If you haven't noticed, Gavin Heaton is displaying a new signpost. Yes, Servant of Chaos has been ranked in the Viral Garden's top 25 Marketing Blogs for the past couple weeks. Get on over to Servant of Chaos and congratulate him for putting up that logo!
GH is a kick-ass writer. A tireless marketer for conversation. He is one of the many who continues encouraging me on the blogging path. But he is particularly appreciated for a single key moment. Last August - three whole months into building this corner of the blogosphere - I discovered the "magic" of sharing conversation in this medium. Then I stopped blogging for about 5 weeks. Nobody ever accused me of striking while the iron is hot. I'd picked up this nasty belief that a post had to be perfect and had begun editing myself.
Things like - "Not good enough...nobody will find value in this...who would even care about what I've got to say?" became part of my vocabulary. Most of you know negative self-talk leads to - whaddya call it ? - nowhere. In September, Gavin left a comment on my "magic" post. It was simple...
"OK Bob ... where are you? What happened? where have you been"It struck me...here's a guy with genuine concern for the "other" ! In a nutshell, that is the worthiest of human virtues. Virtue is part of the magic and mystery of life. As Aristotle reasoned, virtue and ethics lead us on the path to happiness - the good life. Or so I understand :)
Its a habit. It takes practice. Thats how you build value in a community. Isn't that what marketing is all about?
Bravo, Gavin! You can be proud. You are an encourager of the first degree.
3 comments:
Hey Bob ... thanks for the kind words! You know, I often think about the title of your blog and how that it describes EXACTLY the nature of blogging. For me, one of the great joys is in learning a little about my readers -- engaging them in conversation, debate and even fun! The best bit is when it tips over from conversation into "relationship" ... and it starts, as you suggest, by "taking a moment". Thanks!
Bob,
You are correct -- Gavin is one of the best reasons to blog. Meeting people like him and getting to share in both his marketing knowledge and his genuine good guyness is plenty of reason for me!
Congrats on the cycling goal!
Drew
Yo Gavin...heavy on the fun! You have the ability to share that feeling with your readers. I'm thrilled you pick up on at least one of my main themes - one step, one moment, one reader, one comment, one relationship at a time.
And Drew - Gavin is one of the savviest marketers and great guys! As are you...the age of conversation - that's a title so descriptive of building community. Without the exchange, this activity at the keyboard doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
And thanks on the cycling - there's more to come in the following days and weeks - leading right up to getting on the plane to Omaha :)
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