This guest post is by Marjorie Clayman of Clayman Advertising.
Recently, it was announced that Richard Thompson was going to be awarded the OBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Your response, in any order, might be, “Who cares?” and “Who is Richard Thompson?”
Richard Thompson has a career in music that spans 40 years. He is a brilliant lyricist, but even more, he may be one of the best living guitarists out there. He was a member of folk rock super group Fairport Convention and he partnered with his ex-wife Linda in the 70s to make some fantastic albums. He wasn’t much of a vocalist back then, but now, even his vocal stylings are outstanding. And yet, Thompson plays small theatres and “intimate” concerts, and has a hard time enticing record labels to keep him on.
Richard Thompson is great, but he is not big.
Big? Or great?
Over the years, at any moment, Richard Thompson probably could have chucked his own particular style and his own particular skills out the window. He could have promised himself and his fans that it was for just one album, so that he could get his name out there. Then he’d come back to being himself.
So it is with blogging. You bring your own particular voice to your blog. You bring your own unique experiences and skills to your readers. But at any moment, you could say that honing your skills is not nearly as important as getting a lot of traffic. It’s so easy to think that aiming for “big” may be better than aiming for “great.”
Let’s face it—it’s probably easier to achieve “big” in comparison to becoming great in this competitive space. Write a few posts attacking big names, offer link bait, be controversial—you’ve seen all of those tricks in action. But are those bloggers great? Will you remember them in 40 years?
Aiming for greatness
If you want to aim for greatness instead of trying to be big, here are some tactics you could try.
- Look at how you can improve. Richard Thompson probably realized that his vocal work needed improvement. Instead of resting on his laurels, he worked hard, and it paid off. Look at your posts from the last month. What would you do to improve each post just a little bit?
- Blog outside your comfort zone. Stretch your limits. Attack new areas that will enrich your experience and that of your readers.
- Look at the content of the comments you receive, not the number. Are people saying that you helped them out or helped them see things in a new perspective, or are they just saying, “nice post”?
- Track your subscribers. Although this can be a metric for size as well, subscribing is an action people take when they are confident every post you write will be of interest to them (though they won’t read every single one). Are people placing that much confidence in you?
- Become a cult classic. While Richard Thompson may not be “big,” his followers are about as loyal as they come. Look at your readers. Do you have people who are not just reading your posts but gushing about them to their followers and their community?
You can be big and great
This is not to say that everyone has to be like Richard Thompson, toiling away in the genius room while only the Queen of England cares. But becoming “big” is often a function of elements that are out of your control.
If folk rock had really become popular, Richard Thompson might well have become king of the world. The Beatles became as big as they did in part because they caught a new sound just as it was growing.
But aiming for great? That’s entirely under your control. It is defined by you, it is measured by you, and it is something you do from the heart. It’s important to remember that greatness can help pave the way for getting big. Getting big does not promise greatness.
Have you been concentrating on getting big lately or have you been working on honing your craft? Which do you value more? I’d love to discuss it with you in the comments section.
Marjorie Clayman is Director of Client Development at Clayman Advertising, a full service marketing communications firm located in Akron, OH.
Hey very helpful for beginners . Thanks for sharing.
Glad to hear it. Thank you! :)
Being Great is not enough these days……..If you are great then you must be some what big too.
See pro blogger is great but regular readership,large number of blogging help posts,discussion in comments section and darren’s regular videos makes it big too.
I am for getting big and great~ but it somehow quite a long journey for me to walk on, as I am still quite a beginner down the road, yet.
I’ll put more effort and hard work to build a great and big empire~ :D
It’s a long journey for everyone – unless they’re cheating :) Hang in there!
Sure, it takes a while. I started a blog three years ago. I wanted it to be great. It took me three years to take it where I wanted it to be, but finally it is where I have pictured it three years ago.
Being Great is not enough these days……..If you are great then you must be some what big too.
See pro blogger is great but regular readership,large number of blogging help posts,discussion in comments section and darren’s regular videos makes it big too.
Definitely the case with music, and with literature as well, that sometimes when an artist attempts to go big, his /her greatness begins to suffer proportionally.
In an attempt to please everyone and win a big following, you might end up just marginally pleasing most, and you’ll soon be forgotten.
Well said! The most enduring thing is to find your “why” as they say. When people think of you, they should be able to say, “Oh yeah, that’s the person who…”
I’m still striving for that in my own Social Media work, but it’s a good thing to shoot for :)
Marjorie, Your post is an excellent example of the differences between BIG and GREAT, and proves that sometimes, one can be both. This is not that dissimilar from discussions I often have with business clients about being Influencial vs being the Market Leader – the former drives the market, while the latter may just simply outsell their competition (often due to prior legacy status).
I hadn’t thought of it in terms of big vs great – and for that, I owe you once again.
Nice post,
Fred
Thanks Fred. I think the conversations could be quite similar. It might be hard to be as influential in Social Media if you don’t have as many readers – a lot of it is a numbers game. But if the quality of your work continues regardless of how much traffic you get, people I think tend to notice that. Readers aren’t dumb. They know what they want, and they will let you know if you are providing it to them.
While I’m very much still learning everyday, I’m no longer such a newbie and at a crossroads where your post resonates. Thank you:I feel I’ll stress less now about how to get bigger by focussing on getting my content better first… Keep inspiring!
Glad the post helped you stress less. Getting content to a point you’re happy with shouldn’t be stressful either, though that’s easier said than done. Blogging is an artform – pretty sure Michelangelo didn’t start creating masterpieces right off the bat (though I could be wrong) :)
Most definitely greatness is not always recognized, but when it IS recognized, it’s recognized in a big way. I would submit that focusing on your craft is the primary and best place to focus. You can pull all the traffic in the world, but if your copy sucks then what good will it do you?
I know several who run low-key, very profitable businesses. It’s just not about fame for them; they could care less. It’s also entirely possible to be famous and broke. We’d be well-served to stop assuming that one goes hand in hand with the other.
Absolutely. And there are different definitions of fame, too. Fame and wealth, fame and notoriety. Who wants to be famous the way Paris HIlton is? Not me!
It’s all about your mission and objectives though. If you’re out to get fame or notoriety or money or all of the above, go for it! But your flame might flicker out faster than you realize when the tide turns against you. There are risks everywhere :)
Most definitely greatness is not always recognized, but when it IS recognized, it’s recognized in a big way. I would submit that focusing on your craft is the primary and best place to focus. You can pull all the traffic in the world, but if your copy sucks then what good will it do you?
I know several who run low-key, very profitable businesses. It’s just not about fame for them; they could care less. It’s also entirely possible to be famous and broke. We’d be well-served to stop assuming that one goes hand in hand with the other.
Most blogs when they start, focus on adding as much as content they can to breakeven and shifts from the “great” paradigm. But some of them midway starts to be qualitative than quantitative and they usually finds quality readers.
Very true – that’s why I’m a huge proponent of mapping out a strategy beforehand though, so that you don’t have to do all of that adjusting midstream. That can be tricky (believe me, I know!).
This was a brilliant post!! It has really spurred me on to look at my blog in a different way. Quality as opposed to quantity should be the focus. I will be paying much more attention to the way I put my posts across.
The addiction with blogging is spending too much time looking at stats etc….that is time that can be better spent working on how good our blog is.
Greatness is not an easy achievement but if we do not aim for the stars we will not get off the ground. I want my blog to go places – but above all I want it to make a positive impact.
Thanks for this thought provoking post.
Thank you very much. Very glad to hear that it helped you see things in a new light – that’s always something I shoot for.
You are right in that a lot of people get tied up into the numbers, and it’s so easy to do because there are so many of them. “How is my blog traffic?” “How are my RSS subscribers doing?” “How are my e-mail subscriber numbers?” On and on. And those are important to a degree – I’m not going to say that I NEVER look at that stuff. But I think it’s just part of the game, and maybe not even the most important part.
Yes I definitely agree that stats, patterns and traffic should be looked at – how else do we know if we are heading in the right direction?
Darren’s blog is big as well as great:P
This is true. Proof positive it can be done!
Thanks for this, it helps to have some direction as someone new to blogging. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how willing other bloggers are to help one another. It’s truly great, you know–knowledge sharing via different communities.
Yep, it’s one of my favorite things about the online world :)
Glad it helped!
Great post! It is an interesting perspective to think of big and great as two different goals. While it’s not a bad thing to have both goals, it is comforting to think that even though I may not be getting very big, I can still be accomplishing an important goal of becoming great(er). Don’t think I’m either one just yet, but your post helps me have a clearer vision of where I may be heading, and why I shouldn’t necessarily be frustrated if I’m not getting bigger.
Thanks!
Hi Vicki,
No, there’s no reason to feel frustration about such things. And besides, what does “big” really mean? To me, of course, this site is big (huge, actually) but to someone just starting out, my blog may seem big. In the end, everything is about your own yardstick and how you’re measuring up to your own objectives. That’s why it’s easier (in my opinion) to control greatness rather than size :)
I definitely think going with what you like/enjoy makes being great/big easier to achieve
That gets into the passion thing, which definitely helps. In the Richard Thompson example, musicianship and his music clearly are passions for him. It motivated him to keep improving. So it can be with blogging or, well, really anything!
A well written post with a good analogy used throughout to help explain. I do like it when authors use this tactic to get points across because it gives readers an excellent way to reference what they are talking about.
Hi John,
Thank you and glad to hear it! I wasn’t sure if my analogy would resonate with a lot of people since, well, as I mentioned, Richard Thompson is not exactly in the same league as Justin Bieber…but, I trusted the main point to get across anyway :)
I can’t believe you mentioned Richard Thompson. He’s one of my Dad’s absolute favorites.
Ah, excellent! My dad is the one who introduced him to me – must be a dad thing :)
This is a great thought. I have struggled more than once over trying to build traffic so that I could eventually and quickly build income from blogging. The more I read the more I realize that it is just one piece to a larger strategy. Thanks for the reminder to focus on what is important.
Thank you Marjorie, I really enjoyed this article. It has given me pause to think about how to look at everything I post and ask myself; “Will this pass the greatness test?” and if not…Why post it?
I have tried to do both and sometimes I’ll put things up that aren’t great just to fill a space…No more.
Thanks again.
Here is a link to an article that I wrote that has received a lot of very positive feedback.
Post it if you like.
http://www.acoollink.com/salesman-consultant
Julien Smith wrote about that about a month ago – how easy it is for bloggers to put something up there because we’re just itching to get it out there. But often times, we hit “publish” before really looking critically at every aspect of the post. Is that headline the best we can come up with? Is the post written as articulately as possible?
Always a good litmus test – see if it passes your own measurement of “greatness.” After all, that’s what REALLY matters :)
This is an amazing piece! I would rather be great and if big comes…oh the possibilities!
Thanks so much, Donna!
Yes, getting ready to be big is always a great plan – one that striving for greatness only can help along!
I’m trying to learn how to write well and give good content at the same time. That’s why I like blogs about blogging. There is such great information out there that has helped me improve. Even just a little improvement helps!
They definitely are parallel roads – being useful and also honing your craft. It takes time, but you can do it :)
Once again Marjorie nails it. Becoming great is about craft, value and sustainability. It’s about substance, style and value. I like that and must now get to work on greatness…
I think you’re pretty darned great as it is, sir :)
Marjorie,
Thank you for this post as it captures where my mind is currently. I’ve had some very good growth on my site but truly want every post to be “book worthy”. The challenge is always achieving both – expanding your audience with great quality.
Thanks again for your words. They capture where many of us are.
Brian
Hi Brian,
Great point. Sometimes in your efforts to refine yourself you may lose a few people. When Richard Thompson really started improving his vocal abilities, he started doing songs to capitalize on that, and they were a bit different than some of the things he had done in the past. Perhaps it turned some fans off a bit, but for others, it just made the experience more engaging and wonderful. It seems like a good risk to take :)
Thanks for the post,
Blogging is such a challenging field, I don’t think there’s a way you can have lasting success unless you really love it, and work hard at the craft. I’ve never heard of Richard Thompson before you introduced him in this post, but I’ll bet that the key to his work and perseverance is that he loves making music.
I wonder who’ll be the first to get an O.B.E. for blogging :)
Haha :) I guess Her Majesty will have to work out a whole new category -not sure the Knights did much with Twitter back in the day :)
I think this kind of thinking applies to our culture as a whole: Do you want to live a life well or do you want to make a lot of money? You can do both, but most of the time, the choice is mutually exclusive. We judge the quality of a person too easily by the amount of money he/she makes. Or the quality of a writer by how many books s/he has published. (Snooki 1; Rufus 0 but I’m still a better writer :-) )
What sticks in my head every time I hear arguments like this is an NPR show (I could not locate if I tried.. their website sucks for finding a past episode) but it was the one where there were some stock brokers in a cafe in NYC. Their logic is they were smarter than anyone in the room because they made more money and the taxpayers that had to bail them out were stupid. If the taxpayers were smarter, they would figure out how to make just as much. There was a lot missing from their logic, but they were willing to be oblivious to it. I hope they never have to survive by clock and fist.
We’re on a Smart=Rich culture that has permeated almost every part of our lives, including our education system. If something costs but does not return a profit, cut it. We start down that hole and it’s tough to claw back up. And it’s British, but still applies. Good read.
http://falseeconomy.org.uk/blog/save-oxfordshire-libraries-speech-philip-pullman-intro
Great comment, Rufus. You’re right -I think a lot of people are viewing the dollar sign as the ultimate signifier as opposed to maybe IQ or quality of work. And I suppose, given our society, that makes sense. You can’t buy anything with smarts. And stuff – that’s what gives us our standing in society. Kinda sad, actually.
It’s interesting the stockbrokers would say that the taxpayers were dumb. Seems like the taxpayers bailed them out…would you want to admit you got bailed out by dumb people?
Silly people :)
I think the stockbrokers feel they are even smarter because they were able to trick the taxpayers into bailing them out. To them, being bailed out is not a cry for help from a wounded sheep; it is a lure by a wolf dressed as a sheep. Once the taxpayer is in their jaws, they cast away their costume, thump their chest and yell, “sucker!” They remain the smarter of the species. Hard to argue an ingrained truth with fact.
Thanks, as always Margie. Another affirmation that money and popularity are OPTIONAL values. What mattered to Thompson and Lennon and T Monk (as musicians), was symphony and integration–moving sound and their sensory experience to deeper, more soul-stirring levels.
I got a lovely comment from E Vandenboomen that said a post was “funny while uplifting.” This is the soul of my art, and my highest aspiration. Worth 1000s of FB thumbs.
BIGness comes and goes, but the soul Richard Thompson art will never change. I will never rant; I’ll tell stories.
Keep up the good work!
Well, the examples you bring up are interesting. During the Help years of the Beatles, John Lennon and Paul McCartney would say to each other, “Let’s sit down and write a swimming pool.” In other words, money was very much on their minds. And in the early days of the Beatles, the band would say “We’re gonna be the toppermost of the poppermost!” That’s about being big, too. They weren’t saying, “Oh, let’s become the finest musicians out there.”
What’s interesting, though, is that once they got that big, they found their skills actually diminishing. The fans were so loud they couldn’t hear themselves play.
There’s gotta be a moral in there somewhere!
thanks Darren, let ‘s not forget that all great people were not just “copy&paste” but they made a difference providing something that was highly appreciated by others.
Nice food for thought post, Marjorie!
Reminds us there is more to good blogging than just numbers.. Thx!
Thanks for reading and commenting! Glad you enjoyed it!
It really is a shame when some bloggers completely overlook making their blog great, in place of focusing on driving traffic to make it big. Having great content and a “voice” is the only real way to keep people coming back.
Repeat traffic is a big deal. It is much easier to gain a few new followers all the time, slowly building, than it is to be constantly trying to find new visitors to fill the void left by your frequent mass visitor exoduses.
That’s a great point. I’m not sure how bloggers across the board analyze their traffic. If you have a huge spike one day, there’s not always a way to tell how many of those visitors were just passing through versus how many were people who keep coming back. That’s where the subscriber number can come in handy – if people keep saying, “I want to make sure I don’t miss a post” that’s a very big vote of confidence. Or at least, that’s how I take it.
Thanks for commenting!
Margie
We have to be perceived as great by our audience before we can be big. If the audience thinks we are great, they will share with their friends/followers and we get big. Big is numbers, great is what comes to mind when people think of you. To me that is more powerful. Sure I want the traffic but I want the qualified traffic, they buyers as well as supportive community members. Every reader is important but one time readers are promoting big and not great. Repeat and loyal readers are what makes the blog great.
Lovely to see you posting here.
Thanks Suzanne!
You’re right, in a lot of ways it is the decision of your readers (and your community at large) whether you are going to get “big.” Now, one could also say that it’s their call whether you are great, and there’s *some* truth to that. However, I think greatness is something you need to be able to see in yourself as well. If you don’t think you’re great, it’ll be hard to get your community to prop you up. If you know that what you’re doing is your best work – people can tell.
Absolutely. I talk a lot about finding the one thing that you are great at and establish yourself with that one thing. The other things that you may be great at or really good at will come once you have established yourself as doing the one thing great. Darren started with photography. Clayman’s has been really great at working with clients in traditional advertising and have built a very strong client base in certain areas like medical equipment manufacturers. While there is not the sexiness with a defibulator or a CAT scan machine as there is with the launch of a new vitamin water or a celebrity’s perfume, the agency has established that they are really great at servicing these manufacturers.
Being really great at the one thing that people get to know you for as I said previously does evolve into you becoming big.
I think my focus has to be greatness over being big. Getting big would involve the kind of self promotion and marketing techniques that I just don’t seem to have the aptitude for. But writing well? Creating content that helps people? That’s where I have the aptitude to excel.
I’m sure you have the aptitude. You just might not enjoy that facet of it.
I think about Jackson Pollock a lot in regards to this issue. He put out paintings that were completely, wildly different from the very start, and boy, people did not dig his work for a long time. If you look at them, they just look like a bunch of scribbles, and in some cases, that’s what they were. He had a hard time convincing people that his greatness was all of the meaning he infused behind those images. But he kept on going, and in the end, it all paid off.
You have to be sure enough of your work that if it comes down to needing to promote yourself, you can do it. But if you are not shooting for great, how can you know that you are putting your best foot forward/
That’s a good point. Why bother promoting anything short of greatness?
I really loved this post! As a new blogger who’s trying to “do it right the first time” I keep reminding myself that whether or not I make it big I can be “great” by giving something to my readers: a blog that provides them useful information and makes them laugh. Learning and laughter last long after the money is spent. Big blogs may bring more money, but money isn’t everything and a person who focuses more on the content of their blog than the income from their blog will probably make more money from it in the long run anyways because the content will be higher quality and people will keep reading!
Thanks for the inspiration, Marjorie!
Glad to hear it resonated, Vanessa!
Shooting for big, especially when you are first starting out in the world of blogging, can be really discouraging. I was shooting for just having any readers at all when I first started, which seemed like a pretty reasonable goal, and even that proved to be horribly discouraging. You need to keep on doing what you’re doing – keep your eyes on helping your readers and honing your craft. The rest will come, and meanwhile you’ve built a great foundation for yourself :)
This is a very interesting post.
I agree with you… you can achieve greatness without becoming big.
So, in that case, it would seem that one needs an strategy that allows for both greatness and becoming big if they want the greatest returns and impact possible.
I would say a blogger needs a strategy no matter what. You need to set up in your own mind what you are shooting for, how you are going to get there, and all of that other meaty stuff. I didn’t strategize nearly as much as I should have when I got started. I thought I could dip my toe in and get taken away by the tide. Nope. Doesn’t work :)
Glad you liked the post!
Very nice article. Some thing to digest indeed. thank you.
Very valuable advise. I do believe that whatever you want to relay to the public it should be wrapped around your personality and something personal about you. It makes reading more attractive and people will begin to get to know you and have far more interest.
Blogging definitely helps round out your online presence if you do it right. I would say you need to make sure, if you’re blogging for business, that you have the right kind of balance between adding the human touch and offering information your readers can use. The same holds true for a Twitter presence – be a friendly resource :)
Sometimes, market conditions and present circumstances require us to do both. However, being great is special, being big requires the rules of the day. I would much rather be great then grow into big as a result of my dedication, consistence and hard work.
I’m definitely not saying it’s bad to shoot for “big.” Sometimes, especially if your blog is a money-making device for you, big is necessary. But – it’s not the end of the story!
Hi Clayman – I appreciate the inspiration in this post. Message of the day: IMPROVE.
Looking back at your older posts can really help identify where you can improve. In almost every case there will be something that you’ll notice that you would’ve have done differently. It leads to a “what was I thinking” moment!
Thanks for the tips!
Very true. I thought I was really blogging well when I first started. Now I look back and think, “Um, what was I looking at?” But that’s good. I hope that the process continues. I hope I can look at the posts I’m writing now a year into the future and learn more about how I have improved or how I can improve.
Very important to do that – great point!
Well, as Confucius said, the 1000-mile journey begins with a single step! And it applies to blogging just as much as everything else worth having in life.
There’s some serious information here that is great for everybody to use, whether ‘big’ or ‘small’. I’ll be coming back to this article and putting the info to good use.
That means a lot to me, Stuart. Thank you!
I agree great article. I do giveaways to increase followers but I don’t just want followers for the free gifts and not my content. I had a chanel polish giveaway and did earn quite a few new people but only lost 1 so I didn’t think that was bad. I would prefer followers who appreciate my content and my original photos than who are just looking for the next freebie. I see so many bloggers with large giveaways and I find that hard to keep up with. I am hoping to become one of the best NYC blogs out there, as I know there is room for more than 1 , and I think it is getting there. I just work on giving them original articles and photography and let it do it’s job.
I have been getting into many events in NYC and will be covering the 2011 Phillie Flower show as press so hopefully I am doing something right!!!
I always hesitate when people talk about freebies for exactly the reasons you mention. I would feel like it would forever be hard to tell if people were coming to actually read my posts or if they were coming hoping to win another prize. I love my readers, but I don’t want to buy them, I want to earn them :)
That being said, in some cases, if you do it right, freebies can help get you attention in your niche. If the freebie is relevant to your community, it can definitely be a winner, and it sounds like that’s what you provided.
Best of luck!
Marjorie, this was an excellent post. A rarity, actually, among the many that exort bloggers to market their blogs with an aim to increasing numbers and income. You’ve put blogging – or at least a certain type of blog – in persepctive, and it’s a healthy one.
I was one of those who vaguely hoped that my blog would grow by leaps and bounds, but began to feel a little uncomfortable about winning readers simply for the sake of the numbers. I am fortunate to have a steady group of readers who often engage in real discussion, and with whom I have developed relationships away from blogland.
I liked your refreshing point of view, and was most interested to read about Richard Thompson. An excellent example for many of us. Thank you.
Thanks, Deborah. So glad to hear you enjoyed the read. And hey, if I can send more fans Richard Thompson’s way, I’ll feel even better :) He deserves all of the accolades he can get!
Thanks for your comment. I appreciate it!
Marjorie –
I write for a small niche market, so I doubt it will ever become big, but great feels easily within reach by tapping into what my readers are seeking and expanding on it. Thanks so much for the encouragement!
Not a problem, Carol. And remember, “big” is relative. You could become the biggest blog in your niche. And the greatest! Keep going!
Well I find this piece very interesting and an indicator that I am heading in the right direction for me. Just recently I have begun to think that I do not need to be a “big” blogger, that I would rather put most of my focus on what I am good at and become “great”. That, I have determined, is what is most important to me. My blog is small and for sure needs to grow, which most of us all know is a journey in and of itself. I am sure that I am not alone when I say that at times I get discouraged. But when I do, it never fails, that is when the women come out in one way or another telling me what my blog means to them. Always amazes me! Anyway, thanks so much! You have confirmed things for me.
You’re definitely not alone, Shileen. For me, it’s been discouraging to see how few comments I get despite the many readers I have visiting the site and reading multiple articles (based on blog stats). At times I feel like I’m talking to myself and try to remember that my site’s not even a month old yet. But you’re right…whenever I start to feel my most discouraged, gobs of people I don’t know will start sharing an article on facebook, or someone will take the time to send me a private message about how much they appreciate the site…and I never fail to be in awe of it. :)
Discouragement is definitely a part of blogging that I was not ready for in my first few months of my journey. There are so many people who make it seem so easy – I figured if I put in a lot of time, everything would start clicking. You learn your way around that lesson pretty quickly though :)
Sounds like you have the perfect relationship with your community – you provide info for them, they tell you what they need. That’s great!
You caught me by surprise. I scan ProBlogger for hints on building my blog tech quality and quantity. Yours went to the heart of content and the long, slow road to a satisfying level of “greatness.” Self-defined it can lead to contentment, possibly to the dark side of arrogance. Defined by others “greatness” is enduring and most satisfying because it’s a gift that’s earned. I’ve just competed a series in my http://www.gendads.com blog on comparing “success” with “significance.” I hope you don’t mind my taking your thoughts to add one more layer, “big” vs “great.” Nicely done.
Always honored to find that other peoples’ thoughts are enriching my way of thinking while I’m returning the favor. I agree though, greatness is most sure to make you feel like your time has been worth it. Money does what it does, but in the end, we really use money to get other stuff (some of it quite important like homes, cars, etc). But greatness is something that feeds your soul – it gets to a place where other stuff can’t quite reach. And it shows for your readers – I truly believe that.
Find me on Twitter and send me the article when it’s done! :)
Wonderful points! I love your advice about comments. The quality of the comments is SO much more important than the quantity. I’d much rather have one, “You really helped me through a tough time!” than 20 that say “Good post.”
I also totally agree about pushing yourself past your comfort zone. Writers, like everyone else, become stagnant and, well, stale, when they stop growing.
Great article!
Thanks! I appreciate it :)
It is great to move outside one’s comfort zone. The only problem being by way of contradiction that one should not stray excessively from what one knows otherwise one’s blog might because an unfocussed rambling mess.
This is true! Don’t push your readers beyond their comfort zone with you – good addendum to add!
I see so many live and die by the numbers and wonder why they bother. I’ll take a heartfelt comment by someone who says they were moved by something I wrote or never looked at a situation in ‘that’ way before and feel content that I helped someone. I have a small but loyal following and that’s good enough for me. We tend to help each other and I like that.
That said, I would like to grow and expand my readership like anyone else who blogs, but I will take the turtles approach instead of the hare.
thanks for a very good post. I’m going to tweet it now.
Thanks Barbara. Love adding Aesop into the mix. Great addition to the conversation. Slow and steady wins the race, even in Social Media :)
When I first started out in my blogging journey. I never really thought about trying to become great, I still don’t. I will leave that for the book I’m working on. Does my blog really have to become great to make 5,000 quid a month, which is my aim. I made 2000 quid last year so I still have a long way to go, but I have got plenty of time…
What is your book going to be about?
I think setting a monetary goal is a good way to go about it, but I would say that also analyzing what kinds of posts make you feel the most positive about your blog is a good measurement too. Keep the joy along with the work!
That’s a great analogy, Marjorie and you used it very skilfully! Your conclusion ” It’s important to remember that greatness can help pave the way for getting big. Getting big does not promise greatness” is.one I take to heart because simply striving to be better at what I do is already my path!
Fran
Glad you liked it, Fran. Thanks for your comment!
I like this post and the entire site it’s on, I was looking around for a place to advertise my URL to tell you the truth when I stumbled on this place and have been a loyal reader ever since.
This reminds me from the comments on my blog that it’s not always the one’s that say “great post” or “awesome blog keep up the good work” that help me the most…it’s the one’s that tell me what I’m doing wrong, IF they aren’t just being a jackass and rude.
Regardless if we’re trying to get big or not, I think we should always learn and get better, if not anything else…then just try to get better at becoming bigger. Learn more about advertizing, ways to do it, etc.
We should always strive for something better than the fluff bullcrap that most people do in order to just get cash or some sort of online fame. More people should give more value like this site does.
Great post, Marjorie, and a timely reminder for us all about the quality of our work. There are plenty of examples of big blogs that lack any real merit. A bit like the Hollywood identities who are famous for “being famous”, rather than for anything that they have actually done!
And, as a HUGE fan of Richard Thompson, I have to congratulate you on the example!
Ah, excellent! So great to see a few Richard Thompson fans coming out. I was worried I was going to get a great big, ‘Um, yeah, who?” Which would have broken my heart :)
Thanks for your comment!
My blog will be great one day. Thanks for your excellent articles!