This comment from yesterday from Brian Driggs hit’s the spot on why most blogs miss out on the greatest value they have – their readers – by failing to showcase others rather than themselves:
It’s hard for me to posit why showcasing is so rare, as it’s been at the center of my online activities for 15 months, now. I’d tend to agree with you that it’s an ego thing for many. After all, the essence of the blog is sharing one’s opinions, so if those opinions draw an audience, isn’t that reinforcement of self-worth? Paging Ego to the white courtesy phone!
Our core focus at Gearbox is interviewing others, sharing their stories, publishing their opinions on the issues directly affecting our community. With so many people sharing across social technologies these days, it can be easy for some voices to get lost in the din.
We simply give individuals a moment in the spotlight to introduce themselves, share the high and low points of their journeys, and get their voices heard over the others, one at a time. We’re trying to make responsibility, effort, and “doing it right” more popular, hopefully inspiring conversations surrounding what works, how it works, and why it works, all while gently suggesting we’re all part of a diverse, global community without boundaries.
The things we have in common make it easier for us to accept (even understand) our differences. As gearheads, we generally come together in pursuit of building high performance machines, but our goal at Gearbox is to empower people to build high performance lives.
It’s my life’s work, actually.
Your Leading Thoughts
- Why go most blogs miss out on the greatest value they have?
- How are you tangible showcasing your community?
Archived Comments
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Love this! As you always say ~ in countless angles and ways ~ it’s all about the people. Take vanity & ego out of the equation.
Right on, Scott!
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It’s funny that I found this post today because just in the last few weeks I have begun answering readers questions in my blog videos. Even including a screenshot of their question with their profile picture and video. This engagement with my audience has not gone unnoticed. The people who I mentioned in my videos are definitely more involved now than ever.
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Stephanie totally. Of course, you are rather experienced at doing this – any tips for us on how you put the ego down?
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Brad I love this!
People respond when they can actually PARTICIPATE and share in the reward
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http://gearboxmagazine.com
Thank you for this, Scott.
Now, if we can just get our community as active as the friends here on your site, we’ll be 10 feet tall and bulletproof (or at least feel that way). We’re working on it! One of the tricks is presenting the information in such a way as to get our readers to come to the conclusion, above, on their own.
How do we perceive the truth – when stated by others vs. by ourselves?
So many exciting conversations have been coming to light lately…
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Brian
I find off-the-blog engagement helps if you haven’t already done that. Strike up a phone call with a few of the key influencers and ask them to help…
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http://gearboxmagazine.com
We’re definitely doing that, Scott. There are currently six people on the Gearbox team, and though I’ve only met one of them in person, we are all involved with our community socially (including face-to-face) in our geographic areas.
This conversation gets me thinking we ought to ramp up our efforts to communicate our goals to the community.
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I TRY to declare my intention and make sure there is utility in what I’m sharing. Focusing on what the recipient will get out of my sharing, as opposed to what I get, how I look or feel, makes for more authentic communication.
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Well, when we get to posting your post I’m sure we’ll see some great advice!
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I like that – focussing on the recipients outcome. Really requires a secure person who has no need for self gain
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http://gearboxmagazine.com
I’m sure of it. This community is great!
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