Here’s the first little bit:

Lately, I’ve been thinking that we have too much data. We can collect data all day: Web site stats, sentiment analysis, survey results. The thing is, if we never act on what we’re collecting, then it’s just as bad as not having collected the data in the first place. For instance, one of my jobs is as a professional speaker. I’ve never yet prospected my email newsletter list for whether I could find speaking gigs there. When I finally took some time to look, I was stunned by the quality of companies I could reach with my messages.

Read the rest here.

What do you think?

Before you ask, because the technology minded of you often do, this particular mindmapping software is called Mind Node and it’s for Mac. There are plenty of tools for Windows and some that operate online. I think Steve Rubel covered some a while back, but I’m too lazy to Bing the exact title. That’s not exactly the point.

The way I use mindmaps is that I start with my main idea, and then figure out the “branches” I’ll want to talk about. Think of them as the main points of my speech, in this case. From there, I can then think about these ideas separately, and then expand upon them. For instance, as I think about the goals that people might want to attain when thinking about the new marketing world, I might add the following:

So, in this case, I just add a few ideas. These lead me to think of other ideas. Some might swing over to the “capabilities” branch, as I explain what I think would drive these goals. Others might lead me to the “ecosystem” branch, as I want to talk about the set of tools that would drive these goals and empower these capabilities.

Mind maps are a great tool for getting your jumbly thoughts into a framework. From there, you can work backwards and forwards on ideas without the “weight” of lots of words to slow down your thinking. Then, by the way, you can use the words you’ve put down as the titles of slides, or as the headers to paragraphs or as the notes on your note cards for your speech.

What happens, often, when we write, is that we look at sentences as this whole big thing. We get worried about transitions. We think about the tasks the entire paragraph has to put off. Or, when we create slide decks for speeches, we get caught up in finding visuals to illustrate our points before we’ve really mapped out our points very well. In all cases, the “stuff” of the final product gets in the way of the frame of what we’re putting together.

That’s where mind maps excel (or one place where mind maps excel).

What about you? Do you ever use them to write? What other uses are you finding for mind maps?

It’s practice. Practice the verb, in this case.

The Spark of an Idea

Last night, Kat and I were at Ruby Foos in Manhattan for dinner after a movie. The server, Jenna, was pretty good at her job, but when it came time to try and sell us dessert, I noticed a flaw in her service. She said, “Do you think you’re going to have room for dessert?”

The answer to this should always be no. To say yes is to say that you’re gluttonous. It also isn’t very appealing. It requires more questions.

Instead, if Jenna had said, “We make the most amazing molten chocolate cake here,” I might have raised an eyebrow. Even if chocolate isn’t my thing, my head would immediately go to the dessert I wanted, but then I’d already be shopping for it. Make sense?

There. That’s the spark of an idea. Just a little moment in time with a server at a restaurant, and I have something to talk about: suggestive selling and the benefit of leading your prospect.

Sparks are everywhere. We just have to look for them. I look every day. Need more help? Use your phone’s camera. Snap weird things that you see. I write many blog posts based on weird photos that I snap.

From Spark to Fire

Having a good idea is one thing. Turning it into a blog post is another. If you want the complete rundown of what I do each time, check out 27 blogging secrets I’ve given you here. In short, for a blog post to be useful, it has to be useful to more people than yourself.

Fires start when you get them in many minds. If I share something of interest to me, that might only stay a smoldering spark in my head. If I share something that you can run with, now we’re talking. That’s the goal. Always look for ways to turn your spark into a fire that will fuel other people’s imaginations and set them to burning with new ideas.

The Actual Practice of Writing

I’m writing this to you while I’m waiting for someone to get some webinar software rebooted. I find time like this everywhere. I wrote about this in 2006 when I covered time quilting. The thing is, you have to practice writing when you can. I don’t think it’s good enough to say, “I’ll write every morning,” or “I’ll write after the kids go to bed.” When I say this, I understand that you have to find time where you can, but the actual practice of writing is something I want you to try doing all the time.

How?

Think about pieces to write. Jot notes about those pieces. Record little snips of audio or leave yourself voicemail or write on the back of receipts. Whatever you can do, think about what you’re going to write.

Grab paragraphs where you can. I’m writing this paragraph in the back of a town car in the Lincoln Tunnel in New York City. This piece of writing has officially been crafted in three places (I started in an airplane).

Read other people’s stuff. This actually counts as writing practice, provided you read as a writer, and then develop what you need to do to make your writing better from it.

Publish often. Another place where our practice falls down is that we keep tons of drafts of things around, but never publish. Here’s the truth: If it’s not out there, it doesn’t count as much. (Journal keepers, I don’t mean you. Put down the purple pitchforks.) Get your work out there onto the web, onto blogs, into the hands of other people, whatever. Get it out there. The more you publish, the more people will take swings at it, the more people will riff off it, the more you’ll get the chance to get feedback.

If At First You Don’t Succeed

I spent a good chunk of my life believing I was destined to be a fiction author. The moment I threw that away, I found great success writing my blog and then writing a New York Times bestseller. Life throws curveballs. Don’t forget that the practice of writing might lead you somewhere you didn’t anticipate. Be open to this as much as you’re open to anything else in your experiences. You’ll sometimes surprise yourself.

And keep writing. Keep practicing. Keep trying new things. The only way to improve is to work with it, to practice, to learn from what others are saying about you, to learn what you think about others.

So, Practice

And in that practice, share what you find. Okay? Do you find that when you share what you’ve learned it helps you and others? I do. Maybe you will, too. And I hope you share it with us.

What else? What did I miss? What can you add to this?

Photo credit C.C. Chapman

The first thing I did after finishing the book was rush to see if Scott had a blog. (Obviously, he did). Second, I checked to see if he had a Twitter account (Obviously, he did.) Third, I went to see in both places whether he engaged with people. (He did).

The Opportunity for Authors

Things have changed. Fans are no longer silent onlookers in the experience of books (or art of any kind). They are participants. At the 2009 Tools of Change conference, Bob Stein came up with this new definition of a book: A book is a user-driven media where readers and sometimes authors congregate.

Let that sink in. A book doesn’t have to be a rectangle of paper. We know this. Trust Agents isn’t just paper. There’s an audio download, a kindle ebook version, etc. But that’s just one facet: the media.

If a book is a media where readers and sometimes authors congregate– CONGREGATE –it means that authors get the opportunity to build relationships in a whole new way with readers. It means that the stories don’t have to stay linear, that the ideas don’t have to stay on one side of the page, that the experiences don’t have to end at the edge of the page.

Not all authors won’t want to interact. Several are already trying their hand at the Twitters and Facebook Fan Pages of the world. Some are just trumpeting their book’s virtues. Others are interacting and making relationships happen. Some authors just want to bury themselves in their writing and produce content. That’s not a bad choice, as such.

But the opportunity to empower your audience to actually be a community is a huge one, and shouldn’t be shrugged off without consideration. Not only could authors create differently, should that be of interest, but at the very least, they have the chance to build relationships of value, that will work in their favor for future projects.

I see that when I see how Scott Westerfeld and Paulo Coehlo interact with people on Twitter. I see several other others taking the opportunity to make relationships happen. And then, I see several who either use the tools to simply crow about their books, and/or I find several who don’t bother with the tools at all.

Seems like a missed opportunity to me. What about you?

Oh, and I strongly recommend picking up Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. It’s a really well done book. I can’t wait to read book two, but then, I see he’s been out researching its setting on his blog, so I know I’ll have a while to wait.

As with any time I cover this topic, I’m speaking to people who seek to blog somewhat professionally or about their profession. If you’re writing for the love of it, I’m not talking to you. Keep doing what you’re doing.

Write Better Blog Posts Today

First off, let’s talk about subject matter. I think one of the ways that blogs get into trouble is that they go all over the place. It’s great that you’re well-rounded. We don’t tend to read like that, as humans. For ever “variety” magazine or TV show we consume, we usually focus down into a topic. Now, should you keep multiple blogs? Yes and no. You should start with one blog, grow the audience, build its following into a community, and then consider launching a second project. I’ve (almost) never seen anyone launch two or more blogs of quality at once. I’ve seen them launch one, get it huge, and then launch a new blog, but rarely ever two from the bottom.

Subject Matter

I don’t know that writing yet another social media blog that covers all things social media is going to cut it any more. The space is saturated, and yes, you’ve got your unique ideas, but your unique ideas are still going to have trouble finding air. Instead, seek a niche within it. Look for a way to corner a certain aspect of what you love about social media, but one still broad enough to give you multiple topics. OR, and I prefer this idea, find an area of the universe to cover, and then align your social media posts to that. For example, write tips on cooking for your restaurant’s blog, and in that, your social media expertise will shine through.

Above all else, when choosing your preferred subject, consider writing about something that will be useful to others. Equipping other people to succeed (like I attempt with this blog) is a great way to build your prominence within the space. If you’re really into knitting, don’t just write that you love knitting; show people how you created that amazing iPhone cozy, and explain why you prefer wood to aluminum needles (hint: airport security).

Goals of the Post

Before you write, consider what you’re seeking. Do you want the post to drive a sale? Do you want it to engage your audience? Do you want the post to handle some mechanical goal, such as receiving more links, more bookmarks, and thus improve the rank of your site? Maybe your posts only serve to point out that you’re the thought leader. Know your goals before you post. Here’s why.

If you want a sale, write very briefly, driving towards a call to action. If you want to engage your audience, ask them questions. If you want more bookmarks, write something long and encompassing, or with many resources embedded. If you want to be a thought leader, write succinctly, with one main idea and support of the idea per post. Realize that each post serves a different function, and so make sure that you satisfy the goal of the post.

Titles Matter

There are two dimensions (at least) to considering how to title a post. First, if search traffic matters, write a title that someone might Google, meaning: don’t be too clever. Second, if clever matters, think long and hard about your title, as the value of the title often drives people to bother reading it in their RSS feeds of the day. Think on those two angles long and hard. A title can make or break a post. No, really.

Style and Language

I try to write in a conversational tone, and yet informative. This is my choice of style. You might choose a more formal tone. You might choose a more conversational tone. Blogging, overall, is a bit more conversational than traditional journalistic style, written as if you and I are conversing. This suits most people just fine.

A caution about choice of words: a great piece of advice a professor once gave me was this: “tell it to me like I’m 6 years old.” Ken Hadge said that’s what he told anyone trying to sell him something the moment they used a large word. The other day, I spoke in front of a huge international audience. I used the smallest words I had, except for one: serendipity. I had never considered how hard to translate that word might be to other cultures. The definition of serendipity is: the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident. I could’ve found another way to say it, or could have bolstered up the original use of the word with a simple definition. Because I missed this, I lost some small part of my audience.

Words matter. Choose yours for an inclusive audience. Everyone knows you’re smart already. Save the big words for your crossword puzzles.

The Call to Action

No matter what you’re writing about, the post should have a goal. The best posts also tie that goal to a call to action. If the post serves an attempt at a sale, then the call is easy. If the goal is to incite comments, then well-considered questions will do the trick. If you’re seeking something mechanical, a call to action might not be as necessary, but it doesn’t hurt. Think about your call to action after you’ve drafted your post. Ask yourself whether the goal you started with is where you ended up. If not, should you rewrite? Should you rename? Should you try again? It’s up to you. But be clear about whether you delivered what you intended when you started the post.

Other Considerations

Do you want deeper engagement? Then link to previous posts within the existing post. Do you want to promote community? Then link to other people’s posts. Want to have repeat visitors? Promise a series, and create a tag that gathers the series together. I did this with my Overnight Success series. Always be thinking on other ways to drive value into your posts. The more you can give others, the more they’ll give you back, in loyalty, in continued interaction, in mechanical things like links and bookmarks, and in the ways you derive value from your efforts.

Troubleshooting

And finally, if no one’s reading your stuff, you’ve gotta consider why. Is it bad writing? Is it too long? Is it not visually broken up for people’s eyes to scan? Is the topic too minor for people to consider? Or are you posting at the wrong times? There are lots of things to troubleshoot. Just don’t leave it be. Try something. Try something with each new post. Change one element at a time and see if things improve. Oh, and if it’s just that you’re not getting comments, try commenting on other people’s posts for a while first. Comment a lot. Don’t talk about your blog. Talk about the posts you’re reading. That often gets you some new traffic and some new friends. Especially, and here’s the bonus trend, if you comment on non-A-list blogs where the people are just as grateful for the traffic as you’ll be when they visit.

Your Mileage WILL Vary

And yet, that’s part of the game. Go out. Experiment. And let us know what works. Fair?

Further Reading:

My Best Advice About Blogging

How to Blog Almost Every Day

How to Use Your Blog for Stock Answers

How to Think of Blog Posts

100 Blog Topics I Hope You Write

Blog Topics for B2B Customers

Photo credit nutmeg

Here are a few examples of “stock” answers I share with people often:

• What do you do? – http://bit.ly/cbbio
• Where can I learn more about your speaking? – http://chrisbrogan.com/connect
• How do you follow 108,000 people? – http://www.chrisbrogan.com/how-to-manage-twitter/
• Where can I buy Trust Agents? – http://bit.ly/buy-ta
• How do I start listening? – http://www.chrisbrogan.com/grow-bigger-ears-in-10-minutes/
• Do you ever sleep? – http://www.chrisbrogan.com/no-i-dont-sleep/

You can do this yourself. There are probably tons of things people ask you repeatedly. What would your stock answers be?

Photo credit mescon

For the rest of us, let’s talk about discipline and the blogger’s opportunity.

Every time you post, you build an opportunity. It might be for making business. It might be for sharing thought leadership. It might be the chance to build some new relationships. Mechanically, it might just be another attempt to gain better organic ranking from Google. But each post is an opportunity.

To obtain any kind of value in these opportunities requires discipline. Consider these points before each post.

Discipline and the Blogger’s Opportunity

• Show up – First, just be there. By writing a blog post on a regular schedule, your audience knows to expect you. They come to accept the flow of your efforts. Farmers have this relationship with their systems. It shows stewardship.
• Deliver value – Bring your best game as often as possible. We all have “barely functional” days, but more often than not, if we’re earning people’s respect, our efforts must be something of value to our reader. Writing about ourselves doesn’t cut it.
• Improve – Your great post from a week ago doesn’t give you a hall pass. Learn from those posts that don’t hit. Experiment. Read other great writers in your vertical and outside of it. Deconstruct what they’re doing and try to improve your game.
• Clarify your desire – If you’re seeking a specific result from a post, guide your audience to that result. If you’re seeking sales, make the call to action obvious. If you’re looking for comments, invite a dialogue at the end of your post. It’s yours to win.
• Do your part – Blogging isn’t all about your blog. Have you commented lately on others’ blogs? Are you sharing using the various social sharing tools? Be a good neighbor and help other bloggers by sharing, commenting, and adding value to the ecosystem.

If you’re wondering what it takes to get your blog up to the next level, to see business results from your effort, to grow your community, these are some points to consider for every post.

Need more advice? See My best advice about blogging. I’m here to help.

What do you think? How are you with discipline?

Photo credit chrisada

How to Think of Blog Posts

1. Answer questions. You get emails with people asking you for your thoughts on X. Write the post instead of just replying to the email.
2. Take pictures. I see strange things out and about. When I snap them with my cameraphone, I have a post waiting to happen, when I think about how that thing applies to the people I write for.
3. Read blogs way outside the scope of what you write about. I use Alltop to find topics far outside of my blog’s topic. Amazing what I learn about from fishing blogs.
4. Think about what’s next and work backward.
5. Mash two ideas together and explain them in your own words.
6. Write about ways to improve your industry or space.
7. Write speeches that you’ve yet to give on a stage (see also: How to Start Speaking At Events).
8. Rant. Yes, I’m afraid that good old rants and complaints are still a powerful anchor tenant of most blogs. Know who rocks this well? Justin Kownacki.
9. Point out people doing the good stuff. That’s what I prefer to do instead.

Those are just some ways. How do YOU think up blog posts? Where do you get your ideas?

photo credit, Kristian D

How to Blog Almost Every Day

1. Read something new every day. Need a starting point? Try Alltop. (Hint: read something outside your particular circle to get new thoughts).
2. Talk with people every day. I get many of my topic ideas from questions people pose to me, or through conversations.
3. Write down titles and topic ideas in a notepad file. ( I’ve given you 100 blog topics and another 20 blog topics just to get started.)
4. Maintain a healthy bookmarking and revisiting habit. I use Delicious.com
5. Find 20-40 minutes in every day to sit still and type.
6. Follow an easy framework. Here are 27 blogging secrets to start you on what I mean.
7. Get the post up fast, not perfect. You can edit if you have to, later. Perfectionism kills good habits.
8. Dissect other people’s posts to understand what makes them tick. The more you understand of HOW they write, the more you can take the best parts of it into how you write. (hint, my 27 blogging secrets post gives you my patterns.)
9. Find useful and interesting pictures. I use Flickr photos licensed under Creative commons for most of my photos. This helps me sometimes get a great photo for a post I already have in mind, but it also gives me post material sometimes.
10. Think about what your customers and prospects need. I write from the perspective of the communities I serve. Every post is aimed at something I believe will be helpful to my community in some form or another. This focus takes some weight off my worries about what I should write about or not. I write about what my community needs.
11. Mix things up by sometimes blogging on paper first.
12. Mix things up by writing guest posts for sites that aren’t like yours. This gives your mind new formats to think about. I did this recently as part of a project and I loved it.
13. Mix things up by changing the lengths of your posts: some long, some brief. Learn what makes an impact how.
14. Never worry about throwing up the occasional “best of” post, once you get enough material. Example: here’s My best advice about blogging.

It’s not easy, but once you develop the habits, they stick with you. I’m writing quite regularly now, but it took me several years to get my groove down to a science. Some days, it’s still thrown off. Busy schedules can get the best of us, no matter what. That said, try to keep some content “in the can,” so that you’re rarely at a loss to keep your audience happy.

What do you think? Any other ideas to add?