On Motivation
Some replies I received on twitter today caused me to think about people’s motivation for blogging – or at that, content creation as a whole.
There are those that drink the kool-aid, and buy the “$100 000 a month in 30 days” books and have dreams of rich and fame. They buy all the resources, and are convinced they could become millionaires in the first few months of blogging. They dream of the wealth, the popularity, and the glory of getting rich quick with blogging.
On the other side of the spectrum are the humble bloggers. They are the ones that constantly pump out great content. Their blogs – no matter the topic – have a voice to them. A voice that defines them. A voice that lures me, as a reader, in. A voice that make me want to read more. A voice that brings a smile to my face whenever I see an update from their RSS feed.
Now, ask yourself, which one are you?
In all fairness, it is rare to find someone on either extreme. Often, it is more subtle. A blogger sees the money to be made, and becomes consumed by it. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that content producers should get paid for their work, but the problem begins when the focus shifts from the content to the money.
Trust me, motivation by fame, money, or power will affect your content. And not for the better.
Let’s go back to how this thought got planted in my head. It started with me reading Chris Bowler’s latest blog post – ‘On Deck’. He wrote about his goal to one day become a full-time blogger, making a living off his work. Why does he say he wants to do that?
“To be able to research, to write and to experiment with the things I’m excited and passionate about — sounds like a dream job to me.”
He goes on to mention how the only ads that he would want to adorn his site would be via The Deck because it doesn’t “detract from the content the reader sees, while rewarding the author for his/her time and efforts”.
Precisely!
Chris gets it. Blogging is not about cramming as many animated ads as possible on a page. It’s about the content. It’s about letting the content speak for itself. Content creation in any form is not easy, and the content creators have a right to make money from their work. But there is a big difference between making money for your work, and working for money.
And that is why I admire Chris. He found his passion. He has a goal. And he has now found a spot in my blogroll. I don’t think he’s “big headed” or conceited – on the contrary, much more humble than I could ever be.
Focus on the content. Keep at it, and you won’t be going anywhere other than onward, and upward.
