Getting down to business
As many of you know, I’ve been torn about the future of my blog. And in some respects, about the future of my writing as well.
But no more.
After a tremendous amount of introspection, and with the help of a few of my twitter friends, (Yes, I’m back on twitter. Sue me.), I’ve made some decisions. And here they are:
1. I’m no longer going to write as a hobby. From now on, I’m treating writing as a business. Period.
2. I’m no longer going to blog on a regular basis unless it ties into a formal (i.e. paying) project - or I just get really worked up about something.
3. This site and all my past articles will continue to be available, but updates will be infrequent and the nature of the site will change over time. (I’ve already added a “store” link above. But there’s not much there yet. Keyword: yet.)
4. While I am going to treat my writing as a business, I refuse to go into the “guru” business. Though my material will clearly cover some of the same terrain “gurus” do, I don’t see myself as someone with all the answers or solutions to others’ problems.
Even if I did, I doubt it would be of much help; I’m convinced the best way to improve our lives is not to swoon over another’s wisdom but to do the work necessary to develop our own. Others can help us do that, but they can’t do that for us.
5. While I’m continuing to work on my book, Spin and Grow Rich: The Art of Turning (Almost) Anything to Your Advantage, I’m also writing a new special report and an updated/expanded audio version of the One Sentence Persuasion Course.
The book is a ways off, but the reports should be done in the very near future. Stay tuned for details.
6. I am planning to conduct an ongoing series of teleseminars dedicated to exploring many of the ideas I have found most valuable.
There are few things I love more than engaging in powerful conversations and exploring fascinating ideas with others. And these calls would be a platform for just that.
There will be a charge to participate in these calls, (remember, I’m no longer doing this work as a hobby), but it won’t be outrageous and the calls won’t be designed to upsell you on some other product or service.
If you’d be interested in participating in a series of calls like this, please let me know. While I plan to put them together regardless, I may make them a higher priority if enough people are already interested.
Finally, if you aren’t already following me on twitter, you might want to check it out. I’ve posted some pretty cool stuff over there and continue to be amazed how much you can pack into just 140 characters if you really try.
In fact, I’m putting together some of my best posts for a possible “Twisted Tweet” collection. You can see some I’ve picked out by visiting my twitter profile and clicking on my favorites link.
PS. I’ve returned to using my original slogan: straight thoughts on effective living in a defective world. Despite its wordiness, I think it’s the best description of crooked wisdom I can come up with.
Posted on Friday, June 13, 2008 at 06:54 PM
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I hope it’s OK with other countries for me to post this
“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK,” Barack Obama, May 17, 2008
To borrow a phrase from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: What country you think this is?
Last I checked America was a free and sovereign nation. Guess I better check again - after I turn up my thermostat, of course. Anybody know what temperature other countries say is acceptable these days?
Posted on Monday, May 19, 2008 at 09:23 AM
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Still here - kinda, sorta
Hey. Remember me?
I figured I better poke my head up and make a quick appearance here lest you think I’d vanished for good.
I appreciate all the feedback I’ve received with suggestions about my blog.
About 100 people responded and more than 90% of them suggested I keep doing what I’ve been doing. Who knew?
Quite a few suggested I make it easier to find posts on specific topics so I’ve added a “tag” module to my site that should help. So far I’ve only tagged a couple of dozen posts but will tag all new posts and even most older posts as time permits.
One major issue I’ve struggled with is how open I should be on this blog. I have not only lost money due to some of my posts but I’ve also received quite a bit of advice from would-be shrinks. And while I appreciate their concern, I’m not looking for this type of advice and it’s making me wonder if at times I’ve been a little too open for my own good.
The trouble is, I don’t know any other way to write. I either bring everything I have to what I write or I can’t write. And I mean that literally. Read into that what you will.
Anyway, I’m feeling the itch to start blogging again and will definitely do it here when the time comes.
Till then, thanks for sticking around. I hope to have more crooked wisdom for you soon.
Blair
P.S. I am no longer using twitter. Though I love the service, I found it was more of a distraction to me than anything else. But then, my Halle Berry poster in my office is also a distraction and I’m not taking that down. Go figure.
Posted on Friday, May 16, 2008 at 09:19 AM
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Will you answer one question for me?
I’m still trying to figure out what to do with my blog.
I’ve discussed it with a number of people and have received many good suggestions.
But before I make any final decisions, I’d like to ask you one “big picture” question:
Is my blog too scattered for you?
In other words, should I focus on one or two particular subjects (e.g. persuasion, marketing, etc.) or do you like that I write about a wide variety of subjects?
I’d appreciate it if you would take a couple of minutes and shoot me an e-mail with your thoughts. I promise to read and reply to each one.
Thanks in advance.
Posted on Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 07:44 PM
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Back to basics
I have removed the comment feature on this site and have added a “do not expect a reply” note to my contact page.
There are two reasons for this. The first is undeniably selfish. The second is, hopefully, less so.
First, I have become acutely aware that I suck at socializing - both online and offline.
It isn’t that I don’t enjoy it; it’s that it derails me.
When I respond to comments and e-mails, I’m not writing content. And when I don’t respond to comments and e-mails, I feel bad for not doing so and, as a result, I find it difficult to write content.
Yes, I realize other writers have found a way to make this balance work. But I haven’t.
And second, I think it is unfair to my readers for me to encourage them to respond to my work if I am not willing or able to do so in kind.
So from now on it is back to basics around here.
My twitter updates will continue - for now at least - though I’m using it less for networking purposes and more to help clarify my thoughts.
P.S. I am considering a few other changes as well. For example…
Scrapping the slogan, “Deep thoughts for shallow times.” Given the nature of what’s popular these days, that slogan probably wasn’t one of my better ideas.
Making this blog - or maybe a portion of it - private and limiting access to a small number of readers. Maybe 25 people or so. This would allow me to be more candid and hopefully reduce the risk of suffering collateral damage as a result of something I’ve written. And yes, I’ve suffered quite a bit of collateral damage here. Especially in the last year or so.
And finally, a doomsday scenario. I’m considering killing off this blog entirely and taking the lessons I’ve learned and starting over from scratch. Possibly with another domain name and even writing under a pseudonym. I have a friend doing this with great success. And I must admit, the phrase “great success” has a certain appeal to me.
Stay tuned.
Posted on Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 06:48 PM
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