When I first started blogging a couple of years ago there weren’t many people blogging and those that were actually had something to say that was of value. Now don’t get me wrong I’ve written my share of blogs that had no value to anyone other than myself, but I’ve attempted to write on relevant topics and to only write when I feel compelled to do so.
Fast forward to 2010 and just about everyone has a blog, most of them are good but there’s a percentage of Bloggers that shouldn’t be writing anything other than a grocery store shopping list.
I’ve enjoyed writing since I was in elementary school when I wrote Book Reports. There was a long period of my life when I lived in foster homes and when I wasn’t in a foster home I was in protective custody at juvenile hall; reading and writing was my escape. I watch my two small sons now and they both devour books, write more Book Reports that the rest of their respective grade levels & have the ability to tell you in detail the contents of that book. Every once in a while I’ll try to throw them a curve ball by putting a character in a book that they’ve read & they’ll correct me as if I’m the one in the 2nd grade!
I used to love to read John Steinbeck because he brought pages and words to life. I could smell the cheap red wine that the poor immigrant paisanos shared out of a gallon jug for-going the ritual of using a glass. I could feel the chill of the winds coming off the Pacific Ocean and Steinbeck could actually make a young man think that living under the stars was a ideal way to live. I wanted to become an author just like Steinbeck. It didn’t take long for me to discover that there was only one Steinbeck and in order to write just like him would have involved some form of plagarism.
When I got old enough to drive I remember making Monterey my first road trip in my $75 1953 Chevy Bel Air to see if there were any paisanos that I could share some Red Mountain wine with. The only thing I found were a bunch of free spirited hippies in a V.W. van that I drank and spent a week with instead. I had a great time, I think, as the 60’s & 70’s were a bit hard on the memory. I never made it to Monterey but Santa Cruz was just as good.
Sorry for the little side trip into my youth but it happens. Here’s the bottom line about blogging. Treat it the same way that you do presentations to prospects or current clients. Differentiate yourself and write from your heart about things that you know something about. There are no rules about the regularity of blogs, if you don’t feel like it, don’t write, but if it’s a topic that you feel strongly about then write.
I enjoy reading a good blog but don’t become a blogging whore just because. It’s boring, and doesn’t make for good reading.
Have fun!
Bill Kizer's Blog 