Every thought leader wants to be known for a powerful, breakthrough idea. It’s very hard to create the idea that breaks through. But if your idea is big, new, and persuasive, you have a chance. It also helps if its timely and has a catchy name. But even if you do all that, you may…
Yup. COVID finally got me. I’ve attempted to lead a boring, well-vaccinated life so far, and it worked — until I got on a plane with 200 other people flying back from Scotland. Between a five-hour layover and a two-hour delay, my wife and I were wiped out. So we let our guard and our…
A message purporting to preserve your privacy rights on Facebook is making the rounds. It’s a hoax. But it’s a great example of how the current state of the Internet is perfectly suited to spread bullshit. As briefly as possible: the idea behind the hoax is that Facebook is going to charge you for privacy…
Responding to several requests, here’s a follow-up: one viral post on writing tips has made my blog more popular, improved my search rankings, and given me the confidence to take the next step in my journey. Here’s what I learned. Viral blog posts taper slowly. Here’s a chart of the traffic on my blog for the last…
Here’s what I learned when last Monday’s writing tips post went viral: smart people stick to their goals in the middle of a viral storm. I’ll tell you what happened, what it felt like, and what I learned. Let’s start with what I’m trying to do here. When I started this blog, my goals were, in order of importance:…