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| Source: Humans of New York |
You don’t have permission but you can do it anyway*.
Lately I’ve been banging my drum a whole lot about blogging.
About not
doubting yourself and getting over unfounded fears about bringing your thing
to the world.
Here are 5 examples of brave innovators. These crazy kids succeeded by ignoring their own lack of writing skills, convention and/or what
was expected of them to just bloody go for it - with spectacular results:
1. Darren Rowse – Digital
Photography School / ProBlogger
By
his own admission, Darren Rowse was not a great writer, nor did he really know
what he was doing as a blogger when he started Digital Photography School
blog. He just had knowledge to share and became so caught up in, not only the
incremental success he was getting as a blogger, but the progress and process he
observed as he was learning how to share his knowledge. Inspired by his
newfound obsession about the trials and wonders of blogging, Darren created a
spin off blog, Problogger and
accidentally turned into arguably the most revered blogging expert on Planet
Earth.
2. Here’s the Thing (podcast)
– Alec Baldwin
Alec
Baldwin an interviewer? Isn’t he the best known Baldwin boy, an actor,
producer, star of countless TV and movie hits from 30 Rock to Hunt for Red
October, Still Alice, Blue Jasmine, Prelude to a Kiss, The Aviator and about a
thousand more?
What
the hell does Alec Baldwin know about conducting an interview programme?
On reflection, he probably has known a lot for a long time. Albeit, no background
in journalism or masters degree in interviewing techniques, but you better
believe the guy has been interviewed a bajillion times.
What
else? He likes talking in a husky, sexy voice and although he never sounds
anything other than sober, I always imagine him holding an Old Fashioned while
he riffs and prods and ruminates.
Here’s
the thing about Here’s the
Thing; I’m pretty sure each week Baldwin basically talks to whoever the
hell takes his fancy on any given whim – indulging his own vast interests (“artists,
policy makers and performers”) but that don’t mean a damn. An underground hit,
Here’s the Thing has been going since 2011 and, turns out, it's helping change the way popular entertainment and information is defined and delivered. Who knew?
3. Chyka.com – Chyka Keebaugh
Here
is an example of someone who took advantage of her 15 minutes of fame and
backed it right up.
Chyka
is one of the Housewives
of Melbourne and I’m probably not alone in thinking Chyka is the most
sensible, likeable and most lovely of the lot of them. From what I can see,
Chyka is using the show as a fabulous professional platform rather than a magnifying
glass zeroing in on personal faults and weaknesses. Yay dignity!
Chyka.com
pulls together her flair for style, etiquette and events into one lovely package that is tied with a bow and that appeals to the muser and the professional alike. She’s also spruiking her
and her husband’s wildly successful company, The Big Group with aplomb and
style. It’s a nice channel for them. And while Chyka is clearly classy and
highly intelligent, her writing isn’t amazing (I’d love to edit it for her) and
it doesn’t matter. Chyka.com is a clear example of the power of blogging – the point
isn’t perfection in expression; it demonstrates that voice, expertise and the air of authority is more important
than elocution.
4. General Electric
Oh
dear god, corporate blogs can be so beige. Often, it’s not their
fault in many ways (aka it’s not the marketing department’s fault, it’s the
fear of the stakeholder’s fault but I’m not giving any lee-way here**).
This blog is a case of top content and
a guarantee that you will be sucked further and further down the rabbit hole
the more you explore this site because it’s just that good. The world is
fascinated by tech. GE gets that. GE also gets that the world wants to hear
about really cool tech and science stuff – not product tidbits or benefits. It
also features seriously genuinely cool art, images, music and videos that bring people back to this brand's site. Go GE.
5. Humans of New York
How
good is Humans of New York? The
story of Brandon Stanton’s unprecedented phenomenon is punctuated by risk
taking, passion and personal growth. It started out when he set out to
photograph 10,000 New Yorkers and plot their photos on a map. It became so much
more like nothing there had ever been before or like nothing he ever predicted.
It became a collection of quotes and short stories from the people he met
alongside the photographs. Taken together, these portraits and captions became
the subject of a vibrant blog. With over eight million followers on social
media, HONY now provides a worldwide audience with daily glimpses into the
lives of strangers in New York City. It has also become a #1 NYT bestselling
book.
If you want to hear the first-hand account of Brandon’s phenomenon and how he found the kahunas to start this beast, check out this Design Matters podcast as Debbie Millman talks to the man himself.
If you’d like to some spend another 5 minutes down the rabbit hole reading about inspiring, clever humans, check out:
* I did not come up with this opening line, I was stuck for an interesting first sentence and by chance I read this opener on one of my favourite blogs, Altucher Confidential. It’s almost out-and-out plagiarism/blatant paraphrasing - I didn't have permission but took it anyway.
** If I may give some advice to corporate marketers it would be to please ask forgiveness tomorrow because it’s easier than seeking permission today. Nothing gets done otherwise.
