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Blogonomics Part 2: Your Best Competitors are your Best Friends

August 2, 2007 · By Shane

Finding your way

There’s something strange that happens in business over time. Your competitors will often become your friends. And should. This is true in any business. But in blogging it’s doubly true.

So while great content might be the first pillar of good blogonomics. The next, is other bloggers.

When your competitors become your friends, you make each other better. After all, who better to share ideas, stories, and strategies with than the people who have the same goals that you do. The people, doing what you’re doing.

So let’s go learn something about blogging from a few friends …

Some Blogging Secrets

First, Trizle teaches us that there are no secrets worth keeping. A marketer once told me a brilliant idea for a new beer. Bikini Beer. Catchy, viral, you could have a lot of fun with the packaging. I’ve told quite a few people in the bottling industry about it … haven’t seen it yet. Your secrets are safe.

Allen Taylor teaches us that online marketing is much like offline marketing. If you can do one, you can do the other. If you need help with one, get help with the other.

Chris G teaches us that compelling content means you’re only as good as your last post. Hollywood filmmakers live and die by that philosophy. And in the last couple weeks I’ve had a nice jump in RSS subscribers, simply because I wrote less often. And more betterer.

Liz teaches us how to clearly know what to do. Someone in the comments quoted Yoda; “Do or do not. There is no try“. It doesn’t get clearer than that.

Tynan writes a guest post that teaches us that radical change requires … radical change. Clearly, if you want to change the results you’re getting, the first step is to ask yourself, “by how much”?

Nate and Josh teach us how to make that change by just doing it. That’s what they did with their first video blog. They just fired up the camera and went for it.

Steve Roesler teaches us how to not fear success. From your peers. Or for that matter, the success OF your peers. And check out the classic No Fear shirt he replicated for me at the bottom of the post. I miss that shirt. I learned a lot from it.

Martin Reed teaches us that building your community is about making it a place where people want to get involved.

Life Remix teaches us the power of what we can build if we do.

And Gregg Hawkins teaches us that everyone strives to be the best. Even Hooters girls.

Learn. Teach. Trade your secrets of the trade.

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9 Responses

  1. Jon - Freelancefolder

    August 2nd, 2007 at 5:35 am

    1

    My blogging comppetitors are definitely my friends, it’s like a huge family and we all share ideas and thoughts. If we were to compete against each other, it wouldn’t be as fun. (and I probably never would’ve launched a multi-author blog hehe)

    ;)

  2. Nate Whitehill

    August 2nd, 2007 at 8:27 am

    2

    Thanks for the mention, Shane. I totally agree - blogging is a competitive, yet very friendly community. It has great to get you know people and connect with them, as well as inspire each other do better. Very nice post.

  3. FortuneWatch - Robin

    August 2nd, 2007 at 9:13 am

    3

    Thats a great post Shane, amongst the best I read this year. To be honest I never thought my blogging friends were my competitors. I just looked at it as if we are a family. I have met some wonderful people since I started blogging, needless to say that you are one of them, I always think we all are a family, sharing ideas, experience, strength, hope etc.

    In real life, I mean face to face, competitors don’t make the best friends, a lot of them are out there trying to stab you in back given half an opportunity. Thats not team spirit.

    Take care mate and keep up the good work.

  4. Shane

    August 2nd, 2007 at 7:28 pm

    4

    Hey Jon,

    Freelance Folder is a great example of what people can do when they pool their talents together.

    Thanks Nate,

    Looking forward to the next video-blog!

    Hey Robin,

    Blogging is definitely more about making connections than beating down the competition. In the bricks and mortar world, I’ve dealt with some ruthless competitors, but I’ve also made some great allies with would-be competitors.

    Funny enough, sometimes they’re the same people!

  5. Steve Roesler

    August 3rd, 2007 at 11:22 am

    5

    Shane,

    I hadn’t actually ever thought of the “competitor” thing, but I guess we do compete for eyeballs and reading time.

    I’m with you. Looking back over my blog, which is less than a year old, I realized that the content became more relevant and the conversation began to flow the more we shared. In many ways it’s like a virtual mastermind group.

    It’s an ongoing treat to be connected here…

  6. Gregg Hawkins

    August 3rd, 2007 at 3:29 pm

    6

    Thanks Shane!

    It’s true that your competitors are your best friends. For example, Derrich and Derrich.com was mentioning how he’s opening up a bar with his friend. He said that he has friends who already has bars opened up in his city, but they’ve been helping him even though he’s a competitor. It’s always great to be friends and give help because you never know when you’ll need something in return!

  7. Shane

    August 3rd, 2007 at 8:42 pm

    7

    Hey Steve,

    A “virtual mastermind group” is a great way to describe the sharing and evolution of ideas that pass between bloggers.

    I see it all as very similar to a round of golf or a game of football in the park on the weekend with your buddies. It’s competitive, but it’s all in good fun. The goal is to push each other forward and make each other stronger.

    Gregg,

    That’s a great example! We’re social-tribal animals by nature. A lot of smart business people band together with their competitors.

    It’s about strength in numbers and working towards a “community” goal.

  8. Community Building Blog

    August 8th, 2007 at 9:35 am

    8

    Thanks for the link, Shane. I completely agree - our best competitors should be considered our best friends; they keep us on our toes and encourage us to constantly innovate and differentiate.

    - Martin Reed

  9. Shane

    August 8th, 2007 at 11:08 pm

    9

    Hey Martin,

    That’s a great way to see it. It’s competitive but it’s a very friendly competition and the goal is always to push each other to do better.


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