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Quick! Say the first word that comes to mind.

…

Was it “change?”

“The change we need.”

“Change we can believe in.”

Obama owned that word in 2008. His masterful social media campaign gets a lot of the credit for that.

Do you love the power of words? Do you relish them?

Most blogs consist entirely, or almost entirely, of words.

Words can create. Words can destroy.

Words wield scary power for businesses.

Your blog is going to help or hurt your business in 2009.

How careful are you about the words you use or avoid on your business blog?

What are you going to do this week to become more so?

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What is The Visionary Blogging Links Series?

Every Friday here at Visionary Blogging, I’ll share the best URLs I’ve discovered over the past week that have to do with business blogging or professional blogging in general and blogging/social media strategy in particular.

I promise to only share links of the highest quality, and never more than 10 per week. You deserve the cream of the cream.

Since today is the second Friday of 2009, we’ll call this week’s edition “Weeks 1-2.”

By next week I’ll create a centralized page where we can keep track of all the links throughout the year and have them organized for maximum usefulness.

You’re welcome to suggest links, of course. Just leave a comment here or contact me directly.

Links, Please!

Okay, here you go. For January 1-9, 2009, our Visionary Blogging Links are:

1. Cultivating a Writing Habit by Chris Brogan at ChrisBrogan.com on January 4, 2009 – Read, write, write. Chris gets right to the heart of a critical blogging skill.
2. How to use blogs to build your SEO strategy by Benjamin Fitts at Home Business Blogs on January 6, 2009 – I love the idea conveyed by this article and its accompanying image. Plant linking seeds in various spots of online ground and watch your online presence grow.
3. How to Become a Better Blogger by Jonathan Muller (as a guest post for Yan Susanto) at thou shall blog on January 7, 2009 – Learn more, network more and use your blogging time more wisely.
4. TweetBacks WordPress Plugin by Dan Zarrella at DanZarrella.com on January 8, 2009 – Whether or not you use WordPress, Dan’s new plugin is important to know about because it signals an emerging trend among professional bloggers: the displaying of links found on Twitter at individual posts on a blog. They’re like trackbacks, Twitter style! I’ll be trying them out very soon right here.

I challenge you to read each link carefully and get to know its author.

That’s it for this week. Stay tuned for next Friday’s VB Links!

Which link is your favorite?

photo by slideshow bob

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When you’re looking for the perfect flower to give to your lover, do you want any bent petals?

When you order a meal at your favorite restaurant, of course you don’t want it to come out to your table

half-cooked.

But is blogging like that?

Patrick from Spiritual River left this intriguing comment on my perfectionism/procrastination post:

When it comes to blogging and perfectionism, one of my irrational beliefs is that if I can just make the perfect post, if I can just come up with a truly useful and mind-blowing post, then somehow this will skyrocket my blog to popularity.

I’m starting to see that this is never true. It’s not that great and polished content isn’t important, or that it has no value. The real question I need to ask each day before pushing publish is: “is this content concise, and is it relevant?”

I think the irrational belief in my head is that the only thing that really qualifies as being “perfect” for a blog post is something that is:

1) Useful
2) In depth (long)
3) Polished (good grammar, no typos, maybe an inspirational pic or two)

But I’m starting to think that the better recipe for link-worthy posts is:

1) Insanely useful
2) Concise (shorter)
3) More relevant (the post delivers more thoroughly on what was promised in the headline)

I think those ideas work well with the concept of eliminating perfectionism and getting out concise posts that get to the point.

Thanks Patrick.

The Role of Perfection in Successful Blogging

There’s a time and a place for perfection – wholeness, completeness, error-free-ness.

I’m using “perfect” not in the sense of “incapable of becoming better,” but rather “not requiring any changes.”

When you insist (as I sometimes have) on only publishing blog articles that feel “perfect,” you run several risks.

1. Wasting time

I’ve written recently about how not to waste time in your blogging. Waste is when you don’t put something to the best possible use.

In the case of your blog, the time you spend on building it is precious. Every extra minute spent editing a post is a minute you could be spending to write the next post, or to network with blog readers and commentators, or to learn a new blogging skill.

2. Stifling feedback

There’s impact and then there’s feedback. Perfection often generates tremendous impact but discourages  thoughtful response.

Have you ever poured your heart and soul into a blog post and found that no one seemed to notice – even though you begged and pleaded for input and suggestions and follow-up thoughts?

Could it be that your content was a little too good? That readers felt its power internally but felt that there was nothing left to say except, “Great post?”

3. Being boring

Did you watch swimmer Michael Phelps in the 2008 Summer Olympics?

How about golfer Tiger Woods in the 2008 US Open?

The most fascinating moments during the victories of each man stood out for their imperfection.

Phelps losing his goggles. Phelps finishing with a chopped stroke to win by a hundredth of a second. Woods secretly wincing through a double stress fracture in his left tibia and still (just barely) beating everybody else.

Blowouts in sports are boring (except for diehards). Blowout blogging is boring too.

4. Alienating your blog readers

When your writing is too clean, too flawless, you risk scaring people a little – or causing them to view you as prideful.

Moral: Don’t always try to be Superman.

Bleed a little.

So when is blog content perfection a worthwhile aim?

When you’re striving to achieve an effect that requires it.

Dan Zarrella could have written a stub instead of a perfect (as in complete, not needing correction or addition) viral marketing glossary. I think he chose the perfect route because he wanted people to talk about his glossary as a polished product and not a work in progress.

If Dan had wanted instead to get a bunch of people together to create a glossary of terms, there would have been no need for perfection – in fact, he probably would have intentionally avoided the appearance of completeness.

Is there such a thing as the ultimate perfect blog post?

I’m not saying there is “The Perfect Blog Post.”

Just that there is always “A Perfect Blog Post” for each time you sit down to compose – or, maybe more accurately, a set of potential approaches that could be considered perfect.

And that sometimes (but not always) you shouldn’t blog that way.

And the choice depends on your vision for your blog.

I sure hope this post ain’t perfect. I really need to hear what you have to say in the comments below.

How do you decide to write a “perfect” blog post or not?

photo by nosha

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One of the most common questions I ask in reply is this: “What’s your overall vision for your blog? Where do you want it to take its target audience in the next 12-24 months?”

Once they answer that question, they’re ready to hear what I have to say about how to improve their blog and get the results they want. Here’s why the blog improvement process ultimately hangs from the feet of vision.

1. Vision is Light

I’m being abstract here, yes. But think of vision (or strategy) as light. The clearer your vision of what your blog can become and why you have it in the first place, the brighter the light shining on your blog and the easier it is to spot the areas in most dire need for improvement. The murkier your long-term goals, the darker your blog improvement blueprints and the harder it is to figure out the nuts and bolts of what you ought to do with it.

Take blog monetization/ROI, for instance. Sometimes the underlying long-term growth strategy for a blog is for it to generate ever-larger reams of money. On the other hand, maybe the blogger’s vision is to simply build a tight-knit community of friends who love the same niche subject. Can you see how the blog improvement process diverges depending on the nature of the path the blogger imagines traveling?

2. Vision is the Center; Processes are the Spokes

Picture a bicycle wheel. Your blog is that wheel. Your growth/ROI strategy for the blog (or one aspect of it) is the hub in the middle. All the spindly spokes sticking out from the center are the individual growth processes and methods and tactics you will use to make your blog worthwhile for you and those to whom you address it.

So if you’re looking to beautify your blog design, that’s the center of its own wheel. Make sure you get a razor-sharp picture of what constitutes that center. Maybe it’s that you want a better design in order to tip prospective customers over the edge and convert them into faithful followers. Maybe it’s that you really just want to attract more honeybees to the computer screen (in which case I recommend bright colors).

Once you decide where you want to end up, it becomes so much simpler to determine how to get there.

3. Vision is the Power to Point The Leaper

I love the mantra, “Leap and the net will appear.” Christine Kane was the first to teach it to me.

Imagine yourself on a platform suspended in space. Around you in every direction are invisible cargo nets hanging hammock-like in the black. I guarantee that if you truly leap, I’ll make sure you land in one of them.

You just have to decide which direction to jump in first.

So What?

So if you want someone like me to help you make your blog better, you need to think about your vision for the blog before anything else. Before you set a budget. Before you decide on a color scheme. Before you choose which flavor-of-the-month social media website you want to dominate.

And of course I’m willing to help you clarify that core.

Because with the core correctly placed, all else flows naturally.

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That’s because I am literally forcing myself to write it just once.

You see, I struggle a lot with perfectionism – wanting things to be done perfectly – especially when I write for you.

That’s a good desire. But I sometimes – okay, a lot of times – allow that to supersede the need for deadlines and regularity.

So I’ve published quite a few blog posts that probably took me several hours too many and generated an effect only slightly more powerful than the versions I had written in just a few minutes.

Not that it’s always best to shoot first and think about questions (or conversations) later.

Just that I personally need to learn to stick to a publishing schedule, come what may.

So as an exercise, I’m going to make myself publish this post, polished or not, 10 minutes from the time I write these words.

The second struggle goes hand-in-hand with the first. It’s procrastination. When I want something done marvelously, I often put off working on it until I’m “ready.”

Ever read that old email forward where it talks about how to write a college paper, and it gives like 40 steps and about 10 of them are “sharpen your pencil?” I’m not at that extreme, but I am definitely guilty of saying, “I’ll do that later when I’ve got a bigger block of time and fewer distractions.”

This isn’t an apology post (although of course if I’ve ever offended you in any way and haven’t resolved the matter, I deeply apologize and pledge my best efforts to make things right).

More like a conversation starter.

Guess who sparked these thoughts? My wonderful wife.

I’m one of those blessed souls who married not only their best friend, but also someone who is way smarter than them.

She toasts me every time at Scrabble. I’ve never beaten her at thumb wars.

And she has incredible wisdom that sets my blogging mind straight.

So she gave me some advice on how to be better in my business, which is blog consulting.

I’ve got a ton on my plate right now, but that’s no excuse for working ineffectively.

My wife’s advice was essentially this:

Do each thing once, for as long as it needs to be done, and then stop.

And in the case of a blog, it’s get the post up and pass the baton to the readers for conversation to flow.

I love her guts.

And I care about you who just read this post.

I hope you find this inspiring, or at least a small motivation and enouragement to get more done while “doing and redoing” less.

No more perf and proc!

Any tips on overcoming this two-headed demon? It sure is a blogger’s productivity nightmare.

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I’ve been working with business blogs full-time for over three years. I know the secret to easy blogging success.

Trust me: I’ve learned this easy lesson the hard way.

Ready?

Here it is. Here’s the grand secret to smooth sailing in your business blogging.

Hard, hard, hard, hard, HARD work.

…What’s that?

Not the answer you wanted to hear?

Well, sometimes I don’t like it either.

But it’s the truth.

The path to maximum business blogging success is paved with work, work, work.

Compared to work’s spiciness, every other ingredient for successful blogging tastes as bland as bleached wheat flour.

Here’s my mantra: “I will do my best to work harder and smarter today than I did yesterday.”

So look closely at your professional blogging skills and habits. Evaluate what you did yesterday and ponder what you will do tomorrow.

And then get out there and work like a beast.

The easy way is the hard way.

So if you want blogging to become easier, just work harder.

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I don’t wanna spend my life jaded, waiting
To wake up one day and find
That i let all these years go by wasted

The other day I listened to Wasted by Carrie Underwood.

It hit me hard.

It also prompted these thoughts on how not to waste your time blogging. I hope you find them not to be a waste.

1. Plan Regularly

Regular, smart planning is the single best way to ensure that you don’t flush a ton of blogging time down the pooper.

I like to take a few minutes at the start of each blogging day to plan what to do, when and for how long. I also start each week and each month with brief planning sessions.

A little planning can go such a long way toward eliminating regret.

2. Spy on Yourself

Planning without review is wasteful. So after you make plans, keep close track of your blogging activities.

Hold yourself accountable for what you do with the time that is given to you each day. Ask yourself: “How could I have made better use of my blogging time today?” And: “How will I do better tomorrow?”

Remember: When performance is measured, performance improves; when performance is measured and evaluated, the rate of improvement increases.

3. Find Your Smelling Salts

One time I snorted a petri dish of ammonia on accident. Hit the floor pretty quick. But I’ve never forgotten the powerful effect.

Everyone has something that galvanizes them even on the limpest of days. Find your smelling salts and smell ‘em when frittering or malaise threaten to destroy your effectiveness.

One of my smelling salts is music – so much so that I often can’t help but include songs and lyrics in my blog posts or Twitter updates. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stopped myself from wasting time in my blogging just by hearing or remembering a powerful song.

What’s a smelling salt for you?

4. Want not, waste not

I am a voracious reader. I also get easily distracted. This is why I try never to visit Digg unless my blogging work is truly done for the day. Ah, probably shouldn’t have included the link. Oh well.

Control your desires and appetites and you’ll have a much easier time avoiding waste in your blog-related activities.

For example, social media websites can be a great place to network with your target audience and promote your blog in a natural way. However, it can be tempting to lollygag on the intertubes while your blog itself waits for your attention.

If you find yourself wasting time doing things you want to do rather than things you have to do, limit the time you spend on those activities.

Structure your activities so that you are less likely to encounter potential time sinks. Don’t write your posts when people are likely to call you. Don’t sit facing the fridge when you’re starting to get hungry. Etc.

Think about it: The less you want, the less you waste. It’s not always best to approach blogging that way, but it’s worth some pondering.

If you want better results from your blog, want less and do more.

5. Caballero no más

This incredible Spanish phrase basically equates to “cowboy up” or “just do it” in English.

I once lived in Perú. There I often had jobs that were demanding and tedious.

Sometimes a forced smile and a firm “caballero no más” were my only way to maintain the stubbornness I needed to git ‘er done.

So when you’ve got a lot of blog post writing to do or an email inbox busting at the seams or a nasty blog design problem, grit your teeth and say, “caballero no más.”

And then ride fast against the wind.

Where All This Leads

Introspection lies at the core of the Visionary Blogging mindset.

The more you think about how to use your time well, the more likely you are to enjoy your blogging and become a successful blogger.

As if you could kill time without injuring eternity. Thanks Henry.

Nothing brings remorse and misery faster and harder than the realization of wasted time.

Few (if any) bloggers know this better than I do. I have killed so much blogging time that it’s a wonder if I’ve got any eternity left.

But you can always learn from your mistakes. And that is never a waste.

You can never undo or redo. But you can – and by using the advice above, I hope you will – learn and eliminate waste from your blogging.

I don’t wanna keep on wishing, missing
The still of the morning, the color of the night
I ain’t spending no more time wasted

Your Turn

What other techniques or tips do you know about that can help bloggers save time and make good use of their blogs? I would love to hear your experiences and insights.

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Those are the three most despicable words you could ever say as a blogger. Or as a professional.

Or as a human being.

I don’t matter murders your faith, your hope, your courage.

I don’t matter exalts your despair, your doubt, your fear, your failure.

I don’t matter may be why you stopped when your blog stuttered. Why you looked back when it got hard. Why you remain silent.

Why so many bloggers will skip Blog Action Day. Why one more person will die alone.

I don’t matter is a lie. A damnable lie.

I don’t matter shoved me mercilessly to the very brink of doom one dark night in 1998. Those three words would have murdered me had a dear friend not rescued me from the abyss with an embrace I shall never forget.

If you never listen to anything I say ever again, listen to these two gloriously true words:

You matter.

And so your blog matters.

You will never know in this life how great a difference you will make and how many lives you will bless through your devoted service.

Remember these words. They saved me 10 years ago. They may save you or someone through you someday.

Please show this to a friend who needs it.

Thanks to Darren for the inspiration.

Photo by junku-newcleus

—

Note: This blog is all about blog improvement. It’s what I do for a living. And I believe the best way to improve your blog is to sharpen your sense of vision and purpose – for yourself as well as for your blog. The rest becomes so much simpler after that.

Thank you for coming. I hope we can get to know each other.

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On this fine Blogtipping Day, I’d like to blogtip the whole world of business blogs for a minute.

If I had 60 seconds left before my blogging voice was silenced forever, I would leave you with these three classic business blogging tips.

They are near and dear to me above all others.

And they are crucial to visionary blogging.

1. Listen.

Stop talking.

Be still. Observe. Pay attention. Seek awareness before anything else.

Listening enables deep conversation – the kind that builds relationships of trust.

And trust is the single most valuable thing you can cultivate through your professional blog.

A business blog works best when it listens more than it talks.

2. Learn.

Never stop learning.

Learn what your blog visitors want. Learn what tools work best. Learn what content strikes the most pleasant chords. Learn what else you can do to improve your blog. Learn from every interation, every conversation, every meditation, every setback.

3. Lose.

Stop trying so hard to win.

Lose your pride. Lose your fear. Lose your doubt. Lose yourself in the service of your blog readers.

You will win more customers and fans this way than by any other approach.

Your Turn

Thanks to Deb Puchalla for daring me to do this.

If you had 60 seconds left to share your best business blogging advice with the world, what would it be?

Photo by Zed.Cat

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