Have a love, have a voice?
One of my clients, Caroline Hoste shared a link with me today and that link reminded me I have a blog that has been neglected.
The link is at the bottom of the post- but if you don’t want to spend a bunch of time watching Tim Ferris be informative while being self absorbed, then read on.
The title of his post – like the title of his book “The Four Hour Work Week” promises instant success after you hear what Tim has to say. That’s a great hook, and the truth is that the information is in there but success doesn’t come easy. Though there are some simple tricks to improve the success you do get. I think it’s worth a look.
It all boils down to this question Tim asks of himself/the audience: “why do you do what you do?” The way Tim puts it is a very digestible way of having a sort of mission statement. The purpose of the question or of the mission statement is to check and see if there is some passion driving your blog and your words – and not some shallow purpose like making a quick buck or being popular for the sake of being popular.
I think having a passion is even too light of a word really. Last night, I met @nappyd who put it this way. “So many young bands get on stage looking for that one night stand. They see they crowd as an ocean of pussy instead of people that they are going to build a relationship and trust with,” is how he put it. Crass, yes but I like that it makes the pursuit of shallow things crass.
Tim as well as Gary Brotman – the guru of Topspin’s marketing also really emphasize the need to write “with a voice.” This one is really tough IMO — having your personality come through in the text…That’s like trying to get a singer who sounds like trained singers to sound like themselves or sound more unique. A singer who sounds trained I think sounds that way because she/he is thinking to hard about singing instead of connecting with the spirit of the song and lyrcs. Is having a voice really just being yourself and not trying to sound like anyone else? Is this post boring you to death? If I sound boring, so be it, I type so fast now it’s like I’m dictating this, so this is how I sound talking to myself.
Why am I writing this blog then? And being a consultant? I love helping out bands and musicians. I want to see music be a living for people but not because I love music. I DO love music but not as much as some people I’m sure. I’ve played drums for over 20 years, but I love seeing people who are great at what they do – who labor over their art — be that art music, or their business or anything — I want to see those people succeed and help them succeed. I love understanding how things work as well, testing and tracking using data is a thrill. Learning and acquiring new knowledge is like traveling used to be. New territories, new perspectives on life come with new experiences and new challenges.
Here is how Tim puts it but I recommend you Tim Ferris Tim Ferris– skim this video and do check out the little things he’s done to his blog and some of the software he’s using to track clicks, create his own personal dig, use Twitter for polling folks ALL great stuff if you already have a fan base…none of it will really help you get the fan base.
That comes down to the love and how you voice it.
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