Right Now

Aug 27, 2008 | blog

I Feel So Small Right Now - by Pat Rioux What are you doing right now? Are you moving forward, stagnating or slipping backward? Why wait to launch your biz, your idea, your brand? Why wait to spend time with your family or call your parents back?

There’s no better time than the present to do something.

Right now you could be:

  1. Building something new
  2. Spending time with your kids
  3. Finishing a project
  4. Outside
  5. Helping a friend in need
  6. Building a website
  7. Mowing the grass
  8. Working on a community project
  9. Reaching out to someone
  10. Stimulating the economy
  11. Supporting your local charities
  12. Practicing your golf swing
  13. Taking responsibility
  14. Yielding to pedestrians
  15. Taking your family on vacation
  16. Applying for that position or job you want
  17. Visiting a elderly relative
  18. Taking the stairs
  19. Finishing several projects
  20. Saving money
  21. Getting away from the computer for awhile
  22. Fishing
  23. Building your personal brand
  24. Returning that phone call
  25. Taking steps to become the person you want to be

What I really want to convey is the reality that there is no better time to do something for yourself, your family, your community, your country, or the world than right now.

Inspired by Van Halen’s Right Now

Photo credit: Pat Rioux

The Authoritative Voice

Aug 19, 2008 | blog

Do you blog with an authoritative or a more passive voice? By “authoritative”, I mean an expert, someone with experience. I don’t know about other bloggers, but I seem to get wrapped around the axle when it comes to authoritative voice in blogging. Maybe I’m not even on point in this post – you tell me. When a post starts drifting from my intent, it usually starts sounding “wishy-washy” and doesn’t draw conclusions as I’d like.

Depending on what you’re focus or intent is for your blog, it’s important to keep your tone consistent. If you are an authority on a topic, a knowledgeable or an experienced professional, it’s important to find the right voice to present your ideas to support your brand. Writing with too authoritative a tone without having the expertise to back it up won’t bring a positive vibe to your brand.

Because I want to share experiences, ideas, and such, I often stop writing a post when I feel like I’ve lost that authoritative voice. Usually, it’s also about the point where I’ve lost direction on what I’m trying to say. I know this happens to others as much as it happens to me, but I find it really disruptive and end up closing the work and walking away for a few hours.

Being authoritative is a double-edged sword though. As easily as you can communicate your expertise, you can also annoy or alienate some folks too. There’s a balancing act to it, one that nearly every blogger works to maintain. At least if their trying to be a contributing resource to the social web and not just blog about their family photos and latest vacation.

So how do you stack up? Are you able to present your ideas as an expert without being a know-it-all? How about me? Which way does my writing usually end up?

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