"If you aren't creating (content) you aren't influencing," said Joe Fernandez, CEO of Klout, at the Wedbush Second Internet Conference last week. I wrote about it and included that exact quote on my other investment banking/digital media blog (www.ibla.us...can't get the link to work!) but I keep thinking about it anyway.
Write another post on IBLA? No, another major theme of the conference was that people now have their own brand. They create it, develop it, promote it. As a writer I'm very aware of the marketing aspect of the book writing. But I've promoted "brands" before as part of a job...it just wasn't mine alone.
I joked with Fernandez offline that he's one of the few people of whom I'm frightened. Wow, now I can be rated on me (my influence) online!
Did I start writing to influence? I never looked at it that way. I'm with George Orwell in that I believe all art is propaganda. But most of what's written doesn't reach a broad enough audience to have much impact (just the writer's own narrow circle). Still, once you say something the words are virtually impossible to retract. The pen is often mightier than the sword (why those that speak out can end up being so harrassed in many parts of the world).
And now, welcome to the Internet! Mass audience reach with a keystroke.
Creating content is very time consuming. I'm (finally) on page 225 of Captive's sequel and that's just draft one! It will need a lot of polishing. I write fast; polish slowly. Right now I'm writing this blog instead of doing page 226.
But I'll keep creating content regardless of the "Klout" it gives me. Thanks for the insight, Joe. So obvious but I never looked at it that way before. Most people have a voice and now they have so many ways to be heard. I guess we should all just remain aware that as we do, so we speak. Most of us want to be heard.
