Sunday, August 31, 2008

The Maiden Post

Everyone has a first post - so here is mine.

I was hesitant to actually start a blog.

I believe the ubiquity of the 'blogosphere' is a double edged sword. Now, more than ever, anyone and everyone can have a say and share their thoughts with the people of the world. This is indeed a great thing - voices that, even just 20 years ago, would never have been heard. If you have an interest in something, there is no doubt that someone, somewhere has a blog about it.

But for every great blog there is a score of others that are total rubbish. Ranting, raving, whinging and generally carrying on. I sense that blogs are quite therapeutic for some people, allowing them to share their problems and frustrations with others - somehow sharing the load. And there are a LOT of people doing this. The internet is like a big online counseling house.

Notwithstanding all of this I think that blogs, on balance, are a great thing. It is human nature to want to share with others and blogs facilitate that want in an amazing. If you have something of real value to share with the world then others will want to read it. No doubt about it. The meteoric rise of someone like Steve Pavlina is perfect testament to this point. Steve has written more than 600 articles, on various topics, and he now makes a living from writing and sharing his ideas with others. He says the key is to just start doing what you love, right now, for free and that money will eventually follow. I think this idea has a lot of merit. I credit him for me even thinking about ever writing a blog.

I like writing. I like sharing ideas. I like asking people (and myself) questions that really make them think. So here I am. Sharing what I think with the world.

My hope is that you find what I write thought provoking - to the point where you want to come back to read more. The world is a fascinating place. There is so much to experience and even more to share, and ironically, I think that the best experiences are shared.

Time to experience and time to share. Life is too precious for anything less.