Let’s be honest, how many aspiring bloggers wouldn’t love a chance to hang out with, and learn from John Chow? Even if you’re a pro, you know you would have a lot to learn from him, and you know he’d tell you an evil secret or two if you had the opportunity to sit down for a coffee.
Last night, I literally had a dream about this very subject. In the dream, I was visiting my buddy John in Vancouver, for what seemed like a blogging expo. A bunch of us were heading towards John’s car, and John asked if we would like to get some coffee after the expo.
“Sure” I said. “Do you know where we can get the best coffee cake in the land?” “No” he replied. “Ahhh, but I bet you can find out, I bet you can find out where to get the best coffee cake anywhere in the world” I said. John grinned sheepishly.
Herein Lies The Power of Blogging
You’re connected to a direct source of knowledge. Way better than any Google, you have at your disposal a collective of human brains from all over the world. Sure, maybe somebody has already put together a list of whatever is it you’re looking for, but maybe not.
Chance are, if you write about a topic that is geared towards intelligent people, such as this blog (making money online), you are dealing with an audience whose combined critical thinking power can assist you in whatever it is you’re looking for.
Today you might be looking for coffee cake, tomorrow it may be topics to write about for your blog, the next day you may be the one seeking advice, and you’re amazing readers will be there to help. Among whom there are educated people, mavens, and those with high levels of expertise.
You can ask a question, create a poll, or simply ask for opinions. You might even be so evil as to offer a prize in order to encourage reader participation. Just keep one thing in mind. Your blog isn’t just you, it’s a community.
Help Us Find That Coffee Cake
Will you help John and I find the best coffee cake in your city? Let us know if you know the best spot around you in the comments below. A random comment entry will be chosen to receive a $25 amazon gift card within 1 week of today (I’m not sure if you can buy coffee cake with that).
Written for John Chow by Alex Shalman (RSS). He is a graduate student who writes passionately and extensively about communication, relationships and personal development.
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