Building The Blog- Community and Comments Edition

"We are by nature observers, and thereby learners. That is our permanent state.'
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The hardest part about building the new blog is my impatience with how long it is taking to build the community. That is not to denigrate, besmirch or demean those who are a part of it now. I am grateful for all who are there, just as I am grateful for those who helped to make this place what it was and what it is today.

The difference is that in the past I didn't care as much about building that community. This was something that I did for a hobby and because it was cathartic. TheJackB is different because I am interested in monetizing it. It is different because I have realized that writing is a huge part of who I am and who I want to be. It is different because I am actively trying to leverage the blog to make writing into more than a hobby.

So I find myself pushing to build the community and hopeful that more people will choose to be a part of it. It is not necessarily the smartest way to do things, the pushing. People don't like to be pushed and I understand that. Part of me finds it distasteful to engage in as much self promotion as I have. Yet if I don't do it than there is not reason to expect that anyone else will.

Therefore I have to step outside of my comfort zone and continue to work on marketing myself and the blog. I need to continue to look for more guest posting opportunities and continue to develop ways to increase my exposure to those who have never seen my work.

I don't expect to retain everyone. There are people who (shudder) don't like my writing. I know, it is so hard to believe that but they do exist. But there are also many who do like it and who are interested in being a part of the community that I hope to build.

So I am going to continue to do what I am doing to build the blog. And of course I am going to continue to look for people who can teach me more about this medium. There is never a point in time where you can or should stop learning. That is what I teach my kids and that is how I intend to live.