Is Sincerity the Key to Successful Blogging?
It’s been said that a good leader can step on your toes without messing up your shine. I’m not sure if that’s exactly what I’ve been accomplishing but in my last article, Your Mindset is but a Drop in the Ocean, and in today’s article my goal is to do exactly that. I want to aggressively get up in your face, challenge you to change yourself and to discover the keys to successful blogging, and try to avoid offending you…all at the same time.
I’ll probably fail on that last point but that’s because most of you can’t seem to find the right answer to this simple question: Do you want the truth or do you want to feel good? Successful blogging demands that you embrace the truth.
Respectful Disagreements Allow Truth to Flourish
I love the comment section of this blog just as you probably love the comment section on your blog. On a blog like this one, I’m confronted with a plethora of comments all ranging in quality and relevancy. Some comments are extremely well thought out and really get the mind moving forward on a subject. Some are absolutely ridiculous and I’m left wondering if the comment author even took the time to read the article. Still others are from intelligent people yet they’re expressing a view that I strongly disagree with.
I like those comments that express views with which I disagree because they create a platform for open dialogue with two sides of an issue being promoted. Today we’re going to grab a comment from a very good friend of mine…a comment that I strongly disagree with and we’re going to discuss this together as a group.
Geoff Crane, the author at Paper Cut Edge, asserts that one of the most powerful keys to successful blogging is sincerity. Let’s establish a foundation for today’s conversation by looking at Geoff’s comment.
I don’t know about others, but from my perspective blogging has to be something you do because you love to do it…If the desired end is solely to make money I think the blog will find itself stunted. People are pretty savvy these days and can see through the insincerity…You become influential because your message is worth spreading…that implies that the message must be motivated from itself rather than something base.
~ Taken from Geoff Crane’s comment on Your Mindset is but a Drop in the Ocean
I whole-heartedly agree with Geoff that in the pursuit of successful blogging “you become influential because your message is worth spreading” but I also ardently disagree with the final conclusion that the motivation behind your message must be solely based on a sincere desire to promote that message.
As the Joker put it, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.”
Successful Blogging Demands the Hard Truth
People naturally desire feel-good answers. Instead of looking at the hard truth and the tactics that will really propel us onward to a more successful blogging experience, we seem to naturally gravitate toward the ideas that seem to jive with our good set of morals. I’m certainly not promoting anything immoral but just because something sounds like it’s the polite approach to something doesn’t mean that it’s the most effective.
It’s easier to justify failure when you hide behind a feel-good, redefined version of successful blogging. Far too often I hear people making statements like, “I don’t care how many readers I have. I don’t care how much money I make. I’m focused on building a small community at my blog.” That mindset is sickening. You can build readership, make money and have a community. Stop pretending that one of those goals will block the others. This is nothing more than a narrow-minded excuse for failure.
As I pointed out in my last article, you’re currently competing against over one hundred million other blogs. If you’re not at the top of your game, you and your blog are going to be nothing more than a statistic. Blogging success requires something powerful to gather a real audience.
Successful blogging demands education, entertainment, and engagement….in that order. Any one of those ingredients is terrific but if you can learn to massively employ all three, you’ll quickly climb to the top of the food chain. Most bloggers focus a lot on engagement, a little on entertainment and nothing on education. In other words, most bloggers have it backwards.
The Envato Network is Built on Rockin’ Content
As I’ve searched the across the internet searching for the most successful blogs, I’ve noticed a trend. Those that are truly making bank online aren’t the ones that are just spewing opinions and engaging with their audience. They’re the ones that are providing information that you can’t seem to get anywhere else.
The Envato Network sports several blogs that are currently making $10,000 – $15,000 per month just in advertising…plus they offer premium memberships and other services. Check out the ad listing page for just one of their blogs: psd.tutsplus.com on BuySellAds.com. But if you were to stop by their blogs it would be for only one reason…to get the information they provide. Now that’s an example of successful blogging!
Nobody thinks of Envato as the network of sincere, engaging authors. They think of them as the go-to place to find the absolute best in tutorials, guides, and resources for the topics that their blogs cover. I’m advocating that we learn from their example. Stop chasing teddy bears and lollipops and start learning, studying and becoming the expert in your field that your community is really looking for.
Sincere, Uninformed Opinions are Less than Useless
In the online world, opinions are becoming of less and less value and that’s why we should be providing people with facts, statistics, information, documentation, quotes, etc…and not just uninformed opinions.
An opinion that is developed by a person who has no clue about the subject they are talking about isn’t worth hearing. Consider the following conversation:
Person 1: “How about those Chicago Bears? They did great this week.”
Person 2: “Yeah and the Chicago Cubs did well during their season this year.”
Person 3: “Wow, guys. That’s great. I really care about the wildlife in Chicago also.”
Person 3 then went on to start a sports blog and he spends his time wondering why he can’t build his readership.
Group Discussion
Let’s flesh this out together as a group. Am I being harsh? Perhaps. Or maybe I’m the one demonstating true sincerity because rather than spoon-feeding you the same over-promoted and underperforming concepts that are being spewed across the web, I’m risking offending you and losing you as a reader and I’m challenging you to read, study, develop your writing skills, and truly grow as a blogger and as a person. I’m challenging you to engage in a relentless pursuit of successful blogging.
If you take nothing else away from this article, remember these three words in this order: Blogging success demands education, entertainment, and engagement.
Collier Ward said:
Provoking post, Nicholas. Thanks!
For the past year or so I’ve admired how you’ve built this blog and emerging as a leader in the blogging field. A leader of leaders, as it were. (Your Army training is evident here.)
As I transform my blog, Building Content, from a hobby to an indispensable source for my fellow Architectural bloggers, I will be looking to Site Sketch 101 all the more.
Thanks for writing the truth!
Nicholas Cardot said:
You’re welcome. Just be sure that as you continue to grow your community that you’re working toward providing something that is truly of value to your readers. Remember that simply engaging with them around your topic isn’t enough but rather engage with them around some invaluable information and discussions. That will make all the difference, my friend.
Geoff Crane said:
This is great, Nick…My shower soap hasn’t been very effective lately…this caustic post really scrubbed off the grit (and some skin)!
Seriously, I hear what you’re saying. However I continue to disagree. Given the sheer number of blogs in the world that every blogger has to compete with (as you mentioned in your earlier post), the likelihood of anyone being in the six figure category is exceedingly small. Does that mean we shouldn’t try? Of course not. But let’s set realistic expectations for ourselves.
A blogger who wishes to express an opinion has every right to do so on his or her own blog. If you look up the top 100 or so blogs on technorati you’ll see as many pundit blogs as there are factual tutorial based blogs. People want opinions as much as they want facts. This very article I am commenting on is, in essence, an opinion piece. And it’s every bit as valid as a unique tutorial post.
And while it’s a little…alkaline…it’s certainly sincere.
Coming back to profitability vs sincerity as the core attribute for blog success, I guess it’s a question of blogging vs consulting. Is there a difference? I don’t know the right answer.
To apply your own words to this article…did you educate me? Yes insofar as I’ve learned your opinion. Did you entertain me? *cough* sort of (ouch). Did you engage me? Absolutely!!!
So, um, about that order again?
Nicholas Cardot said:
You bring up a good point about the top blogs on Technorati including pundit or opinion based blogs but if your honest you’ll realize that most of the successful opinion based blogs are filled with information, data, and quotes to support their opinions. They certainly don’t fall into the “Sincere, Uninformed” category that I was working to refer to.
My challenge today isn’t that sincerity is entirely useful but that sincerity without practical knowledge is useless and I see to many people wallowing in self-pity trying to figure out why their blogs are so small even though their sincerely engaging their readers when what they really need to do is to amp up the caliber of the content they’re putting out.
As a side note, I certainly hope that I didn’t offend in my article as I tried to make it very clear that I highly respect both you and your view on this issue.
Geoff Crane said:
I’ll grant that a blog that’s completely vacuous but sincere won’t go very far (but if a blogger is sincere in his or her vacuousness I think they still deserve support for sheer sincerity). Note though, that my comment didn’t exclude a desire for profitability…it only suggested it shouldn’t be the prime motivator. There’s loads of ways to make money. Blogging without sincerity is likely not going to be one of them.
As for facts? All opinions spin around facts. If they didn’t there would be no opinion…just a lot of rambling.
And dude…you know me better than that. I wasnt at all offended and I’m actually honored you wrote a whole post about one of my comments! Your post made me smile. But you also know you can’t go “game on” with me and not expect me to bite! ROFL
And curse this ipad keyboard!!!
Nicholas Cardot said:
But that is exactly my point. There are a lot of people who are pouring out sincere ramblings that are guided by nothing more than a genuine lack of knowledge on their respective subjects. Also, although I might support someone who is sincere (after all that’s what this entire blog is all about) that doesn’t mean that the majority of their visitors are going to do the same and we’re not talking about what we personally want to support but rather we’re talking about what’s going to grab the attention of the masses.
Unguided sincerity might grab a few folks who have that ‘atta boy’ attitude but it’s not going to grab their real target audience which is the people who are actually interested in reading about the subject on which they write. If someone writes about Nascar but their opinions are obviously skewed and never supported by statistics or news then they won’t go very far. If someone writes about web design but they obviously don’t know very much about the subject then they aren’t going to build a very large readership.
Sincerity with nothing else is useless. Sincerity that propels you to action such as study, self-improvement and that leads to articles that are pumped with information and entertainment is the sincerity that is worth having.
I think that the difference that we may be discussing is the difference between a passive desire and a life-changing desire. Passive desires are those things that we want but not in such a way that we’re willing to work hard to achieve them. Life-changing desires are the things that we will do anything to achieve. For example, I have a desire to provide for my wife and daughter. That desire changes the way that I behave, make decisions, schedule my time, etc. If you’re sincerity is the kind that drives you to that level of motivation and dedication to become a professional then it is an incredibly useful and powerful force. If it simply an unguided desire to help people then good for you but you’re not going to help people unless you let it drive you to become better.
Geoff Crane said:
Okay so there’s more points bandying about here than there are empty liquor bottles in my recycle bin. Allow me to summarize:
The original point of the comment under debate was a comparison between a desire for revenue and a desire to sincerely spread a message. I still maintain that in a battle between those two, a sincere message will be more readily sought out by the masses, and a message with its origins in making money will fall short.
Now. Is the message informed. That’s a different point. I will agree with you that an uninformed message is essentially useless because it has nothing to back it up. As you allude, opinions need to be based in fact for them to be opinions by definition. A thought without basis is not an opinion…it’s babble.
So we come back to the original point. Assuming an opinion is based in fact (and is not a meaningless stream of consciousness), will it be succeed if it has its origins in the desire to make money? I maintain that people can see through insincerity and will be averse to listening further. I have enough smarmy salespeople I deal with day-to-day…I don’t need more. A message from the heart that genuinely intends to help me is something I will give money to…but that is incidental. The message was already successful before I chose to pay for it.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Wow. That’s a lot of points!
Consider for a moment the message we see during the advertisements on Television. We talk about how we hate all the ads we have to deal with, but when an ad shows up for something that we really enjoy we perk up and pay attention. Maybe it’s JCPenny’s throwing a sale on a jacket that you’ve been wanting to get. Maybe it’s a buy one get one free sale at Pizza Hut so you decide to order out. We know that the companies are doing it to create a profit but we do care because it’s a great deal on a great product. We’re getting a good deal. The motivation isn’t base. It’s appropriate.
If I do freelance work for people, they know upfront that I’m only there to earn and provide for my family. If they stop paying, I stop working. That’s not vulgar…it’s business. I’ll be polite. I’ll provide great customer service. I’ll do whatever I can to make my client feel comfortable but at the end of it all I’m doing it for my paycheck. I want to provide a terrific product because 1. I want them to be happy with it and 2. I want to use their product to generate more business for myself. You can’t pretend that even the most idealistic purist could do that without any intent to be paid.
In blogging, we are providing a product and we are charging a price. The content is the written words that we are providing and the price is the user’s time. If the content is worth the amount of time that it takes to read it then they will be back. If not then they will disappear. That is the simple formula. The motives don’t matter. The product/price ratio does.
Don’t get me wrong, people are willing to pay a little bit extra for great customer service, but that will only go so far. If your best friend is selling a Lamborghini for $50,000 and the dealer is selling the same thing at $35,000, you’re not going to buy it from your friend. Obviously your friend is the one caring about you more than the dealer. He’s more sincere. He engages you more. But that only goes so far. So it is a useful accelerate but he needs much more than that to make the sale.
Bruce Teague said:
I agree. It’s important to teach. Most of us search Google in an effort to learn about something.. learn how to do something, learn the latest news, learn about a topic. If we come across a blog that’s only spouting out opinions on something we’re trying to gain knowledge on then we often wont stick around long.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Especially if those opinions aren’t backed by any data, examples, quotes or anything legitimizing their ideas. I have no problem with opinions if they are clearly informed opinions.
Gurl said:
Hi Nick,
Its surprising to see you posting something I disagree with so throughly.
Geoff is absolutely right. Anything we do solely for the love of money backfires a lot more often that what we do because we are compelled to do it. When one’s motivation is mainly money it shines through the most and turns most people off. I am not saying to be dishonest and swear that money is not motivating you to a point.
Therefore, I submit that your original premise is false in that you assert that Geoff’s point was that one’s motivation must be purely about spreading your message. There is never one motivation for anything we do, plus you and I know he’s not that naive.
Great way to continue the conversation however. I can see that the example you provide is one that was probably solely motivated by money from the start, and I’d say they are likely an exception to the rule.
My take on “making” it as a blogger in any niche: Blog about something you love, do it better than anyone else, be open and sincere, monetize from day 1 or make it clear that monetization is coming, and have fun. Otherwise, it would end up feeling like a “normal” 9 to 5 job to me….which I suck at. I don’t do well when I am more motivated by the money. Maybe I am the exception to the rule?
My Latest Blog Post: Updates- Finances- Sisters- and Brainstorming
Mayowa said:
I’m with Gurl on this one.
I love blogging, that’s why I do it. That love does not prevent me from being as aggressive, innovative and persistent as someone who blogs for money…and i’m happy.
My Latest Blog Post: Finding Quality Self Published Books- The PoDhouse Approach
Nicholas Cardot said:
I love blogging also but I know a lot of people who love blogging but have worthless blogs. If that love of blogging translates into the dedication to aggressively pursue excellence then it can certainly be a powerful force toward success but if it is nothing more than an unfocused excitement then I would continue to argue that it is useless.
Mayowa said:
I think we are on the same page now.
The two things (love of blogging, aggressive pursuit of readership and profit) are completely separate and we can have combinations of both in anyone.
My Latest Blog Post: Finding Quality Self Published Books- The PoDhouse Approach
Nicholas Cardot said:
I agree and we should stop putting down the idea that working or blogging to be rewarded fiscally is less than honorable. If the product or content is amazing, who cares the motives. If they are helping, who cares why?
Mayowa said:
Amen to that.
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Geoff Crane said:
Zomg Gurl see, now next time I see you online I have to give you a huge *hug*.
You put it way better than I could have and nailed exactly what I’d intended.
Also Nick, while I totally played my fragile, dainty little ego, I did love this post and agree with Gurl that this was an awesome way to continue the conversation!
Nicholas Cardot said:
Thanks, Geoff. I’m glad that you guys are enjoying the conversation. I’ve been on other blogs where people have viciously attacked one another and although I love a good, hearty debate, I try very carefully not to come across as someone who attacks the individual. Someone once told me, “Although people may dislike your position, don’t ever give them a reason to dislike your disposition.” I hope that I’ve come across like that.
Geoff Crane said:
Hehe you’re golden Nick. I was playing with you in my first comment. I mean come ON it was an open invitation!
I love this blog and while I don’t necessarily agree with you on this point, your points are still very well taken.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Thanks, Geoff. I didn’t think that you would mind and I’m trying to be very careful with everyone to express that although we disagree we’re all still friends just have a conversation that is intended for nothing more than to help us all have a broader perspective of the subject.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Before I start, I certainly didn’t intend to imply that Geoff or anyone who disagrees with me is naive. If I came across with that type of an attitude, you have my sincerest apologies. I’m not trying to put anyone down who disagrees.
Your entire comment seems built on the premise that the desire for profit is a base or vulgar desire which is something I passionately disagree with. I believe that should be working hard and developing skills that contribute to society in such a way that we can be fiscally rewarded for it.
Even the Bible says, “The labourer is worthy of his reward.” (I Timothy 5:18). Hard work and payment for that hard work is an age old principle and our entire free market economy is built on this concept.
When I walk into Wal-Mart, I know that the lady who rings up my purchase is only there for one reason…to get paid. When her shift is over, she doesn’t stick around to continue helping me. She goes home.
But I’ll continue to shop there because I’m getting great products at a great price and that principle is universal. Online you need to provide a great product (information) at a great price (easy and fun to quickly read) and I’m confident that you can enjoy success the same way that Wal-Mart does and you can do it all with the primary intent to provide for your family.
Gurl said:
You didn’t imply that, but to me people who think that way ARE naive. My bad for not being clear.
Making money with physical products is VERY different from making money with virtual products. I can check out the physical product before I buy should I choose, test it out a little, etc. Can’t do that the majority of the time with virtual products or what I call no product products like consulting. I can check what others have to say about it…I can even see more about the author on some website somewhere. But that involves an element of trust to get to the buying step. I will NEVER trust anyone online who seems to ONLY be in it for the money. Just who I am.
Sure, and honest day’s labor is worth an honest day’s pay. And labor comes in many forms. It’s how are YOU going to make ME believe the price you are asking for reflects the value I will get when I buy. *Hint: Coming off a sincere is a big part and that’s hard to do for many people when all they see is the potential money. Even I am horrible at being sincere when I think about the money*
My Latest Blog Post: Updates- Finances- Sisters- and Brainstorming
Nicholas Cardot said:
I don’t believe that it is very different. In the real world there are physical products that are branded with logos. We call these the name brands. Brands like Sony fall into this category and as a general rule, the public grows to trust that brand and they become confident that the product will be good. Even if they don’t buy it in the store, they know that they can purchase it online from BestBuy.com or from another online retailer. Sony has built that brand and they haven’t done it with just sincerity. They’ve done it out of a passionate to increase their profits year after year but in general people still pay more for a Sony than for other brands simply because Sony products have a strong reputation.
If you want to build a following online then you’re going to have to do something that’s going to really make you stand out. You’re going to have to amp up your level of professionalism and start providing quality that absolutely surpasses the rest. Most people think that their content is awesome and they have no idea how weak it actually is. I look back at stuff I wrote 6 months ago and think to myself how much better it would be if I had written it today having 6 months more experience and I know that I need to keep learning and growing because someday, I’m going to look back and realize how weak my material is today. The point is that we have to look at our work right now, compare it to the big picture (which most people are failing to see) and we need to realize that we’ve got to be aggressively amping up our game.
Andrew said:
I’m sorry, but I think (yes an uninformed opinion) that’s a load of crap.
Let me explain it very simply.
You have a choice to make the same money, and have the same hours, and same chores but with the difference being one is to some degree on your own terms, and the other is working for the man.
And you’re telling me that given those options you would prefer to have someone over your shoulder for those hours while you do your chores?
That’s plain crazy!
But at the end of the day what are you doing? You’re paying the bills. Otherwise you’d do it for free.
Andrew said:
Hmm that was supposed to be a reply to Gurl.
Ahh well.
Nicholas Cardot said:
The comment that you responded to already had a response which yours came after…plus that response had a response etc. so yours got bumped way down here. Sorry about that but that’s just how WordPress works.
Andrew said:
Well I guess if they were sincere over at WordPress they’d have considered my feelings and not let that happen, even if it cost them 3 million dollars. Right?
Nicholas Cardot said:
Ha ha. That’s exactly right!
Gurl said:
It showed up as a reply in my email box.
I think you misunderstood me. I don’t do well in traditional job structures because I only go to work because I need the money. I have NEVER had a job I was passionate about or even really happy with. I’ve never had a job I would do for free, if I had other ways of covering the day to day.
With my newest blogging venture, I will be doing something I HAVE done for free. And was good at. And enjoyed the hell out of doing. Now that’s going to make my new line of “work” less like work while still paying the day to day (yes that is optimism, but according to Jordan Cooper and may others, going in with the option to mega fail is not conductive to succeeding
)
My Latest Blog Post: Updates- Finances- Sisters- and Brainstorming
Nicholas Cardot said:
You just gave two examples in your personal history. One is of a job history that didn’t work for you and one is of a blog future that has yet to work for you. There are days when I don’t enjoy blogging and I make just as much on those days as when I do enjoy it and there are days that my only motivation for keeping this blog alive is because I make a terrific income from it each month. Does that motivation make the material less valuable?
Going in with that attitude is not conductive to succeeding at all. Spend your time studying success. Spend your time studying your subject. Spend your time studying your audience. I don’t mean passively making little observations. I mean you need to study more than a college student and your major needs to be your message and everything around it.
Kidgas said:
I think Geoff and Nicholas both make good points and there are those who can be incredibly successful at passionate blogging as well as those who are marketers at heart. For me, passion and sincerity play a bigger role, but then I’ve never been the salesman type.
I do think the point about educating, entertaining, and engaging is important. I watch Jim Cramer on occasion as much to be entertained as to actually listen to what he has to say.
So, I can see where both of you make a decent point. The fact of the matter is that there is room on the internet for all kinds of blogs. Will they all make 6 figures? Of course not, but that’s what makes the world go round.
My Latest Blog Post: Another Day- Another Dollar
Nicholas Cardot said:
I used to listen to Jim Cramer every day on the radio. I’m not sure if he’s still on the radio anymore or if he’s only on TV now. He is incredibly entertaining and informative. But can you imagine how successful he would be if all of his advice was never backed up by the P/E ratios, the earning and earnings estimates, the relevant news, the newly acquired contracts, the interviews and all of the other facts that he uses to back up his opinions?
Kidgas said:
Very true. It seems like Cramer has the right combination of educating, entertaining, and engaging (with the lightning round).
My Latest Blog Post: Another Day- Another Dollar
Nicholas Cardot said:
Right. On the radio he used to play a game called, “Am I Diversified?” Does he still play that?
Kidgas said:
Yes, he still does that. It is an enjoyable segment as well as the lightning round. Sounds like he simply moved from radio to CNBC.
My Latest Blog Post: Another Day- Another Dollar
Nicholas Cardot said:
Yeah. It sounds like it. I’ve only seen his show a few times but I used to listen all the time when he was on the radio. That was back when I was in college…before I was in the Military. That was a long time ago. Whew. Now I’m getting all nostalgic.
Andrew said:
Wow it’s been a while since I commented here, or anywhere.
I think this topic needs a bit of clarity.
Geoff I agree that you need sincerity in what you are doing no matter if its blogging or aged care. I mean if you hate old people you won’t want to be changing their diapers right?
Nick, you’re totally spot on that you should stop kidding yourself into thinking that an intent to make money will block any other goals or vice verca.
Now combine the two perspectives and here’s what you come up with.
If you are sincere and honest with you own self you’ll be able to finally admit that deep down in the pit of your gut, you sincerely and honestly want to make money doing what you are doing.
You’re afraid that people will be uncomfortable with that. You’re afraid because you are uncomfortable with it. You’re uncomfortable with it because that’s how you are conditioned to think. When you get honest with yourself, you’ll be able to get honest with your readers.
You can veil the truth with anything you like but people will see through it. DO you sincerely enjoy burning 20 hours a week for a fun a love? Get real, you do it to make money so be sincere about it.
And this doesn’t just apply to blogging it applies to life itself. People can often smell bullshit a mile off. If you’re not making money online, and you are wondering why, take a look at your blog and ask yourself if it appears that the intention of this place is to make money? If not…HELLO!
There is no reason you can’t be sincere AND still have the intent to earn.
Nicholas Cardot said:
I agree. As I mentioned in the comment above, it shouldn’t bother us to know that someone is working hard to be rewarded if they are in turn providing information that is of the caliber that deserves to be rewarded.
If someone is writing absolute drivel, do we pat them on the back and continue to read their work simply because they’ve made it clear that they are absolutely sincere about the nonsense they are promoting. If so, I’m going to start a blog about one-eyed, left-handed, purple wigamajiggets.
Now you all know what I’m sincerely passionate about. It feels good to have let that out.
Katey said:
Awesome post just what I wanted to read (yes – this is a positive encouragement comment – lol)
I have been thinking about the very same thing.
Educate, Entertain & Engage – I have just started doing this on my new online project – just did not know the words to describe it thanks
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Let those three words sink deep down into your heart and do whatever it takes to accomplish them.
Katey said:
Thank you for your reply Nicholas
you are living proof of the sincerity – because you choose to engage. I love engagement and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy and now I will return 
I leave comments on different posts from time to time – but if I don’t get a reply I don’t go back. As I don’t feel valued. So thanks! Ps. I love how when people leave comments on your blog their latest blog post comes up
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Keith said:
I am sincere about making money…. the rest falls after that. I have never said anything otherwise. But I also have a desire to help others, unlike the Walmart cashier you mentioned in a comment who just wants a paycheck.
I agree with you on education first, I wrote a post once about writing only what you know (have knowledge on your topic).
I still think being sincere is important and should be included in your list. Of course you can make it without being sincere, look at John Chow….
My Latest Blog Post: Fed Up Friday- What About You
Nicholas Cardot said:
Yes but also notice that we far too often reward people for their motives and not for their actual successes. We now live in a society that tries to give trophies to everyone who shows up to the tournament instead of to the winners. Then we step out into life and we tell each other that as long as your sincere or as long as your motives are golden then it doesn’t matter if you are wallowing in mediocrity. In other words, it doesn’t matter if your an absolute failure as long as you are sincere. People live with that logic.
Instead, I’m trying to encourage people to actually accomplish something. I want people to be the ones winning and not the one’s just being patted on the back. I think that difference is that people would rather feel good than to hear the truth if the truth is uncomfortable. I embrace that discomfort and use it as a motivation to grow. Most live in fear of it.
Keith said:
It does matter, but I would still rather fail knowing I was sincere than be successful knowing I was insincere.
I am not arguing the main points of the article about education, entertainment, and engagement but arguing that sincerity should also be a part of it.
My Latest Blog Post: Fed Up Friday- What About You
Nicholas Cardot said:
But you essentially just admitted that we’re talking about two different things. I’m saying that success requires much more than just sincerity and you’re saying that you would rather fail with sincerity than to succeed without it. Why is that necessary? If I’m less sincere but my content is far better than those who are, who is actually helping their readers more? The one who is totally sincere or the one who is providing what the readers actually need?
Keith said:
Here’s the thing Nick: You actually are sincere, I know that because I know you. So you arguing this point, well, seems pointless.
Remember our conversation about the jet engines? Go full blast with one engine, or 25% with all four…
If you are less sincere, and someone else has equally great content but is more sincere, will that show? I think it will.
I believe (sincerely), that if you (Nick) stopped being sincere, your site would suffer.
My Latest Blog Post: Fed Up Friday- What About You
Nicholas Cardot said:
To a degree, I agree with you. What I’m arguing against is sincerity as a means to the end. Too many people are relying solely on the level of their sincerity to bring them to the highly sought after success. It goes back to giving everyone at the tournament a trophy just for being there. Real life isn’t like that. Not everyone gets a trophy. If you have great intentions but your costing your employer money…you get fired. If you are incredibly sincere but your writing is worthless you are going to limit your readership to the few people who take the time to get to know you and your sincerity. If you have rockin’ content then people will stick around.
I’m calling for people to stop justifying their current level of success/failure and start doing what it takes to reach up to the next level and that’s not going to happen if we’re spoon-fed to believe that if we pursue study more than engagement were a sellout or that if we pursue the time to write better content rather than the time to respond to all your comments you’re a sellout.
Lately, I find myself spending more time reading guides on HTML5 especially this one that I just picked up from Mark Pilgrim. For years, I’ve been a website designer but only recently I’ve come to realize how much of an amateur I really am and so I’m working to aggressively amp up my game. I’ve sincerely been trying to build great websites and some of them are pretty neat, but I’m learning that there is so much more out there that I can do if I actually take the time to read , study and practice more skills. I’m talking hours and hours every day of reading and studying. People need to do that. That’s what it’s going to take.
Geoff Crane said:
I’m still of the belief that people deserve rewards just for showing up. Perhaps they don’t get the Nobels or Pulitzers or Oscars…but they do deserve something. In this day and age with astronomical numbers of competition, it’s far too easy to give up and pack it in. Those who refuse to do so deserve much more than to hear, “your work is crap, get over yourself”…even if it’s true as of today.
I think a view that punishes only the currently most outstanding is myopic and hurtful…and precludes those people who keep trying from finding something truly special during their efforts.
I know your intent is to encourage…I know your argument is deliberately provocative to make a point…but I’d want to be careful about taking the argument to the point of saying, “if you’re not Number One, then go home”.
Keith said:
If your not first, your last!
I disagree with giving trophies to everyone that shows up. They do that in Tee-ball, soccer and everything else for kids these days, I think it is more harmful than helpful. What happened to good old fashioned competition?
My Latest Blog Post: Fed Up Friday- What About You
Nicholas Cardot said:
I wish we could give everyone a reward, Geoff, but in real life it doesn’t happen. Economies don’t function that way. You know that. And I’m not advocating that anyone should go home if they’re not number one. I’m advocating that if we’re not #1 then we should dig in an work a little bit harder. Let’s amp it up. Let’s study more. Let’s write better. I’m absolutely convinced that the people who do these things will find greater and larger results.
I look back over my life and I can see marked times where people or events got in my face and motivated me to work harder and I see the clear results of that dedication. I want to spread that to as many people as I possibly can.
Geoff Crane said:
And so those who may have continued to surpass their inadequacies and develop into great creators abandon their work because the road was too full of obstacles.
Call me a tree hugger but I don’t believe life is a badminton game.
I don’t mean, “I wish life weren’t a badminton game but it is”. I mean “life isn’t a badminton game and we keep trying to make it one”.
There’s far too much “you suck” in the world and not enough “here let me clear that for you…try again”.
Gurl said:
Well Said Geoff! I know I suck at somethings that are a part of blogging..I own it and I AM studying to improve my stumbling blocks. It takes guts to show up knowing you aren’t the best by a very long shot AND that is what we should reward people like me for. We should give advice on ways to improve if we have any…but we should also give them props for daring to try…because most of what we do is learning by doing and screwing up–in blogging and IRL. Those that have the balls to get out there and do…even if they suck at whatever they are doing..should have the fact that they do dare to try to be more acknowledged in a positive and encouraging way.
My Latest Blog Post: Updates- Finances- Sisters- and Brainstorming
Nicholas Cardot said:
I’m all about giving someone props for trying, but that’s not what we’re discussing here. We’re not talking about giving each other a slap on the back because I’m all about encouraging people. We’re talking about actually succeeding and trying your best and failing isn’t succeeding. One of my favorite books, Failing Forward by John Maxwell, is about that exact subject. It’s okay to fail but I’m trying to give people the insight to succeed by gaining knowledge learned through study rather than with knowledge gained through the school of hard knocks. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others.
I agree that having the balls to get out there and do something is an admirable attribute, but without the intestinal fortitude to actually dig in and make it work, you’re still going to land right back down on your backside and I’m trying to open people’s eyes to see what it takes to avoid that from happening.
Nicholas Cardot said:
I’m not sure if I follow you 100%. I’m certainly not saying that we should be telling each other that we suck but rather I think of it in the sense of my military experience. As we create plans to accomplish missions, we look over our weakest points and make specific plans to reduce the possibility of failure. We secure the week links in the plan to ensure success. As I look over my work, my online business, my writing, and over all aspects of my life, I try very hard to recognize my weaknesses only that I might continue to transform them into strengths. I don’t compare myself to others in the sense that I am jeolous or desiring to put them down but in the sense that I want to learn from the strengths of those stronger than me and to develop my determination to continue growing as I look at the successes of those who are greater than I.
And as I go, I only wish to spread that to as many people as possible.
Geoff Crane said:
We’re all in the same boat, Gurl. Hell my own suckage is quite legendary. But number one is a transitory condition. Those who win today will be leftovers by tomorrow. It’s those who keep trying, every day, in the face of adversity who will see the longest term successes…that’s my view. They need the encouragement to tough it out, though, or their success can’t be realized…sooner or later we’d all pack it in if the effort seemed completely futile.
My view on this may not be the most pragmatic but I fervently believe it, which is why I’ve been so contrary in this thread.
Gurl said:
LOL Geoff, we should make a bloggers who know the suck at some part of blogging but are working to get better at it club or something
We see eye to eye on this, and this is really cool. I don’t think you or I were being contrary, just the only two for the other side of the argument. Was pretty cool to be in the minority on a discussion for a change
My Latest Blog Post: Updates- Finances- Sisters- and Brainstorming
Nicholas Cardot said:
That really is the point that I’m trying to make though. I’ve had a lot of people ask me what they have to do in order to get their blog going and then they preface my response by telling me that they already have awesome content. No. If you already had awesome content then you would be asking me for help.
I’m with you. I know that my content isn’t the greatest but it doesn’t offend me to acknowledge it to myself and to dig in to keep learning, growing and improving.
Gurl said:
I am going to answer a couple of things here instead of all over this thread.
And which way to you remember the lessons best?? For me, its from screwing up myself. For others, one way is about as good as the other.
It is if you don’t actually QUIT whatever you “failed” at. That’s part of the learning process for a lot of us…failing, learning, moving on to go at it again.
Three possibilities here. One…they just want an ego stroke. We all want that from time to time. Hearing that someone else thinks we are doing well is a great motivator for me..and many others, I’d guess.
Two…maybe they want advice on something besides their content. SEO, design, promotion…all very important IMHO in getting yourself noticed. how they asked for your input would determine if this is the case. (Probably NOT the case, but possible)
Three…They are unaware of what awesome content looks and sounds like. So, in this case, they really do need pointers on what they are doing well and what they need to improve on.
You can’t make it a perfect world. People HAVE to fail eventually…its what they do with that failure that makes or breaks them. I am not afraid to fail…I am more afraid of never failing. Without failure, I never learn. Seriously, I’ve tried both ways and I usually find that I learn better by doing…and that leads to failing at times.
I always do my best to point people in the direction of good practices but I know I am still learning. And I try to make sure they realize that. The most important thing we can do as bloggers for each other and our selves is to be supportive. Give “Atta boys!” for successes, a shoulder when failures come, a sounding board when ideas need to be worked into great ideas, a resource of what we know that someone else doesn’t…then we can thrive together. Otherwise, we will just compete ourselves to death instead of learning that we should not compete but learn to be different in some way that will attract readers that the “competition” isn’t pleasing.
My Latest Blog Post: Updates- Finances- Sisters- and Brainstorming
Nicholas Cardot said:
I think that we’re only looking at this from a limited perspective. Passion and sincerity is a great thing. It can multiply your effectiveness. I believe that and agree with that.
But I also believe that sincerity and passion that doesn’t translate into real action is useless. If it doesn’t propel you to become the type of person that people want to follow then all the sincerity in the world won’t matter as you reach up to make a difference.
It really comes down to this idea. Do you want affirmation or accomplishment?
For example, imagine if two people are fund raising for an incredibly important charity. One person doesn’t really care but is able to raise $50,000. The other person is passionate about it but because of his inability to raise funds, he only raises $20,000.
They both deserve pats on the back. They both had incredibly honorable intentions and I will support and do whatever I can to help them continue growing.
But again, it comes back to this question: It really comes down to this idea. Do you want affirmation or accomplishment?
If that person is really passionate about helping their charity then they should be willing to improve their skill to be more like the first person. I know that I would.
And that’s what I’m campaigning for. Not that we should take away the props from the people who are reaching out and doing their best but that those who really want to amp up the level of their effectiveness should dig in and improve themselves and their online presence.
Geoff Crane said:
I won’t speak for others but I know that I’ve found myself reacting to the presentation of this article and some of the hard-edged language used here, and the suggestion in the main article that it’s the “truth”.
I guess I feel that while some of your points have truthful elements, they remain a bit short sighted.
In your example about the charity, sure. In that one instance, one mindset was able to raise more money. But is it sustainable? Can that person go on to replicate that success every time or is it a flash in the pan?
I used to work in banking…I saw traders come in, make a pile of money for the bank and be rude to people, hurt people’s feelings and generally be awful to be around. As long as they produced, people tolerated it. And the moment they made a mistake, or the market moved against them (something they couldn’t control), they were out the door.
Those traders who weren’t as aggressive, but who consistently made modest amounts of money were much more likely to keep their jobs…and because they loved what they did, they had the support of other people who helped them get better. So their results improved substantially over time.
They never made as much as the loudmouthed hotshots, but the bank was better off over the long haul because of these hard workers, who genuinely loved their work.
In an earlier comment you flippantly said “if someone’s work is worthless”…while it’s purely hypothetical and doesn’t call anyone out, it’s objectionable nonetheless. Comments like that, along with the overall tone of this article suggests you’re invalidating others’ work that doesn’t meet a certain arbitrary set of criteria. I know you’re not, but the suggestion remains. Your position here presents as “hard truth” something that may only be a temporary condition, and is ultimately subjective. Is the work getting results today? Maybe not. Will the work get results tomorrow? Unknown.
Nicholas Cardot said:
If my tone has come across as inappropriate, I do apologize for that. I’m certainly not trying to put anyone down and I don’t believe that I am better or that my material is better than the material of anyone else. In fact, a large part of this article was written at myself. I’m sincere and passionate about what I do on here, but I’m coming to realize that it really takes much more than that to make things happen.
I would argue that there is an arbitrary set of criteria and that standard is set by every user that visits your website. If it meets their standard, they subscribe, bookmark, interact and return. When I talk about something being worthless, I’m talking about whether or not an average visitor to your site values it enough to expend their time consuming it. After all, isn’t our goal to create an online environment that looks great, is easy to interact with, and is packed with valuable material that our readers enjoy?
So when I say worthless, I’m not creating the standard. I’m simply recognizing that our users will set it and that we need to be able to meet it. Content that makes them feel compelled to keep reading or that provides information quickly can do this and all I’m advocating is that people don’t ever stop learning how to improve and continue making better and better content that can do that.
Annabel Candy, Get In the Hot Spot said:
Can we agree to disagree? I’m fully behind you saying that bloggers need to provide useful information to their readers wmore than anything else. That’s a fact and bloggers that give their readers the info they’re looking for do well.
However, re “a sincere desire to promote that message” that is also true. If a blogger doesn’t believe in and feel passionately about their message then they’ll soon run out of things to write about and won’t maintain their own interest long enough to keep their blog going for the year or more they need until it truly takes off.
I bet we agree anyway… it’s all just semantics really! Bottom line is love and know your topic and share that unreservedly with your readers:)
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Nicholas Cardot said:
I think that you’re right. I think that as we more clearly define our positions we’re actually discovering some commonalities amongst our ideas.
Sourish @ Jailbreak Iphone 4 said:
nice article Nicholas , well to setup a site like Envato takes a long time. For making a successful start , stop thinkin or even looking at quick earn money techniques , like i have seen in various clickbank products. One must start small , better if they start very small and target one thing , like Chigago Bears for example …
writing about something you already know makes things easy , but rather than choosing a broad topic , target smaller ones with some search volume , if you want to be a professional blogger and like matt from google spam team said , keep rolling and add more categories , additional stuff .
Nicholas Cardot said:
But I would argue that writing about things that we already know will massively limit ourselves. We should use our blogging as a motivation to keep learning more. This is great because it allows us the opportunity for terrific self-improvement. I’m reading and studying everyday because I want to keep developing myself and providing better information. It’s like going to college for free.
Sourish @ Jailbreak Iphone 4 said:
That’s a nice thought , i wonder how many of us think like you .
Nicholas Cardot said:
I’m not sure. I’m trying to get more to think that way though.
Onibalusi Bamidele said:
Really great post Nick,
You are absolutely right here!
Even though sincerity is an important element in blogging it is not enough to make you money.
Making sure your blog is a great information resource is a great key to success.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Thanks, Onibalusi. I appreciate the positive feedback and I’m glad that you understand that I’m not putting down sincerity, per se. But rather, I’m trying to emphasize the importance of taking it much further by including a dedication to self-improvement and to continuous improvement of our material.
DMarie said:
Nick -
While reading this post & it’s almost 60 comments, I got irritated (defensive?) with you several times. But rereading your opening paragraph helped to steady my perspective in order to compose this comment.
Over several months of reading this blog I’ve grown to have a great deal of respect for your passionate opinions and admiration for your design / writing talents, drive and determination. It’s helping me turn back the sands of time and reconnect with more of my own passions and natural talents. (Thank you.)
I’ll share this one bit of my thought process and let the rest go.
What criteria are you using to determine when a blogger is doing their best vs when they are not?
In my opinion, it’s all relative. When judging another’s efforts isn’t it more important to take their individual circumstances and tool box of talents into account rather than using our own as the measure of accountability?
And as far as grabbing attention of the masses, it’s one of those chicken and egg scenarios. At what point? Is it better to make rookie mistakes early in the game with a small audience and grow it slow or go all in immediately and just deal with the fallout of those rookie mistakes we all make?
Maybe I’m being defensive, but it’s how I feel. Still, you’ve provided some valuable stuff here, good food for thought.
Also, in one comment you shared this quote and your hope of living up to it.
“Although people may dislike your position, don’t ever give them a reason to dislike your disposition.” I hope that I’ve come across like that.
Well done, my friend, because I believe you manage to do exactly that.
DMarieF
My Latest Blog Post: Dogs in Cars a Potentially Lethal Combination- Study Reveals
Dennis Edell | Direct Sales Marketing said:
Ever heard, “Opinions are like hind-quarters…everybody has one.”
Of course it’s said a lot more colorfully when not in the public eye. lol
“I don’t care how many readers I have. I don’t care how much money I make. I’m focused on building a small community at my blog.”
I almost fell over as I know at least one that fits EXACT; you were probably envisioning the same person…’nuff said.
This is one time I can hinestly say, I agree on some level with both parties.
Now I am all about engaging with community, being sincere, and not having profits be the all in one motivator; readers are far to mart nowadays to fall for the fake.
I believe you feel the same Nick – you certainly engage, you’re absolutely sincere, and not one affiliate link in this post.
HA-HA.
However, I’m glad to say I am smart enough to know the community I work hard to build, won’t be around so long if I can’t pay my hosting bill.
My Latest Blog Post: A Personal Post – Do Not Skim
Mandeep said:
Very true words here. I have read a lot of bloggers, who write “I’m not in it for the money, I just want to provide you the best information.” It may be the case with ‘very few blogs’ however, probably not the case with ‘most blogs’. Your article definitely described it best, it is okay to have the goal of making money however, if you cannot provide good, updated, and fresh content, then most people may never pay attention to your blog. Interesting post.
Jasmine Henry from J Station X said:
If I were to write dozens of opinion posts on my blog, I am absolutely positive that it would get me nowhere.
In order to build up influence through voicing your thoughts and opinions, you must first be able to say ‘readers, my content is awesome and you visit my site every day just to read it, now listen to what I have to say!’ and if your content isn’t worth reading and if you can’t make that statement, I, as a reader has no business being on your blog just to hear you rant.
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Alex said:
Hi Nicholas, do you have a list somewhere of all the wordpress plugins you are *currrently* using on this site? I found an older post here: http://www.sitesketch101.com/15-incredible-wordpress-plugins-you-need where you recommend a few plugins. But I found that some of those plugins aren’t approved for WP 3.0. So, I’d really appreciate to know ALL the plugins you are currently using because many things on your website seem to be very well thought out and worth to model.
BTW, do you have the 3.0 version of WordPress or is this an older one (because of some plugins)?
Thanks in advance!
Reza Winandar said:
Same like Alex, I thought that the fake pagerank plugin wouldn’t get approved by WordPress because it’s cheating, you know.
Alex said:
Reza, I think that nowadays you can pretty much ignore pagerank completely. There are lots of examples in virtually every industry where websites rank high with little or no pagerank. And in those cases where only high pagerank websites are on the first page, it is easy to tell that the reason they rank well is not their pagerank.
Mel Melhado said:
I believe it is, working with sincerity can get us anywhere and this applies to blogging as well. There is a difference between bloggers who work sincerely and those who blog for the sake of keeping the blog alive. Good qualities always reflects back.