Think like a publisher, pluck? — Catskill Cottage Seed

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One of my takeaways listening to David Meerman Scott earlier this week: we need to “think like a publisher”. How might this understanding change our practice in this space?

A few years back the publisher David Godine incorporated one of my favorite publishing labels, Black Sparrow Press, into his business. I’m a fan of Black Sparrow. I’m likely to explore a new title they publish because I trust their curation. I respect the how they have defined niche by the choices in their catalog.

Godine’s advice is pretty simple: patience, perseverance and pluck.

When I think about my journey in social media this advice is both applicable and useful. So much of the cultural awareness surrounding the tools of social media tools currently has a “fad” flavor to it and many who begin the journey drop out. This advice speaks to those of us who are committed to the long haul.

Patience speaks to the need to allow your efforts to take root. Any of us who are about to plant a garden can apply the analogy of seed to harvest.

Persistence speaks to the need to keep at it, to put the effort into seeing your goals flower into reality.

Pluck is new to me. According to Wictionary :

Guts, nerve, fortitude or persistence.

He didn’t get far with the attempt, but you have to admire his pluck.

As Godine writes:

“Pluck, the courage to take a chance, the understanding that rewards are often in inverse proportion to safety and security, and that risk is the price you pay for opportunity is at the heart of all publishing, which for all that might be said about it, is basically a crapshoot.” David R. Godine

As Godine shares, for every book that enjoys a level of success, ten books never take off. So risk taking. Keep looking and trying new combinations until you develop your own unique content channel. That’s how pluck can develop your social media publishing approach.

How are you learning to become a clear signal in the social media space?

Susan_Mazza

Thanks for giving me a great new word Richard - loving this word pluck.

So far I have been to applying the same approach to being a clear signal in social media as I have been at work on in my business. Get clear and focused in your message and I think your signal becomes clear. No doubt I have work to do! I chose leadership in as an initial focus for my social media presence, but it is only one facet of the work I do with clients. Some days I wonder if I have gone too narrow in an attempt to be clear and focused. But I can say it has been a great way for me to learn which was the point of this strategy. Guess I will just have to trust in the journey.

ccseed

Hey Susan,
If you are going to expand your content areas you might be able to create categories to do so, putting all your content so far into a leadership category...just a thought.

Zoe

Richard,

I have thought of this before, blogger as publisher + curator (I'll read that post of yours next!), and it really helps clarify the movements we make. When I do struggle to have a clear understanding of what I am accomplishing, I think it is always when I am going through mental transitions in understanding my life and values. The voice mirrors the inner workings, I suppose...

ccseed

The honesty in your response is a breath of fresh air...

Matt Searles

It's a process.. My thinking is you start with you're core values and work out word.. I'm not sure if that really always produces a clear signal though.. Like.. if a core value to you is becoming.. in the process of becoming.. well at the very least the signal isn't always super clear... so which is more important, clarity of signal or becoming?

So I take the becoming and try to clarify it.. which is more about maturing it then it is about communications... maybe communications is a trajectory of maturation? And of course action is communications..

At the very least I'm thinking in terms of the issues relative to leadership.. and relating that to the Tribes thing. I'm also thinking that a lot of what's really important is somehow invisible.. that you gotta put on the blind fold to see properly.

When I think of the fad / shiny object aspect of social media.. I'm reminded of some recent episodes of Marketing Over Coffee.. on the subject of.. learning marketing versus learning web tricks.. as if the cool aid was the propaganda of the tricks.. and when you get to understand the deeper stuff.. the cool aid becomes transfigured...

I suppose it depends to, on just how you're interfacing with social media.. like if you get on Twitter cause Oprah, who's only tweeted 17 times, says its all groovy.. and all this mass media tells you its all groovy.. and you're all "I want be be groove-ified" and nobody told you what it was all really about.. before you go there.. etc, etc, etc..

ccseed

Hey Matt...I absolutely love the blindfold analogy. The problem of the cult of personality, or perhaps persona is a better term, is that it tends to generate the groupy mentality. Herding lemmings can be a useful strategy to generate numbers, but not to explore the meaningful. None the less, like the publisher committed to exceptional content, this platform can be powerful when the right combination of expression meets the needs of the collective.

The way I like to think of some of the gimmicks I see in the space: think of the scenes of low humor that Shakespeare wove into his dramas.

Michael Warden

"How are you learning to become a clear signal in the social media space?"

Honestly, I struggle with this notion of being, or broadcasting, a clear signal in social media, particularly thru my blog. As a writer of fiction and a professional coach on staff at a large church, I often have trouble finding the common ground among the sometimes disparate groups I connect with. Where I've landed mostly is to keep my blog generally focused on the theme of authentic life transformation, particularly in the context of Christian faith. But I'm still uncertain whether that is the best, or most effective, use of my blog "space."

Thoughts?

ccseed

Hi Michael.
I think we can create a clear signals in different spaces based on audience, values and goals. It's interesting to be thinking of this as I'm leaving SOBCon, a conference for bloggers. The comment was made that my presence on-line, specifically on twitter is narrower than meeting me in person. In that space I am pretty aware of having a set of "plays" or ways of engaging the stream. All of those work to clarifying signal and creating engagement.

As for your blog space, one thing to consider: are you using it primariliy to explore your journey or to engage an audience. The answer to that question mightl help define if you are using the space effectively.