Timothy’s book, the Four Hour Workweek, showed lots of folks the path to carefree happiness, by selling other people’s products and outsourcing just about everything in your life.
Blogging encourages linking. That’s cool. It also encourages copying. That’s not. How many ’10 ways to grow your blog’ posts can we really write, anyway?!
Enough already – I’m making a commitment to being original. Hopefully a few of you can do the same. I solemnly swear to:
- Make sure the idea comes first.
- Contribute to the discussions I see on other blogs, rather than simply quoting them.
- Offer an opinion that helps my readers make a choice.
- Quote others when it enhances my writing, not when the link might get me some attention.
- Not write any top 10 lists for the next 2 weeks.
Revolutionary, I know. But in an age when reporters are parrots and blogs are becoming copies of one another, it seems like it’s worth doing.
Try it – 2 weeks of original thought. It’s good for you.
So where does Picasso’s credo “Bad artists copy, great artists steal” come in to play?
I use this one A LOT.
In two weeks 🙂
All great things are built on other great things. What I don’t like is the constant recycling of the same idea over and over.
Picasso didn’t say anything about ‘Great artists compost’ or ‘Great artists recycle’…
You’re right: blogs that take the list, how-to, ultimate-guide-to-whatever approach are commodities. Great for getting lots of freeloading traffic. Great for quick hits and selling cheap stuff. Great for Diggs and Twits.
But if you’re selling a high-value service or product — perhaps some thought, research, and originality is in order.