Marketing Basics 101 2.0
It should be obvious to the fewer than ten people who, on average, visit this blog every day, that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. And, like everything else to do with blogs, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
First of all, if I knew what I was doing, I wouldn't have decided to start a blog now, when there are already approximately 45 billion other blogs in existence. Second, I wouldn't have decided to start one without a clear idea of what the blog's focus would be. And third, I wouldn't have started this paragraph and gotten to the third item in the list without actually knowing what the list was going to consist of, or whether I even had three things to say. In that sense, this paragraph is a microcosm of the whole blog.
The blog does have a goal, however. The goal of the blog is to make me rich and famous. It's a good plan, I think, because so many other people have become rich and famous by starting blogs. There's Arianna Huffington, for example, except she was already rich and famous before she started. Oh, and there's that Kos guy; I'm assuming he's rich and famous by now. And there's... um, okay, I don't actually know.
The other thing I don't actually know is whether it's even possible to make any money with a blog. My gut, and my brain, both tell me it's an utterly ridiculous idea. But my heart... my heart wants it to be true. In my heart I also have faith that everything will work out in the end, and we'll all live happily ever after. Okay, maybe you've caught me in a lie.
So where do we go from here? I was hoping you could tell me. I can't see trying to focus on one area, because my sense is that every single topic has been covered; every specialty has been filled; every niche has been scratched. No matter what items I may see in the news or hear about, it goes without saying that others have already posted them on their blogs somewhere.
In truth, my gut feeling is that it doesn't really matter what I write, or don't write, or post or don't post. I've heard enough about search engine maximization to know that the only thing that really counts is getting your site listed on or noticed by Google or any other search engines that might still be in existence—though I'm starting to doubt any others remain. In other words, what counts isn't so much what you do, but how you market it. What a fascinating concept! How unlike every other competitive scenario! How unlike a typical job search, where what's important isn't whether you're the best, most qualified person, but how you market yourself...
Okay, now it's happened. I've allowed personal resentment and bitterness to seep out into the open. Damn! I was doing so well, repressing this deep well of anger that eats at me like a hungry carnivorous animal of some kind with teeth. You know, one of those... things. Ugly little creature, too. Yech.
Give it some thought. You, the ten or less people who might be reading this, know what it is you want to see. You know what's missing from your lives (or your life, if you only have one). So send me your suggestions. Send me your demands, for all I care. It goes without saying that I'll ignore them, like I always do. Because I know best. Look how far it's gotten me so far!
First of all, if I knew what I was doing, I wouldn't have decided to start a blog now, when there are already approximately 45 billion other blogs in existence. Second, I wouldn't have decided to start one without a clear idea of what the blog's focus would be. And third, I wouldn't have started this paragraph and gotten to the third item in the list without actually knowing what the list was going to consist of, or whether I even had three things to say. In that sense, this paragraph is a microcosm of the whole blog.
The blog does have a goal, however. The goal of the blog is to make me rich and famous. It's a good plan, I think, because so many other people have become rich and famous by starting blogs. There's Arianna Huffington, for example, except she was already rich and famous before she started. Oh, and there's that Kos guy; I'm assuming he's rich and famous by now. And there's... um, okay, I don't actually know.
The other thing I don't actually know is whether it's even possible to make any money with a blog. My gut, and my brain, both tell me it's an utterly ridiculous idea. But my heart... my heart wants it to be true. In my heart I also have faith that everything will work out in the end, and we'll all live happily ever after. Okay, maybe you've caught me in a lie.
So where do we go from here? I was hoping you could tell me. I can't see trying to focus on one area, because my sense is that every single topic has been covered; every specialty has been filled; every niche has been scratched. No matter what items I may see in the news or hear about, it goes without saying that others have already posted them on their blogs somewhere.
In truth, my gut feeling is that it doesn't really matter what I write, or don't write, or post or don't post. I've heard enough about search engine maximization to know that the only thing that really counts is getting your site listed on or noticed by Google or any other search engines that might still be in existence—though I'm starting to doubt any others remain. In other words, what counts isn't so much what you do, but how you market it. What a fascinating concept! How unlike every other competitive scenario! How unlike a typical job search, where what's important isn't whether you're the best, most qualified person, but how you market yourself...
Okay, now it's happened. I've allowed personal resentment and bitterness to seep out into the open. Damn! I was doing so well, repressing this deep well of anger that eats at me like a hungry carnivorous animal of some kind with teeth. You know, one of those... things. Ugly little creature, too. Yech.
Give it some thought. You, the ten or less people who might be reading this, know what it is you want to see. You know what's missing from your lives (or your life, if you only have one). So send me your suggestions. Send me your demands, for all I care. It goes without saying that I'll ignore them, like I always do. Because I know best. Look how far it's gotten me so far!
Posted by Jeffrey P. Morris at 5/30/2009 12:50 AM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: self ego flatulence vomit search confusion resentment bitterness marketing money fame ridiculous gut
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: self ego flatulence vomit search confusion resentment bitterness marketing money fame ridiculous gut
The way I understand it is that you have to have a product to sell. According to some wonderful offers I've received, you can sell "the best pen1s 'nlargement pr0ducts on the net."
Or, if you want to do something less strenuous, I have a friend--well, more correctly, an email buddy from Africa--who is looking for help transferring a large cash sum. Apparently some fool over-invoiced a contract by $47,500,000.00 (FORTY SEVEN MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS), and then forgot about it! Can you imagine? The money is just sitting there waiting to be claimed! I bet the guy that set up the contract is gonna have egg on his face. LOL (as they say on the intertubes).
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I subscribe to your blog so whenever you post something new it is emailed to me. So I'm not one of your blog hits unless I'm commenting. I (heart) your blog! Can you tell how many people signed up to get each post via email?
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Best 8 paragraphs out not knowing what to write since 25 or 6 to 4:00 by Bob Lamm!
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Three words for you, Jeff: vintage mall postcards.
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What I want to see here is wit and wisdom for the ages. I want the best writing and insight into life's most difficult questions. I what to know why 42 is the answer.
I want to know that everyone has a hobby!
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I'd really like to help you out, but I need you to be more specific:
"wit and wisdom for the ages"... What ages? 18-54? 17-42? 25-60? 12? Can you give me a demographic?
"life's most difficult questions"... Which are? Are you talking Sphinx-type riddles, or how the heck you can get anything packaged in plastic open in under an hour?
"why 42 is the answer"... I'm thinking that most likely it's because Jackie Robinson is the question, though you may have other ideas.
"I want to know that everyone has a hobby!"... It could be that you need to speak to a therapist about this one—unless you own a hobby shop.
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Jeff....42 is the answer to life, the universe and everything. Or so says Douglas Adams in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He was British, so it's not likely Jackie Robinson figured into the equation.
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Thanks for exposing my ignorance. Much appreciated.
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Not exactly sure what the point of blogging is, since I happen to be among the worst out there (my last MySpace blog was in February or March I think).
Sure do hope you get rich at it though. Then you can buy that little place in the burbs...oh wait, you already live there.Anyway, I'll be there if the mass media ever decides to nominate you for a blog award. Why not? We have useless award shows for everything else. Your award can be presented by either Stan Mingo or the Pussycat Dolls.
In any event, keep up the good words.
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