Keeping It Fresh

Greg Verdino, VP Emerging Channels at Digitas, wrote a post about how he uses RSS feeds to manage the blogs he reads.

He subscribes to blogs (via RSS) that catch his interest and then deletes them if they don’t maintain it.

I do the same thing. I also delete blogs I’ve been reading if they start to feel stale and repetitive.

So, how important is it to balance being consistent, and thereby fulfilling audience expectations, with staying fresh and relevant? 

How do we continually find fresh ways to get a message across?

This is something that I need to work on, but so far I’ve found that I have more ideas when I change things up.

I try to interact with lots of different people, attend interesting conferences, read about different philosophies, and avoid spending too much time locked in front of my computer (that one’s really hard).

Triggers come from the oddest places!

But, getting into a rut doesn’t just happen with writing.

What about our careers, family life, hobbies, businesses?

What do you do to keep it fresh?

Comments

[April]

I have been asking myself this same question. I am not typically a "if it feels good" kinda person. But, I have taken that approach with my blogs. I have two - this way I can have career person stuff on one and wife/mommy/me stuff on the other. It's working so far.

I am hoping that my readership will let me know if I am getting stale before they delete me - that would be a big help.

[ann michael]

Hi April!

Sometimes getting stale to a single reader doesn't necessarily mean you're getting stale over all.

Some of the blogs I've deleted were ones I felt I got the point about and there were too many new things to explore to keep reading about the same point (and examples of it) over and over again!

I struggle with that too - whether it's getting in a rut or just realizing that there are many examples of the same principles.

When I think of the blogs that keep me long term, they're news or event related, created by someone in an industry that I want to follow, or represent a concept that's new or near new to me.

Thanks for coming by!
Ann

[Steve Roesler]

Ann, you made me think about the whole "fresh" thing in a way that caused me to continue the conversation...

Thanks for the genuine inspiration!

[Shane]

I like to take time out. I could write more than 5 posts a week, but they wouldn't be as good.

It's important to venture out and bring something new back regularly.

[ann michael]

Shane- you are so right.

I used to get frustrated with myself if I didn't write every day. Then I realized that if I was sitting in front of a computer struggling (sometimes) for what to write that I wasn't out building the experiences I needed to write about - so I gave myself a little break.

I try to write 5 times a week - but 4 is ok with me too now - and every once in a while I might go three days without posting - hey, life happens (or it should be happening) - right!?

Ann

[ann michael]

Great post, Steve!

(oh - and I am still subscribed!)

[Wally Bock]

Overall, I think the way you stay fresh is to keep fresh stuff coming in. I try to do that by varying what I read and by having a "study project" going all the time. For my blog, I generally write about the issues relevant to the selection, training and support of supervisors. But I also do blog posts about other interesting blog posts and news articles and, once a week I try to do a "think" piece about whatever interests me at the time.

[ann michael]

Wally - that's a great approach. What's an example of a typical study project? That really intrigues me!

[Valeria Maltoni]

Ann:

I like the new look, I don't know if I told you. To keep things fresh I join a lot:

* group's initiatives
* people's projects
* individual's views
* new ventures
* new tools and widgets
* new angles

And I mix it up. I wrote about interest from readers this past Friday -- it depends on their frame of mind, too. We are more receptive to what we're thinking about. For example the industry we are in, or what we're working on -- Steve was a perfect example of that here.

[ann michael]

Valeria -

That's certainly true - we are more receptive to things that resonate with what we're thinking about. Thanks for the great ideas!

Ann

[Phil Gerbyshak]

Love the purple Ann. Very warm, hip, and happening, just like you.

I agree that we need to keep it fresh. I'm in the process of going through my feeds too and getting rid of the dead wood. There's a LOT there, and I may end up just moving to a completely new reader altogether.

I got a kick in the pants a few weeks ago from a friend who told me to "keep it fresh" (not in so nice of terms) and advised he was thisclose to not reading my stuff anymore. Sometimes, we just need the nudge to get us back on track, and sometimes we need a big WHACK. This article's a nice nudge. Thanks Ann!

[ann michael]

Ah Spring Feed Cleaning!!!

I've been on an adding spree lately - but that means that in about a month I'll be in the same place you are - deciding what I read and what I don't read.

Let's face it - we can't read it all!

[Derrick]

Good post. I'm facing the same problem, finding a balance between maintaining the same theme and finding something new. It's hard to do.

[ann michael]

Hi Derrick!

I'm beginning to think that I could avoid the problem (or minimize it) by getting out more - out of my own head and out of my surroundings. What do you think?

Ann

[Jeff Brown]

Every time I think about how I might be getting stale, a reader writes in with a comment inspiring a cool new slant on an old subject. It happens almost every week.

[ann michael]

That's a great point, Jeff! If we're fortunate enough to really start a conversation (or go find one to participate in!) - the danger of getting stale starts to diminish because the world (and everyone in it) is far from stale!