Sep 26, 2008 | blog
Time for some basic blogging & regrouping this weekend. I’ve been pressing hard on work and letting my writing slide, and this just won’t do. I don’t know what I’ll be writing about in the next 48 hours, but I know that I’m going to go back to the basics of blogging for me.
I guess I’m starting today (so maybe it’s 72 hours – I dunno), and will be simply sharing ideas, stories and such that simply occur to me during this time. It’s more to get back in the writing groove than anything else. Since jumping headfirst into IT consulting more than a year ago, I’ve been distracted from blogging. Not really being able to focus enough attention on writing down those thoughts that keep running through my mind.
So this is the first post of the weekend, I’m starting early and hope in the end, to rediscover the writing habits I’ve neglected for the last many months. While I don’t expect anything grand, I’m sure there’ll be a few fun gems. Well see.
Anyway, get ready to enjoy another great late-summer/early autumn weekend folks.
Sep 13, 2008 | happiness
Coffee, wifi, a café, a book store, what more?
Aug 25, 2008 | blog
A special note to a blogging friend in Scotland this morning. Joanna Young, the Confident Writing coach, has been offline for a bit during a move to a new place. Everyone on Twitter has missed Joanna’s wit and wisdom these last couple weeks and certainly welcome her back from her Twitter holiday.
For those bloggers getting started and looking for tips, ideas, inspiration and more related to writing, I really recommend checking out Joanna’s blog. Many great folks from Twitter also participate in the comments and the many writing projects that Joanna leads up. It makes for quite a bit of fun!
Welcome back Joanna, we’re glad to see you back on the Blog and on Twitter – hope the move went well!
Aug 20, 2008 | blog
Hi all! I just wanted to let you know that I got a chance to guest blog over at the Fresh Focus blog. Kris Rowlands let me talk about Weekend Web Work today, so head on over and check it out.
Thanks for the chance to guest post on your site.
Aug 19, 2008 | blog
Do you blog with an authoritative or a more passive voice? By “authoritativeâ€, 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?
