Chalk one more “1st World Problem” onto the list:
As I was commenting on Annie Sisk’s blog on my iPad while hitting mile #7 on a stationary bike at the gym (that’s right – I multitask like a fuckin’ boss), I sighed in frustration about how much of a pain in the ass filling out comment forms on an iPad is.
First, you have to be an Olympic-level sniper to hit the right input field while zoomed out. Second, you have to pray some meathead at the gym isn’t hogging all the bandwidth watching IronMan on YouTube or something. Third, God help you if you make a typo because sweat has dripped onto the screen and you can’t clean it off without doing the “my-iPad-is-so-sexy-I-gotta-rub-my-body-with-it” move.
For the record, I didn’t make any typos this time around.
I share the preceding story to point out that you cannot fucking automate friendship.
You can try any trick in the book. Scheduled posting, HootSuite, Google Reader… these tools make it easier to get through the mountain of blogs I try to read and share each week. Even so, there is no tool on earth that can make commenting on blogs from an iPad while riding a stationary bicycle faster, less sweaty, and let’s face it – sexier, like a comment from me should be.
Systems help. Productivity coaching helps. Setting aside a lot of time to connect and comment and share helps.
In the end, there’s no shortcuts, there’s no automatic software, there’s no overnight fame. Bit by bit, Tweet by Tweet, connection by connection – it’s built by hand. It’s why I reach out – personally – to every single one of my subscribers the same day they subscribe. Sure, they get the automatic confirmation emails, but they also get a personal email written by me and personalized as much as I can if I can find info based on their email address.
If I were evil, it would be called stalking. But because I’m chaotic good (think Doctor Who), it’s only creepy to the people who don’t think it through.
If you truly want to build a kick-ass community around your business, you have to be willing to sweat all over your iPad – and not in the fun way. (Click to tweet this)
Speaking of Annie Sisk, she’s got a project on IndieGoGo and I’d like to see it succeed – it’s her first book. I contributed. My productivity is worth a few bucks, at least!
With a few hours left, Annie has raised $450 of her $1,000 goal. If you’re like me and you’re interested in ramping up your productivity, consider contributing – every little bit helps and she gets to keep whatever is raised. Want to take charge of your own fate? Supporting projects like Annie’s is a good way to do it. Nothing says “I’m not on autopilot” more than voting with your dollars in a meaningful way.
(Header photo: Max with Robot)
