I have been blogging for over 4 years now and it has been one of the most enriching activities of my life.
Like most great things that happen to me, the joy and magic of blogging unfolded somewhat accidentally – imposed by outside forces – triggered by a convergence of factors and circumstances.
I went into blogging purely for commercial reasons. Many start-up pundits and in-bound marketing experts will tell you that you must have a blog to grow your business. So, shortly after I quit my job to pursue Keyhubs full-time, I started the Keyhubs Blog.
I was desperate. I had a short runway and I needed a cheap and easy way to spam people about my business. Even though the experts will tell you that when you start a commercial blog, your posts shouldn’t be commercial, in the beginning, all my posts were about Keyhubs.
Keyhubs this, Keyhubs that.
I mean, if I am not going to use my blog to promote my business, how is the blog going to help me?
I didn’t get it.
While some of my early posts did a decent job of conveying what we did and why, after I while I got pretty sick of writing about the same old stuff. If you’ve been with me since then, I am sure you did too.
Blog About What Makes Your Heart Sing
After about the 5th or 6th post (which I was writing about once every other month), I started to venture out beyond the core offerings of Keyhubs. I would write about topics that had little or nothing to do with my business. I started writing about whatever my heart felt called to write about. Topics ranging from entrepreneurship to networking, from spirituality to education, from career aha’s to life lessons.
I started to write with no expectation for commercial outcome.
Soon, my blog was morphing from a marketing vehicle to a platform for personal and creative self-expression.
Focus On Quality Not Quantity
Early on I decided that I was going to focus on quality, not quantity. While many experts recommend that you write as frequently as possible, I didn’t have the stomach or time to do that. I focused on creating one really good, thought-provoking post at least once a month. Even that was hard and I have since settled into a pattern of about one post every two months. That suits me perfect.
The response from readers was also positive. While some people would urge me to write more frequently, one reader told me:
“I think if you send something every few months, or every other month, that is about right. Email is not novel any more. People can easily send too much with the email promos, and I, not unlike others, am always scanning for targets to hit “Delete” and reduce the obligation of my inbox. But if something comes in a little bit rarely, then that seems valuable and I am far more intrigued to give it some time and energy.”
Build Your List and Push To It
When I first started blogging, I would publish my post via our WordPress driven website and share it on various social media outlets (e.g., Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn). This didn’t seem like the most effective way to reach my audience. I needed to be more targeted and “intrusive”. So, I decided to copy the content of my post into an email and spam everyone I knew using the blind-copy (bcc) field. In this way, I pushed my blog to people.
I knew that if I had good content and it showed up in people’s inbox, without requiring a click to view, I would get more reads.
Over time, I started to build my email list. If I met someone new at a networking event, I would add them to my blog list. If I met someone at a party, I would add them to my blog list. If I had a business meeting with you – sorry, you were on my blog list. Of course, folks could opt out with a simple reply “unsubscribe”, but I was very loose with the way I added people to my list.
While I got a few unsubscribes with every post, my list grew at a much faster rate – a list that began with a few dozen has now ballooned to roughly 2,000 people across the Twin Cities and beyond. I have since moved from bcc’ing my “followers” to using MailChimp for email distribution.
My blog has been a powerful way for me to stay connected to the countless people I meet everyday.
I have several friends that blog and I have asked them why I don’t see their posts in my inbox. They say, “I don’t want to intrude” or “I don’t think everyone wants to read what I have to say”.
I want to hear what you have to say. I am your friend! If I don’t want to read your work, who will?
Keep Going and Let The Magic Begin
After about 10 or 15 posts, I started to get into a rhythm. As my list grew and as I found my voice, so did blogging magic. I started to receive many positive and encouraging responses via email, not to mention comments and shares across the social media spectrum. I would often bump into people in the streets who I hadn’t seen or heard from in ages and they would mention my blog and how they read it religiously.
Really? My blog?
There is no greater joy than to have someone respond to an article you write, with your own creativity and thought, and have them say something like “that was the best piece of writing I have read all year” or “I just shared that with my college age kids” or “Can you come in and talk to us more about this topic?”
The feedback increased my motivation to write more. To write better. To grow the community. To find a way to translate my life lessons into meaningful posts that would inspire others.
In due time, blogging became a spiritual practice, a therapeutic journey, an opportunity to celebrate life’s great mysteries.
Be Human – Create, Share and Grow
Ironically, as I started writing purely for the sake of sharing what was in the deep recesses of my soul, more and more people expressed a desire to do business with me. Posts that had nothing to do with our offering would inevitably lead to opportunities – either a speaking engagement, a warm introduction or a project (some of our largest of all time).
It seems somewhat counter intuitive, but it actually makes complete sense when you think about it.
What business needs today more than ever is a human voice. We need stories, not advertisements. We need hearts, not sales pitches. We need creative self-expression, not sterile, doctored, corporate jargon.
You are human and you are extraordinary. You have a story to tell. We can learn from you and your life experience. Write about it, share it with the world and watch your passion unfold like a blossoming flower. See your life transform from a caterpillar to a butterfly.
While there is a good chance your writing will translate into business and / or career opportunities, even if it doesn’t, the simple act of writing and sharing will give you rewards no amount of money can buy.
I am going to be blogging for the rest of my life. As long as I am physically and mentally able, I will be writing and sending my posts to a steadily growing list of friends and well-wishers. If I have enjoyed this much magic in four short years, I cannot even imagine what awaits in the decades ahead.
Thank you for reading, encouraging and inspiring me to bring forth a part of myself I had left buried for so long – my creative Spirit.
Blogging has changed my life and, if you follow the simple steps outlined above, it will certainly change yours.
Vikas Narula (@NarulaTweets) is Creator and Co-Founder of Keyhubs (@Keyhubs) – a software and services company specializing in workplace social analytics. He is also Founder of Neighborhood Forest – a social venture dedicated to giving free trees to kids every Earth Day.
Other Recent Blog Posts:
Pathways – The Future of Education?
What a great blog. Thank you for sharing your journey. I blog on and off and you have inspired me to share more of what I know and experience without any expected outcome. Congrats on your success with KeyHubs. Rock On!
Hi Cathy,
Great to hear from you! Thank you so much for the kind feedback – glad you enjoyed the post.
You have great stories and content to share – I look forward to seeing them arrive in my inbox!
Warmest Regards,
Vikas
THX for this post. It was perfect timing as I just started blogging again today after a five month lapse.
I agree.
Be human.
Tell stories.
Thanks, Wendy Blomseth
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for the feedback – glad that it was timely!
Looking forward to reading your blog.
Warmest Regards,
Vikas
Vikas,
Thanks for sharing. You have motivated me to start blogging. In the midst of writing the past few weeks.
Keep on keeping on . . .
Dan Wallace
Hi Dan,
Thank you so much.
You have a great story to tell – I look forward to reading your blog!
Warmest Regards,
Vikas
Sometimes Poppa God just crosses the right path with the right person at the right time. With all the hype out there that blogging isn’t valuable anymore, I’ll stick with your experience. I have no idea how I ended up at your blog today, but I’m grateful I did.
Hi Pam,
I am so glad you found my blog as well – thanks so much for reading and sharing your thoughts.
Poppa God is pretty amazing, eh?
Warmest Regards,
Vikas
I sat down to begin my own blog for my start-up agency, but checked my email first. I found a link to your site in a friend’s note, and your posting gave me the confidence to forge boldly ahead. Thank you for the practical advice.
Hi John,
Thanks so much for the feedback – glad you found it helpful.
Best Wishes!
Vikas
I have no idea how I ended up here, but I am sure glad I did! Please add one more to your distribution list 🙂
Thank you Manisha!
I am glad you found us!
Vikas
think I have spend some good time in this blog !!!
Great stuff, Vikas! I especially like the idea that “What business needs today more than ever is a human voice. We need stories, not advertisements.”
Thank you, Joab! Really appreciate the feedback and what stood out for you.
Warmest Regards,
Vikas
Hey great info I’ve been looking into starting a blog since I’ve got so many stories to share felt like this found me just at the right time
Hi Charlene,
Glad you found it!
Thank you for sharing and I look forward to seeing your blog!
Warmest Regards,
Vikas
Blogging gives you the opportunity to develop new skills
I pride myself in being a “lifelong learner”. No matter how old I get, how smart I feel, or how much time I have or don’t have, I always want to be learning new things and skills. I also want to always explore opportunities for me to express my creativity. Blogging is such a great avenue for this!
Being a blogger means that you are constantly growing, changing and adjusting. There’s always new strategies and technology to learn and new ways of reaching your audience. While learning how to build and grow a blog, it’s likely that you’ll also learn marketing, social media strategy, improve your writing and photography, graphic design, email marketing, course building, webinar hosting, etc. etc. etc.! I love the challenge and continual push to improve that blogging offers.
It is easier than ever to guess or predict an individual’s Social Security number, which puts us all at a greater risk for identity theft.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a reliable method for predicting Social Security numbers, using information from social networking sites, data brokers, voter registration lists, online white pages, and the publicly available Social Security Administration’s Death Master File.
The CPS test is a free online game that measures a number of clicks per second. The click speed test consists of calculating your click speed with your mouse over a given time, which will give you a result in “CPS”.
To start, click on “Start the click speed test”. The timer starts with the first click, so you have to place the mouse on the area, put your hand on it, and click as quickly as possible on the same area during the time allotted to you.
A timer will count down from the first click to the time that you have left to play. You will be given a 5 second time interval as a default to practice, but you can adjust the time and default options in the menu.
How is the score calculated in the CPS?
Once the test time has elapsed, you will be able to obtain your final score which will be presented in CPS (clicks per second). This result in CPS calculates the average number of clicks made compared to the duration of the CPS tester; i.e. a ratio of the number of clicks by the number of seconds played (CPS = number of clicks / number of seconds). The faster you click your mouse, the higher the CPS counter will score.
How should I choose the time interval for the click test?
To maximize your chances of receiving high scores and achieve the fastest clicks per second, choose a time interval of 5 seconds. 5 seconds is the time set as a default and will allow you to obtain the best CPS scores that you can. With any other selection of time beyond the default of 5 seconds, the CPS tester will not be able to provide you with the most accurate result to your capabilities. We consider 5 seconds to be the most appropriate amount of time to test as anything longer will result in your finger being slowed down over time. It is best to use the lesser interval for the most accurate results.
Our CPS tester is free and can be taken as many times as you would like. To restart, click on the “Try again” button and you can practice several times to try to improve your score and your click speed ability. A score of 6 to 9 clicks per second is considered to be a good click speed and is the average scored rating. Did you know that the world record was 14.1 CPS, according to Google? Take part in the speed clicker test experiment and be prepared to compete with formidable players, and beat the best scores on the net!
Our tips for always clicking faster
We have a few helpful tips for you to achieve the best scores possible. There are techniques and body positions that allow you to always click faster. To date, several methods are recognized to help you improve your speed of clicks, but the best advice we can give you is to always have your hand relaxed. By using two fingers, you can become even faster. Make sure that the distance between your finger and the mouse are minimal to save time and increase the amount of possible clicks. Be sure to press the button gently and not too hard as you may cause the mouse to move and slow down the frequency of the clicks.
Our last recommendation would be to consider the kind of mouse that you are working with. We recommend that you bring a specialized gaming mouse that will help you increase your click rate by being more flexible and more suitable. Make sure your mouse is correctly installed and is fully optimized for its sensitivity settings to be able to participate in our CPS test. And, be aware that the keypad touch screen of a laptop computer is less powerful than a mouse.
It is important to note to our users that you may benefit from a strong internet connection. As the test is played online, it is necessary to have a stable internet connection.
The CPS counter, training for your gaming
The CPS test is an addicting speed game, but it is also a great way to train and increase your click speed to improve your skills on your favorite games. The click speed can be important in some games, like Minecraft for example. This site will give you the possibility to increase your performances in click speed and mouse control in order to be able to use them to defeat your opponents in your favorite games. For example, with a higher click speed, you will be able to be more efficient in fighting or shooting games.
Speed clicker test: A game and a social tool
Our site is both a game and a social tool. Invite your friends to try and challenge them to see who can achieve the best scores. Whether you are a beginner or a master of CPS tests, take part in the game and accept the challenge. Try to achieve the best results by becoming the most formidable click test player, and share your scores on social networks.
The different options of the website
Our site has a few different options for your convenience. You can follow your progress through a history system that will allow you to view your first tests, your best results, and your overall progress. This history will record all your scores, your number of clicks, and the time interval used in order to allow you to better analyze your performance.
Another advantage of our site will also allow you to turn the test mode bright or dark for more convenience. Our CPS tester is fully optimized to be used on computers, tablets, and mobile devices.
https://www.magcloud.com/user/cookieclicker
The NPI must be used in connection with the electronic transactions identified in HIPAA. In addition, the NPI may be used in several other ways:
by health care providers to identify themselves in health care transactions identified in HIPAA or on related correspondence;
by health care providers to identify other health care providers in health care transactions or on related correspondence;
by health care providers on prescriptions (however, the NPI will not replace requirements for the DEA number or state license number);
by health plans in their internal provider files to process transactions and communicate with health care providers;
by health plans to coordinate benefits with other health plans;
by health care clearinghouses in their internal files to create and process standard transactions and to communicate with health care providers and health plans;
by electronic patient record systems to identify treating health care providers in patient medical records;
by the Department of Health and Human Services to cross reference health care providers in fraud and abuse files and other program integrity files;
for any other lawful activity requiring individual identification.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/npilookup