Armchair Writer or Are You in the Arena?

Are you an armchair writer or do you dive into the arena? I couldn't say this better:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt, "Man in the Arena" Speech given April 23, 1910

26th president of US (1858 - 1919)

Blog or Website? By Linda S. Glaz

A lot of discussion of online presence is going on at my clients’ loop. And one of the questions is:

Is it better to blog or to maintain a website or have both?

Most folks have been in agreement that a blog can serve the same purpose as a website only it gets a fresh makeover every time you leave a new post. You can have the same tabs, links, etc. without being static.

Why would you want to do that? Why not just set the post and leave it alone?

People aren’t going to return to see and hear the same old things. You have the opportunity on a blog to review books, interview your favorite authors, and post pictures of your cats and dogs that nobody really wants to see on either one. But hey, you paid $2000 for Rover, so why not? With a blog you have the chance to keep it fresh.

What about a website? The good news here is you can do the website and not be bothered with daily/weekly/monthly maintenance. You set it and go. A new book out? You might add that, but you don’t have the regular changes that you would be investing in a blog.

Then why did my client group choose blogs?

Easy answer. Your updated posts are driving people new and old to your blog. They interact with you. You and they learn new things about the industry. You have the opportunity to voice your opinion. On ANY topic you choose. I know a few folks who maintain 4-6 blogs. All on different topics. A blog is little more than someone digging deep inside and posting their thoughts on a topic. (I guess you can see where blogs might be WAAAAY more information than you’d want) But you’ll soon find those who share your passion for writing, Rover, or any number of topics and can visit like an old friend.

Just remember, if bloggers visit your site, reciprocate, or you find them hanging around much.

Happy blogging!