There’s so much talk about “how to dominate your niche and turn yourself into an expert” but very little about mentorship. I think that’s a mistake.
“Given Expert Advice, Brain Shuts Down” ~Wired.com
What do you think? Is there a time and place for blindly taking advice?
Two other things: (I know this is a lot, sorry)
1. Would you prefer I keep my old comments system vs. Disqus?
2. Would you like more video posts or shall I stick with writing?
Thanks! -Seth
(A&P Story) Early this morning, the FDA announced the immediate closure of Instamere, LTD, a provider of bottled water and soft drink concentrate for 3 of the most popular brands in US and Canadian beverage markets. The details of the recall have yet to be released.
“The urine was discovered as part of a routine test“ Said Charles Goshe, an inspector of 26 years with the Food Safety & Inspection Service branch of the USDA.
After further investigation and questioning, Instamere admitted to the use of denatured animal and human urine in all of their 37 beverage products.
Denatured urine. You’re probably thinking, “Isn’t that just water?”
It is, but that wouldn’t make for a very sensational headline, would it?
Unfortunately, overly-sensationalist headlines packed with mis-truths are not just the stuff of bloggers making a point. This past week, two major headlines caught a lot of attention by spinning the truth to make a sale:
The first cashed in on a tragic accident:
A four year-old girl choked on a wire that was hanging from a treadmill. She didn’t attempt to harm herself or experience harm at the hand of another. It was an accident caused by a hanging wire, not a hanging child. I tend to lose faith in news sources that sensationalize tragedies, especially deeply personal ones. (thanks to @Ed for the tip)
The second headline makes a little lie to play an “association game” with the reader:
There’s some coca leaf used in the cola…but no cocaine. You have to go through quite a process to make cocaine from coca leaves. This Lonely Planet video shows all the steps involved.
There’s a “naughty” association with cocaine that makes the headline sensational. Telling readers that a beverage has “coca leaf” in it just doesn’t raise as many eyebrows.
You can bury, spin, or even avoid the truth to catch a few extra readers in the short term. But you’ll eventually lose the ones who can really make your story popular, your reputation sound, and your business grow.
You can spin lies to get attention or create content that shares the truth in compelling ways.
The choice is yours.
I’m off to rehydrate with some denatured urine. Doesn’t that just sound sensational? =)
What about you? Do you resent sensationalist headlines or just accept them as a necessary editorial evil? I’d like to know your thoughts!
photo: wd
Do you avoid opinion posts on your blog because you fear negative comments, hateful remarks, or lost readers? Here are 7 simple steps to help you share your opinions in a way that encourages thoughtful discussion and boosts readership:
If you want your opinion to be taken seriously, say it in a way that does not require the rest of the world to be wrong. Take some time to outline your opinion and clearly define what you’d like your post to accomplish. If your topic is extremely controversial, write a series of posts based on the topic’s underlying arguments. For example, avoid a single post on gay marriage and instead write a series about the evolution of human rights, marriage, and civil liberties over time.
A great title that boldly alludes to the point of your post will make easy work of drawing in readers. If you write a post on gay marriage, “Proposition Nine: Putting Things Where They Don’t Belong” will warm things up nicely without revealing your position. A smart and interesting title lets readers know you really put some thought into the topic. If you can, optimize your title for sharing on Twitter by keeping it short (less than 90 characters).
Resist the temptation to make snarky remarks and ironic asides in your opinion posts. (Quickie Rule: If you put it in parentheses and laughed, it’s probably not something you want to include in your post.) Many readers avoid commenting on snarky posts because they’re worried about being attacked by the author. Approach your topic with thoughtful grace and your readers will gladly comment in the understanding that you’ll respond to their thoughts with similar care.
Use the same writing voice and format you use with other posts on your blog. This lets your regular readers know you haven’t gone crazy while giving new readers a taste of what to expect from you in the future. Your readers have come to expect consistent quality from you. Give it to them.
When writing an opinion post, you’ll invariably think of people you disagree with. No matter how caught up you get in the heady passion of your post, do not use names. Don’t mention, link, or even allude to them. Why? Using names in an opinion post makes you look like just another flame-baiter. A great opinion post doesn’t need flames to start a conversation. Don’t name names. Don’t link to the blogs by those names. Try not to even use the word “name” in your post. (okay, that might be a bit extreme.)
Timing has a lot to do with the success of opinion posts. Before you post an opinion, ask yourself,
7. Enjoy Some “Pillow Talk”
At the end of your post, invite readers to respond by leaving a comment or sharing the post with some friends.When they respond, take note and act! Reply to comments, acknowledge as many social media remarks as possible and generally show gratefulness for any attention given to your post.
Your readers will remember the positive interaction and be more likely to respond to your next post. (Quickie Rule: If you don’t have a comments policy on your blog, include a note at the end of your post stating what sort of behavior you’ll tolerate in the comments)
Sharing your opinion on a controversial topic presents a great opportunity for readers to learn more about you and where you stand on important issues. If you take the time to write a thoughtful post, most readers will appreciate it. The ones who don’t are usually just stopping by on their way to the next troll party.
Do you have any suggestions or tricks for handling controversy? I’m interested to know what you think. Thanks!
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Want to rescue yourself from a creativity recession? Try lobbying social media for a bailout. Seriously? Yes.
I’m lucky enough to be in regular contact with creative types who ask me questions and bounce wild ideas off me. They help me stay fresh and push me to approach my work in new ways. Sometimes they say things that are downright crazy and start conversations that last for days.
But creative energy doesn’t always flow so well.
There are times when creative energy wanes and I find myself in a slump. It may be a result of exhaustion, inactivity, or a social interaction gone awry. I may be struggling because I budgeted my time badly and I’m left with little time to mull things over. No matter the cause, the project deadline staring me in the face doesn’t change its expression. It’s time to act.
I need a creativity bailout.
Just like a big business working to secure federal funds, I use lobbyists to make quick work of things. But my lobbyists don’t wine and dine politicians to secure my creativity bailout. They help me quickly leverage the power of social media.
Note: As with any sort of lobbying, you’ll find that value is derived in direct relation to the amount of thought and effort invested. Take the time to get to know my lobbyists and how to use them. They’ll render consistent and continuous value for as long as you need them!
The Big Three: my Social Media lobbyists:
This site uses a ranking system to sort interesting content from all over the web. “Stumble” through random sites your friends liked or pick a topic you’re struggling with from the drop-down menu and click away! I’m usually less than 20 “stumbles” from enough inspiration to get me back on track.
Given the wildly helpful nature and creative smarts of many users on Twitter, I often go there for inspiration. Just tweet a question or search for the topic you’re stuck on to find a quick inspiration bailout. You’ll often run into people who take things to another level by reminding you to drink enough water, believe in yourself, and take joy in life.
This site searches Flickr for images based on licensing, origins, text, and tags. I prefer Compfight to Flickr search because it fits as many thumbnails as possible into a single page where I can quickly scan them. Can’t think of something to write or where to start with your next design? Search for pictures tagged with words related to your struggle. Compfight has proven itself very helpful by quickly finding pictures that inspired me to continue a creative project.
There are many ways to lobby Social Media for creativity bailouts. My “Big Three” are simply the ones that work best for me.
Where do you turn when you’re in a slump and need a creativity bailout?
If you can think of a caption for the “boy and goat” picture in this post, please leave it in a comment and I’ll update with the five best captions (include a link to your site/twitter so I can give you credit!)
Update from the comments:
photo: Qso
Why did I unfollow everybody? Because it was time to say some goodbyes.
Goodbye to the people offering success in 3 short steps for only $9.95. I don’t want what you’re offering.
Goodbye to those who follow me because they know that I know that it’s considered “rude” to not follow somebody back. If I send my 9 foot tall, 550lb, lady friend to make out with you, you’ll not turn her away because that would be rude, right? Ha! A false sense of propriety will serve you badly in your analog life and feed spammers in your Twitter experience. Enough!
Goodbye to the people who set their accounts to “unfollow anybody who unfollows me”. More than 2,000 of you have unfollowed me so far. It’s okay. We probably didn’t have anything in common to start with.
Goodbye to those who follow everybody back but use 3rd party systems like Tweetdeck to “filter out” the people they don’t really want to see. I’m not interested in being a placeholder for you anymore. Why not publicly own up about who you find valuable? Do that and we won’t even need #followfriday anymore! All I’ll have to do is check out the people you’re following to see who you endorse. Isn’t that a cool idea?
I reached a turning point in my thoughts on Twitter and community in general this past Friday evening. On a whim, I found the last page of people I was following at the time (something like page 2,475) and started clicking through to profiles and websites. I covered more than 300 accounts in the five hours I spent rediscovering a part of what “makes” Twitter what it is for me.
I realized that I wanted to do something different. I wanted to start anew. So I used a few different scripts and unfollowed just over 46,000 accounts in a matter of hours today.
Why did I do this?
I want to have my “follow” count for something. In the future, when you look over the list of people I follow, you will see a group of value-adding individuals I endorse fully. They will be people I learn from, who make me smile, who inspire and challenge me to improve myself and give back to my community.
We’ve talked about community, trust, and networking a lot recently at sethsimonds.com. We’re going to be talking about them even more in the coming days.
I’m not suggesting that you unfollow everybody on Twitter. You might not want to unfollow any at all. But perhaps there are a few accounts that you’re only keeping around because they follow you back. Perhaps you’re afraid of losing followers if you speak your mind or state what’s on your heart. If there’s a chance that my action will inspire you to action of your own, whatever that action might be, I’ll be happy.
Everybody following everybody isn’t a networked community; it’s a madhouse. Enough of the madhouse. Let’s build something truly powerful and show the world all the beauty we can bring about with that power!
If we’ve connected in the past and you’re worried that I’ll forget you, drop me a link in a comment below or find me on Twitter. I paused for a few minutes at every 5k accounts I was unfollowing to see what felt right and 10-15k seems perfect. I’ll be following people back over the next few weeks and I’d love to talk to you and connect in a real way. That is, if you’re up for it. =)
Update: (8.03.09) I was wrong about the 10-15k being a good number of people to follow. It’s been 2+ months since I first unfollowed 45k and I’ve yet to follow 400 users. Once you go back to a manageable number, (with the web interface, no 3rd party system for lists) the idea of following thousands seems silly.
To those of you who have always thought that following thousands was a silly notion, good job.
Is it possible to engage a Kindle
Bloggers, Amazon is giving you the opportunity to reach Kindle users with your content and make some money at the same time. Unlike RSS subscriptions, which are free, Kindle users will shell out a dollar or two each month for the privilege of reading your blog.
In theory, publishing a blog on Kindle sounds like a winning idea. Earning $USD .30-.60 (depending on plan) per subscriber month sounds like a simple way to expand a blog monetization plan.
But will it work for you?
Do your articles have the guts to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with literary greats? This is not RSS. You aren’t just competing with other bloggers for attention. You’re competing with the contents of every user’s Kindle for attention and continued readership.
When a Kindle
Amazon has taken another step in bridging the gap between books and blogs. Will the writing that serves you well online keep a Kindle reader’s attention? I, for one, can’t wait to try this out!
What about you? Would you consider publishing your blog through Amazon? Do you see any additional complications?
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As I look to the right side of my screen, there’s a large blue button with the word “publish” on it. (I use Wordpress) Technically, I “publish” things when I hit that button. But does clicking on that blue button make me a published author?
Over at FundsforWriters, I saw the following as part of one contest’s rules:
“You are not eligible to enter and will be disqualified if you are a professional writer, such as a novelist, magazine, blogger or newspaper writer who writes books or articles for pay, or you have authored a work of fiction that has been published or is about to be published in exchange for payment.“
So if you have a little blog and decide to put adsense on it, if even one of your readers clicks on an ad, you’re a paid blogger and ineligible for this contest.
Most of the writers I know keep their blogs updated for community purposes. They vent about character development and the difficulty of navigating the publishing industry. They don’t consider the blog to be a published work beyond any obvious copyright issues.
What do you think? Does having a blog constitute being “published” to the extent that it seems fair to bar a person with a blog from entering a contest?
There are profitable blogs in existence built by authors with massive followings. But those blogs are, for the most part, an exception to the rule. Is there a breaking point between dabbling in blogging and making it a profession? Is there a number of readers or profit line that makes a blogger a pro?
I’d like to know your thoughts.
photo: js
