“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.â€
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Twenty-eight years ago I sat inside my junior high school English and silently cursed Emerson and what I called his stupid essay on self reliance. I looked at it with all of the contempt and disdain a 14 year-old boy could muster. This man who had died long before my time had nothing of value to offer to me. Had it not been required by my teacher I would have thumbed my nose at him and gone about my way.
Fortunately maturity and life experience has helped to teach me that I was an idiot and that the words of the departed can reach out and touch us. And now some of my favorite moments come from the quiet times in which I can read their words and think about what they mean to me now.
I like sharing those moments with you, the members of my community. I like hearing what you have to say and learning more about what you think. I value your help, your input and your insight.
So I am reaching out to you to ask for your assistance. I am trying to build my community. I want more subscribers to my blog. I want more Twitter followers and more fans for my Facebook fan page.
My purpose in asking is simple. I am trying to build a bigger platform. As many of you know I am working on writing a book. It is fiction but I hope that many other books will follow it.
The point of building the platform is simple. It provides more opportunity to be exposed to people who might be interested in working with me. That might mean writing jobs, literary agents who are interested in finding new talent to represent, social media positions and anything else that comes along that helps me generate revenue.
That is it. There is no secret here. I am transparent about my goals and my wishes. When I leave comments about the need for bloggers to sometimes be more aggressive in their requests from readers I make a point to also do as I say.
So dear reader here is what I am asking for:
- Subscribe to the blog. You can do it via Feedburner or through Jetpack. You’ll find widgets on the sidebar that you can use for this. You don’t have to sign up for both, just pick one.
- Please follow me on Twitter.
- Please become a fan of my Facebook page.
- And then recommend me to your friends, family and neighbors.
But What About The Readers
My promise to you is to keep writing. If you have requests for content you are always welcome to email me or leave your request in the comments. I’ll try to come through. I say try because my premise in blogging is that bloggers need to write with passion. That means that I am going to pick things that generate that passion and set off the fire in my belly.
I know, it sounds contradictory to ask for your help and then say that I might not do as you ask. But I also believe in building my community around me. After 7.5 years of blogging the one thing I know for certain is that the readers who hang out here consistently are diehards.I appreciate you and am grateful for that.
You stick around because you are getting something out of this joint. You stick around because we have built some sort of relationship. I don’t always comment on it or thank you for it but I am grateful. You have been part of something that has changed my life.
Before I began blogging I had forgotten how much I love writing. Before I began blogging I had lost sight of the wisdom of words and my need for them. I was a writer who had forgotten who he was. Well, now I remember and now I strive to make it into something that is a career and not just a hobby.
It is a journey and we are on it together.
Thank you again, I appreciate your time, your help and you.
I’m on th esame quest, my friend. I’m attempting to self-publish a book version of both my blogs; it’s an uphill battle, for certain.
Good luck to you.
Good luck to you too. It is a worthy endeavor and well worth chasing down.
@TedRubin do you ever sleep? 🙂
Hi Jack,
Done my mitzwah: subsciption – check, Twitter – check, Facebook – check, even Networked Blogs – check.
Might even look up Emerson again. I love the unpredictability of your writing and I enjoy it very much.
Chag sameach! Barbara
@Late_Bloomers Hi Barbara. Thank you so much, I appreciate your help. Chag sameach to you too. I hope that you are enjoying a great chag.
Well Jack, I’ve been doing all you suggested so I must be doing something right! I enjoy coming to your place although I don’t make it here on a daily basis. But your content is always entertaining and I never know what I’ll find when I get here. Guess that’s what I enjoy the most. Oh, and I did like that story you wrote recently, am looking forward to more.
So, count me in my friend, I’m here…
In case I miss you later in the week, have a Very Merry Christmas and may 2012 be your Best Year Ever! 🙂 ~Adrienne
@AdrienneSmith Hi Adrienne, I really appreciate your support and your blog. I always learn something from it.
Have a Merry Christmas.
I’m in Jack. Gladly.
@jetts31 Thank you! I appreciate it more than I can say.
Subscribe to the blog: done
Follow on Twitter: done
Fan on Facebook: done
Raving Recommender: ongoing:) Cheers! Kaarina
@KDillabough Your mission to spread joy is working. Much appreciated.
@TheJackB That is the comment I will treasure most from 2011. I’m on a mission:)
Well, I can pimp you I suppose; I think I’m already doing all the other things. You can certainly GP back at my place if you think it will help. We pretty much run with the same people however.
I guess you have mastered all of the things that drive traffic to your site, right?
Keep on keepin’ on and we’ll get this thing figured out.
@bdorman264 Hi Bill. I wouldn’t characterize myself as a master but until relatively recently I engaged in little to no promotion. So I figured that periodically it would make sense to reach out and ask.
I appreciate all of your help and would be happy to GP again.
Wow! Seven plus years? I’m just a baby in the blogosphere, but I am glad we have run into each other. Thank you for using that quote, as a teacher who had to face a classroom full of kids who felt the same way you did about Emerson it feels good to know that you came around and saw the wisdom of his words.
Hi Dina,
I stumbled onto the blogopshere and forgot to ask for directions on how to get out of here. So by virtue of being lost I have become an old timer. 😉
FWIW, I learned to appreciate Emerson quite some time ago but I keep finding new bits and pieces that I like. I am sure many of your students will come around too.
Happy Chanukah. Keep up the community building, the blogging, the sharing, the quirky ideas, the warmth, the caring… ya da ya da.
@Leora Hi Leora. Chag sameach. I hope that you and the family are doing well. I appreciate your comments and your time. Thank you.