Passion > skill

I had started off thinking that communication skills were essential to making the most of blogging and other Web 2.0 opportunities. But I only learned how to write because I stumbled across something I wanted to write about.

Web 2.0 can help you find out what matters to you, and you can share that with the world. The most valuable thing you can do to make the most of Web 2.0, to make the most of *life*, is to find out what makes you uniquely you. That's how you get visibility. That's how you get audience. And that's how you'll rock your world.

Passion is more important than skill. You can learn anything you want to - if you want to. Passion will drive you to learn how to write, to blog, to link, to embed pictures and widgets. You can develop technical and communication skills along the way, but you *have* to give yourself permission to be bad before you can be better.

Write for an audience of one

A lot of people give up after posting a few entries on their blogs, discouraged by the lack of response. REALITY CHECK: You are not going to win any prizes for your first few blog posts. You are going to be BORING. Your coworkers might visit your blog out of curiosity, but they probably won't come back.

Writers don't win accolades for their first drafts. Scientists don't do their best work as undergrads. They all had to practice. They all had to develop their skills.

Write. Write for an audience of one. Write and write and write until you know what you're talking about. You'll feel some topics click with you. When you've written something you can't help but tell other people about, you've got yourself a blog.

So what's Web 2.0 about this? Can't you do this with a paper diary, too? Sure. But with Web 2.0, you can share your thoughts with thousands and thousands of other people who can give you suggestions and encouragement. You can be searchable. You can become an expert in your area.

But it all starts by writing for an audience of one. If you have other readers, great. Listen to them, but don't be afraid to lose them in order to follow your voice.

You're either visible or you're dead

Where can you find the time to do all of this? You make time for it. You have to. Stephen Perelgut pointed out that in the coming age, you're either visible or you're dead.

The cost of *not* getting into blogging will be really high. Traditional networking methods such as face-to-face meetings, phone calls, and e-mail will still be effective. However, blogs give bloggers so much of an edge when it comes to finding their passions, discovering common interests and building collaborative relationships. Can you afford to be outside this conversation?

Start today

Find your passion and learn how to share it with others. That's how you can make the most of Web 2.0. Browse through bookmarks at del.icio.us and see what strikes you. Bookmark websites and see how your tag cloud evolves. Read blogs and find out what you resonate with. Blog. Comment. Link. Share. Blog some more.

Web 2.0 can help you find Life 2.0. Have fun!

On Technorati: cascon2006, cascon

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