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.

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.

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?

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!

Random Emacs symbol: gnus-topic-forward-topic – Function: Go to the next topic on the same level as the current one.