It’s the People
On my blog I finally took the time to think through what I believe. On my blog, people asked what I meant by what I said. On my blog that I dared to think and to dream — out loud and with commitment.
On my blog, my head and heart connected to the people I met.
The relationships I’ve made as a blogger have made me better as a marketer, a better writer, and a better human being. Here’s how and why.
I’m a better marketer.
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As a blogger, I live with my readers. Every morning, I meet the folks who read my blog. I know by their response, or the lack of it, whether I’ve hit the mark. How could I be more intimate with my “customers”? As a publisher, I used to think I knew a thing about readers. I didn’t know anything compared to what I know now. Now I know what they are thinking. They tell me.
I’m a better writer.
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As a blogger, I came down off the podium. I learned not to tie everything up with a bow. I quit lecturing and started listening. That’s when the real thinking and idea swapping started happening. Real people read what I wrote and added their own thoughts. When they did, I learned to write with my own voice, no self-consciousness. My relationship with words became my relationship with the people who read them.
I’m a better person.
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As a blogger, it became about the conversation. How could listening to folks talking back and learning to talk in my real voice not lead to an improvement? Suddenly, it wasn’t about me. Suddenly, everyone was an opportunity to get to know one more incredible person who offered something to learn. The more I bring to the folks who come to read, the more they give me. My readers make me smarter, better every day.
How has my blog changed how I think of relationships? It’s only made them more dear, more important, and more cellular to every letter, every link, every learning that is in this text.
I can’t imagine looking at any part of my blogging career without seeing the people who in a word, have made me who I am.
The people of blogging have made me a better person.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
One2One is a cross-blog conversation. Find the answer at dawud miracle on Monday. You can see the entire One-2-One Conversation series on the Successful Series page.
In Case You Missed It: Writing 06-13-07
