57 More Reasons To Hate Bloggers

The same words keep jumping off the pages today which some might say is because the universe is trying to get my attention. Perhaps it is true and perhaps it is not either way it matters not to me because when people ask if I am boring I always answer by hitting them in the head with a giant shilelagh.

57 More Reasons To Hate Bloggers

I probably shouldn’t surf the blogosphere when I am as out of sorts as I am now. My back feels like someone is pounding upon it with the aforementioned giant shilelagh and some nasty demon is feasting upon my brain, working on gaining his freedom by eating from the inside out.

Naturally your sometimes lovable curmudgeon is crankier than usual and tired of reading posts in which new bloggers talk about all of the ways we are killing blogging.

It is easy to play the pretentious old timer and tell you how much better it used to be but it gets old. I can tell you how to get more comments and how to build your presence. I can give you all sorts of tried and true measures to make your mark here but it only works if you are willing to put the time into making it work.

The foundation of making your mark is simple–build relationships with other bloggers.

If you have spent any time in the so called real world you know that the most talented people are not always the ones who get the best jobs/promotions/accolades.

Those often go to those who are the best self marketers/promoters. In the blogosphere writing gigs, notoriety, brand ambassadorships and trips often are extended to bloggers who aren’t particularly good writers but they are friends with someone who knows someone and that leads to an introduction which leads to opportunity.

If you want more from blogging make the commitment to put the time into it. Unless you are the rare prodigy you didn’t become an expert piano/guitar player overnight. It took a commitment, a time commitment.

Blogging is no different. You have to put the time in and you have to understand that it is not just about putting out content.

Don’t You Dare Say Epic

The next person who tells me you can only be successful by producing epic content is going to be slapped, beaten and smacked around because you have stripped epic of all meaning.

You know what is epic? A 7.1 earthquake, lightning strikes, tornadoes and burning rivers. Those are epic, your post about how to make money online, potty training and beating up Santa Claus are not.

What you need to do is produce solid content on a regular basis and you need to read other bloggers and comment on their posts. If you want to build your presence on Twitter/Pinterest/G+/Facebook you need to dedicate the time. You need to be there to engage with the people that are there.

Do that and you will start to build relationships. You will make friends. If you want more opportunities build relationships with people who are doing what you want to do.

It takes time.

Are you willing to put it in?

I am here because I have a sickness called I am compelled to write…daily. I have five different blogs and I produce more content than most bloggers do and I do it daily.

Some of it is because I have some talent. I am a better writer than most people I encounter, don’t have to try that hard. Did I mention I am funnier, more handsome, clever, stronger, smarter and faster on my feet too.

I’ll let you decide if that was intentional or just bait.

Words That Must Be Shared

I was going to talk about The Inigo Montoya Method For Building Community but decided against it. Instead I will leave you with the words below because for me they are part of the foundation of blogging.

“The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them — words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they’re brought out. But it’s more than that, isn’t it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you’ve said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That’s the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a tellar but for want of an understanding ear.”
― Stephen King, Different Seasons

Stay tuned, I’ll be posting again tonight.