Blog to change the world

Welcome to all Typepad users visiting today!

This is my first advice post for bloggers. Every day I offer a single piece of advice to assist you in your business, marketing and relationship life. Come back on the weekends for music recommendations from the world of independent and world music.

I'm a professional speaker and author. For the last few years, I've been honing my speaking skills to further this newfound career opportunity. One of the most important pieces of advice I've ever received as a speaker came from Nick Morgan: The only reason to give a speech is to change the world (see this previous post for more details).

Up until then, I gave speeches to inform, to charm and sometimes to entertain. What a lack of ambition! When I started to require every one of my talks to "change the audience member's world", I started to see my ratings and my business climb. Why? People don't want to just hear a speech, they want to know what the speaker wants them to DO. So now, every talk is examined for a strong point of view, a call to action and clear reasons why action must be taken.

Since late August of 2006, I've added blogging to my work. Many of my friends and readers insisted I start a blog. I held out because many blogs just seemed like digital diaries or living linkfilters. Taking a page from Dear Abby, I decided to offer advice with my blog. What I've learned is that blogging and speaking aren't much different. If you don't move the reader to action, they don't come back to your blog very often and they certainly don't click on your Amazon Affiliate powered recommendations or buy your products. So now my motto is, "the only reason to blog is the change the world." Every post must display one of my key points of view (Less information is more, Love is the breakthrough solutions for relationships, etc.) and then make a suggestion to the reader (read this book, do this, stop doing that). If I change your mind or your behavior, I've successfully blogged you.

Suggestions for modern bloggers:
1. Share your life, but don't stop at diary entries. Tell us WHY your day to day life instructs us too. Share your stories to make a bigger point. If you have a blog that is just about your family and kids, play Dr Phil and let us know as parents what we can learn from your experience.
2. Make sure your point of view is clear. Tell us what you like, dislike and believe in strongly. Tell us how that point of view was created in your mind and why we should "subscribe" to it.
3. End your posts with at least one recommendation. If you wrote a post to change our perspective, tell us what to do with this newfound view of the world.
4. If possible, tell us what to do in the subject line. If we are just getting a blog feed on the go, that will be helpful. Remember, people make decisions to read your emails based on the subject line (see previous post on how to master the subject line) and they probably act the same way as they troll the blog world looking for good grist.
4. Tell us to visit cool sites/blogs and then tell us what to do with them.
BTW: Asking people to comment, forward your post or just buy your products is not a suggested action that "changes the world."

If you follow this advice, you'll see your conversions and subscriptions climb. You will weave yourself into the lives of your readers. You'll make a difference with your blog. Don't sell yourself short, you have something to offer anyone. Don't treat blogging like a habit, treat it like an opportunity to make a difference and change the world.

Recommended read: Blogwild by Andy Wibbels (a basic, but very helpful book for bloggers of all types)

Comments

[mike pritchett]

H O P E . book one 1994 Peace. Poor, poor pitifully poor job we are doing as human beings. I’m no better than anyone else and don’t know why I’ve been given this burden. The burden is feeding the hungry, ending wars, prisons, drugs, child abuse and so on. These words were given for such a time as this, no greater love hath a man than this, to lay down his life for another. If a man wont work neither shall he eat. When you go to battle, spare not your enemy, but kill his wife, child, ox and ass. If your enemy will hear you then he becomes you brother to be as one. Forgiveness is the first key to peace. First things first, war. Our soldiers are all over the world standing guard on border lines, protecting governments from their wars of stupidity, and dying in the process for the rich mans economy. We send the poor to die and sacrifice for our peace it's their children who suffer torn lives, for your freedom .In your mind if this is right, you are going to hell! These soldiers need to go home to their families. If any country wanting our support will become a state of the U.S.A. and live by the same laws, they will receive help. Any countries that don't except these rules will defend their own lives in their own battles.
No more poor people have to die for the stupidity of other countries wars. We say the poor because rich men do not join the armed forces.
24th Chapter, book of Matthew: two shall be in the field, one taken and the other left; two shall be grinding at the mill, one taken and the other left. All the nuclear warheads of the world cannot change this, accept the fact that the one taken is going to Heaven, and the one left is going to Hell. Jesus ends time when he returns. The difference is with this law of war, the only result can be peace!
So where do we go from here? Any individual willing to work will be given a Brotherhood card, with this card you can buy anything that is for sale. It has no spending limit. Anyone who doesn't like this law can go to hell, because it works like this. You are not working for a company or a country, but you are working for goodwill towards all men. Will you accept this rule and not break rank? We need the carpenter, the electrician and somebody has to farm the land, but at any rate, it has to be a body of people that serve one another and not $$$!
With our serving money people starve to death, the elderly freeze to death and die from the heat. To make a long story short, serving money (the beast) violence and wickedness rules. Can we change our love of money and learn to love one another? Our future depends on it. We have to be willing to die for one another and quit serving self. Our # 1 law is no hunger! Any person with a Brotherhood card would have spending power to feed the world. This is because we should not allow even our enemy to starve. We also pray for them that they may pray for us.
Drugs. Anyone with a problem will be given the drug of their choice with the clear understanding that they will not share their drugs with anyone else. Therefore stopping drugs for the following generations and helping those with serious drug problems and not locking them up where lies no answers anyway.
Prisons are a sad thing.35th chapter, book of Numbers teaches: build cities of refuge, not prisons. It is said that you judge a society according to their prisons. In the U.S.A. we lock up people in antique zoo cages and stick them in electric chairs. We justify this by following others. Exodus 23 says: thou shall not follow a multitude to do evil. Here is understanding, if you execute a man, if he is innocent, you should say I will be willing to go to hell if I'm wrong. The problem is that many times evidence and witnesses have been manipulated. So if you did not see the crime how can you justify killing a human being?
To stay on the safe side, you let GOD do the separating on judgment day. Furthermore, the last enemy that CHRIST will overcome is death. So who are we to defy CHRIST? Not contradicting the law on war. You simply cannot lock-up a whole nation when they cross borderlines to do war, you can only exterminate. There will be no question of their guilt. They will be rising up against a tired and weary nation that just wants a little peace before we die. In addition, we have concluded there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Anyone convicted of violent crimes will be sent to the cities of refuge to live a normal life as possible. Those convicted of other crimes willing to accept a Brotherhood card, and go to work, will be released. They, just like our soldiers, are victims of circumstance. Give most men a dump truck full of money and see if they will join the army or feel the need to steal. We think not. So once more the poor pay for our freedoms, sad thing.
Let us not forget the big picture, GOD rules. Moving along, any child suspected or confessing to be abused, will be removed from their situation. Its like the prisons, you do not know the odds of the truth and some things you cannot leave to chance. GOD makes the wise things simple to those who love him.
We make the simple things hard so many times in the war with money. Yes, our battle is to see who can get the most. Where, without some kind of brotherhood, we will not have any kind of unity, and we call ourselves the "United States" one nation under GOD in vain. Money divides people.
CHRIST said you are not supposed to love your life until the end, but lay it down for your brother. We have to be willing to sacrifice our lives together and not except those in poverty to die for our freedom. We walk this world for one reason. To separate good from evil, to test our souls.
So do not be afraid. GOD loves a brave warrior, for the Bible tells us so.
All men are not the same. So for the Brotherhood to work the strong have to carry the burden of the weak. Some men are suited for building homes and some for brain surgery. At any time a man feels burned out on what he is doing, he would be able to change jobs. Yet, to have a Brotherhood card, you will be required to work. Acts 4 teaches: they had all things in common and lacked for nothing. This is not communism, certainly not capitalism this is Christianity. GOD could send his angels to fix these problems, but then how could he test your spirit? After receiving this word you have the power to stop teenage children from having to prostitute their body's to survive. You have the power to stop world hunger lest you continue in apathy what will be your excuse for not helping when you face God? Will he except I was to busy, the big lie, you have plenty of time for (Self, Self, Self, I, I, I, Me, Me, Me). You cannot say it won't work without an intelligent reason. Now what is your intelligent reason? It certainly seems easier to do nothing and let evil abound. So wake up, true peace is only found with God and happiness is allowed when you help others. Some day we will stop most crimes with cameras and oil dependents (hydrogencar.com) and ect. ect. ect.. If we pray God's will, be done, what should we expect to happen? According to the Declaration of Independence and the Holy Bible, it is our duty to change wrong. In 125 years from now will your life have counted, and where will you be? If this seems too simple blame God, with him all things are possible. If you say, as an American, you don’t kill children, you are living an illusion delusion in fantasy land. Mothers around the world swear we have killed there children. In the U.S.A. we have killed over 40 million in abortion slaughter houses and put them in incendiary ovens with malice. Exodus 21:22. This number of babies would make a large nation of people and we kill them in apathy and tolerance. We go to movies and ball games while children starve So spare the joke about surgical war that God never called for. God’s word is clear on war. Maybe you should read it and learn the word oxymoron, cruel only to be kind. In our wars munitions factory owners ride yachts while true warriors die in deception, the fall guy. We could sit here until we die while evil comes down like rain. God, father in heaven, have mercy on us!
Your servant,
Teacher/ 4180621
God Bless!
Vote Joseph/7777777 at [email protected]
P.S. Help wanted, backbone required. PASS THE WORD 

[mike pritchett]

I was ask in a hunderd words or less how too change things? My answer was. To stop drugs you give every one that has a problem a prescription for the drug of their chose with the clear understanding they don’t share their drugs with no one. This will stop drugs for the next generation and stop all drug crimes. In the future most all crime will be stop with cameras and that means no more dead ladies will be found in the trunks of their cars with out us knowing who put them there. Any one willing to work will be giving a brotherhood card that will pay all your bills. Im good at this. Then I was ask how that would stop people in suits with good jobs from robbing people? And my answer was. My approach to any problem is I will ask my self how I would want to be treated if I was in the position of people that needs help. This need for help is the main drive behind crime. So you will need to take away the cause of crime which in my mind is that people for the most part have no helper when they are in need. fix this and you will stop more crimes than all the cameras in the world. My true answer to crime is unity. There is three ways to do this, my way or the way it is now or if you have a better way I will support you. At no point in time think we will be perfect just know we can be much better. Many men have many talents this just happen to be mine. And that is I will give you words of power that will work even if I am dead. Time will prove me. Your question was crime? My answer is if you are willing to work you will be given a brotherhood card that has no spending limit. That is what I would have men do unto me. And then if there is people in pretty suits robbing one another it wont bother me. The problem is no one will serve these people because we will be serving one another. Because you have show interest I will send you more words and give you more power. Your brother. If I am going to dream, I am going to dream big. So I will send the words, why not?

[Patricia]

Thanks for the tips! Being a rookie blogger I really appreciate this article and the advice you give!

[Tim Halberg]

Dude, great post! I've been doing a LOT of thinking lately about my blog and what my goals should be with my blog. This post seriously has the juices flowing in the right direction!

Mixing this from what I just learned from reading "Naked Conversations" should really help to amp my blog's future posts!!!

[Tom Hayes]

Tim,

Congrats--your blog keeps getting better every week!

While here at 3GSM in Barcelona to talk about the "third screen" coming to a mobile phone near you, my own blog set of a bit of a global rattle today when I wrote about my concept of a "beme." As I've defined a beme, it is a sure way we bloggers can actively change the world: Perhaps you can weigh in on the subject in your blog with a positive beme of your own?

Tom

[Issues Man]

Glad I followed the link. Your entry struck a cord with me as I've struggled to figure out what I wanted to do with my blog and how to go about making change. I have new direction now, thanks for the motivation. Looking forward to reading through the rest of your site. Best regards from a new fan.

[Brian Lash]

Great post, Tim.

I followed your "Featured" link from TypePad, and suffice to say that I'm delighted I did. Too often we see bloggers (myself included) writing for themselves, forgetting the utility that their posts should deliver their readers.

You've found a new fan in me. I look forward to checking back for similarly useful nuggets of life-changing wisdom.

[Tim]

Thanks for both a great reminder and a great challenge. It stirred something in me to dig a little deeper and to be more intentional about what and how I blog!

Great post!