On Twitter @edgessey

I'm definitely not bleeding edge nor even an early adopter on this tide. However, I've finally joined Twitter, over two months after Oprah. I'm not really sure what I'll get out of it, and that's actually the largest motivation. I've been reading (e.g. Clay Shirky's Here Comes Everybody), talking with friends, and watching from the sidelines to try to figure out the benefits and what this is all about. The most compelling argument so far has been: "you need to try it to really get it."

Some people have expressed interest in following me, including an anonymous commenter on this blog. Being that my primary goal is to contribute to my sangha (sanskrit, basically meaning community, the community to which one shares), and Twitter is a good way to reach people in short bursts, I suspect and hope that this may be a great stream for it. Many of the same goals from Why I Blog apply here, too.

My Twitter Profile Follow me @edgessey

What I'll Tweet
Between blog posts, I write lots of notes about what to post, collect lots of quotations, start on lots of ideas that either never make it to the blog or are sitting as drafts to later be published. Some of these are short bites that strike me in some way. These will likely be the types of things that I post. The sparks that move me, but I don't quite have enough meat for a blog post.

Looking around Twitter, I see that people talk about themselves, what they're doing, bits of news, restaurant micro-reviews, etc. Just like there are so many things to cover in a blog, there are also infiinite things to cover on Twitter. My tweets will likely be morsels that I find wise, profound, inspiring, inspired, , moving, beautiful, heartfelt, sublime, earnest, or pognantly hilarious.

I look forward to seeing where this goes. I hope that you choose to follow me and steer me in directions that are interesting to you, too.

This post is dedicated to Josh Phillips, bleeding edge maestro, who finally convinced me to join Twitter.

Blog Improvements

I recently wrote about Why I Blog and have been working on how to achieve my goals. One of the great things about identifying goals is that it makes it so much easier to reach them when you know what they are. They provide a clear path of action. (A Focus Word covers some of this.) Goals catalyze results.

Some Recent Improvements
You may be happy with some of the recent improvements to the blog:

1. Schnazzy new look and feel. I hope that you like the fresh, clean look and new organization.
1. I tossed the pre-canned layout I was using, switched to something simpler, adjusted the colors, and added images to give it a fresher modern look.
   
2. More functional sidebar - I added some additional content items to make it easier to find what you're looking for. All of these were based on requests. So please let me know if you'd like something new.
3. New page icon - It is an enso. It is an expression of the moment. The end is the beginning is the end ...
   
2. Subscribing is easier. New subscribe links for feed readers, and I added email subscriptions if you prefer that. I hope this helps.
3. Prime content is highlighted. I added some reader favorites to give new readers something on the site, and I created a widget to show all of the MPOWs in one place. My guess in reader favorites has been from feedback that I've received so far. If you want to promote additional content, or recommend changes, please let me know.
4. MPOWs all in one place. People seem to really like the new Mindfulness Practice of the Week service that I release every Monday. I've heard that people want to be able to refer back to them, so I created a widget to collect them on the sidebar.
5. Star ratings. I added star ratings below posts. Now you can let me know what works and doesn't work without having to leave specific feedback. I am really keen on this. Please let me know which posts you like and which posts you do not like. Maybe I can even write a widget to show the top 5 on the side once enough feedback comes in.
6. Improved content. I've heard that my posts are too long; they're practically essays. I'm trying to make a crisper point and respect your time. Sometimes I will want to treat some topics in greater depth, but for the most part I want to offer my posts in snack-size. Also, I'm adding images to most of the content to appeal to the visual nature of many readers. I'm focusing a lot on approachable, warm, emotive content vs. cold essays.
   

Looking for a New Name
Friends have pointed out that aphorism and egoism are pretty elitest words. I'm sorry. It is not my goal at all to discourage people from the site. I'm looking for a new name, a friendly, inviting, compassionate name. Something that is appealing and warm. Something that is easy to find and remember. I don't want it to come off as eliteist, nor dogmatic or authoritarian, nor woo-woo or frou-frou, nor flippant, nor overly precious. I'm trying to get it just right. I realize that a fully left-brained approach won't be satisfying, I want something that feels good. I realize that this site will never meet the needs of the whole world, but I want it to appeal to the type of people who already like the content here.

Along with the new name, I hope to find a domain to host this on, rather than a sub-domain of Blogspot. Please let me know if you have suggestions. My gratitude goes out to people who have already been helping and suggesting new names.

I Love Your Input
This blog is meant to be a helpful, sharing community, not my podium. Please let me know what I can do to make this more meaningful and useful for you. Your feedback and feedforward are critical to achieving that.

Please use the stars.
Please leave comments.
Please use my content in your sites, if you want to. (I appreciate back links and will reciprocate)
If you know how to reach me in person, please do that, too.

This post is dedicated to you, everyone who comes here to read and share.

Please leave your comments

• What works?
• What doesn't work?
• Any other suggestions?

Why I Blog

What a great surprise yesterday, a mentor reads my blog (Hi, Jeff!) and in our morning meeting had an agenda for me based on my writings. The very insightful conversation helped me notice some blind spots and pay mind to some new questions.

To initiate, he asked me what my goals are for blogging. While I have always had some things in mind, and I wrote about these in initial posts, they shift over time. Here's what I have, now. I am pleased to see that they are more specific and actionable than originally conceived.

Blogging goals

1. Build/find community - The primary motivator for the blog. I'm eager to connect with like-minded people who will share with me and challenge me. Humans are social creatures--not sometimes, not by accident--always.
2. Give back to the world - I greedily consume information, always have. I soak it up like a sponge, then identify
   patterns, and maybe sometimes even create original ideas or find novel
   applications for existing concepts. Blogging is my gift back
   to the world. Though this may reek of arrogance, I have decided not to let that abort my intention.
   
3. Share wisdom compassionately - On the chance that my wisdom will be of help to
   someone, I want to share it. One Bodhisattva vow includes not resting
   until all beings are free of suffering. I have not taken the vow, though aspire to. (I highly recommend reading Susan Piver's My Vows from Shambhala Sun, July 2008.)
4. Help you know me - I write about who I am, as deeply and honestly as I can.
   Hopefully it leads to stronger relationships as you get to know the real me.
5. Help me know me - Writing helps me learn about myself. I especially learn from what I'm afraid to write about.
   

Other reasons why I blog

1. Overcoming the inner critic - There's a large part of me that finds
   many of these goals--such as that I have novel ideas--presumptuous, arrogant, and full of hubris. These are
   self-defeating thoughts that I strive to overcome.
2. Developing fearlessness - Some of the stuff that I post publicly requires courage, because I know that my thoughts and feelings are not shared by everyone. It is often hard pubishing my heart and mind to be judged by people close to me, people with whom I work, and even future friends.
3. Public can help me filter - By seeing which of my posts garner readership, and especially from comments, I learn which of my posts have appeal and which don't.
4. Credibility - I love mentoring people and sharing my patterns that work with people. As I share my advice through writing, hopefully it becomes a pool of interesting material for mentees. And maybe enough useful material will attract mentees for whom it resonates.
   
5. Platform for professional writing - I would love to publish professionally at some point - whether in magazines, blogs, etc. This is a way to build a portfolio. (Note to publishers - let me know if you're interested, please.)
6. Hone my writing skills - The more I practice, the better I will become. See On Perfection and 100 Shiny Red Stars.
7. Content repository - I have a lot of stuff that I think about and believe in. This is a chance for me to create a repository for all of them to refer back to.
8. Have fun - I have a blast writing this, especially when others let me know what they think.

Egoistic reasons
Here are some of my ego's reasons. They're not very noble, but I find it important to recognize them.

1. Affirmation - My ego loves to when people validate my ideas and repeat them.
   
2. Attention - On the far off chance that this blog takes off like wild-fire and attracts lots of people, I welcome it.
   

In Conclusion
Blogging is very enjoyable and valuable for me. Just thinking about new post ideas gives me conversation topics to share with others around the table. I have also learned quite a bit about myself through. People I know have approached me to connect with me based on what I write; this is especially interesting with existing friends and colleagues. Since I do not always broach these topics in business or social situations, it is fun to learn which people think about the same things as me. It has truly been rewarding to connect with people I know in new and meaningful ways. My gratitude goes out to everyone who reads my blog and to everyone who connects with me a little bit more deeply thanks to reading it.

This post is dedicated to my mentor Jeff Braaten, who asked me the question and shares his wisdom.

I really want to hear from you!

• Let me know if you're out there reading my blog.
• Do you find it interesting? Tedious? Any other feedback.
• How can I improve?
• Any ideas on how I can meet my goals?