Blogging: Building a Conversation around your Important Ideas.

There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in. -- Graham Greene


Do I need to pay $1,000.00 to start a blog?....Short Answer: No!

This is a question I received from a neighbor when we were chatting about a project he has to refine some of his current writing into a book. It highlights some of the disconnect in the transfer of “New Media tools (blogs, microblogs, e-commerce sites, etc. ) to regular people who might be able to utilize the tools for a project they are working on.  It also highlights the problem that there are individuals who hold themselves out to to be an expert in using these tools, but can't back it up.  (I didn't make it up -- someone actually told a 65+ year old man, who wanted to start a writing project, that he needed to pay him $1,000.00 before he could get going).

 A number of people and organizations make claims about how they can be helpful to individuals with bringing an idea alive, but they can’t deliver. I recommend trying to get a basic roadmap in place before seeking assistance, to ensure that we are not taken advantage of during the process. While there is a lot of free information “out there”, I have been extremely lucky to find an internet strategist Lethia Owens, who has been extremely helpful to me.

In this instance, I played that role for my neighbor and shared  few fundamentals on bringing his blog along (He gets the added benefit of me recently attending the Netsol Social Commerce Boot Camp on Saturday and Roots Camp).

Reasons why you might use a blog:

• A blog is a free resource to use to share ideas and develop conversations around them.
• In setting up a blog you have numerous options, but you might try WordPress or Blogger (Blogging applications)to start along with a corresponding Twitter Account (micro blog application)
• Understanding your Market. A blog is useful to see if there is any audience for your broader project.
• Networking. A blog may lead to connecting you to people or organizations who your ideas are helpful and could lead to getting your ideas off of the ground.

I was able to assist Fitz in establishing a blog using Blogger, but that’s the easy part and it only took him 30 minutes to get going. But in order to achieve maximum success, he will need to do the following:

• Establish goals for this medium (know what you want your final outcome to become).
• Build the Community (Engage and Interact with the Community to Gain Support)
• Give them GOOD content
• Get them involved (Give your community actions to do on your behalf)
• Get them Investing (time, money, action)
• Share the Success with the community (Goals accomplished)

I explained to him that while he’s just starting to get involved in Social Media. He will be part of a larger effort that is transforming how the world does business and exchanges ideas. Some have coined the term “Social Commerce”.

The Components of Social Commerce are:

• Social Shopping
• Ratings and Reviews (core)
• Recommendations & Referrals
• Forums & Communities
• Social Media
• Social advertising

Social media isn’t the end-all-be-all, but it offers marketers unparalleled opportunity to participate in relevant ways. It also provides a launchpad for other marketing tactics. Social media is not an island. It’s a high-power engine on the larger marketing ship.  ---Matt Dickman

Refuse to Live in Comfortable Mediocrity - the Path to Being an Entrepreneur

IT entrepreneur, Michael Warren, once revealed to me that one of his greatest fears is being relegated to a life of "comfortable mediocrity."  For Mr. Warren, the status quo is not an option.  The refusal to live a life of comfortable mediocrity is a common denominator that most successful entrepreneurs share.  It is their refusal to be satisfied with the status quo that keeps pushing them to set and achieve new goals. 

In today's society, it is easy to fall into a life of comfortable mediocrity.  Once we have our graduate degrees, "good" jobs, beautiful homes, and nice cars, it becomes very easy to stop challenging ourselves to move to the next level of achievement, whether that next level is setting new financial goals, implementing a new vision, or being more involved in the community.  Mr. Warren has determined that one of the ways he knows it is time for him to leave one professional opportunity to create another is by asking himself the following question:  "If everything goes according to plan, where will I be?"  If that answer is just the next rung of the corporate ladder or a position that does not require him to stretch himself intellectually or learn new skills, he knows it is time to leave for a new opportunity.   Mr. Warren says we should constantly aspire to be “something we'd like to be, but are not.”  He believes the key to success is to be the best at what you do so that people believe if they don't invest in you, the competition will.  Once you adopt this as part of your belief system, there can be no room for comfortable mediocrity.

Michael Warren also reminds aspiring entrepreneurs that as you seek to accomplish the goals of building wealth and creating institutions, it is important to act in a "patient, but relentless" fashion.  Acting in this manner will help you develop fortitude and staying- power, while strategically and carefully implementing and executing your vision.