That I Could Make Those People Dance
And maybe they’d be happy for a while.
Why do I write?
I write to give myself an outlet. I also have ideas I think will help others. My boys are following along behind me and I am trying to leave them food for thought. Other people have kids, are starting companies, or just find my drivel entertaining. My hope is, maybe you will read something that will make you happy for a while. So I write.
What are the criteria for a good blog post?
(P.S. If you are wondering whether or not I have the plural version of criterion correct, let me help you answer that question. Criteria vs. Criterion)
Primary Goals for Writing: These are the Minimum Effective Dose
- Must be interesting to me
- Must be useful to others
Secondary Goals: Writing for My Target Audience
- Is this about being a dad?
- Is this about being a CEO?
- Is this about starting a business?
If I am in line with the primary and secondary goals listed above, then I am on target.
What does this mean?
There are billions of people I do not write for. This can be a tough pill to swallow, because most people like the thought of fame. In my case, my writing will be about being a dad, being a CEO, and starting a business. If I really want to hone in on the target, then my best posts should be about business ideas I have as a father. Another angle, slightly different, is how to influence and promote entrepreneurship for our children, as a father. Those thought exercises are the most useful to me. They are the most useful for my kids. Reminder, I have five boys. Those posts will also be tightly focused for my core audience.
But February Made Me Shiver
Getting back to the song that underpins this whole post, “I can’t remember if I cried…” when I realized my wounded pride. “Something touched me deep inside…” the day, the traffic died.
I have to stay intensely focused. This sounds like something I am saying to myself and not to you, but you should check that again. Success comes with focus; tight focus. You have to be defined by your focus. If you cannot be defined by your focus, then you are not focused enough. Keep focusing.
I used a modified line, “the day, the traffic died” to drive home a point. My blog cannot be about everything. To you argumentative people out there, actually it can, but nobody will read it. The pandering will be to everyone and, therefore, nobody at the same time. In order to go big time, I have to stay little. In order to be the most useful, I have to stay focused on a few.
What makes a great blog post?
It has to be useful. It has to be fun. There should be an element that is memorable. I could go on and on. The key here, though, is focusing on fun and useful content for a small audience segment. It’s counter intuitive, but it’s the right thing to do.
To my boys if you are reading this some day:
Stay focused. I don’t mean to stay focused on the task at hand. That’s wildly important too. What I mean is to keep your focus tight. If you are writing, if you are starting a business, or if you want to be known for something, then you have to stay focused. Keep cutting away until you have it nailed. That’s the secret.
Singin’, “this’ll be the day that I die.”
