Really? Why? What's a blog?

I can not even count the times I have had this conversation this past month...

Q: What's new?

Me: I launched a blog.

Q: Really? Why? What's a blog?

You will notice that the person I am talking to has three questions that come out, rapid fire, without giving me any time to answer. I even had to explain what a blog was to my mother (who, by the way, was my first subscriber even though she has no idea about RSS - thanks Mom). Heck, I have been writing a blog for a month now and I am still not sure I completely grasp the concept. Liz Strauss is asking What is Your Blogging Metaphor? Here is mine.

A blog is your own personal radio station.

Do you ever look to the sky and try to see all the radio signals? I do. Ever since I was a kid and learned about radio waves I have looked and looked and still can not see them... but I know they are there. All I need is the radio and I can tune them in. I still can't see them, but the radio lets me hear them.

A blog is my broadcast to the Internet. I send out my signal and perhaps someone will tune in and listen. In my business, where clients have to share so many private and confidential aspects of their lives, potential clients can listen in and get to know me without sharing any personal information until they are ready. It is a safe way for them to learn about me, my techniques, and my style as a professional.

I also believe writing a blog also embraces a fundamental philosophy of my practice. I can work for my clients under whatever compensation method they prefer - fee based or commission based - but I have a definite inclination to commission based. In a fee based agreement, a client commits to paying me for my ideas before they even hear them. In a commission based setting, I give my clients all my ideas for free and they only pay for the ones they choose to implement. A blog is similar. I can "give away" knowledge and experience since I am confident that along the way there will be people who ask me to help them implement some of ideas I shared.

Conversation Photo on Flickr by rob.purdie. Radio Station Photo on Flickr by radiospike.

Comments

[Janet Green]

Art, interesting! In response to a suggestion from Mike Sansone, I posted recently about finding a metaphor for blogging. I likened it to having a radio call-in show where I as the host launch the topics and my visitors/commenters are the listeners and callers, so I really relate to your radio station analogy. Also, kudos to you for recognizing that some customers would like to learn about you without disclosing personal information at first. That seems to me to be a rather keen insight in your particular line of work - or maybe I'm just pleased to hear someone validate the way *I* like to pre-research these types of relationships. :) ~ Janet

[Drew McLellan]

Art,

Excellent analogy. You're going to be answering the "why? what's a blog?" questions for awhile. That's the consequence of being out in front of the crowd.

But boy, in a few years when blogging is mainstream and you're an old hat at it with an established readership -- you'll be smiling to yourself.

Drew

[Liz Strauss]

Art,
How brilliantly you wrote this! I learned so much about you and your practice through this one post. You did what great writers do -- you didn't tell me; you showed me. Thank you.

[christi]

Isn't blogging already mainstream? I mean, we're from Iowa and we're doing it.