Blogging is Hard…

Well, maybe that’s not entirely accurate.  When I first began this blog, a little over a month ago, I fully expected that I would post every day, maybe even make multiple posts per day.  After spending months reading great bloggers like Robert Scoble, Evelyn Rodriquez and Halley Suitt, it seemed like publishing a blog would be a great, light hobby.  But there’s a big difference between merely publishing a blog, and making meaningful posts. 

 Sure, I could jump out onto WordPress every night, and scratch down some random thought from the day, or regurgitate some gossip or some news story I read in the paper on the way home.  But that’s not what good bloggers do.  Good bloggers write thoughtful posts, with some insight or tidbits that one cannot find anywhere else.  Good bloggers come up with original ideas for posts, and communicate them in clear, concise, powerful prose.  And the thing is, all of that takes creativity, and skill…and TIME. 

And, not everyone is born with the right combination of those three things.  It’s certainly possible to develop skill, and improve one’s creativity.  With the right motivation and hard work, it’s possible to carve out time every day to write, and to think, and to find worthwhile things to pass along to others. 

So, I find myself working to improve my writing skills, and my creative powers, and most of all, I continue to try to find ways to set aside time, even just a few days a week, to be able to spend the right amount of energy to make good, sound posts.  It’s not something that comes naturally to me, and I’ve got a lot of improvement to make.

How to Attract MORE TRAFFIC!

Nope, I’m not the genius here, it’s Seth Godin, uber-marketing guru and all-around great thinker…Check out his Squidoo lens on increasing your website traffic.

 One of the things that I find fascinating about publishing a blog, is the way that people come across your posts.  While I started this blog as “scratch pad” for my ideas around starting a business, I also wanted to use it as a learning experience.  And, learning how to build an audience and attract traffic is certainly a worthwhile undertaking.  My one caveat, is that I want to do it while publishing posts that matter to ME.  I don’t intend to start blogging about Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan here, or writing sordid tell-alls about my past romantic conquests, even though that might attract a certain audience.  (OK, maybe the sordid (NOT!) details of my romantic escapades probably WON’T be a big draw).

 But, I might just try a few things as experiments…maybe I already have, no?

Blog Manifesto

Before I start posting to this blog in earnest, I wanted to set down a few guidelines that I intend to follow as I write and manage this blog.  I’ll reserve the right to make changes to these guidelines if circumstances warrant, but only after a great deal of consideration.

• First and foremost, the views and opinion expressed here are MINE, not of either of my current employers, or of my family or friends.  If you disagree with anything I have to say, please take it up with me, not them.
• I will make every attempt to be accurate and fair in my postings.  I will do my research before posting anything of a factual nature, and if my research is shown to be wrong, I will correct my entries, and admit my mistakes.  I also expect the same of anyone who posts a comment in response to something I’ve written.
• I commit to fostering the free and open exchange of ideas on this blog, and as a result, I will leave “comments on”, and will not, as a rule, edit or delete comments from anyone.  The one exception would be if someone makes a comment which I feel crosses the line of decency, or makes a potentially libelous statement about someone else.
• As an adjunct to the guideline above, I have no intention of entering into any “flame wars” with anyone over anything posted here.  An honest, open, disagreement or debate is one thing;  a series of hostile, personal attacks is quite another.  Anyone who chooses to take the latter approach, will find their comments left unresponded, and in extreme cases, may find their comments deleted.
• I may, from time to time, make mistakes.  That is, I may post something that’s wrong, or that people find objectionable, either through my own ignorance or haste, or perhaps simply because I didn’t choose my words properly.  When that happens, I expect to be held accountable, and will do my best to rectify the situation. 
• Finally, I’m doing this primarily as an outlet for my inner voice, and as an attempt to learn more about how blogs work, and how communities are built online.  As time goes on, my goals may change, and I’ll document them, or update this manifesto.  In the meantime, I’m here to learn, and will welcome any comments or help from whomever may come across this blog.