Personal Relevance
Jan 7, 2009 Marketing
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I’ve been watching a lot of The OC, Season 3 lately. Yes, I know it’s not exactly the best show ever made, but I really like it.
Why? A number of reasons, but mainly because I feel I can relate to it. The story of the 4 kids, graduating from high school and going to college – and having to deal with all that comes with that transition, saying goodbye to friends, the uncertainty of the future, etc. That’s something I can relate to. Sure, it’s probably a lot more dramatized than anything I’ll ever live through in my personal life, but in general, it’s something that’s personally relevant to me.
Yes, objectively, it might not be the best show, nor the best season. It may not have the best visuals, or the best acting (as my friend puts it, the characters seem flat, etc). But it holds relevance to me, it’s something I feel I can relate to, and as such I like it a lot.
And the importance of that cannot be overemphasized, in my opinion. Personal relevance. No matter what your product is, personal relevance trumps general quality, in my opinion. That’s not to say that you create a crappy product. But once you’re past a certain treshold, once your product is “pretty good”, any increase in quality can be trumped by an increase in relevance.
The challenge is figuring out who you want to reach, and tailoring the story you’re telling – and no matter what you’re doing, you are always telling a story – to that audience. Not always easy to do, but there are great rewards in doing that.
How are you crafting your story so that your target audience can relate to it more?
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Tags: OC, relevance, story, storytelling, target audience
Your Web 2.0 Story
Apr 28, 2008 Personal Development, Technology
I’ve been thinking about the intersection of the things I write about here. I blog about things from technology to sports to personal development. And I do think there is a central theme. Obviously I deviate from it sometimes. But in general, I’d like to think that I’m still holding true to my original intended message: an encouragement to realize your true potential and not settle for anything less.
The sports parts are related because, well, I think sports are a very good analogy to life. The mental aspects and decision making – the games are almost like a miniature replica of life.
The technology aspects come in because I believe that technology (especially in today’s Web 2.0 world) can be an amazing resource for that. It makes it a lot easier to realize your potential.
And so, on that note, I want to ask you to share your thoughts.
How has social media and Web 2.0 impacted your life? Has it helped make you a better person or improved you in any way?
I’d love to hear your story.
[?]Tags: Personal Development, share, social media, story, web 2.0
We have a winner…
Congratulations to pelf from pelf-ism is contagious – you’ve won a copy of Seth Godin’s latest book, “Meatball Sundae”!
And thanks to Joanna Young and Robert for taking part as well.
[?]Tags: meatball sundae, personal brand, seth godin, story
‘Share Your Story’ Contest Update
Feb 1, 2008 Announcements, Books, Contest
So, with 10 days to go in the contest, I’ve got 3 entries so far. Thanks to Robert, Joanna and Pelf for entering.
Here are the entries:
- Robert from Reason4Smile writes about “The world where people are sharing“
- Joanna Young from Confident Writing lists “10 pages that aren’t about me“
- Pelf from perf-ism is contagious shared a touching story, and explains “Why I am who I am today“
3 very different styles, but all demonstrating what they stand for, and who they are. All answering the question of why they are who they are today.
There’s 10 more days left in this contest, so come on and join the conversation – share your story. You could stand to win a copy of “Meatball Sundae” by Seth Godin.
Click here for more information.
[?]Tags: , meatball sundae, personal brand, seth godin, story
Share Your Story – and Win a copy of Meatball Sundae
[edit]The contest has now been extended to February 10! That gives you 10 extra days to get your entry. [end edit]
Here’s your chance to win a copy of Seth Godin’s latest book, Meatball Sundae. I’ll be giving away a free copy of Meatball Sundae at the end of the month (January 31) on February 10, so read on for details.
One of the main points of Meatball Sundae is the power of stories. And so, in the spirit of that, here’s all you need to do to be a part of this contest: Share your story.
Your story doesn’t have to be your auto-biography or your about page. In fact, your true story probably isn’t. It’s the one with the drama, emotions, tragedy, action. It’s the story that shows what you believe in, what you stand for.
Put simply, your story is an expression of who you are – an answer to the question of why you are who you are today.
So, share your story with us (me and the fellow readers). There are no fixed rules to this contest. Express yourself, and share your story in whatever way is the most natural to you. Write a post on your blog, leave a comment (or an audio/video comment) here, do a podcast, record a song, do a video and post it on Youtube, even. It’s your choice. Be creative. Make it remarkable. Make it something that people will talk about. And encourage your readers and friends to do the same.
Just leave a comment or link to this post (or email me) so that I know you’ve entered. And make sure to do it before January 31 February 10.
And at the end of the month, one lucky winner will get a brand new copy of Seth Godin’s Meatball Sundae.
[?]Tags: creative, meatball sundae, personal brand, seth godin, story
