Friday Quick Hits: The premise is simple, I write it in 20, you read it in 2 – and we all feel smarter and catch up on the week that was around the world of blogging. Here we go…
56 reasons to start a blog…but don’t take my word for it
Wondering if you should start a blog? First, stop wondering and go do it! But if you need a little more reaffirmation of what a blog can do for you and how it’s changed another man’s life. GO read Sean’s post over at Location 180. He’s culminated over 50 reasons why you should – and I happen to agree with every single one of them. Brilliant!
Want to make money? Treat your buyers like customers
Emily Jasper takes a look at B2C relationships with the plea that as customers, we want to be treated as such – with value and respect. I take it a step further in the comments and say, not only do we want to be treated as valued customers, we want to be treated as valued human beings. Building relationships with your community and customers is the foundation of any good business.
It’s OK to stay “Close to Home”
Sam takes a very “real” and personal look (one of the things I truly love about her blog) at the idea of staying close to home. With people everywhere uprooting their lives and moving to a new place, starting new jobs, etc (sound familiar)? The bottom line – staying close to home is OK to – you don’t HAVE to be constantly moving and shaking – and there’s something to be said for being content with where you’re at.
Liberating Yourself from Fear and Routine to Achieve Greatness
Sticking with this “real” theme – Lindsey Tramuta wrote and outstanding guest post over at Untemplater on the idea of Location Independence. In short, it’s not all working from the beach, sipping wine, and mingling with rich so-and-so’s. Location Independence is hard, and it takes a lot of planning to get there and strong will to maintain. If this is something your considering, take the advice of someone else who’s been there, done that.
3 Reasons Why Expertise Costs Money
I love this post by Amber Naslund – especially for her point about “mistakes costing money” - The reason we hire outside help and consultation? Well, a big reason is because we don’t have the time, energy, or funds to make mistakes – in some cases, it’s extremely valuable to pay someone who’s been down the path before to come in and show you the way. What’s most important to me, and what I do with everyone I work with, is not only showing them the way, but teaching them how to get there themselves in the future.
Why People Aren’t Reading Your Guest Post Series
And last – Ryan Stephens sparked a great discussion on his blog earlier this week about the concept of “Guest Post series” – which is obviously something I know a lot about with The Inconvenience of Change series I ran back in May. Are they interesting or are they completely overdone? What does it take to keep your interest throughout these series? Stop by Ryan’s blog and share some of your thoughts…
Side-note: While I have you here – be sure to stop by and check out Srinivas Rao’s new project, http://blogcastfm.com/ – he’s interviewing a TON of upcoming bloggers and putting together a sweet ebook recep (Blogger Gems). Good stuff coming out of his camp.
I empower visionaries and hustlers to do the work they want to do and live the life they want to live. A self-made entrepreneur, brand-expert, writer, speaker, thinker, creator, doer, and Saved by the Bell aficionado, I examine life through a "less restricted" lens and frequently get nostalgic about the 90's. 
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Hats off Matt, I think what you do here is let us connect with some more wonderful people like you, The best post from these would be from Sean as it is practically inspirational.
Thanks for sharing all the good stuff……
That’s the goal – introduce you to some blog posts and people you might not have been aware of or might have missed. Sean’s post is a great all-inclusive look at why you should be blogging. Thanks for stopping by!
Hats off Matt, I think what you do here is let us connect with some more wonderful people like you, The best post from these would be from Sean as it is practically inspirational.
Thanks for sharing all the good stuff……
That’s the goal – introduce you to some blog posts and people you might not have been aware of or might have missed. Sean’s post is a great all-inclusive look at why you should be blogging. Thanks for stopping by!
Matt, thanks for including me. I feel like the more time I spend in your community, in others, the more value I continue to get. There are some bright minds that you’re helping me surround myself with, and that’s something I hope you continue to do. Kudos and have a good one!
No problem Em – loved your post this week. Hope everything has been going well – we need to hop on Skype soon and catch up! Have a great weekend!
Matt, thanks for including me. I feel like the more time I spend in your community, in others, the more value I continue to get. There are some bright minds that you’re helping me surround myself with, and that’s something I hope you continue to do. Kudos and have a good one!
No problem Em – loved your post this week. Hope everything has been going well – we need to hop on Skype soon and catch up! Have a great weekend!
Thanks for including the discussion taking place at RSM in your Friday Quick Hits Matt. Dare I say it rivals some of the discussions over here? Is there a better feeling than having a post spark a such a thoughtful dialogue in which we have the ability to learn so much from other smart people?
Hope Friday finds you well hombre.
Not much better feeling that that – I agree man. Cheers to you my friend – and have a great weekend!
Thanks for including the discussion taking place at RSM in your Friday Quick Hits Matt. Dare I say it rivals some of the discussions over here? Is there a better feeling than having a post spark a such a thoughtful dialogue in which we have the ability to learn so much from other smart people?
Hope Friday finds you well hombre.
Not much better feeling that that – I agree man. Cheers to you my friend – and have a great weekend!
Hey Matt,
Thanks for the shout out
. I think you could technically collect a royalty from me everytime I mention you in an interview at this point 
. I love these Friday quick hits and yes I do pretty much cherry pick new interviewees every time you post this. Let’s connect soon about bringing you back for our weekly panel episode that we record.
Well it’s all cyclical Srini – you find people here, but I get inspiration for future blog posts by listening to your interviews with my brilliant “colleagues” – for example, your interview with Nicole (@MsCareerGirl) left me walking away with three new post ideas – what goes around comes around my friend.
As for the weekly panel shindig – shoot me an email, I’d love to be a part of it.
Hey Matt,
Thanks for the shout out
. I think you could technically collect a royalty from me everytime I mention you in an interview at this point 
. I love these Friday quick hits and yes I do pretty much cherry pick new interviewees every time you post this. Let’s connect soon about bringing you back for our weekly panel episode that we record.
Well it’s all cyclical Srini – you find people here, but I get inspiration for future blog posts by listening to your interviews with my brilliant “colleagues” – for example, your interview with Nicole (@MsCareerGirl) left me walking away with three new post ideas – what goes around comes around my friend.
As for the weekly panel shindig – shoot me an email, I’d love to be a part of it.
Hey Matt, great round up. Loved the 3 reasons piece by Amber, and your point about teaching folk how to get there is spot on. I don’t want power over folks, I want power with folks. Keep it going
That’s my mantra Doug and that’s how I “sell” myself – not working for, but WITH people, allowing them to be as hands on as they want and learning every step of the way. Hands down the best approach in my opinion.
Hey Matt, great round up. Loved the 3 reasons piece by Amber, and your point about teaching folk how to get there is spot on. I don’t want power over folks, I want power with folks. Keep it going
That’s my mantra Doug and that’s how I “sell” myself – not working for, but WITH people, allowing them to be as hands on as they want and learning every step of the way. Hands down the best approach in my opinion.
Matt,
Thanks for the mention, and it looks like you are continuing to kill it with your creative ideas…I mean who turns themselves into a slave for a day?? Now that I am settled in BKK lets setup a Skype call soon, its long overdue!
Cheers,
Sean
Hey Sean – let’s do it man. Drop me an email sometime and let’s figure out a time that works for both of us to sit down and chat. Talk to you soon!
Matt,
Thanks for the mention, and it looks like you are continuing to kill it with your creative ideas…I mean who turns themselves into a slave for a day?? Now that I am settled in BKK lets setup a Skype call soon, its long overdue!
Cheers,
Sean
Hey Sean – let’s do it man. Drop me an email sometime and let’s figure out a time that works for both of us to sit down and chat. Talk to you soon!
(((The premise is simple, I write it in 20, you read it in 2 …)))
I go from reading the linked posts to checking out the rest of the blog/website – much more than two minutes! Like others have said, great stuff; thanks for providing those links!
Haha yes, I guess it does take a bit longer than two minutes to get through it all. Thanks for coming by Lo!
(((The premise is simple, I write it in 20, you read it in 2 …)))
I go from reading the linked posts to checking out the rest of the blog/website – much more than two minutes! Like others have said, great stuff; thanks for providing those links!
Haha yes, I guess it does take a bit longer than two minutes to get through it all. Thanks for coming by Lo!
Matt – thanks again for your help this week. I am new to this segment of blogging and your “quick hits” are such a great source – keep it up!
No problem Marc – looking forward to working together in the future! Cheers!
Matt – thanks again for your help this week. I am new to this segment of blogging and your “quick hits” are such a great source – keep it up!
No problem Marc – looking forward to working together in the future! Cheers!
Thanks for including my post this week! Such great company too! Much appreciated
No problem Sam – great post – we need those “real” reminders every once in a while…
Thanks for including my post this week! Such great company too! Much appreciated
No problem Sam – great post – we need those “real” reminders every once in a while…
Hey Matt!
Fascinating stuff! I’ve been agonizing over that question – to blog, or not to blog – for quite a while now. It’s definitely the fear of… well, of being crap, I guess! It’s kept me from starting anything, thus avoiding the painful realization 6 months hence that no-one else really gives a shit! But on the other hand, the last few months have been full of really cool stuff for me, which would have been great to share – hindsight is such a pain in the bum.
Anyhow, you’ve about got me convinced, between this post and your link to the guy who changed his life with his blog. I’m about to head over to the list of 50 odd reasons to blog, on your friend’s site – I guess I take a lot of convincing!
But thanks man, I’ve pretty much made my decision – just get on and do it, because whilst it can always fail, how can it ever succeed if it doesn’t even exist?
The down side of this decision is that I’m gonna have to do a lot of work… starting with “How to use Wordpress 101″
Good luck, and I’ll keep up to date with your posts if I can – I’ve just discovered what ‘RSS’ is, so I’ll try and figure out how to use it now. (By the way, I found your blog because Cody at Thrilling Heroics included it on a list of blogs to read in his latest post).
Cheers!
Tony
It is a lot of work and a time investment, without a doubt, but above all, it should be fun! Good luck to you – thanks for stopping by – and if you need any help along the way, let me know! Cheers!
Hey Matt!
Fascinating stuff! I’ve been agonizing over that question – to blog, or not to blog – for quite a while now. It’s definitely the fear of… well, of being crap, I guess! It’s kept me from starting anything, thus avoiding the painful realization 6 months hence that no-one else really gives a shit! But on the other hand, the last few months have been full of really cool stuff for me, which would have been great to share – hindsight is such a pain in the bum.
Anyhow, you’ve about got me convinced, between this post and your link to the guy who changed his life with his blog. I’m about to head over to the list of 50 odd reasons to blog, on your friend’s site – I guess I take a lot of convincing!
But thanks man, I’ve pretty much made my decision – just get on and do it, because whilst it can always fail, how can it ever succeed if it doesn’t even exist?
The down side of this decision is that I’m gonna have to do a lot of work… starting with “How to use Wordpress 101″
Good luck, and I’ll keep up to date with your posts if I can – I’ve just discovered what ‘RSS’ is, so I’ll try and figure out how to use it now. (By the way, I found your blog because Cody at Thrilling Heroics included it on a list of blogs to read in his latest post).
Cheers!
Tony
It is a lot of work and a time investment, without a doubt, but above all, it should be fun! Good luck to you – thanks for stopping by – and if you need any help along the way, let me know! Cheers!