Categories: Articles

The Real Work Has Yet To Begin

Everyday, there are more and more Blog posts where people are saying that they don’t have time to Blog or Podcast as much as they used to because the are busy with "real work." This raises the question: was your first stab at Blogging and Podcasting just a ruse to get real work and now that you have built up a community and your business, you have the right to cut back?

That is totally unfair.

Does "real work" really mean, "being paid"?

From a personal perspective, I have not cut back on the Blogging and Podcasting, and our agency, Twist Image, has more than doubled in the past little while, we opened up a second office, I even managed to write the book, Six Pixels of Separation, and start a business column for the Montreal Gazette and the Vancouver Sun newspapers. I state this not to get accolades or a pat on the back (or demonstrate how big of a workaholic I am), I state this because it was a very conscious decision. None of that agency growth (including the book deal and speaking events) would have been possible without you and the community that we have created here. Who am I to turn my back on the exact group of people who helped me achieve these many amazing things because now I’m too busy with "real work"? It’s hard to convince clients of the power of these digital channels if you’re not a living and breathing example of their effectiveness.

Blogging, Podcasting and staying up to date on Twitter, Facebook and more is real work. It’s this kind of real work that affords me the luxury to acquire new clients, build interesting Digital Marketing and Communications initiatives, speak all over the world and think ever-more deeply about this space.

When people complain about not having time to Blog anymore, it becomes reminiscent of the old saying, "people make time for the things that are important to them." So, in the end, what is really important to you? Was the Blog and Podcast just a platform to get more business and opportunity, and once you got what you needed, who cares about the community that was there?

That’s just sad.

Blogging and Podcasting used to be a much more personal channel. You could do what you wanted and didn’t have to answer to anyone. You had RSS to let people know when you had the itch to publish content, and being counter-culture by publishing whenever the mood struck was par for the course. Now, we’re building communities, and communities can’t be built by one person doing things whenever the inspiration hits. Communities are built through contribution and collaboration in an environment where everyone has a vested interest in the outcome. It’s a place where many voices are heard and people gather out of mutual interest and communication. It’s place where people meet, converge, connect, share and grow.

Blogging and Podcasting is real work… and it’s hard work.

How do you feel about those who are no longer Blogging (or have slowed down) because they’re busy with other stuff? Do you feel cheated?

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.