Everything has changed.
I remember when I first discovered computers.
I was in high school when Radio Shack came out with their TRS-80 Model I personal computer.
I remember going to the store and staring at it... ogling it... feeling the power of its keyboard...
Hey, I guess I just wasn't into girls yet. That time came along eventually as well. ;-)
Oh, those were the days.
I worked at the food court at the mall (Northbrook Court in the Chicago suburbs), and when I finally saved up enough money, I bought one of those suckers.
It was 4K of pure raging microchip power!
Yes, you heard me.
Not 4 MEGABYTES. 4 K. 4000 bytes of memory.
There was no hard drive.
Heck, there was no FLOPPY drive.
Nope. The save and load storage device was a cheap radio shack tape recorder.
Want to save a program?
Type "SAVE" and press play and record on the tape recorder.
Want to load a program?
Type "LOAD" and press play. And then wait for it to load.
Yes, those were the days.
I'll skip by the rest of my computing bio for now, though maybe I'll share it one day as it is pretty darned interesting.
Fast-forward to 2007.
Web 2.0 is in full gear.
Traditional media is scrambling to figure out why they are losing power and influence.
It's because of technology...
And You!
The internet now provides each and every person with a platform... a way to publicly share their individuality, opinion and expertise.
It used to be that only newscasters, politicians, sports figures and entertainment celebrities had the ability to share their thoughts and feelings to the masses.
Not so in this day and age.
Anyone can do it!
Now we've got Matt Drudge reaching millions of people each day with stories that you may not hear on the nightly news.
People get /.ed or Dugg, and their influence grows.
You Tube and Google Video are bringing talent out of the woodwork (along with some talent that ought to stay IN the woordwork...)
Anyone can be a star!
What Andy Warhol said it truer now than ever before.
Everyone can have their 15 minutes of fame.
That's one of the reasons I love my blog.
Before I ever wrote a book on AdSense or Internet marketing, I was blogging.
I wrote movie reviews, travelogues, analysis of current events and whatever else I wanted to.
These days, I write more about making money online, though I am already planning a redesign of my blog to provide a more realistic glimpse into my life.
Let's face it. I don't go walking around in a suit all the time.
But I do smile a lot. So that won't change. :-)
I've used my blog to share my displeasure with a local furniture company and ended up getting a warm customer service call from their headquarters.
I've used my blog to share my experiences with a MLM company that I was displeased with and now have the single most popular page on the web for discussing that company.
And I've used my blog to raise funds for an organization that helps orphans in third-world countries.
So what about you?
Are you using your platform to make your ideas, opinions and expertise known to the world?
I am a firm believer that everyone should be blogging.
It's easy to do. If nothing else, go to Blogger.com and set up a free account. It's free and you can get started right away.
What do you write about on your blog?
Whatever you want! It's YOUR blog!
In fact, because it is yours, you can share your thoughts and ideas freely, as long as what you are writing isn't illegal or immoral.
For ages, the mainstream media has given special attention to the policital and social opinions of celebrities who we love because they act well or sing beautifully.
But that doesn't give them the credibility to wax eloquently on the war in Iraq or the fat content of an Oreo cookie!
Yet, they are frequently presented as credible authorities just because they are popular.
Well guess what?
You may not act well or sing beautifully, but I would bet their your opinion and take on topics of the day is more thoughtful and insightful than these so-called experts.
I'm not saying you should turn your blog into a rant on liberals or tree-huggers, though you certainly may choose to do so.
I'm saying that you should use your blog to express yourself freely. Let people see who you are!
As you do, you may gain a following and increase the size of your platform.
And as your readers comment on your blog, the dialogue takes on a life of its own, evolving and changing to communicate with the masses.
If you set your mind to it, you can be an agent of change... an influencer.
The blogosphere belongs to those who blog.
Write on, my friends.
Write on.
And don't forget to leave YOUR comments here!
It's Del.icio.us!
Furl It!
March 26, 2007 08:42 AM
Amen!! David Spade appeared on Letterman back in 1999. Letterman asked his take on the presidential race. Spade said he had a problem with the emphasis on actors' political opinion. He then said, in his weasley sarcastic tone, "Hey, look at me! I'm an actor. So, I must know how to run the country!"
March 26, 2007 10:40 AM
Thanks for the inspiration Joel! Sometimes it's reading something like this that gives you the A-HA moment to actually do something. Thanks again, Bill C.
March 26, 2007 11:32 AM
Joel,
Having been one of those TRS-80 users myself, I enjoyed your story (brought back many funny memories).
I remember spending hours typing in the "code" that my husband would read to me out of the Tandy Magazine. When it was all entered, we would try to run it and :( - no such luck. Would have to go back and check all the code again. We tell our kids this story and they laugh. Thanks for the laughs.
Laura
March 26, 2007 01:22 PM
Dear Joel Comm.
Responding to your blogging
advice, You have changed me
in the way you to go forward.
It is that taking that first
step and keep on going.
If I am not wrong I am going
to start a blog on a relevant
to one affiliate.
I will come back to you how
I get on.Many Thanks to you.
March 26, 2007 03:50 PM
Hi Joel, I started to blog last year, but stopped because I thought I did not have much to say that anyone would be interested in. That is the excuse I use. I will start posting again so I can get better at putting my thoughts down. Thanks for the kick in the b***.
March 26, 2007 08:19 PM
Joel, I love your comments. I do wholeheartedly believe we can establish as much credibility as any actor. A question: If you have several interests within a niche, is it normal to have more than one blog -- perhaps with one "umbrella" URL? I plan to have a flagship website, but it's going to take some time to build, so I want to start my blog soon.
Also, how do you get the header design? Any ideas?
March 28, 2007 11:57 PM
Hi Joel
I really love and appreciate all your thoughts. I think you are born to be a writer. As for myself, I need to improve my grammar,my english is not that good. So blogging is not for me although I would love to share all my thoughts or experiences to all. Many thanks!
April 28, 2007 05:26 AM
Peace people
We love you