As 2007 draws to a close we naturally look back on the year that’s gone by and forward to what we want to achieve in the year ahead.  I’ve been doing some of that too.  I’ve got bundles of ideas that I want to take forward as part of my writing coach work and I know that I need and want to make this the priority for 2008. 

This has consequences for my time spent blogging.  Even for a prolific blogger like me I can’t maintain my Confident Writing site, guest write at four other blogs and give Coaching Wizardry its fair share of attention.  So I’ve decided that this – the 150th post – will be the last live update here. 

I’m going to maintain the site as an archive because there are lots of gems contained within it, and I hope people will continue to enjoy exploring it in the months and years to come.  I’ve been doing a bit of work dusting down the archives and will post a few ‘best of’ pieces in the next day or so to make it easy for new readers and visitors to find their way around.

But I couldn’t close this particular chapter without a huge thanks to all of you.  This is the site where I started blogging – and caught the blogging bug as a result of the huge amount of support, encouragement and feedback that I got from all of you.  It meant a huge amount to me, and I treasure the blogging friendships that have emerged through our conversations and exchanges here.

If you want to keep in touch please do come over and join me at Confident Writing – I will continue to blog with a passion and a fury there.

For now though I all I can say is thanks.  Sincerely, thanks.

Joanna

And it wouldn’t do to close without a thanks to Erik Kastner for the fantastic spell with flickr service – and thanks to Rosa for pointing me towards it.          

Thanks to Robyn I’ve found another new blogger – Lisa Gates, who’s talking about how we can join the dots.  Be creative.  Create:

Something from nothing. Something from something. Something for us to ponder and move into our day with.

All with a view to inventing "a new arabesque".  That’s right.  Another invitation to join the dance.

Meanwhile, Robyn has reminded us to acknowledge the origins of the Thinking Blogger meme.  I’ll add a thanks for kicking this off, it’s providing some great food for thought – and great opportunities to join the dots.

Robyn McMaster at Brain Based Biz is one of the most thoughtful and thought-provoking bloggers out there (her blog is full of the most amazing material on the workings of the brain) so I was surprised and honoured to find that she had named me for the Thinking Blogger Awards. 

I’m one of five that she’s listed – the others are Word Sell, Branding and Marketing, Own Your Brand and Design Your Writing Life. I’m familiar with Word Sell (a great read) but not the others – so more to add to my list of reading material (= brain food).

The challenge is then to come up with your own list of five nominations: the blogs that really make you think.  It’s hard, because each one gives you something (else why would you read it?).  But there are some that really do give my brain a good workout – and here they are:

1. Roger von Oech at Creative Think, whose questions, prompts and challenges get you thinking creatively

2. Anna Farmery at The Engaging Brand, who gets you thinking about leadership – of teams but also of yourself – in a very natural way, using stories and anecdotes from everyday life

3. Hilda Carroll at Living Out Loud, who gets us thinking about our ability to be happy right now.

4. Liz Strauss at Successful Blog who gets me thinking about how to use great questions to stimulate conversation, and to help us to get to know who we are

5. Rosa Say at Managing with Aloha, who has started me thinking about the values of aloha and how to apply them in my life.  The start of an amazing journey of discovery.

Robyn’s blog, I hasten to add, would be on the list had she not already been tagged…

If you don’t already know these blogs why not dip into them and give them try.  I guarantee you’ll get some interesting and unusual food for thought.

Here are the participation rules for the Thinking Blogger Award:

    1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
    2. Link back to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
    3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ (I know you’ll want to!)

I’ve written elsewhere about the function of stories within a blog, not just as a way of constructing an individual post but the overall story that the blog is telling: about the author, the business, the network of readers.  I am finding that blog writing is also helping me understand and tell my own story – and to shape and develop the chapters that are still to come.

How does that work?  Well, I’m still learning but it’s something to do with the ability to develop new ideas, express your values, find confidence in your own voice. 

It’s the way the words and ideas and connections are shared – with other writers, blog owners and readers.  It’s amazing how new characters and voices keep appearing from across the net!

And it’s the way the material takes shape.  The posts don’t follow a plan.  Well I start off with a plan, but then something else asks to get written.  And so I watch the blog unfold before me, growing organically, just like the best of stories.

For me it’s very much so far, so good.  Thanks to everyone who has dipped in, offered feedback, left comments, made links. 

You’re helping me to tell my story, to let my story fly.

Even if blogging has peaked, the plateau ahead is wide and far. The participation and conversation is just getting started.

I buy that argument. In fact I’m so taken with my first few weeks of blogging that I’ve decided to set up another site.  Yes, a new blogsite Confident Writing: coaching tips from a writing coach has just been born.  It gives me the space to put all my material on writing with confidence over there, leaving this site with the focus on coaching and stories, which seems to be what people are enjoying so far

The site is a bit simpler in design than this one – I did it pretty much by myself so fingers crossed there aren’t too many technical glitches – though it was very much inspired by the fantastic tuition I got from my Business Blog Angel Claire.  Her site quotes the saying  "teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" and that is her approach all over – she doesn’t just build you a site but passes on the skills, the techniques and the confidence to go forth and blog-multiply!

Anyway, I’m feeling really good about having the two sites and the chance to develop a distinct identity for both.  I just hope I don’t end up spending too much time blogging at the expense of other things, or developing a split personality.

If you’ve got a moment you could call by the site and have a look, leave your picture (you MyBlogLoggers) or post a comment…

Meantime, any advice from experienced blog writers on the joys and challenges of managing multiple blogs?

Generating new ideas – by asking yourself ‘how is my situation/product/service like this…? How can I make use of this idea or connect it to what I’m working on?

Writing - reading different styles will help you develop your own.  What do you notice about the blogs you’re drawn to -  tone, vocabulary, length, structure, clarity, a great headline?  What could you borrow for your own writing?

Creativity – some great blogs out there (eg Creative Think) which will leave you thinking and creating all day

Learning – look for sites where you can pick up tips and suggestions – I’ve already learned loads from some of the blog writing advisory sites and know I’ll be going back for more

Networking – there are people out there who share the same interests or viewpoint as you – follow the blogs, leave a comment, make a link, build a network…

Seth Godin argues that the blog-reader is asking "how can I do what I do better?"  He says:

It’s a thirst for insight, for shortcuts and for results.

So if you’re thirsty for insight, how do you pick your way through the terrifyingly huge number of blogs out there (50 – 70 million from a quick google search… ) 

Well one way is just to pick up on links and connections from the blog that you’re starting from.  If you like that site, chances are you’ll enjoy at least some of the sites that they’re pointing you towards.  Some blog sites have blog rolls running into the dozens (if not 100s) so there’s plenty to choose from.

In that spirit of sharing I’ve added my own list in a blog roll at the left hand side of the screen – don’t worry there aren’t hundreds, just the top twelve or so that I’m currently following.

Let me know if there are other great blogs you follow and you’d like to see here.  Meantime, happy reading.

I was asking people recently what would make them more likely to leave comments on the blog.  I got some great feedback from fellow blog owners Emma and Claire recommending something called “MyChingo” – which sounds weird but is in effect just a way of leaving voice mail or a phone message on a website.

I followed this thread to the voice-mail conversation on Mike Sansone’s Converstations blog.  There’s some interesting discussion there about the pros and cons of the new widget – is it just technology for technology’s sake, how does it add to or detract from the rest of the conversation (which is still virtual after all… )

Well you can have a listen for yourself if you’re curious.

Anyway it was the comment from Claire on Mike’s voice-mail that got me drawn in – she makes the point that people have different learning styles or representational systems and that we need to be flexible
enough to meet those different styles and preferences.

Which made me think about people that I know – some of whom love writing (like me) but others who would always prefer to chat, to talk on the phone, or even just to leave a message to say “hi”.

And if that sounds like you, why not give it a try?

You’ll find the audio comment box under ‘something to say’ on the left hand side  – scroll down towards the bottom of the screen to find it.  All you need to do is press the button that says ‘leave a message’ and follow the instructions on the screen.  You’ll be asked for your name and e-mail address (which isn’t disclosed) then you can record your message.  You can play it back and record it again if you want to, then when you’re happy with the message press “send” and it comes through to me.

You could leave a message to say hello, ask a question, make a point or just play back the messages and listen to what other people are saying.

Let me know what you think of the new widget – either by writing a comment or leaving me some voice-mail…

And I don’t know about you but I think a blog site with comments looks a lot more friendly and lived in too. After my first five days of live blogging the place already looks a lot more complete – so thanks very much to my early callers

I’m guessing though that there are lots of people out there who’d like to chip in but aren’t used to leaving comments, may not know how to go about it or might not be sure what to say.  If that sounds like you then keep on reading to find out how to join the conversation…

Okay, I’m not a technical expert but here’s what I’ve worked out from my own experience so far…

The technical bit

Where: There’s a comment section at the end of each post.  If you’re on the home page and can see lots of posts you’ll need to click on the word “comments” at the bottom to open up that same comment section.  Once your comment is done it will appear on the right hand side under “recent comments” (don’t be scared! see below)

How: You will be asked to leave your details: your name (which then appears alongside the comment) and your e-mail (which doesn’t get published, it’s just to verify who you are).  Then there’s a space for your URL which is the address for your own website or blogsite if you have one.  (If you want to make sure you direct people to your own site check up-to-date advice from the Business Blog Angel Claire here.)  You will then be asked to type in some letters and numbers from the screen – it’s a way of checking that the comment comes from a human rather than a machine

When: I’ll be glad to hear from you anytime, even if it’s a little while since the post was first published.

Why: To join the conversation of course!  But there are lots of business as well as social benefits and if you are interested in that side of it you can find out more from Claire here

The writing bit

I’ve seen comments on other blogs from people who say things like “I’ve never had the courage to comment before” or “I’m not normally brave enough to join this conversation…”.  Even my oft-quoted blog angel Claire has admitted to some early qualms about chipping in to blog conversations:

When I first started blogging I was often moved to comment on other people’s blogs but then suddenly overcome with shyness, feeling that my opinion was in some way ‘not worthy’!

This made me realise that leaving a comment is just like any other form of writing and the same principles (and anxieties) apply.  Here are some tips that you can use to boost your confidence in writing comments:

Purpose

Spend a moment thinking about why you want to comment – is it to offer encouragement, support, an idea, to promote something you’re doing, to make a connection?  Hold on to that thought and it will help you get over your fear and mean you get less hung up on the words.  The positive intention will drive you forward.

Style

Adjust the style of the comment to the purpose.  Is it just a quick hello, a simple question, or a full-blown analysis of someone’s position?  That will affect the tone and length of the comment.  Short and sweet is fine if you’re just dropping by!

Impact

Read it back to yourself.  Does it sound like you?  Remember this is a format that’s very conversational in style.  If you have a business web presence you might also ask yourself – what will this say about me and my business?

Edit

Check it before you send it.  Most comment forms have a preview pane – it’s worth using it to check you’ve said what you meant, the way you meant to say it.  You can also go back and edit from here.

The conversation bit

One of the best things I’ve discovered is that this really does start a conversation.  In my first few weeks of commenting I’ve had welcoming comments back from blog owners, some interesting questions posed, a very friendly personalised reply to my in-box, new visitors to my site and a strong sense of an emerging network.  One of the things that feels good (to me anyway) is when you get a comment back, even a very brief acknowledgement, so I’m definitely going to try and do that here.

Phew!  Well what started off as a short quick post has turned into something of an epic…but I realised as I was writing there was more to it than meets the eye.  Even so I’m guessing there might be things that I’ve missed so…

What else would it be useful to know?

What are the things that put you off commenting?  What are the things that encourage you?

How can I make it easier for you to join the conversation?

Look forward to hearing from you!

The conversation is partly about what makes us scared, partly about how we feel the fear and do it anyway, partly about the buzz we get afterwards.  This is what the bridge climber Kathy Sierra said:

A short time ago I went on the Sydney Bridge Climb. At night. It was the most frightening thing I’ve ever done. But when it was over, I felt braver, stronger, and different.

And I realised that pressing the button to make this blogsite ‘live’ is scary too.  It’s not the scariest thing I’ve ever done and it’s not like jumping off the Sydney Bridge.  But there is a fear factor, an element of taking a deep breath, closing your eyes…and just jumping.

Or perhaps you are just following a crooked path through a mysterious wood, not knowing where you are going but hoping there might be a piece of magic at the end. Or maybe you knew exactly what you were looking for and came straight here…

However you found yourself in this space I hope you enjoy exploring and find something of the thing that you might just have been looking for…