don’t hope that they will but it doesn’t drive me.
What drives me is the hope that I do a proper job of setting an example.
You’re opening up the can. And this can is not a can of whoop ass. Keep on with that.
I carry an industrial size can opener on my key chain.
You’re opening up the can. And this can is not a can of whoop ass. Keep on with that.
You’re opening up the can. And this can is not a can of whoop ass. Keep on with that.
I carry an industrial size can opener on my key chain.
I carry an industrial size can opener on my key chain.
I have no idea who Danny Brown is. I can hear your jaw hitting your desk all the way from here!
Go check him out. He is worth reading.
I have no idea who Danny Brown is. I can hear your jaw hitting your desk all the way from here!
I have no idea who Danny Brown is. I can hear your jaw hitting your desk all the way from here!
Go check him out. He is worth reading.
Go check him out. He is worth reading.
Hey there Jack old friend : ) — well, about 3 or 4 hours anyhoo!
Danny Brown is a good friend of mine. We both started on Twitter almost 3 years ago and he’s been like an adopted mentor of mine. He has really come into his own. I love the guy : ) If you get to know him better, he will become a good friend, and if not, hell still be one of the best connections you’ve made on the journey.
Love this: “Blogging and social media are about engaging with others.” Some forgot to read the instructions.
Love Love this: “When you give back to the blogosphere the blogosphere will give back to you.” I like people who understand it’s about giving all you can, not taking what you can get. Value is created by what you invest into others and making the quality of life better for anyone you come in contact with.
Is there a more worthwhile reason to live and breathe air?
Rambling now, sorry.
I really enjoyed this post Jack, it got me thinking : )
Hi Mark,
It is good to see you here. I like Danny- smart guy and I love the accent. He has some great posts and offers a lot. I am appreciative.
Blogging has taught me so much about myself and about life. It has given and given and given- I would be a fool not to be appreciative of it. I tell my children that you can never have too many friends and I mean that.
But it is much harder as a “grown up” to make friends. There are a million reasons why but I am pleased to say that blogging has made it easy and I have made friends some of whom have turned into “real life” friends.
Giving back just makes sense. It feels good and it all comes back around. I don’t see any downside to it.
Hey there Jack old friend : ) — well, about 3 or 4 hours anyhoo!
Danny Brown is a good friend of mine. We both started on Twitter almost 3 years ago and he’s been like an adopted mentor of mine. He has really come into his own. I love the guy : ) If you get to know him better, he will become a good friend, and if not, hell still be one of the best connections you’ve made on the journey.
Love this: “Blogging and social media are about engaging with others.” Some forgot to read the instructions.
Love Love this: “When you give back to the blogosphere the blogosphere will give back to you.” I like people who understand it’s about giving all you can, not taking what you can get. Value is created by what you invest into others and making the quality of life better for anyone you come in contact with.
Is there a more worthwhile reason to live and breathe air?
Rambling now, sorry.
I really enjoyed this post Jack, it got me thinking : )
Hi Mark,
It is good to see you here. I like Danny- smart guy and I love the accent. He has some great posts and offers a lot. I am appreciative.
Blogging has taught me so much about myself and about life. It has given and given and given- I would be a fool not to be appreciative of it. I tell my children that you can never have too many friends and I mean that.
But it is much harder as a “grown up” to make friends. There are a million reasons why but I am pleased to say that blogging has made it easy and I have made friends some of whom have turned into “real life” friends.
Giving back just makes sense. It feels good and it all comes back around. I don’t see any downside to it.
Hi Mark,
It is good to see you here. I like Danny- smart guy and I love the accent. He has some great posts and offers a lot. I am appreciative.
Blogging has taught me so much about myself and about life. It has given and given and given- I would be a fool not to be appreciative of it. I tell my children that you can never have too many friends and I mean that.
But it is much harder as a “grown up” to make friends. There are a million reasons why but I am pleased to say that blogging has made it easy and I have made friends some of whom have turned into “real life” friends.
Giving back just makes sense. It feels good and it all comes back around. I don’t see any downside to it.
Hey there Jack old friend : ) — well, about 3 or 4 hours anyhoo!
Danny Brown is a good friend of mine. We both started on Twitter almost 3 years ago and he’s been like an adopted mentor of mine. He has really come into his own. I love the guy : ) If you get to know him better, he will become a good friend, and if not, hell still be one of the best connections you’ve made on the journey.
Love this: “Blogging and social media are about engaging with others.” Some forgot to read the instructions.
Love Love this: “When you give back to the blogosphere the blogosphere will give back to you.” I like people who understand it’s about giving all you can, not taking what you can get. Value is created by what you invest into others and making the quality of life better for anyone you come in contact with.
Is there a more worthwhile reason to live and breathe air?
Rambling now, sorry.
I really enjoyed this post Jack, it got me thinking : )
Jack–this nails it here:” Be real, be authentic and engage.” I think that’s the whole key right there.
Isn’t it. When we do that we open ourselves up to possibilities and opportunities. I just think it is really cool.
Jack–this nails it here:” Be real, be authentic and engage.” I think that’s the whole key right there.
Jack–this nails it here:” Be real, be authentic and engage.” I think that’s the whole key right there.
Isn’t it. When we do that we open ourselves up to possibilities and opportunities. I just think it is really cool.
Isn’t it. When we do that we open ourselves up to possibilities and opportunities. I just think it is really cool.