Insights

So You’re Having a Bad Day

We all have them. Bad days that make us wonder why we do what we do, whether in our own business or for our employer.

Or we wonder why we’re with our partners when we have an argument. Or we see the size of our email inbox and wish we could just skip the day and begin again tomorrow.

But are we really having such a bad day?

I took my dogs out for a walk this morning, and one of them crapped on a snail. I mean, seriously – how bad does your day have to be to look up and find that someone is shitting on your house?

So, yeah, we may be having bad days. But do they compare to a child beaten and abused by their parents, or bullied at school?

Do they compare to a good, law-abiding person fighting terminal illness and wondering why that rapist lived to 97?

Do they compare to people that are jailed and tortured for wanting to live in a democracy?

Maybe we feel like nothing can be worse than the day we’re currently having. But if all we have to complain about is the noise of social media, or the commute to work, or the amount of emails we still have to answer, or the waitress not getting our drink order right, or a myriad of other things, ask yourself one thing.

Is it really all that bad?

image: DanRhett

The Problem With Perception

In public, people say and do things to build a perception of them.

Some of this is calculated; some, natural. After all, perception is everything. It gets you work; clients; a promotion; a date; a raise; and more.

No-one wants to be perceived as anything but awesome, so they build the perception about them carefully. Others buy into it, and the perception crafting reaps its reward.

The problem is, perception – by definition – is fragile. All it takes is for one slip, and the house of cards that is your perception comes crashing down. And the funny thing is, it doesn’t even have to happen in public for it to start making a difference in public.

All the more reason to be consistent across the board, no?

You Know What’s Wrong With The PR Industry?

Nothing. Squat. Zilch. Nada. No, seriously – there is absolutely nothing wrong with the PR industry.

There’s plenty wrong with some of the people in it, but is that the industry’s fault? No – it’s the person’s fault for being an asshat.

An industry, by definition, is either a collection of businesses, or the building of an idea around something or someone. Not a living, breathing person – but a collective of many things.

So blaming a whole industry for crappy practices is like blaming the complete city garbage removal system because one of your bags got left behind. Shit happens – but it’s people that cause shit, not industries.

Yes, there are craptastic shysters in the PR industry. But that can be said about pretty much every single industry full stop.

Social media (though I’m not sold on tools being classed as an industry) has idiots.

Marketing has idiots.

Advertising has idiots.

My local pool has an idiot for a lifeguard.

Industries don’t create bad results; or shameful practices; or questionable ethics. People do.

Something to keep in mind when you decry a whole industry and take down the good people that are doing all they can to counter the clueless ones.

image: JKonig

When Sheep Tell the Shepherd to Flock Off

There’s an interesting thing happening online at the minute – people are beginning to see through crap and filter out inane. Long-term fans and advocates of bloggers and social media “leaders” are looking at them and realizing that maybe they don’t have much to offer after all.

What’s even more interesting is not that this is happening, but that it’s being made clear on why it’s happening by the very people who might have otherwise been quiet and submissive until now.

Big name bloggers are seeing comments left on their blog’s, decrying the blatant self-promotion angle that’s taken over what used to be informative reading. Readers are questioning the value of a blog if there’s nothing but other writers on it, and not the blog’s owner.

Of course, does this really matter? After all, if a blog has subsciber numbers in the high thousands, who cares if you lose a reader here or there?

It’s a fair point. But the bigger question to ask might be this: if the sheep (and I say that out of respect and not as a generalization – sheep being loyal but quiet readers) are beginning to question you, and call you out, what do you think the more vocal and free-thinking web users are saying about you?

And how do you think this affects your business opportunities? To come back to the self-promoting blogger angle, the constant referencing to in-house products and offers changes in perception. Instead of seeming successful, the blogger (and their relevant companies) come across as not having had much uptake, and now that the sheep are thinking for themselves, we better try and make some money while we still can.

Of course, this is just an observation. Besides, sheep are good – the numbers must mean you’re doing something right. Right?

Maybe. Maybe not. But while your flock is questioning your leadership, they’re also looking to other bloggers who actually are providing A-list content all the time.

Folks like Nancy Davis, who’s writing some of the most personal and human relationship posts on the web today. Or Marcus Sheridan, who’s writing the kind of content marketing stuff that Junta42 used to be known for. Or Geoff Livingston, where every single post makes your brain razzle with the solid and real business content that Forbes should have, but don’t. Or Jk Allen, who uses his inimitable hustling style to give you some of the best entrepreneur information you’ll ever read.

And guess what? These guys, and others like them, have businesses. The kind that your business looks to win. So while you might be happy with the “loyal” silent readers boosting your traffic and AdAge rank, will they pay the bills when a business is looking at a blog and reaching out to the author for projects based on the content?

The mundane A-lister is dead. Long live the new real.

image: infamecless

Numbers

Most people have probably heard the story of how Jesus fed 5,000 people with just five fish and two loaves of bread. It?s one of the most popular tales from the Bible and whether you?re religious or not, it?s likely you?ve heard it.

What does it tell us? That success isn?t dictated by numbers. You can have the biggest company and satisfy the fewest people. You can have the smallest company and satisfy every single customer, every day.

Numbers aren?t the important thing. It?s what you do with the numbers that is. You might be a solitary fish in the sea, but you can still satisfy 1,000 people.

image: elisecathlene