Intermission - Why I am the Next Authority Blogger
I wanted to take a break from my branding exercise to discuss SOBCon08 and why I need to be there. Blog Catalog, SOBCon and Authority Blogger are providing a wealth of rewards to the blogger who can best convince the judges that they are the best candidate to be the next Authority Blogger. That candidate, my friends, is me. Here’s why:
My experiences, vision, voice and brand are valuable assets to the blogosphere. I have run a small business, gone back to school for my Master’s degree, left a well-paying corporate career to follow my dreams and have provided a comfortable living for my family for five years with my Internet writing. These experiences and the lessons that have gone along with them are valuable to other Internet writers. These are the tools I can use, and have used, to help new Internet writers to achieve their own dreams and goals. Being an Authority Blogger provides me with the medium necessary to reach even more Internet writers to learn from my mistakes and to help them on their path to success.
I’m also the best candidate to be the next Authority blogger, in part, because I don’t need to be an authority blogger to be a success. I am already a successful Internet writer. Whether or not the Writing Journey succeeds has less of an impact on me than it does on the people I could help. I know very well what it takes to succeed in the freelance side of Internet writing, and many of those principles apply to the blogging side of Internet writing, as well. As the next authority blogger, I can bring a unique perspective of success to the blogosphere: I genuinely want to help other Internet writers, but don’t have to have a successful blog to be a successful Internet writer myself.
My presence at SOBCon would also add something to that event. I offer a unique perspective as a seasoned Internet writer who is relatively new to writing his own blog. The freshness of this perspective provides the ability to look at the state of the blogosphere in ways that more experienced bloggers cannot. I can add the writer’s perspective to the event. I can speak to concerns that professional bloggers don’t think about, or haven’t thought about in a long time. I can bang my gong and remind folks that blogging and writing are not the same thing, but better writing ultimately means better blogging. My voice needs to be heard.
I am also very much interested in hearing the voices of others. Each of the experts at SOBCon has something that I need. Brian Clark’s business ideas, Dave Bullock’s sales models, Liz Strauss’ perspective on being irresistible, and Wendy Piersall’s thoughts on success are all valuable commodities that I would very much like to have, and that will help me to achieve my goals. On top of this, I’ve followed many of these individuals for months and relish the opportunity to meet them face-to-face as peers.
The consultation with Chris would also be amazing. It would provide me with the expert perspective that I need on my blog. It would allow me to have access to a respected and trusted blogging expert, and to help me develop The Writing Journey into the Authority Blog that it can, and should, be.
Is all of this enough to convince Chris and Liz? I believe it is. I also believe that, regardless of the outcome of the contest, I will be an Authority Blogger one day; the contest just speeds up my timetable.
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8 Responses to “Intermission - Why I am the Next Authority Blogger”
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Bravo, Bob! Very well said. I hope you get chosen! I considered doing this post myself, but I’ve decided I’m not ready yet. Next year…
Thankya, Amy.
You might be more ready than you think. At any rate, maybe you can carpool with us for ‘09!
And you also obviously have the confidence that a good authority blogger needs … Good luck!!
@ Kathryn - Thanks for stopping by.
The more I read this post, the more it sounds cocky. The thing is this: I’m good at what I do today. Otherwise, I couldn’t make a living at it. I’m not the best by any means, and there are days when I feel like a hack; but I do all right overall. My grandpappy used to say: “It ain’t braggin’ if it’s true.” Of course, he was an arrogant old SOB…
I’ve screwed up royally in the past, and I’m willing to admit it and talk about it so others can avoid the pain and hardship I’ve endured. If anything, I think that’s my biggest asset in terms of the authority blogger idea.
Great stuff Bob - I think you’d make a fab Authority Blogger. What happened to your pic though? You chopped half your head off.
I loved the way you sucked up to the judges at the end of your post. I was reading something by Guy Kawasaki today and apparently this is a smart thing to do.
@ Cath - Thank you so much for your vote of confidence.
As to my head, that’s my best Kilroy immitation.
As to sucking up… have I mentioned how much I love your blog and would be just in total fanboy heaven if you linked to me at some point?
Glad ya stopped in this afternoon, Cath.
[…] I know what authority is and the general probability of my being anywhere close to being selected. Bob Younce has an excellent overview on his authority and an about page which was fairly intriguing for me. As […]
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