Comments on: You need a blog TODAY!

By: Phil Gerbyshak

Phil Gerbyshak — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:16:45 +0000

Glad you’ve drank the Kool Aid and that it is good Pete. Blogging is one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life, and meeting you and Timothy and others in person is a direct result of my blogging.

Hope to see you live again sometime soon!

By: Host and Setup Your Blog (for Less Than $75 a Year)

Host and Setup Your Blog (for Less Than $75 a Year) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:15:22 +0000

[...] You need a blog TODAY! [...]

By: Pete Jones - Desmoinesisnotboring

Pete Jones - Desmoinesisnotboring — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:55:10 +0000

Phil — I couldn’t agree more! I was very skeptical when I met you at Sobcon08 after Timothy Johnson dragged me to Chicago. But, after really digging deep and finding my passion for writing I have run with the concept and am near 1 year into my experience. I just upgraded the Blog to WordPress…I am very excited. I have found nothing else couples with an active Blog other than Twitter. If you are not tweeting with your domain name and driving people back to read your Blog you are wasting time even Blogging. Thanks for all the direction and motivation Phil!

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:13:57 +0000

Phil:

Great post! I’ve been blogging for a little more than a year and getting ready to make the switch from Blogger to WordPress. Your point #6 brings to mind something I am wrestling with – being an expert. As someone with well over 10 years of work experience in advertising, sponsorship, print production I don’t feel like an expert. Yes, I have accumulated a lot of general work and life experience, but I still don’t consider myself an expert at anything. But I agree with your point about writing, exploring and living your topic long enough to be considered an expert. Good stuff.

By: Rosa Say

Rosa Say — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:32:31 +0000

Phil, I feel compelled to be a voice advocating a bit of selfishness when it comes to blogging. Much of the advice we hear about blogging has to do with the needs of the blog’s reader and audience, or they are caveats (wise ones) about the consistency and discipline it takes. A blog needs to be thought of as this separate person you are growing, nurturing, and mentoring.
I have been blogging for 5 years come August, and all of the good advice and “be careful what you wish for” caveats are accurate. Much as I love the blog audience I now refer to as our Ho‘ohana Community of readers and want to serve them, I must be honest about going for the selfishness which has to do with continual learning about your idea capacity.

In my coaching I will constantly hear people lament that “I’m not someone who gets very many great ideas” and it simply isn’t true. We all get the automatic firing of ideas large and small as we go about our day, but we don’t intercept ourselves and engage in them. I find that is the single biggest advantage to blogging: Wondering “what shall I blog about next?” magically converts into this box of opportunity into which we drop our ideas. We finally notice them, capture them, box ‘em up into our blog draft queues, and then when we write, we write to think about them more fully.

So I agree: Yes, do blog! And blog for the selfishness, because you have pure gold inside of you and I want to read about it.

By: Corinne Edwards

Corinne Edwards — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:46:46 +0000

Dear Phil -

Two years ago, I did not know exactly what a blog was.

Now I do. Who knew?

1. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. For one thing, you get instant response. If you write abook, it could take months.

2. You meet like minded people you would have never known existed – and some of them turn out to be real friends.

3. You get the opportunity to share experiences and wisdom that the reader needs.

For example -

I wrote a post a few years ago called “When Your Husband Dies – A survival guide.” I had absolutely no idea it would turn into a forum for widows. There are about 130 women on it helping each other.

4. It keeps you company in the harsh winters!

By: Frode H

Frode H — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:15:15 +0000

Hi Phil.
I do agree! I started blogging about one year ago. I have written about 120 posts. The best thing about it is: “Blogging clarifies your thinking” – I have developed as a leader, because I have managed to find what I believe works for me. I have a clear set of values, and blogging makes me think, re-think and reflect. I started because I have always wanted to write and I could make some money blogging. But this has changed. I now blog for my own mind cleaning. I do think it is fun when what I write get positive attention, but I do blog mostly for your points 4 and 5.

And I have met a lot of very interesting people and made new friendships online. I have been able to brainstorm with international well known business coaches, consultants and leaders. Wow that is something that I would never be able to do outside of the internet world. I must say that starting a blog was the best thing I could do to develop myself as a leader.

Just do not expect to become rich doing it, but you will become “rich” in knowledge, friendship and experience. And my english is better

Happy blogging.

Frode