The seed was planted one day earlier, on the 28th. I was talking with my friend Leah about a story she had written. It was short and simple, but it was built around a very unique and clever concept.
"How did you come up with that idea?" I asked her.
She said, "Well I was talking to a friend and he said something, and I thought, 'hmm, that could be a story!'" We continued to chat and I didn't think too much about those words at the time.
A day went by.
On the 29th, I was doing the dishes, and my brain was doing what it usually does when it's on idle. It was replaying recent conversations. As I replayed that small snippet of my conversation with Leah, an idea struck me: Maybe all I have to do is say those words... so as I was scrubbing away at a particularly tough stain, I gave it a whirl. "Hmm, that could be a story!" I said.
Nothing happened.
Well, it can't be that easy, can it? I was still convinced that I ... READ MORE»
Has there ever been a moment in your life where you hesitated, and that brief moment cost you dearly? For some of you, I'm sure the answer is "yes". But for most of you, I suspect the answer is "no". I racked my brain for half an hour trying to think of single moments of (in)decision that had a huge impact on my life. I drew a blank. Let's face it, those moments are rare for most of us. Unless your job puts you in high-impact moments on a regular basis, your decision-making process probably includes the luxury of time.
Which begs the question: Why do we value decisiveness so much? Wouldn't it seem logical to conclude that the best decisions are made with patience and consideration?
Well, yes... theoretically. But there's a fatal flaw in that logic: It fails to consider fundamental human nature. Our minds are brilliant strategists. They play tricks on us constantly. My brain has tricked me out of exercise, work, and opportunity a thousand times over... and masking indecision as "careful forethought and consideration" is one of its best weapons.
It works like this: I have to do something that involves making ... READ MORE»
If today's internet actually looked like anything, it would look like a rainforest. We think of rainforests as beautiful, lush, and magical, but the truth is that for the plants and animals that live there, it's brutal. The canopy blocks out most of the sun, every other creature is a threat to your survival, and every inch of space is a battleground for resources.
Well-established, deep-rooted sites are the tall trees that block out the sun for the rest of the net, and they present the biggest challenge to anyone who hopes to establish their site's presence on the net. That brings us to the question: How can anyone smaller compete with those giants?
First of all, you have to actually grow your site. If your site's not regularly getting bigger & more content-rich, then it's in trouble, because a lot of other sites are growing by the day.
Second of all, your chances are much, much, better if you're part of a group. Colonies, packs, flocks, herds, swarms, hordes, flinks, floats... networks. Networks grow faster exponentially with size. They cover a broader range of topics while still functioning as specialized areas of information. Their ... READ MORE»
Most bloggers are familiar with the phrase "Content is King." The logic goes something like this: The more you write, the more likely people are to stumble upon your site and stay there to explore, and, assuming they like what they read, the more likely they are to come back for more. But what a lot of new bloggers tend to overlook is the fact that actually keeping the content—and the ideas—flowing is easier said than done. I fall into that category myself. Actually posting regularly, well... it takes, like... effort.
Fortunately, AnotherGuy is tackling the problem and offering help. He's started something of a group experiment. A writing experiment. Details can be found in the link, but basically it goes like this: Anyone is free to submit topic ideas to him. He posts a topic idea every day. Participators write at least 400 words on that topic. Rinse and repeat as necessary.
It's a really simple idea. Probably far from unique... so why is it so noteworthy?
Well, for a lot of us, coming up with an idea is half the battle. A lot of people put pressure on themselves to find ... READ MORE»