Gaia: Kosmic Blogging 101 - Kosmic Blogging 101

Re: KB101: Blog for personal growth

http://organics.gaia.com — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:43:05 GMT

This site has helped me tremendously. I am following you on Twitter. Thanks for creating this ... what is now a library.

KB101: Blog for personal growth

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:44:53 GMT

Blog for personal growth. Blogging is one of the best tools for personal development. It’s not for the faint of heart. Try doing it straight for 90 days and see if you still think it’s for stupid teenage kids and dead-beat loser geeks. Know and understand that blogging is a transformative tool. As a tool, it could cut both ways. It could heal or inflict pain, inspire or depress, create or destroy. Blog responsibly, with passion and compassion, in every post, every word, and every hyperlink.

KB101: Bloggers are Like Superheroes

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:02:30 GMT

We bloggers are like superheroes. That is according to the concluding paragraphs of Sarah Boxer's lengthy article over at The New York Review of Books.

".... Bloggers at their computers are Supermen in flight. They break the rules. They go into their virtual phone booths, put on their costumes, bring down their personal villains, and save the world. Anonymous or not, they inhabit that source of power and hope. Then they come back to their jobs, their dogs, and their lives, and it's like, "Dude, the ball."

"Blog writing is id writing—grandiose, dreamy, private, free-associative, infantile, sexy, petty, dirty. Whether bloggers tell the truth or really are who they claim to be is another matter, but WTF. They are what they write. And you can't fake that. ;-)"

KB101: Bloggers are Like Superheroes

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:02:02 GMT

KB101: Create Signature Content on your blog

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:03:09 GMT

This excellent article from Skelliewag is corollary to KB101: Blog Bits and Pieces of YOU. It's a must-read for bloggers aspiring for originality.

Creating Signature Content

I have dim memories of the time I spent creating my signature, and looking back on it, I didn’t give the task the attention it deserved. Now the signature I’m stuck with is somewhat jagged and messy, and I’d go back and change it if I could.

Despite its short-comings, it does get one thing right: it’s unique, and like any good signature, can’t be copied.

This week, I want to discuss how signature content is created — content your readers won’t be able to get from anyone else.

Why create signature content?

When researching this article I stumbled across a quote by Leo Babauta which, I think, gets to the core of why creating signature content is important. Though he was speaking about including biases in blog posts at the time, the quote rings true in this context and can apply to any form of web content:

With millions of blog posts out there, yours is not likely to be very unique — unless you put in your post the one thing that you know is unique — yourself. There is no other like you out there.

In other words, the internet is so vast that chances are at least one other person is writing on the topics you cover. By signing content with your own signature — your thought process, your experiences, your stories — you’re ensuring readers can only come to you and you alone for the content you provide.

Read more…

KB101: Make your blog your legacy!

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Wed, 16 May 2007 04:51:02 GMT

Here's an excellent quote from Steve Pavlina:

via Confessions of an A-list Blogger

"If there’s one insider’s secret I can offer to how to become an A-list blogger, this is it: Treat your blog as your primary outlet for contribution to the world. Make it your legacy. Write to pass on knowledge and ideas that you think will really benefit people. Focus first and foremost on providing value. If you can do that, the rest is relatively easy. Value builds referrals. Referrals build traffic. Traffic generates income. Income increases your ability to contribute, which in turn helps you provide even more value. The keys to unlocking this positive spiral are contribution, contribution, contribution."

Exactly!

Read more.

So there. Make your blog your legacy. And swallow it in a single gulp!

KB101: Blogging Prompts are Our Best Friends

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 19:09:07 GMT

My creation; “Write”
Originally uploaded by mscaprikell.

(This blogging injunction is a corollary to KB101: Existential Memoirs.)

One of the challenges of new bloggers (as well as long-time bloggers) is what to blog about. Sure, it's easy to roam around the blogosphere and talk about what everyone else is already talking about, but to blog from the heart, now that takes inspiration and guts! So how to blog from the heart?

Experienced writers use what they call writing prompts. A writing prompt can be a question, a situational injunction, or what-if scenario that challenges writers to write from their hearts, use their imagination, and overcome writer's block.

For us bloggers, we'll use blogging prompts :)

Recently, Zaadz released a feature called Questions and Reflections (QaR). It's a daily prompt for bloggers, journalers, and writers in which the main theme is self-inquiry, or Socrates "Know Thyself" 101. It's a simple, yet powerful, tool that would get people to blog, write on their journals, and reflect about topics that matter to them.

Check out the responses on the first three questions and see how powerful it is.

What would you do if you weren't afraid?

What's your dream job? Describe it.

What is one book that has changed your life? How?

You see? Cool. Now let's all carry on and blog our hearts out :)

Re: KB101: A Blog is a Continuing Dialogue Between You and the Wo

http://haledavid1.gaia.com — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 06:52:52 GMT

Hello all and yes to all of the above.

I sometimes feel I have so much to say I end up saying nothing at all. And or time constraints don't allow me to put it in a presentable format. I think that might be my lesson actually. Not to get too bent out of shape with what I haven't said and just accept what I have been able to say.

Re: KB101: A Blog is a Continuing Dialogue Between You and the Wo

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 06:05:47 GMT

Thanks tons... ~C & Martha!

I have been at wit's end trying to blog....

Once in awhile i have gotten into the grove & really enjoyed what I was blogging, but mostly I have sobbed enough, or learned enough, or like you, Martha, just do not 'want to go there' in public.... Other times I have felt like I have said wayyyyyy too much & I go behind myself deleting... gheeze!

I am certain if I had found zaadz 20-30 years ago I would have burned up the pages, so thank goodness that did not happen:)!

My history on zaadz is such a smorgasbord, a patchwork of this & that, it is painful to look at....

So glad you folks have brought clarifying thoughts, here, to this issue:)!

PJ

Re: KB101: A Blog is a Continuing Dialogue Between You and the Wo

http://communitybuilder.gaia.com — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 04:19:23 GMT

Thank you! The Bokardo article was very informative.

Re: KB101: A Blog is a Continuing Dialogue Between You and the Wo

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 22:39:26 GMT

good question. i think it depends on the blogger. some bloggers are very open about their lives and relationships. i'm not that type too. so i just blog about my interests. some blogs are very opinionated. i'm rarely that type too. i guess what i'm trying to say is, it really depends on how you want to project yourself to the blogosphere. but you can be authentic without revealing much of yourself.

also check out this thread: lessons of would-be bloggers. very insightful :)

~C

Re: KB101: A Blog is a Continuing Dialogue Between You and the Wo

http://communitybuilder.gaia.com — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 23:58:52 GMT

The quote you posted here really spoke to me. My blogs have been getting pooey. Partly because I'm tired and etc. but partly because, well, I have grown lately, but it's all in areas that involve stuff I'm loath to speak of "in public." So far, I've been successful in finding meaningful topics that I can discuss in meaningful ways without inappropriate disclosure.

BUT, the most interesting things to talk about are things I don't WANT to talk about "in public." Hmmm. And even if I did talk about them, the other great people who I recruited to be on Zaadz might read it and recognize themselves (some things just can't be disguised). So that really does preclude lots of important things.

SO, that leads me to surmise that I "have to" just blog about topics like "global warming" or "who should run for pres in '08?" And those are Great Topics, but for me the energy of life is in the small stuff. Like the agony of staying married for 23 years. What does one do with a topic this complex??? I've earned the complexity and beauty of this topic! But I won't blog about it! (Well, actually I have, but I'm running out of ways to blog about it and always stay positive and talk about "constructive" things.)

Any collective wisdom about this?

Re: 9 Lessons for Would-be Bloggers

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:32:34 GMT

haha. a blook is mightier than a book. well, sometimes :)

~C

Re: 9 Lessons for Would-be Bloggers

Fri, 16 Mar 2007 03:40:28 GMT

~C4!

I do hope you have a book in the making!

PJ

9 Lessons for Would-be Bloggers

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 02:10:51 GMT

very insightful article for would-be bloggers. a good reminder for long-time bloggers...

9 Lessons for Would-be Bloggers

A few lessons learned in 7 years of blogging.

I attended the Writing, Better panel here at SXSW. I’ve been thinking about it ever since, both because I wanted the conversation to go on for a few more hours and because so many people here are bloggers that blogging comes up every few minutes or so. Here are some lessons that I’ve learned about blogging…hopefully they can be of help to others.

It’s only an initial fear

The problem with blogging isn’t just the writing part. It’s also the putting-myself-on-public-display part. Many would-be bloggers that I’ve met don’t blog because they’re not comfortable with throwing themselves to the wolves…putting their ideas out into the world for all to see. Once you do that, of course, you open yourself up for criticism, and goodness knows that you’ll get some! But you’ll also get encouragement, and some people will really groove on what you say. Once you get a little practice under your belt, you’ll find that it’s only an initial fear…it gets easier as you go along to share your ideas.

KB101: A Blog is a Continuing Dialogue Between You and the World

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 17:44:20 GMT

“A blog, if it’s to run with any success at all, is a continuing dialog between you and the world. If you stop growing, you stop that dialog, and you wind up with nothing new to say.”

via Life Coaches Blog: Reflections on Personal Development Blogging

Exactly! This is a corollary to KB101: Swallow Your Blog In a Single Gulp!.

Read more.

So how do you use your blog to keep on growing?

KB101: Make Your Blog Titles Rock!

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 18:57:48 GMT

Here's a cool article from Dave Taylor. He's right. Blog titles are very important. So make them rock!

The Importance of Good Blog Entry Titles

"Here's a topic that you may immediately shrug off as being unimportant to your online writing efforts: article and page titles. Give me five minutes, though, and I'll show you why not paying close attention to this can be a terrible mistake that can not only affect what percentage of your subscribers actually read your content, but also how it has a direct relationship to whether search engines can accurately identify the subject of your material and drive traffic to your site in the first place."

Read more...

Re: KB101: Existential Memoirs

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 06:28:38 GMT

Speaking of Existential Memoir, here's a great example from none other than kick ass personal development bodhisattva Steve Pavlina.

Walking in My Shoes

"This is a long personal story, but I think you’ll find it interesting. If you take the time to read it, I want you to notice how my beliefs (my context) shifted over time and how dramatically they changed my results.

"For half of my life, I’ve been searching for the context that would give me the best possible life. Of course, this is a strange pursuit because it requires searching for a context while at the same time always being stuck inside of one. In other words, the definition of “best possible life” is also part of any context, so I have to find a context that both defines that term AND provides a means to fulfill it.

"This pursuit began almost accidentally for me, but eventually I began pursuing it consciously."

Read more...

You think you can sit down and write your own Existential Memoir as authentically as you can? Good. Just do it.

Post a link to your existential memoir entries on this thread.
For example, here's a link to mine:
http://coolmel.zaadz.com/blog/tags/Xistential+Memoir

Re: KB101: Enter the Multimedia Blogosphere

http://haledavid1.gaia.com — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 11:43:05 GMT

Too true - too true... I'm so pleased to see and feel it happening beneath my fingers and before my eyes.

KB101: Enter the Multimedia Blogosphere

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 17:50:24 GMT

Add multimedia elements to your blogging mojo. Here's why:

"2007 will be the year of the multimedia blogosphere. If you don't have video, podcasts, photos, screenshots and other visuals on your blog, well then you're soooo 2006."

via: Why and How to Add Video to Your Blog

Here's how to add video to your Zaadz Blogs:
HOW TO: Add Videos to Your Blog Post
Remember: Your blog is a multimedia window to your blogging soul.