BlueBird desk

Writing Process: Blogging with a Passion

Keri JaenigWho doesn’t like a good challenge? My friend and fellow social media blogger Keri Jaehnig from Idea Girl Media passed me the torch of this blog tour by tagging me in her post Writing Process: My Risque, Revealing Blog Tour 

I sometimes jokingly refer to blogging as my hobby. Of course I am no hobby-blogger! I blog with purpose and passion. If you know me you know how I see the topic of my blog:

Social Media as something that touches every aspect of our lives. I am passionate to bring this topic to you and explain why and how the changes affect you and me.

I am passionate about these amazing changes and I am passionate about blogging.

Did you know that  I wasn’t born to be a blogger?

As a matter of  fact I grew up dyslexic in Germany and writing correctly was a challenge for me. Interestingly enough I have very little of these difficulties in my second language: English.

Growing up I developed coping mechanisms  like:

  • messy handwriting
  • avoiding terms and phrases I’m not sure about
  • discovering the dyslexic’s best friend: the spell checker

The second challenge is the fact that English is my second language. I took English as a second language in school for 6 years and honed the skills after immigrating to Canada in 1990. Today I speak and write English much easier than German but it takes years to learn a language well enough to express what you are passionate about.

4 Questions Answered About MY Writing Process

1. What am I working on?

I am always working on several projects. Currently I am focussed on the new Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation that comes into effect on July 1st. This is a topic that affects a lot of business owners and comes with a lot of questions.

I have several blog posts that I just can’t seem to find the time to finish with the attention they deserve. One of them is my interview with Anton Rius about his approach to social media metrics. Find the videos on my YouTube channel.

But I also have some more long term projects in progress. The phenomenon of Social Business and the upcoming, dramatic changes we will see in the advertising world are fascinating topics I am researching and formulating currently.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

My work, and my blog, is influenced by my life experiences. I am going to be 50 soon and my life has given me the opportunity to gather a more varied set of work and life experiences than most. I draw from this experience with everything I do. My blog is different because it is MY blog! I pay less attention to the current accepted opinion about a development in the digital media world and more to topics that directly affect me and my clients.

3. Why do I write what I do?

These 3 elements that influence my work:

  1. I am the web designer that understands how social media works and I am the social media expert that knows how a website functions.
  2. My clients are mostly small business owners, often with basic questions about the way social media works.
  3. I am keenly aware of how social media use changes the world and the web. In my opinion not all of my colleagues in the digital media industry really recognize these changes correctly.

You can imagine that covering these three elements does not lend itself well for a blog with a “clearly defined niche”. I am fully aware that my blog could be more popular if I would focus it more. But my blog is the place to serve my clients as well as document my larger views.

You will continue to find how-to Facebook posts and discussions about relationship building in social media side by side.

4. How does my writing process work?

You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.My writing processes are as varied as the posts and their requirements.

Often times posts are inspired by questions I get from clients and friends. If I know the answer I might produce a short explainer video or capture screenshots. These posts are often very quick and short. Some of my most-read articles are produced like that.

Most of the more theoretic posts “live” in my head for a long time (some never see the light) and I might collect material of other bloggers, books and discussions with others. I will collect links, notes and ideas and when the idea is “ripe” it flows into a draft directly in WordPress.

My favourite tools helping me with this process are Listly, Evernote and Scoopit.

I am a very visual person so often I actually create a featured image before I write the post. My goal is to use images that capture main messages at a glance.

I read a lot of posts and I analyze why I like some more than others. Often it’s the additional “bells and whistles” that make a post outstanding. A good image or video, an outstanding slideshare or list embed can make a post so much more valuable. I strive to deliver as much value to my readers as possible so you will often see this embedded content.

Lastly there is the secret “weapon”: Proofreading

My mind lets me read what I want to read. I overlook typos on a regular basis. Fortunately I live with the best proofreader ever and Michele checks over every major piece of content I write.

[tweet_box]You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star ~Nietzsche http://bit.ly/1wxq9aw[/tweet_box]

Time to pass the torch

My ongoing journey through the world of Social Media has put me in touch with many incredible bloggers. I am honoured to pass this blog tour on to two of my longest standing blogging friends:

Cathryn Wellner is both an inspiration and a great friend. Her support was instrumental from the beginning of my blog. She is an incredible story teller!

Cathryn Wellner has reinvented herself repeatedly—storyteller, teacher, community developer, consultant, project manager, farmer, store owner. Stories and writing have been the common threads. These days she is on a hunt for what is right with the world. She blogs about the creative, generous, brilliant, kind, inventive people who are making a mark on the planet. Having written more than 1000 of these stories on This Gives Me Hope, she is compiling a series of themed e-books for readers wanting a handy guide to reasons for hope on such topics as aging, technology, the environment, gender, animals, and even politics.

Teresa Deak was one of my first friends on Social Media over all. Her daily @picsiechick image and poems were some of the first digital media influences for me.

Teresa Deak - Butterfly Shaman, holder of hearts and see-er of Beauty - offers you what your heart needs. Her spiritual agents - energy clearing, Butterfly Resonance Images, her Gratitude Tarot cards and app, Soul Mandalas, Intuitive Butterflies - and her pendulum guide will awaken your Divine and welcome the flow of the Universe. She is ready to bring you butterflies and hold your heart while writing about her spiritual journey along the Butterfly Way. Visit her site at http://handsongratitude.com/ or connect with her on Facebok https://www.facebook.com/HandsOnGratitude

I am looking forward to seeing the follow up posts!

What is your blogging process?

 

Frithjof
I am the the founder of BlueBird Business Consulting (formerly Tweet4Ok). My focus is on Social Media strategy and education. My blog covers topics ranging from how-to social media posts to more general topics of concern for a rapidly changing digital world. Favourite quote: “To succeed in the business of the future we have to become the very people we are trying to reach” ~ Brian Solis
Frithjof

@bluebirdbc

Digital Media strategy and integration. Websites that work! FixMy #WordPress #SocialMedia educator. 30 day Email list Bootcamp
Here's how to vet guest bloggers without wasting your time --> https://t.co/Kvn0OYmwv8 via @tweakyourbiz @adamjayc #blogging - 29 mins ago
Frithjof
Frithjof

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26 Responses to “Writing Process: Blogging with a Passion”

  1. Frithjof Petscheleit June 29, 2014 at 2:20 am #

    One of my most personal blog posts yet. Thanks Keri for the challenge - on to you Cathryn and Teresa 🙂
    Thanks for the help Michele

  2. Teresa Deak June 29, 2014 at 2:33 am #

    oooo! Looking forward to reading this and writing my own post! (nope, haven’t written it yet. lol)

  3. kerijaehnig June 29, 2014 at 2:35 am #

    Frithjof,

    Smiling…  First, thank you for participating in the blog tour with me!  I’m happy to learn more about your and your work, as well as your writing process, and also who you passed the torch to.

    Thank you for sharing that you are dislexic.  Knowing some German, I can imagine you had a heck of a time growing up!!  My husband is dislexic, and he has a hard enough time in English. 

    As always, you rocked it!  And, you don’t look a day over 40, c’mon!  😉

    ~Keri

  4. Keri Jaehnig June 29, 2014 at 2:38 am #

    This is a great post! Thank you for sharing about yourself and your work, Frithjof! Can’t wait to see what the others have to say… 🙂

  5. BlueBirdBC June 29, 2014 at 2:59 am #

    🙂 kerijaehnig challenges like this trick us into soul-searching and I think everyone should do that on a regular basis. Blogging is one of my favourite things to do and one of the things that slip down the priority list all too often.

    Thanks for your friendship and support!

  6. MoreInMedia June 30, 2014 at 12:13 am #

    Frithjof,

    I, too, am not a native English speaker and blog in English about Social Media. Seems I have about a 2 year start on you as I immigrated in 1988. 😉

    Isn’t it amazing how your brain adapts to another language?

    I used to have my husband proofread everything, but now I only ask him for large posts, important new websites I contribute to or on a whim. More often than not, the posts are grammatically sound. 

    Nice to meet you via the Social Solutions Collective social media day blog post exchange!

  7. BlueBirdBC June 30, 2014 at 12:23 am #

    Thanks for stopping by MoreInMedia ! Language is a funny thing and I admire my daughter that grew up bilingual from day 1. 
    I love expressing my thoughts and the years “in between languages” were tough. Now it’s mainly some of the cultural references that are sometimes missing.

  8. Mark Longbottom June 30, 2014 at 12:26 am #

    My challenge is to write, I can’t sit down and work on  things they have to be responsive to things i have seen. otherwise it takes me weeks of editing and they never get published, that’s why my best come in comments on Linked in group discussions or people’s blogs>
    The pressure shouldn’t be about blogging but about talking to like minded people who we can learn from and help by through understanding and sharing our thoughts and ideas.

  9. BlueBirdBC June 30, 2014 at 12:50 am #

    I hear ya Mark Longbottom That’s why I love real-time conversations on Social Media. However, sometimes my posts take some time to gel. I am actually thankful for some of the posts that are not (yet) published.

    A stage in between for me is to collect thoughts in evernote and re-visit them once in a while.
    I agree though - sometimes these collections are more idea-graveyards 🙂

  10. polleydan June 30, 2014 at 2:42 am #

    First I keep ideas or other pieces of content that inspire me in Evernote. Then I update my Editorial Calendar with my idea (also in Evernote). 

    I write the post in Google Docs and then copy and paste to WordPress and publish.

  11. mike_allton June 30, 2014 at 3:07 am #

    It’s always interesting to read about how people are blogging and growing “behind the scenes” of their blogs. It’s also nice to get ideas on process for those of us who are always looking to improve.

    And, like you, Evernote is an essential part of my own process. All of my blog posts are born there, often from fleeting thoughts and passing fancy as I walk through life with an iPhone in hand. Being able to quickly record those ideas, whether they’re ultimately worthwhile or not, has helped me tremendously.

    Thanks for sharing!

    • Frithjof June 30, 2014 at 12:54 pm #

      Thank you for stopping by Mike! I am a big fan of your blog and it’s nice to see that we have similarities 🙂

  12. cendrinemedia June 30, 2014 at 4:16 am #

    That’s a very interesting post! I can relate to it because, like you, English is not my mother tongue. We tend to work differently from natives in that sense. 

    Yes, proofreading is so important. I always rely on a couple of great friends who know their grammar well to have a look at my work.

    • Frithjof June 30, 2014 at 12:57 pm #

      Yes, at first glance we seem to have a disadvantage over the natives 😉 But being different gives us a distinctly different angle in many ways.
      You’ve been a great example for me for years and I am humbled that you stopped by Centrine!

  13. Frithjof Petscheleit June 30, 2014 at 5:07 am #

    I’m totally blown away by the reaction to my post! A number of my favourite authors are commenting! Thanks so much Mike Allton, Cendrine Marrouat….
    Mike, for some reason your comment does not show up in the post….. I have to investigate with Livefyre why that is

  14. Cendrine Marrouat June 30, 2014 at 5:14 am #

    I had no idea I was one of your favorite authors! Now, that made my day. 🙂

  15. BlueBirdBC June 30, 2014 at 5:22 am #

    Interesting process polleydan do you use an app in Evernote?

  16. BlueBirdBC June 30, 2014 at 5:24 am #

    cendrinemedia  Yes, at first glance we seem to have a disadvantage over the natives 😉 But being different gives us a distinctly different angle in many ways.
    You’ve been a great example for me for years and I am humbled that you stopped by Centrine!

  17. BlueBirdBC June 30, 2014 at 5:29 am #

    mike_allton Thank you for stopping by Mike! I am a big fan of your blog and it’s nice to see that we have similarities

  18. BlueBirdBC June 30, 2014 at 5:33 am #

    🙂

  19. Kimberly A Kline June 30, 2014 at 6:23 am #

    I also believe that our life experiences (I am now 52) directly effect what we write about and how we think.  And you are right in saying that our readers can see this in our work.

  20. BlueBirdBC June 30, 2014 at 7:14 am #

    Let’s hope you are right Kimberly A Kline we certainly earned it 🙂

  21. sociableblogs January 4, 2015 at 1:29 pm #

    Hi,
    Just wanted to say thanks for this great post! The fact that each social network has a different audience is one of the most important factors one has to consider before sharing anything. It is an excellent summary, that one can go through easily. Very helpful! Thanks!

  22. BlueBirdBC January 4, 2015 at 2:14 pm #

    Thank you Jim! sociableblogs
    I remember when I first started consulting I had to contradict a lot of people that told people to just blanket all social networks at once. Glad we are over that 🙂

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

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