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Because if these are not the benefits of looking outside the fishbowl, and one is blogging for a targeted reader, why SHOULD they look to grow a community that is not in sync with their brand? I don't want my vacuum cleaner doubling as a showerhead... ever!
I guess I never thought people wouldn't find diversity useful.
I think it's important to: be well versed, follow side markets, and invite more people into your world. So I agree with your latest post.
Thanks Chris.
Besides - maybe my fishbowl is more interesting than yours. Cows do in fact seek greener grass on the other side of that fence, not just because it's taller - but because it has something that they are missing in the grass they're eating: fact.
For instance, I sometimes write comments on news sites like Mashable and ReadWriteWeb, let alone this or that smaller blog, and I've frequently received blog comments of my own, let alone direct email or Twitter messages, that stemmed directly from those third-party comments.
I enjoyed reading the rest.
As an aside, I love your inner circle example, Chris, of a secret entrepreneur. Does that mean he or she develops secrets or you can't name names? *grin*
I wasn't downing you Chris,
I was looking out for you in private
by trying to provoke the thought "If Ed's thinking this, maybe others are too".
It served me personally in no way.
Just trying to proffer an everyman reaction, because that's what I'm good at, and you deserved my time.
"...and that led Ed to ask me why I bothered wasting a Digg request"
I never said you "wasted" a digg request.
I didn't understand all of what you've now clarified with dm's, and this additional, appending post.
Hindsight robs us of remembering accurately, what was
understandable at a previous point in time.
I respect that it's rare for you to ask for a post to be shared through social media like digg.
I share your stuff regularly, without petition, and
take the time to do so thoughtfully
{there is a big difference between someone sharing your posts a lot, and sharing them well.
There are huge implications in 'how'}
It was appropriate timing to request that your existing readers point to you, out in the larger community,
when yet another window shade has been pulled
up at CB. But that only made sense to me after learning the trajectory you were on; hence my confusion, (there was no reticence to digg it as I trusted the value of your point before it was fully evident to me; we have to assume there are quality thoughts we as individuals don't always grasp. That's safe when the author is a trust agent.
"Chris Brogan:
There are many days when you will find critics, especially if your stage is well lit. Learn what you can from them, but stay focused."
from TweetDeck
Chris my stick was for pointing out, not stirring.
By all means, help your readers to ditch the fishbowl for an ocean.
I was telling people the equivalent to
'think outside the box'
long before people had ever heard that phrase.
I also counsel friends not to let negative
voices derail them.
Of course there's a place for varied readers and voices
here. That's WHY the LONG TAIL WORKS.
Which hopefully translates to even more quality
thought exchange, and even prosperity for all
as a result.
Back to my focus:
how I was giving a shit about you;
But even trust agents need trust agents.
Once respect of another's voice is established,
we can hear their thoughts as healthy considerations
for us which our singular brains hadn't had the time
to get to, [let alone that we can't think it all ourselves].
A trust agent then, is the same paradigm we're all
engaging every day; collaborative networking 2.0,
but distilled down to a concentrate of creative
wisdom we can trust at the speed of common sense.
There is a difference between a thoughtful friend
offering observations, and a serial negative spectrum critic distracting us from ulterior prejudice.
I apologize for distracting you, and acknowledge
that you didn't ask for my advice on this.
Respectfully,
Ed
I think this is a "lost in translation" moment between us, as I'm not upset with what you said to me, nor was this post in any way an attack.
You are outside of my fishbowl and I really appreciate what you have to say. As an educator interested in social media, my lenses are often focused primarily on teaching and learning. However, I always find I can learn so much by reaching outside of my small universe. Thanks for the great suggestions on how to do it better.
-Liz
1) Highlights a new person and their site
2) New articles and content on your site
3) More chances for SEO, external linkage to your site
4) More chances for social bookmark activity to your site
5) They do their best work for you and try extra-hard so the quality is great
6) They tend to engage with the comments judiciously
7) They may link back to you to highlight their guest posts
I am new; finding my voice through both inner writing work and social networking. Working at it from both sides. I think it is working. I feel inner clarity emerging + am gaining followers (@350 and grader score of 94 after @7 weeks at it). ALSO: Here's a brand new way to identify tribe on twitter: visit http://twurl.nl/qoiwpx + search for keywords related (or closely related)to your topic;results come up in order of grader score.
Biggest word there is reciprocal. Making the effort and actually caring about a person's post/blog goes a long way. Albeit online, you're able to realize who is being real and who isn't, which allows you to reciprocate some of those sentiments to the people who do care.
You talk about reaching outside one's typical circles to engage new audiences. The funny part for me on the magazine design piece happened when I wanted to share it with 3 designers I know, two of whom work on magazines.
There is no way on your site to email the link directly to them, at least not that I could find after careful scanning in search of something labeled "Email to a friend!".
So the most direct social media of all--my personal recommendation of the content, to someone I know well and who is hand-picked as a receptive audience--is not one click away for me on the site.
I'm working right now to spread the word about an idea submittal to Google Foundation's Project 10tothe100th focused on what we're doing in the health sciences at Washington State University Spokane, where I work. The most basic thing of all, while time-consuming, will probably produce the most results: going through my contact list and sending people emails.
This isn't spam to every single person. It's more like what I did in sending the mag design link to designers: choosing people who will be interested because they're my friends, because they support WSU, because they're involved in health care, because they're plugged into what's happening in Spokane.
I also applied the principle of getting outside the fishbowl, in choosing some people I don't know as well (still with my criteria in mind so the email isn't viewed as spam), in hopes that the ripples go off in a variety of directions to which I don't have direct access.
One of your tweets sent me to Shannon Paul's item on a related topic that others may find of interest for its illustration of the ripple effect: http://veryofficialblog.com/2008/10/24/leverage...
On your mag design piece, if you'd asked people to send the link to 3 people they know who would find it interesting, I wonder how many readers/subscribers you would have picked up?
Another thing I like about the email-a-friend request is that what you're asking them to do is to add value to an existing relationship, vs. asking them to do something for your blog directly (although I didn't mind the request at all).
@BarbChamberlain
www.spokane.wsu.edu
(If you're interested in our Google Fndn idea, see the video at http://twurl.cc/6gx. There are links there to more detailed info.)
Could you expound a little more on this?
"One last thing: if you’re going to bother to try and build community, do ask them to stick around."
I found the observation intriguing, but maybe that's just my personality. I have seen it in the past (Paste Nov'08 is sitting next me, with a +), but had never stopped to look at how wide-spread the practice was.
hopefully one day I can be as influential and inspiring as you