Aug 16, 2009

Too Much To Keep Up With? Don't Try

Picture of Ballou and Keith at the beach. Not related to the post, but we had a nice vaycay."We must have a Twitter. And a Facebook. And a YouTube. And a private social network. And an island on Second Live. Oh, and a blog or two."

But, Alexandra Samuel writes:
You could spend half your life trying every technology that comes down the pike, and still be hopelessly at sea...So I'm here to let you off the hook. If a geek like me — a woman whose idea of a fantastically fun evening is to try out a dozen project management sites — can't keep up, what hope is there for folks who occasionally want to close their computers and pick up a book? There is no hope. You can't keep up.
Best of all, this is good news! Alexandra continues,
Keeping up is about following someone else's agenda: the bloggers and tweeters who trot out invitations to the latest beta. The marketers, publicists and journalists who blanket us with coverage about the latest hot tech phenomenon. And yes, the tech consultants who charge tens or hundreds of thousands to add new musts to your already long to-do list. The minute you stop trying to keep up, you open a far more exciting possibility: getting ahead with what matters to you, your team and your business.--Read more at the Harvard Business Blogs.
What to do instead?

1. Go back to what you are trying to accomplish mission-wise, and quit chasing the newest short skirt.

2. Ask the right questions. Not, how do I use XYZ technology, but how do I reach my audience? Where are they? Not, what kind of design do I need for my new website, but how do I help my audience accomplish their tasks?

3. Line up your quality content. Launching the blog is the easiest part, keeping it smart, topical and fresh is the daily drudge--and the holy grail. Spend more time on your current channels and less time launching new avenues.

4. Keep your fingers on the pulse. Subscribe to newsfeeds and keep up with blogs and articles about emerging technologies and how they're being used. You just don't have to use them all. At least not yet.

[I know the picture is not related to the post. But we were at the beach. And it was nice.]

3 comments:

  1. Great post! When you read this line:

    "The minute you stop trying to keep up, you open a far more exciting possibility...business."

    Is exactly the same principle as:

    "The moment you stop looking for 'the one' is when you'll finally find 'the one.'"

    They're both very true and right on. Lessons we learn from our personal relationships are the many of the same ones we can apply to our social relationships.

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  2. I hope, @govy, that this isn't a Matrix quote. :-)

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  3. For a minute there, I thought, "This was written by Buddha!" Hey, but wait a minute...what the?...you ARE a gov20 buddha.

    Smart post.

    bob

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I hope that you will read and comment, ask questions and make suggestions. I just ask that you simply stay on topic, respect other people’s opinions, avoid profanity, offensive statements, illegal content, and other unpleasantries. Since this is my personal blog, I reserve the right to delete any comment.