Social Web: Blogging Constant Change

Jul 18, 2008 | blog

I’ve been reading a lot of bloggers and fellow social media travelers lately and they’ve all had a common thread. That commonality in opinion is that there is a shift in blogging vs. social networks, and I have to agree that there is.

It appears to me that a lot of the interactivity that used to occur on blogs is moving to the major social tools (pick your favorite). As usual, there is a blogging meme to go along with that, something like blogging being ‘dead’. While I can’t speak to the realities of that & it does seem to me that many of us are spending a lot of the time we used to spend on blogging, now on the social web.

Instead of posting opinions or taking hours crafting a great informative post, we immediately share what we’re currently doing and where we’re doing it. We can do it on the fly with most phones, and since status updates are a mere sentence or so & it’s nothing to whip off a few of these messages and move on.

Does this have a negative consequence for blogging? I think not, but I’ll admit to being biased. Even so, anyone can point to my own blog and see that I’ve been lax in posting in the last couple months. Sure, it is due (in part) to the social web and all the easy-to-use tools. Sure, there are a number of known bloggers either hanging it up, or going on hiatus. However, I think that there are many times when people simply need to do something else in order to rediscover themselves. I remember Robert Scoble doing this about two years ago for a few months. Russell Beattie took a long break before coming back to the blogging sphere as well.

Neither of these guys had preconceived ideas of how long or why, but just knew they needed the change. It’s something I’ve thought about myself when I’m struggling.

I guess the point is that blogging is dead, but the realities of the social web are the same in every part of life: change is constant.

Crossroads

May 5, 2008 | blog

Crossroads After a Night of Rain by Zeitspuren Life is the great adventure.  At times it can also be a bit perplexing, like how do you know when you’ve turned a corner in your career? Especially in these interesting times when social media is attracting so much attention, but has so little meaning in the “real world”.

Exploration of blogging and connecting people is a lot of hard, but rewarding work. It can sometimes be challenging to keep up with both the real work and the need to connect with people and learn new things as a human being. Where is the reward for all this work?

That’s where I’m at right now. I’m a technology geek that’s really good at big-picture problem solving – been doing that for 20 years.  However, I’ve spent the last two or three years learning that I like interacting with people and seeing them connect with peers to accomplish new things. I have no pretensions that I’m critical to any of this, only that I enjoy it.

So what’s the next step? I blogged about that awhile ago, and am becoming more convinced that, for me, a move towards blog consulting and working with corporate blogging efforts is needed. It’s one direction that I’ve been exploring and I see many possibilities of such a shift.  Especially as new discussions of blogging and it’s value have again started turning up in the blogosphere and the MSM again.  Of course it’s what we’ve always known about new media, it’s just people taking another look at a disrupting technology rather than dismissing it.

Most bloggers start blogging for many reasons, I happened to start because I needed an outlet.  (Blogging friend Steven Hodson has a great related post titled What do I owe my readers? that I recommend reading as well.)  I also started a couple other blogs because I thought (like many) that it was an easier way to make a living.  I’ve since figured it out that it’s really very hard work that requires a substantial time investment.  However instead of the monetary payoff I thought I’d find, it turned into something that I’m passionate about. 

After a few years of blogging and trying to find my path, I realized that I’d been following it fairly well but hesitant to commit to exploring it.  I’ve been holding back from what lies over the edge.  It’s something I now need to explore vigorously.

The biggest thing I’ve discovered that brings me to the crossroad I mention is that I like to teach, to share.  I really enjoy communicating technology and concepts to people to help solve a problem or  grow their opportunities.  It’s an incredible feeling to see the connection made, a concept take root and someone realizes something they didn’t the moment before.

It reminds me of a moment in art class back in 9th grade.  There was another student who was having problems getting the perspective “just right” on a drawing of his family’s farmstead that he was working on.  He said that it just didn’t “feel right” in his drawing and thought that the silo would look better on the other side of the drive leading up to the barn.  So our art teacher looked up from the picture at him and said “so…, move it”.  I saw it in my classmate’s face, he got it.  He suddenly looked around the room and proclaimed (loudly I may add) “I CAN MOVE BUILDINGS!”

I’m sure you’ve seen something similar, but it’s that moment of realization that is what I want more people to experience with technology.  To understand what I’ve known for years.  To see the usefulness of the technology, and not for the technology itself, but because it actually solves a need or problem. That is one of the things I want to do.

The work I’ve don to date has been fulfilling and rewarding.  It’s taught me many things outside the scope of technology.  It’s pushed me in all the typical, usual business-oriented things that any cube-dwelling, corporate ladder climbing individual might need.  It did not, however, bring the warmth and excitement to my heart of seeing just one person “get it”.

That is what I believe I need to do – help people have those moments, help them connect with peers to make that happen, and be there as a resource along the way.

Photo credit: Zeitspuren

Saying Goodbye to Michael Foods

Apr 26, 2007 | blog

This is a difficult post for me, and an exciting one as well.  There are many good times that I’ll remember from working at Michael Foods, and I have to admit that I’m going to miss working with such a great group of people.  Anyone looking to join Michael Food’s IT department couldn’t look for a better team of people – seriously, the people are great and the environment is a good one – don’t hesitate.

Michael Foods Website So why am I leaving?  Because it’s time.  I’ve been with Michael Foods for a total of 9 years, the first two as a contract employee, the remaining as an FTE.  The experiences have been numerous and varied.  It is simply time for me to take the next step in my career – my goals no longer match the needs of the position I held, I simply need more room to grow in the directions I want to pursue.  Simple as that.

So, to my former coworkers, and friends that I leave behind on a day to day basis I need to say goodbye.  I’m sure that I’ll get a number of calls and questions on a number of topics, but for many I’ll probably not be in touch.  While this is a shame, I look forward to the possibilities of working with any of my former coworkers again someday in the future.  Simply to all, I want to say thank you.

There have also been many, several people that I want to thank individually – and I couldn’t fit it all in my goodbye email, so here it goes.

  • Jon – For patience & answer for every question – you’re a good friend
  • Pat – For teaching me how to appreciate individuals potential & look for new ideas
  • Jimmy – As a mentor in leadership & team building
  • Craig – For the importance of bandwidth, details, & the big picture
  • Pete – For project management & planning
  • Deb – For people skills & career coaching
  • Guy – For a different perspective & approach to things

Again, to everyone else I’ve worked with at Michael Foods, both in IT and the business – thank you for 9 great years.  It will not be forgotten.  Best wishes to you and your future endeavors.

Bring It On

Sincerely,

Rick Mahn

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