There’s a scene in the movie “Julie & Julia” where Julie jubilantly shares with her co-workers how she received her first comment. After watching that, I remember telling my husband how much I could relate to her excitement because I felt the same way after receiving my first comment on my first blog. In fact, over a dozen years later, I can tell you it’s still just as wonderful to have someone stop and respond to something I posted.

I often think about new bloggers and wonder if they feel the same excitement as we did in the old school. Back in the day we didn’t have the social networks. We didn’t have retweets, shares or thumbs up icons. We didn’t have buttons encouraging you to follow us or share our stuff with your friends. If folks wanted to respond to our writing, their first inclination was to comment, not “like.”

Our early blogs had dozens, if not hundreds of comments, and links from other blogs who also wanted to discuss what we wrote. These responses tell me a lot more than a quick “like.”

Comments say “thank you”

Don ‘t get me wrong, “likes” are cool. They tell us people dug something we wrote. But to me they’re quick acknowledgement. They’re like saying thank you when handed a gift over taking the time to handwrite a thank you note. They’re appreciated for what they are.

On the other hand, comments say a lot more. Comments say “Thank you for writing this post, it made me think.” Whether you agreed with a blog post or status update or not doesn’t matter. What matters is you took time to read the darn thing all the way through and respond in kind. When you’re a writer, hoping, praying, someone will read your stuff, this means more than anyone can ever know. Comments are like stopping and saying “hello” to a neighbor instead of walking by with a wave.

Most of us scan content all day with nary a reaction. Comments are the difference between a scan and a read. When someone comments after a blog post or status update it means they were paying attention. It doesn’t matter if the content resonated in a positive or negative matter as much as that it reasonated. Stopping to offer an opinion, whether positive or negative, tells us you care about what we do and say.

When we write something and you respond it tells us we touched you. That’s the best gosh darned feeling ever.

Comments are giving back

You may be thinking to yourself, “well, wait a minute. I click ‘like’ when I like something, why isn’t that good enough?” It’s not that it’s not good enough. We appreciate likes very much, but they’re like drive by approval. We absolutely appreciate the support but sometimes we like to know why you gave us that thumbs up. Sometimes people hit “like” after a well – written piece, even though they don’t agree at all. A “like” doesn’t tell us this. Comments are feedback. They tell us how you feel about what we’re doing. We like our likes, but we love our comments.

I’m so busy sometimes I forget to blog.  And I’m the first person to hit “like” after reading a good blog post or status update. After thinking about this, though, I’m going to take more time to think about what I read and comment in kind. And I’m going to work harder to respond to the people who take the time to respond to me, because comments work both ways.

What makes you determine what gets a quick, drive by “like” and what receives a more thoughtful response?

“How does this apply to me?” is a question I ask every time I visit another blog. Sure, there are some pretty narrow niches out there, but I think most of us want our blogs to appeal to as many people as possible. One of my challenges with blogging is to make sure it’s not all about me, and believe you me, if there’s anything I like to talk about it’s myself. However, I don’t think you’re into hearing about me unless it’s about how something I did led to success or if I report on news, products, etc. that will appeal to everyone.

I was thinking about this yesterday as a read about someone’s visit to a conference. The blogger talked about what she was wearing and who she was most looking forward to seeing. She also talked about her favorite restaurants in that area.

How does that apply to me?

When I read someone’s conference report I want to learn about the educational sessions and what the blogger learned and took away from each session. I also want to learn if any new and useful products were introduced. I don’t mind hearing about parties and clothes, if there’s other useful stuff thrown in there, but I think all blog posts should be written with the reader in mind – don’t you?

How does that apply to me?

• If you’re doing a product review, how does it apply to me? I’m happy that new shade of lipstick matches your favorite sweater, but if it doesn’t match my wardrobe it doesn’t apply to me. If you received a blender to review and all you talk about is making babyfood it doesn’t apply to me because I don’t have a baby, throw some other stuff in there too. Talk about how it appeals to the general public.
• If you’re doing a book review, how does it apply to me? I’m glad reading this book increased your sales, but you and I do two different things, so how will the same book help me?
• If you’re on a press trip, how does it apply to me? I get that someone is paying your way for you to talk to us about either the trip or the reason behind the trip, but if it’s all about you and what you did, it doesn’t apply to me. Why and how do the things you do on your press trip apply to me?
• If you’re offering tips for better blogging, how do they apply to me? Writing about how the latest plugins will help an automotive blog is great for all the automotive bloggers. But it’s a narrow niche. If you want to bring in more traffic and readers, also talk about how the plugin works for all bloggers. I’m not saying nichey people shouldn’t get nichey, but if you want to bring in more traffic and look like you know what you’re doing beyond said niche, there’s nothing wrong with getting general once in a while. Otherwise, your blog and your brand are going to hit a stalemate.
• If you’re at the latest conference, how does that apply to me? Seriously, why do I want to read your conference report? If it’s a name dropping, place dropping, piece of self servery, it really doesn’t apply to me at all. However, if there are benefits of attending said conference, do let me know so I can make the decision as to whether or not to attend next time around. Also, if a speaker is giving away some killer tips, share with us.
• If you have a personal anecdote, how does that apply to me? Telling your story is awesome. It gives a human element to your blog and lets us know something about the blogger behind the blog. But how does it apply to me? What’s the lesson? What’s the moral? Why should I even care.

Make it Apply to Me

If your blog is personal, and it’s only applicable to people within your personal circle like friends and family, there’s no need to read this post. There’s nothing wrong with creating a space to share with your loved ones.

However, if you’re looking to grow your blog, your brand and your name, your blog is no longer about you. It’s about me, the collective me. It’s about all the mes who are reading your blog. It’s great that you have so many good things to share, but if they have nothing to do with the collective me, there’s just no reason for us to stop by.

How are you going to make your content apply to the collective me?

There's a fine line between hero and jerk.

So my good friend Andy Hayes and I were sitting in Champions having a drink and some nosh, while decompressing after a day of SXSW, this past March. Our conversation centered around a couple of people who were well known in the blogging/Internet marketing circles whose behavior offline didn’t match up to what they pretended to be online.  There was quite the scandal going down and it was the talk of Austin.

“Why don’t more people know about this?” I asked Andy. “No one wants to say anything,” Andy said. “No one wants to be the a**hole.”

For the sake of keeping it clean, I’m changing Andy’s term to “jerk.”

I’ve been thinking about this ever since our discussion.   In this business, there are users, divas, narcissists , whiners, rabble rousers and money grubbers and yet so many people look up to them as being influential or thought leaders. It’s all part of our world.  Like in any profession people gossip. We hear things.  But we don’t tell you, and do you know why?

Because we don’t want to be the jerk.

It’s more than that though. Some people enjoy being jerks because they think it makes them look like heroes to their online communities. They pride themselves on their edginess and their ability to call people out. But if you’re going to be a jerk, there are some things to consider.  Being a jerk has its repercussions and if you’re going to go this route, you best be prepared to have your facts straight and that  you’re not just acting on rumor, gossip or your own personal bad feelings.

What Happens When You’re the Jerk

You know what happens when you’re the jerk?

• You gain a reputation – Jerks may enjoy their reputation as calling it as they see it, but they make a lot of frenemies in the process. No one wants to be the next victim. Their so called friends walk on eggs because they know if they misstep the Jerk may publically call them out on it.  Jerks don’t have as many friends as they have people who are afraid to get on their bad side.
• You lose some of your community – The only people who want to hang out in a hotbed of negativity and drama are people who thrive on negativity and drama.  All the people who are there for  intelligent discussion eventually leave for a more positive place.
• People don’t always want to do business with you – Sure you may have clients, but if you weren’t so outspoken, you’d probably have more. Clients don’t want to be called out publicly either. What if they get on your bad side? Public callings out are unprofessional.
• If you’re wrong you look like an ass - If your facts are wrong, or you’re wrong about the other person’s intentions you run the risk of looking bad. Very few people who call someone out ask the subject of said calling out for their side of the story before posting it.
• If you’re right you look like an ass - Did you really need to call this person out? Are you truly being “heroic?” Or is there some other underlying issues like, oh, I don’t know, jealousy? Not saying you are, but when you’re the jerk, that’s what it looks like and that’s what people will say.
• No one trusts you anymore – Very few people confide in you or want to tell you truthfully how they feel.  If you bust people on your blog, no one wants to tell you anything for fear of being next.
• There’s life beyond your community – The people in your community may applaud your jerkiness, those that stuck around through all the negativity. Everyone else? Well, they think you’re a jerk too. But in a different way.  Sometimes we have to think about life beyond our communities too.

Yeah I just called out jerks. I must be one too.

What else do you think happens when you’re the jerk? How do you feel about “calling out” posts? Are the bloggers heroes or just looking for attention?

I’m fresh back from the Type A Parent conference in Asheville, NC. Though the conference is always one of my favorites to attend each year, with top notch content and speakers relevant to serious bloggers, even those of us who aren’t parent bloggers, I’m going to disagree a bit with the monetization power panel that happened on the very last day.

Forgive the run on sentence.

The speakers for this session were David Binkowski of the PR firm Lippe Taylor, Maria Bailey, author and owner of BSM Media, Holly Hamann, co-founder of BlogFrog, and  Tonja Deegan, of the PR firm Airfoil. And they were talking about, you guessed it, brands.

With all due respect to the speakers and the conference organizers,  I don’t know that brand evangelism is the way to go.

Every time I attend a  super monetization session at a mom or parenting blogger conference, it’s always about brands.

• How to pitch to a brand
• How to work with a brand
• How to please a brand
• How brands and bloggers can get along

Is it any wonder mom bloggers are synonymous with swag and product pimping? Here’s the reality: Very few bloggers work with brands, and very few bloggers want to work with brands.

Edited to add: To be fair, there was an entire monetization track featuring useful tips for bloggers. Also, the conference organizers asked this panel to talk about the brand/blogging for pay issue.  So, though I still stand by what I posted here,  I still feel a “monetization power session should touch on the different ways to monetize, even if the majority of Type A attendees deal with brands every day.

During the session, we were all asked to brainstorm with the other people at our table and discuss creative ways to work with brands. Because, apparently, brands are sick of having bloggers do only product reviews (and people are sick of reading blogs featuring only reviews, but that’s another story for another time).  For bloggers to get the big bucks or major swag, they have to think creatively and beyond the review. (And I can’t find fault with that part, really).

So our table brainstormed, and you know what we came up with?

1. No one at our table wanted to work with major  brands.
2. We weren’t interested in receiving swag or product to evangelize a big name.
3. We felt going local and having relationships in our local areas, with our local businesses was more meaningful than working with the same few major brands everyone else wanted to work with, but very few would wind up doing.
4. We wanted to talk about all the other ways to monetize blogs.

Mind you, I don’t have problems with bloggers who work with brands.  I think many of them make a great living and receive some cool perks and good coin in return. However, I don’t like the insinuation that working with brands are the only way bloggers can earn money. If we’re having a “monetization power session” I’m more or less expecting to hear about different aspects of monetization, not just the brand end. Also? Not everyone who works with brands earn money, they earn swag. It’s still taxable, but it doesn’t pay the mortgage, so it’s not quite monetization.

Now, beyond the brand-centric content, the session wasn’t bad at all. One attendee did mention that, despite brand reps and P.R. people telling them otherwise, only the same few top bloggers were able to work with brands and I agreed. Even though we’re told anyone, regardless of blog size, traffic numbers, etc. can work with a brand, I know otherwise. ( If it didn’t matter they wouldn’t ask for traffic numbers right off the bat. And if it didn’t matter they wouldn’t stop answering emails once they learned the size of said traffic.)  However, the panel offered useful information for working with brands – if that’s the route you wish to ride. They were knowledgeable and bloggers who want to work with brands walked away with useful information.

What I’d really like to see are more suggestions for other ways to monetize blogs whether selling products, finding advertisers or sponsors,  creating courses, ebooks and webinars or something even more outside the box.

Though I wasn’t feeling this panel much, it’s only my own personal view and not indicative of the content at Type -A at all. The sessions I attended were all very well put together and the speakers truly gave of themselves.  They were prepared and professional and I walked away from each with the knowledge and resources needed to take blogging to a whole new level. Rick Calvert, CEO and Founder of BlogWorld even said, “we need more sessions like these at BlogWorld.”  I especially enjoyed opening keynoter, author Patti Digh, and I will now count myself among her many fans.

Type A Parent is a great conference, and though the exhibits are definitely geared towards parenting bloggers, the content is sure to appeal to all. I recommend you all give it a consideration for both speaking and attending, once next year rolls around.

I’m forgetful. This is probably something a woman who bases her career on words, deadlines and planning, but it’s true.  I have to outline everything I do. I write it all down, and punctuate with strategically placed post its, if necessary.

I also set up many reminders on calendars and timers, hopefully with lots of noisy pinging telling me when it’s time for anything from conference calls to picking up kids at the carpool. Part of my problem is ADHD and part of it is having several different things going at once. The writer part of me especially finds the forgetfulness to be a challenge not because I miss deadlines (I don’t) but because I like to go off on tangents with my thinking and sometimes in the process I lose a thought.

Enter Mind Mapping

In writing my book I realized I needed to expand beyond my outline and TOC, without making things so convoluted and confusing it compounded the problem.  A few chapters in I remembered my friend Chris Garrett has always talked about mind mapping for blog posts and other content and wondered if it would work for book chapters as well.

Mind Mapping is when you log your thoughts and expand on each individual thought in an organized manner. So you can take one parent thought and add smaller individual thoughts to your original point. You can also spider off those individual thoughts as well. This method of logging my thoughts has been instrumental in helping me write out the last half of chapters in my book, and I wish I had remembered it when I first started.

Benefits of Mind Mapping

So other than helping me to not be so scatterbrained, what are the benefits of Mind Mapping?

• Organizes thoughts in a hierarchy – I can start with one parent thought and work off into so smaller thoughts and talking points
• I don’t lose the little points
• All thoughts are gathered in one place
• I can go off on organized tangents
• Helps me when I’m learning – and I can log questions as soon as they enter my brain
• Eliminates the clutter and “why did I put that in?” of post its and outlines

What Can I Use it For?

Since I started using Personal Brain for Mind Mapping, I’ve used it for:

• Work – I can list my ideas for speakers and tracks, plus log notes and thoughts for each.
• Home – Listing my ideas for the renovation, things to do and more.
• The Book – Mind mapping is especially useful for laying out the chapters of each book.
• The Blog – This post is the result of a mind mapping episode. What do you think?

Your Turn

Have you tried Mind Mapping? If so, what program or app are you using and what do you use it for? Let us know how it benefits your work and life.

I used to own and blog for a top blog; the number one blog in its niche. I blogged every day and researched keywords and best practices.  In fact, it became an obsession to do it right, the way the pros were telling me to do it.  I suppose it all worked and that’s why my network of blogs was the top resource in the niche, but it was also  stressful and I always worried about losing my traffic and community because I didn’t use the right keyphrases or I didn’t use the right amount of keywords v. links in each blog post. After I sold my blog network and revived this one, I decided it would be a little more relaxed and I wouldn’t stress over the rules so much.

I don’t have the traffic of my former blog, nor do I blog on the same rigid schedule, but it’s definitely not as stressful. It works for me an it looks like it’s working for my community. Still, I know I’m doing it wrong.

1. I don’t use keywords.
2. I don’t use X amount of keywords per X amount of words
3. I don’t always link to my own stuff in each post.
4. I don’t always link to other people’s stuff in each post.
5. I don’t post every day.
6. I don’t often go for scandal and controversy.
7. I don’t comment on other blogs every day (but I try to get out about once a week)
8. I don’t promote every post (but I do drop links to most of them on Twitter.)
9. I blog too short.
10. I blog too long.
11. I forget to check my stats
12. I don’t always break up my text with subheads and bullets
13. I don’t guest post on other blogs enough (but that’s a time issue more than anything else)
14. I don’t drop links to this blog everywhere I go.
15. I have conversations with friends over promotional pitch fests
16. I don’t always proofread
17. I have a confusing blog name and domain
18. I don’t respond to comments every day (but I still try and come back and respond)
19. I don’t always respond to every single comment (because sometimes that’s redundant)
20. I don’t sell ebooks, courses, webinars or other products of the week.

Now, it doesn’t mean I don’t care to do any of the above or that I think they’re wrong. I just decided I like blogging better when it’s not my sole source of income. I have a job I love, a book in the works and that means I can relax and blog in a way that makes sense for me.

Rules. Shmules.

What are some of the things you’re doing wrong with your blogging?

I began blogging around the same time as some of your favorite “A-List” veterans. They were my heroes too and each day I visited their blogs to learn new tips for monetization, blogging, social media and writing.  We’ve all gotten a little busier lately and I can’t check out those blogs as often as I used to.  However, when I do have some time to sit down with my iPad and read the feeds, I don’t see my favorite bloggers anymore at all. I see a variety of guest bloggers, which I have mixed feelings about.

Expecting something that isn’t there anymore

Here’s the thing about these extremely popular blogs where their extremely popular bloggers don’t post anymore…the blogs gained popularity because readers enjoyed the bloggers’ voices and advice. We’d still like to see that same voice and good advice, but it seems now these bloggers only post when there’s something to sell.

So let me ask you this…now that the blogger is too busy working as an Internet marketer on his own projects outside of blogging, is it fair to use the same name and brand on a blog featuring guest posters.  I realize, and totally get, that we’re receiving free content and advice from these blogs but let’s be honest.  Sometimes visiting a blog and expecting to receive serious advice, but hearing instead from someone who is just starting out and hoping to build up backlinks, is akin to going to a five star restaurant where the chef has been replaced by someone who flips burgers at a fast food restaurant for a living. It can be a little disappointing.

Is it fair to offer “pro” tips when beginners are guest posting?

The reason many of these early bloggers became famous or well-known authorities is because they were good at what they did and showed us how the pros did it. So is it fair for us to expect “pro” advice and discussion but receive posts that might not be quite accurate, or the same thing we read 100 times before,  from someone who hasn’t been hanging out in his respective niche for very long?

Don’t get me wrong. These bloggers don’t owe us anything. They should be out protecting their interests and getting rich, they earned and deserve that right. It just seems to me that it can’t be considered “Chuck’s blog” if  “Chuck” hasn’t blogged there in years.

So when a blogger gets too busy to blog and has moved on to the next big thing should he sell or re-work his blog’s focus to reflect the new writers? It’s something I think about and it’s one of the reasons I sold my blog network. I no longer had time to work on it, how could I pass it off as mine?

Would you rather read sporadic “pro” posts or daily guest posts?

Now, these “top bloggers” I speak of.  You  still clamor for their advice.  I can tell this by how you pack their session rooms at conferences and retweet their blog posts. Would you rather they posted less frequently, but still posted on their own blogs, or would you prefer the daily guest posts by a bunch of people you never heard of.

What happens when popular bloggers become way to busy to blog. Can we still call them bloggers?

Discuss…

When I owned a popular freelance writing blog network, I dealt with negativity on a regular basis.  Most of said negativity wasn’t on my blog but on others.  Sometimes the negativity came in the form of comments under extremely respectful blog posts in rebuttal of  something I wrote, and sometimes the blog posts themselves were negative.

A few times those comments and criticisms were wrong and off base, but I learned that when you have an extremely popular blog or business  there are always people who want to say something nasty, even if it’s an embellishment or not true.

I don’t mind respectful discussion, but sniping and the pile on mentality aren’t really part of respectful discussion. At first I responded to every comment and allegation but I soon learned it made me look defensive and it didn’t matter what I said anyway, because so many people twisted my words around to suit their own purposes.  When someone is directing negativity at you or your organization, they very rarely want your side of the story. If they did,  you would have been quoted in the original post.

Sometimes, people write a specific post because they know there will be a lot of commenting negativity directed your way, and this way they’re not the guilty party. They can’t help their community’s comments. Right?

It’s a hard lesson learned, but sometimes not responding is the best thing to do.

I’m going through this a little again. Not because of me, but some of the people I work with.  I’m coming across some very respectful blog posts, but many of the comments are cruel or untrue. I want to hop on to each one of them and say, “that’s not what’s happening  at all” or “how can you criticize when you weren’t even there?”  and even, “wait, you told me everything was perfect. Why are you changing your tune on here?” but I know it won’t make a difference. There are points worth arguing and there are times when responding won’t do a darn bit of good.

Even when there are good points made, it still looks crazy defensive to respond to every single bit of criticism.

Because no one wants to hear it, they just want the pile on.

As someone who has been writing online in one form or another since 2000, I learned a few things about the “me too” mentality:

• There are people who enjoy watching negativity unfold and  encourage it to happen.
• Communities are very supportive of their bloggers, even if the blogger is wrong or slightly off base
• Some people aren’t as interested in a conversation or informative blog post as much as they just want to say something nasty.
• Many times it’s not the blogger’s intention to have negativity in the comments but the ensuing traffic and remarkably heavy flow of comments convinces them to revisit the topic again and again.

Sometimes it’s best to let it go and not respond.

Now, this not responding business goes against all the “transparency” talk we preach about in social media circles. The thing is, there’s transparency and there’s running around from comment to comment or blog post to blog post getting defensive.  I think it’s better to make a point once and move on than beat a dead horse over and over again.

I also don’t know that it’s worth it to respond to every bit of negativity coming your way, especially if you know it’s not going to do a darn bit of good. When I see the same things being rehashed it gets to the point where it’s not even worth it to respond. Everyone knows how I feel about it from past conversations and I can’t be bothered with bandwagon jumpers. Plus, the more we comment the more silliness ensues. Better to leave it be and let it die down.

Honesty is always the best policy but there’s a difference between honesty and too much information. I think it’s important to know when to respond and when to let something go.  It’s not even a matter of winning or losing a battle, because that’s not why we comment on blogs. Rather, it’s about what is or isn’t worth a response.

Criticism for the sake of bringing in traffic is worthy of an eyeroll. Honest, constructive criticism in a well-thought out blog post is worthy of a response. However, when the pile on begins and the me too-ers jump on the bandwagon, I have to ask myself if it’s worth it to continue the discussion.

Are there ever times when you find it more beneficial not to comment?

First, a Dunce

When I started blogging back in 2004, I had no clue I was blogging. I was simply posting
updates about my writing. No sharing buttons, no social widgets, and mostly likely, few
readers. It was an outlet for personal expression. Perhaps my content didn’t have the sexy
curb appeal that is so en vogue today, but I did enjoy writing and maintaining that website.
(Having said that, I have mixed feelings about seeing those garish-looking webpages sitting
in the Way Back Machine.)

Then, an Opportunity Taker

Right around 2007 or so, I moved onto WordPress, a content management system that at
time felt like stepping out of my lemonade stand and into a space ship. Oh, the colors and
the widgets and shiny things! Easy to update pictures! Backups! Plugins!

At the same time, I found myself in a particularly unhealthy working environment, and had
started freelance writing on the side as a likely new career (which is how I first met our kind
host, Deb). I saw these new web tools as just the thing I needed to give my writing career a
boost, and took advantage of the opportunity to promote my own work as well as creating an
outlet to attract clients.

Finally, an Overworked Blogger

About a year after that, things clicked into high gear. I started selling ad space on my main
site, a travel blog/magazine, and launched a number of other secondary sites, all with
products and services to complement.

I read all the hype-y blog posts about how to attract readers, increase comments, increase
readership, blah blah blah. And one day, I looked around and had to ask myself how I ended
up in the arms race of blogging. It felt like we were all just out for the pageview. Pageviews
at all costs! Clicks or die! Viral traffic or else!

And who was I really blogging for, anyway?

Letting Things Go

Last winter, I went to my good friend Chris
Guillebeau’s book signing. At the after party, I got a chance to catch up with him and
talk business. One thing I mentioned to him was frustration and exhaustion at blogging –
not just 5 posts a week on my travel blog, but 3-4 a week on my tourism marketing blog, and
at least a couple a week on my entrepreneurship blog. It was a full time job just writing all
that damn content, all of which had to come after paying clients.

Chris, being the salient wordsmith that he is, had one piece of advice. I paraphrase, but in
essence:

Just let it go.

So I did. I took his advice. I’m not sure exactly what he meant – maybe he did mean close
down the shop and become a orange-robed monk. But I decided to let go of all those rules
and suppositions on the “right” way to run my blogs.

I started blogging when I had something interesting to say, not because it was a day ending
in ‘y’.
I circled back to my Dream Customers and got really clear about their needs and the content
that would help them while gently mentioning my products/services.
I stopped reading all that “how to” junk so I could spend more time editing and writing my
own content.

The result? Traffic is up – way up – and so are sales. So much for that genius blogging
formula, eh?

That isn’t to say that I don’t research SEO keywords, or that I don’t employ a bit of strategy
when crafting my headlines. But at the end of the day, I’m not obsessed with any of these
things. If I can do something clever, or rank high, or land on the front page of Digg, that’s
great, but it’s not the end of the word. When you stop for a minute and look in the rearview
mirror, you may also see what’s important to your readers and your blog/business.

What blogging baggage is it time for you to let go?

Andy Hayes is known as “that travel guy” and publishes the super-cool (and FREE) SHERPA Magazine, a guide to what’s hot in small business. He’s also a co-author of the popular e Book, Why Your Websiteucks, and How to Fix It. Follow him on Twitter, @andrewghayes.

Photo Credit: WTL Photos

Would you like to guest post at Kommein? Drop me a line at deborahng@gmail.com with your ideas.

I’m one of those people who can’t focus without a distraction free environment. It’s why I work best out of my home. Because in an office there are people and they’re a distraction. There are also phones, break rooms, water coolers and, again, people.

If there’s other stuff going on it draws my attention away from my work and that’s not a good thing. As the mom of a son with ADHD,  I can’t help but wonder if he inherited that gene from me.

Multitasking isn’t a good idea for someone like me.

Close the Windows

You probably have at least half dozen windows open on your desktop as you work. Perhaps you have a particular program or application open to do your most important business task, you might also have a social network or two going, and even email and Skype so you can stay in touch.

Here’s what happens to me with multiple windows.

WordPress is open as I create the day’s blog post. However, I have another window open – whichever browser isn’t crashing on me that day – so I can do research for my post or find applicable links. Those links send me off on tangents and I read some cool stuff having nothing to do with my blog post. Skype pings. I stop and have a conversation. Every now and then I type. But wait, is that my Tweet deck calling? I check for news and tweet to my friends for about ten minutes before pulling away, ending my Skype chat and getting back to my blog post. Outlook is telling me there’s mail, do I check? You bet I do, and I respond because if I open mail and I don’t respond immediately it will get lost in a sea of unanswered email.

This is why I can’t have multiple windows open. In fact, I know very few people who can effectively multitask.Truthfully, work gets done quicker and more effectively without these distractions. It gotten to the point where I turn off the Internet connection and use offline editors for blogging so I’m not tempted to be taken away from my work.

Put the Gadgets Away

You know how I feel about this, gadgets are turning us into rude, rude people. We would never, in real life, abruptly turn away from a conversation to take part in another conversation, yet that’s what we do every time we look at our gadgets while talking with someone else. Ditto at checking gadgets during meals, seminars and public speaking engagements and any time someone else is doing something that requires our attention. I see it during church, during family time have dinner or a movie out, at barbecues and picnics, on the beach. We’re supposed to be enjoying family, friends or life outside of work, yet our attention is diverted to our cell phones and iPads.

It’s funny how quickly we become addicted as well. I gave in to a smart phone a year and a half ago and already it’s something I can’t live without. Can most of my email wait until the weekend is over to receive a response? Absolutely! But I still check it several times while on the supermarket line, visiting the inlaws or watching my son’s taekwondo lessons. Do I need to update everyone on Facebook and Twitter to every step of my day? No. No, I don’t. But I do anyway. Chances are if I cut it down a bit you wouldn’t miss me.

Focus, Deb, Focus

We’re told multitasking is a good thing, that we need to wear many hats to succeed in this fast paced business world, but I’ll argument otherwise. To succeed we need to focus and do a job correctly and to the best of our ability. We can’t do that with half a dozen windows open or stopping to tweet from our gadgets every ten minutes.

I’ll argue that multitasking isn’t a good thing. It makes us rude, easily distracted people.

What says you?