Stuck in Ruts
My internet connection was down for 4 or 5 days recently (due to a short in the line), and when I came back to it I did not feel that I missed that much (eek, what an underinspiring blogger).
It is kinda weird, because most any success I have ever had has came from the web, but sometimes I do not necissarily appreciate how fortunate I am, while other times I feel so lucky that I resist change at nearly any cost. Both of which are opposite extremes and probably a bit bad.
It is easy to think that what made you do well in the past will make you do well in the future, but that is not always true. While offline I did not go out link hunting, I created no new content, and did not post on any forums. Oddly enough my income was about the exact same as it was when I was online a bunch, which means that something outside of what I attributed my doing well for was causing my income.
Ultimately a lack of posting will lead to less visitors, a lower share of voice, and lower income, but sometimes it is worth changing things up a bit though. I think if I posted far less frequently and put far more thought into each word I would be more helpful to others and far better off myself.
At times I think I have gotten a bit ahead of myself, and realize that most any success I have had has come from friends my than myself. Recently I pissed one of them off really bad, and to her I say sorry.
I hope to be spending a bit less time on the web in the near future such that I am more efficient with the time that I do spend, and so I do not get stuck in ruts.
My customer of quality service has probably slid a bit recently due to downtime and deciding that I need to have a business model that makes sense. Some people send me like 40 emails that take a half hour each to answer, and that is a lot of work for one ebook purchase (although I am sure it leads to word of mouth marketing) but there has to be some balance to that.
I need to take time to re evaluate many of the things that I am doing such that I am not stuck in ruts and I need to make sure I do not piss off friends, because without them there really is little point to the web.
Comments
always good to step back for a few and take a look at the bigger picture. for instance, the world is potentially looking at a major energy crisis that may or may not be just around the corner. who's gonna care about internet marketing if that happens? and if it does, don't you want to know that you spent some time at least thinking about the personal implications of such a crisis?
i think we all know the answer there. hey man, slow down ... you deserve it!
I can't speak to the energy crisis, but I do understand (or at least try to) creating value. Taking time to choose your words carefully and posting less, may lead to increased value (and sustained readership). The blogs I read and continue to read (including yours) are the ones that provide me with value. I am currently considering removing a feed from my reader because the site has stopped talking about its expertise (web design) and started to talk more about politics and "what I had for breakfast". Those type of posts from a web design blog are of NO VALUE to me.
I keep telling myself, that if the catchphrase of the Net is "Information, Information, Information" then the key is to provide information of value. I have found your blog to be of value. If in the end, you post once a week, but that post has high value, I will keep on reading. :-)
Just follow your bliss. When you do the things you love, you'll inspire more people to do the things they love. It doesn't matter what it is because as a server reboots, so does a flower. Another joy is always right around the corner. Everyday the sun rises and sets and species are born and species die. Energy, Internet, Politics, Friends.. It doesn't really matter as long as you follow your bliss. Don't confuse your temporary illusions of reality with the beauty and amazement of the life experience.
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