This blog used to really have some value, some reason to stop by. It used to be full of thought-provoking pieces, or at least pointers to where I was writing such stuff.
Lately, I’ve been catblogging. I’ve been talking about where I’ve been, where I’m going, and stuff that relates to what I’m doing for a living. I’m aware that this isn’t exactly compelling reading, so thank you for the 300 or so folks still stopping by daily enough that FeedBurner counts you as my friends. I appreciate that.
The problem with me has always been that dis-interest in sticking to just one topic deeply, which is how most blogs of any value or worth are written. You don’t go to Engadget to hear about their day. You go to learn about the latest Blackberry or PS3 news. You go to GigaOm to learn about Web 2.0 and VoIP and mobile news.
Except for friends, and I love you all dearly, there’s not a lot of value to the stuff I’m writing on here. It’s more like “Dear Diary” lately, or that’s how I’m feeling about it. If this were a column in a new media newspaper, I’d cancel my subscription.
Is this holiday blues? Maybe. But this is also me thinking hard about the months ahead, and what I’ve got before me, and it includes the 20 or so domains I own, the dozen or more websites I used to maintain (all mostly digital ghettos now), and the incredible lack of cohesive, interesting content on this, my flagship site.
It’s great to be all things to all people, until someone tries to define what you’re doing. The best I’ve come up with lately is my current job title, Community Developer. I’ve been doing this in the absolute. I’ve been out there growing all the various parts of the new media realm, and trying to hitch them up to the traditional outlets. To me, the new media all on its own will stay too insulated to be of mainstream value unless it finds its way into the mix. To me, the old media will crumble and support less and less of mainstream thinking unless they learn how to integrate with the new media types.
Catblogging. Catblogging.
I have to think. I have to really clamp my skull down. One issue is that I haven’t had my personal medication for days. Caffeine. I just put a cup in me, and I feel only the realization that I have been a rudderless ship for months. Not related to work. Just related to me. I am NOT interested in letting life lead me. Fuck .
Whatever.
As long-long-long time readers and friends know, this moment usually signifies the next rebirth of Chris. It’s how I do it.
But the funny thing is, there are SO FEW people who understand my perspective, and for the first time, I mean EVER, I feel like I actually work for someone who understands how I think to some great degree. No square pegs. He gets it. My wife gets it. So, the two that control the larger part of my calories in a day outside of myself get me.
So… as always, the issue is up to me.
Stay tuned.
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i’m sure you’ve already figured this out, chris, but just so you know, i read topical blogs to get news/info, and i read blogs about people i think are great/interesting because i think they’re great interesting. i’m not here for info, so i don’t care that you’re not providing any. :)
i suspect a lot of other people are doing the same.
Who gives a crap what chrisbrogan.com has to offer?
You work for network2.tv as a Community Developer, right?
Stick with that - nobody who visits your site (except that one guy) pays your salary.
Just put whatever you want on here, that’s why I keep coming back, to see what you’ve decided is important to you.
When you don’t post for 3 days, then I think that you are really busy, or there was a plane crash.
Michael B
Remember what Steve Garfield said and repeats over and over again until we finally get it.
He subscribes to PEOPLE.
When I first saw that for his sponsor page at PodCamp, I thought he was kidding, that it was just a fun poster to put up on the wall. As I got to know Steve more and more, I realized that it’s a major cornerstone of his whole philosophy and outlook on life - and that I subscribe to people, too. I just never codified it as such.
ChrisBrogan.com is the ultimate people subscription. Catblogging or no, maybe you need to reinvent yourself, but CB.com is our subscription to you.
You can’t stop writing this blog as I live vicariously through you and your many live and cyber adventures. I, for one, feel pretty intimidated by the sheer volume of amazing bloggers out there (yourself included) who comment on technology and the future of marketing, etc. and need blogs like yours that are focused more on the humanity of the humans behind technology than the technology itself. This is not intended to be negative to those great blogs; but if I had to choose between reading about great people who I like and the latest rumor/gadget/whatever, I’d go with people everytime. I mean, I’m typing this message at 11:50 P.M. the night after thanksgiving in a hotel room while my wife and kids are sleeping. I don’t need more information - I need connection! Keep it up, Chris, and remember that we read your blog because you cut through the bullshit and talk to us like we’re real, nominally smart, and worthy of your attention.
I read ChrisBrogan.com because I know you and I want to see what you’re up to. I think of it as a message board, where you post your thoughts and then, hours or weeks later, I can come in and post mine. It’s a poor excuse for an instant messenger window, but it works the same way.
I would also be reading here even if I didn’t know you. However, I’ve been reading far more often now than I did before we met professionally. Then, the items you posted that were “of value” to a theoretical audience weren’t always of direct value to me personally. But now, even when you’re stuck in an airport for an hour and have nothing to say otherwise, I feel I get more value from that, in a way.
I guess the questions is, Who are you looking to provide value to, and how? People you know (or who want to know you), about things that happen to you and things you care about, or people you don’t know, and about information you’re claiming to be an expert on?
Derisive a word as it may be, there’s a reason catbloggers have loyal readers — nobody wants a pitch, they want a story, and even better, a conversation. Mostly, they just want other people.
I have to agree with Justin wholeheartedly. After meeting you I’ve set up a feed directly to your blog. I don’t know if I would have been inspired to do so if it wasn’t for podcamp.
It has also inspired me to subscribe to other blogs similar in nature. Blogs about ideas and thoughts, catablogging as you’ve called it. I used to think that news and technology blogs were the only site of value. But I’ve grossly underestimated inspirational blogs such as this one. Seeing what other people are doing, a glimpse to how they are doing it, and sometimes seeing video about them makes new media more tangible to me because I’m seeing the people behind the creations. It’s not just text, pictures, or entertainment its a direct link to the person putting their thoughts and ideas out there for the world to see. Which inspires me to do the same.
When I first started blogging a few years ago (I didn’t know it was blogging then, I called it updates ha ha) I had a real hard time putting my thoughts out there because I didn’t think they were of value. But as my readership grew I started to connect with more and more people who inspired me just as much as I inspired them which resulted in me continually putting my stuff out there. So the moral of my story is please don’t stop doing what your doing, don’t ever serialize your posts, and let Chris be Chris. My value in reading your blog is your story and your thoughts. A reality novel if you will.
Happy Holidays and don’t be a stranger.
Just catching up on a backlog of posts, and I need to jump in to concur. Chris, I don’t even DO what you do — I’m working on a blog and it doesn’t even involve video — but your blog, in great part because it is so personal, in other parts because it’s so real, and also for other intangibles I can’t explain, gets me motivated and inspired. There’s obviously something about seeing the man behind the curtain that captivates people. So hey, catblog away!