Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad you’re here, but you should strongly consider clicking that little red x in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.
Because if you truly want inspiration, you’ve come to the wrong place, sort of. Still here? Then I’ll explain:
Get Out of the Echo Chamber and Into the Real World.
We in the blogosphere tend to repeat ourselves a lot. Whether we’re paraphrasing another blogger, saluting them, or lambasting them, the truth is we’re still talking about the same set of ideas. The agenda is set, the discussion is framed.
Sure, discussion is great. Conversation is the crux of the social web, but when we spend a majority of our time browsing blogs we tend to ignore what is going on outside of our echo chamber. And we forget to:
Relate to Real Humans.
Real humans watch reality TV, shop at Target, and sit all day at the DMV. They don’t dream in Tweets and when they talk they don’t consider themselves to be “engaging,” they think of it as … talking. If you want inspiration for better content or your next big idea, spend some time in the natural surroundings of real-life human beings and find inspiration for stories they can relate to on a human level.
Chances are, your end customer doesn’t spend as much time clicking on things online as you may think, so to speak their language, think beyond blogs and maybe even check out:
Movies, Music, Magazines, and Books.
All of the formats above go through a hell of a lot more scrutiny on their way to being published than blog posts do. Not only does this mean less typos and grammar errors, it also means the ideas have been vetted, challenged, examined, and beaten into a tighter, more logical pulp.
Doesn’t that sound like a better source of inspiration than a half-baked idea in the form of a Tweet?
Seems Kind of Stupid, Considering This is a Blog Post
Right. It does. And it is. But I’m not saying that we should ignore blogs all together. In fact some of the people I respect, admire, and learn from the most I found via their blogs. I love the web and social media is as fascinating to me as it is useful. But what I am saying is that it’s very easy to get sucked down the vortex.
In other words: once people realize the value of the social web; Twitter, blogging, forums, Facebook, etc., we tend to put our blinders on toward everything that doesn’t present itself in the aforementioned formats.
All I’m saying is this: lift the blinders and sample a wide variety of sources if you want a balanced complete diet of inspiration.
[image: loop_oh]
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- Today In Twitterverse: The Echo Chamber Is Growing L-L-L-Louder-r-r-r (adpulp.com)
This post originally appeared on hanelly.com.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Refreshing reminder that blinkered vision can mask out what is REALLY happening out in the wider world – and stop us from engaging with REAL people, in real ways. I’m off to talk to some real people now….
I fall prey to this type of activity all the time. I’ll spend time browsing the web looking for ideas of things to write about and find nothing. But when I stop out for a minute into my “regular” life or work life, I find ideas almost instantly. Same goes for when I’m reading a book, having a conversation, watching a movie, etc. Thanks for the comment Dean!
No worries, Andrew!
Hay – I spoke to some real people whilst boating today – and it looks like some new business/revenue will come out of it – see – it only works!
Well done.
Thanks, Tom. Unless you’re ordering a steak, in which case I’ll have one too, but make it medium rare.
This is a genius post Andrew.
I actually feel like a tit for replying to a blog post that advises people to stop reading blog posts, but gotta give credit where it’s due.
I have this conversation a lot with people, advising to focus more on the fundamentals and less on the tools.
There’s a great quote by Seth Godin, which I have memorised (I expect you have read this before). He says:
“I love to hear about the next big thing, but I’m far more interested in what you’re doing with the old big thing.”
Which makes me remember that while everyone is spending their time on all these tools, networking, reading up on what everyone is doing and being uber cool with; I’m working on improving what the fundamentals that worked for me in the past and will work for me in the future.
Great stuff dude.
Luca – Thank you so much for the kind words. As far as the “genius” label, I can just say that even a broken watch is right twice a day
I love the Godin quote you added and I hadn’t heard it before. Now that is genius.
Thanks for stopping by with your comment!
The reason all this is so addictive is the same reason people sit for hours and stuff nickels into slot machines: It’s the allure of the random pay out. We blog, we tweet, and tweet and blog. Nothing happens. Then BOOM, someone RTs or comments on our post, or we find a killer article/video that shakes our world. It’s the randomness of it, coupled with the relative safety of our little online world, that makes it so hard to disengage from it.
The thing that’s worked well for me is to set a time limit: An hour or two a day to absorb, read, share and create as much (and hopefully as well) as I can, then unplug and get on with life outside the four walls. It takes a bit of discipline, and I still cheat and check my iphone like a trained monkey, but it helps keep it all within healthy limits.
Great post Andrew!
“The allure of the random pay out.” I love that. And I think there is more there to talk about. Have you written a post about it? I’d love to read it.
Setting up a time limit is probably the best move you can make. That way, you go in, lay some ground work then go back to other work. Thanks for the smart comment, Marcus!
Well, now I know the answer to “what should my next post be about?”
Thanks Andrew. Always fun.
Well, you can guarantee yourself at least one reader!
You wanted the best?!? You got the best!!! Ladies and gentleman…KISS!!! Oops, I meant Here’s that post we talked about: http://b2bforhumans.com/2011/06/08/3-ways-to-make-your-content-addictive/
Good reminder; very well said.
I’m turning off my computer now and heading out to Target.
Too funny
Thanks for dropping by with the comment, Sally!
Great insight! I always gravitate towards real speak and less to people talking from their Social Media Ivory towers! More “Target Speak” cant be a bad thing!
Just like in the real world, nobody likes a fake. Nobody likes a phony. And people can tell if you are almost instantly. Be yourself, be authentic and stop talking like a grammar book – talk like a person. And, oh yeah, pay attention to the real world.
If you spend too much time in the echo chamber, eventually you’ll go deaf.
Anyway – thanks for the great comment, Alex. I appreciate you dropping by!
Hi Andrew, I feel weird replying to a 2 month old post, but anyway.
I love this quote by Einstein:
“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”
That’s why I like to read crusty old books:)
The book I’m reading just now is really good “Seeking Wisdom by Peter Bevelin”. If anyone is into psychology, wisdom, developing models to help improve your thinking, decision making etc.
Right, back to reading some more blogs;)
Well, if it makes you feel better, I feel weird replying to a 5 day-old comment. Oh wait, no I don’t.
I absolutely love that quote and I hadn’t heard it before. Very interesting thought though.
I’m going to put the book you suggested on my “to read” list.
Thanks for dropping by!
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