Introduce Yourself
One of the things I’ve always said about this blog is that it’s as much yours as it is mine – community is everything.
I may be the bus driver, but you’re the passengers that make the journey so enjoyable.
So, just to cement our community that little bit more, I’d like to get to know you better. For the community to get to know you better. So here’s the deal:
- If you had to choose one blog post to offer everyone a view of who you are, what would it be?
- Why this post?
- If you don’t blog, where else can we find you online? Do you mind sharing and connecting?
- Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us.
That’s it. But here’s another quick favour to ask. If someone shares a blog with us, let’s make sure we visit it. And if we like it, let’s make sure we subscribe. After all, isn’t that what our community is all about?
Over to you – the comments are yours. Tell us about yourself. I’m going to get comfortable so I can enjoy getting to know you.
photo credit: Ethan Hein
61 Responses to “Introduce Yourself”
You know, it’s funny you mentioned that, Seth, as I wrote a post about helping people to get blogging late last year.
It’s something I respect about you – you do put yourself out there on your blog, and that shows in the respect and affinity your readers have with you.
It’s a pleasure learning from you, good sir.
1. http://justkickinit.ca/2009/01/22/what-really-grinds-my-gears-11/
2. I’m famous for my rants
This one is me versus the world.4. I flew across the world, met a guy in an airport, brought him home and married him… twice.
Mr. Brown, i’d like for you to answer these questions too. Which post would you pick and why? Tell me something shocking.
That is an interesting fact you shared with us, Jac – hope he was worth it…
(Jac Star is my wife, everyone).I guess it’s only fair I answer the same questions I’ve asked everyone, so here goes:
I guess my post choice would be Pale Blue Dots. I think that encapsulates my belief that we’re all great and should be here for each other. Rose-tinted spectacles? Maybe. But it’s not asking too much to try, is it?
One thing that might surprise people about me? I’m not sure – everyone probably has a different view of me already!
I guess if there was one thing I’d say, it’s that I’m intrinsically a shy person. I’ve heard people say I’m extroverted before, and it makes me smile since inside I am pretty shy. I’ll talk to anyone and make friends with anyone, but you don’t know how difficult it is to get that courage up.
There you go – does that count?
yes it does
but you’re so not shy lol
it’d have been more accurate for you to say “sometimes i lie about my qualities when i can’t think of anything more fascinating”
Hi Danny
1. If you had to choose one blog post to offer everyone a view of who you are, what would it be? http://agingreluctantly.com/2009/01/04/aging-what-does-it-do-to-a-50%e2%80%99ish-was/
2. Why this post? It gave others and myself a good idea and a the name of my new blog AgingReluctantly
3. If you don’t blog, where else can we find you online? Do you mind sharing and connecting? I have blogged since October 2007.
4. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us. That I am rather introverted and don’t enjoy confrontational work.Thanks Harold. I recall finding your blog through some rather interesting conversations via Twitter and it’s one that I may have otherwise missed. That’s the great thing about communication – there’s less to be missed and more to be learned.
Danny-
I wrote Giants of Men after returning from my grandfather’s funeral, and the topic was a departure from the norm for me. Perhaps that’s why I like it.I blog for several other ‘green’ sites, including Twilight Earth, and I’m also a huge fan of Twitter, which is how I found this post. I’m @derekmarkham over there. I like digg and StumbleUpon, so I’m fairly active with them on a daily basis. I love that the web has made it so easy to communicate and participate, to exchange ideas almost instantaneously with others around the globe. I am saying good night and signing off, and a Twitterer from India is telling me good morning. I think it makes our globe seem smaller…
Surprising? Hmm. I really love the movie Fiddler on the Roof. I can relate to Reb Tevye.
Thanks for asking. Cheers!
Thanks Derek. I read that post and I can see why you chose it – really open and makes you think about what’s happening around us.
Thanks for sharing and good to have you here.
If I had to choose one blog post, it wouldn’t be that hard because I only have three to narrow down from. It would probably be the one titled Point of Thought #2: What’s Your Lion? That post can be found here ~> http://budurl.com/esm2 <~ My html isn’t confident enough to attempt a tag there (sorry!)
Each post has the intent of telling a short story which leads to a question at the end. The question is there to incorporate the readers to make each post just as much about me as it is about them. Although I have only just begun my blogging career, I hope that my posts will make many-a-marketer share stories with each other. In essence, the community in which Danny has established on this blog.
One thing that’s interesting about me is that I have a gray spot of hair on the side of my head that has been there all 21 years of my life. My blog reflect this “interesting” fact about myself, because my posts have been just as random at the beginning. However, the thing I like most about having random ideas is that sometimes they bring out the creativity in others. My gray spot of hair could potentially be the butterfly fluttering it’s wings on one side of the world, inadvertently causing a tsunami half a world away (a good tsunami, hopefully : )
Random gray spots are the things that separate us – I’m jealous, I just have continuously expanding gray spots…
Thanks for sharing with us, Michael, always a pleasure.
1) http://makejohnnycash.blogspot.com/2006/12/web-who0.html
2) Because I realized in 2006 that the Web would become about people, more than anything, hence Web Who.0
3) http://www.linkedin.com/in/johncarson and http://twitter.com/johncarson
4) I met Princess Diana in the street onceYou met Princess Diana? Tell me – was she as dainty as she always came across, or more removed?
Thanks for sharing John, and it was cool hooking up at Podcamp TO.
I was 14, doing work experience at Leo Burnett in London. On an advert delivery mission down Kensington High Street, she walked out of a kids’ clothes shop with her bodyguard, I said “Hi,” she said “Hi” — that was it, over in 10 seconds!
I do recall she was very tall (to a 14-year-old) and beautiful, had a confidence about her then.
Inspirational, Danny. Inspirational idea to ask people what defines them and differentiates them. Inspirational.
The definitive blog post of mine was written days before Halloween when I thanked Seth Godin for inspiring me. In my article, I reprinted an email I’d sent to him and explained why I was rowing my boat into unchartered waters–as part of my exploration to be me and what I knew I should do.
You’ll see Seth commented, too.
As for secretive aspects about me, here’s a list of seven, but don’t tell anyone. Shh!
Cheers Ari – never fail to learn great stuff from your good self. And you got Seth to comment as well – extra kudos to both you and Seth.
And your secret is safe with me – the rest, I’m not so sure
Great topic, Danny!
My best post is http://myvoicetalent.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/is-your-voice-over-business-part-of-a-flea-market/ because it seems to ring true with other voice over talent, and business people in general. Know who you are and what you’re worth and don’t let anyone tell you any different.
Something not-so-known about me? One of my heroes is John Lasseter.
John Lasseter as in the Pixar guy? Interesting choice (not saying that I disagree) – any particular reason?
My favorite post:
http://tylertalkalot.com/2008/02/15/synergy-seth-godin-and-the-new-jersey-realtor/Why?:
It shows that I am a passionate person and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. (failure is not an option)One surprising thing about me:
After listening to Seth that day….. I decided to be as he says “The Best In The World”. I have been working on a top secret project inspired by him that will launch this Friday March 13th 2009.
Look for my new site and new blog….coming soon ; )Great tale, Sarah, thanks for sharing and look forward to seeing what you have planned. Keep us updated and look forward to seeing you over here some more
This is an awesome idea, Danny!
I’m going to start with the surprising thing, because it surprised me. While I think this is a great idea, I’m actually a little nervous about it. I feel like I’m in a real roomful of people introducing myself. This should be easier because I’m in my own house and you can’t see me, right?! So, hello everybody! I answer to a lot of things, but you can call me J…
I think this is my bestest post, because it reminds me and the world what I’m here to do. It also reminds me that I’m not the only one on the bus/journey.
I’m slowly venturing out into the web. You can find me on Facebook and on Twitter.
Woo hoo! I’m not just a lurker any more!
Nice to have you come out from the shadows, J – and thanks for pointing us in your direction. Don’t stay away too long, now
Seven Traits Important to Every Writer is telling because it shows the things that are important to me personally and the qualities I like to see in others. Library Bookslae Yields Boxload of Spoils is also a good peak inside.
People seem to be surprised by my Biblical beliefs. I’m Apostolic/Pentacostal.
It’s one of the things that make us all different, James, the ability to surprise. As it should be – wouldn’t it be boring if we knew every single thing about each other?
Danny,
Great idea.
Best post is my last one because it is the most current place where I am at which is deciding to stop complaining about the bad and simply recognizing the good. Not being polly-annish and unrealistic just not as cynical.
http://www.frankthinking.com/roi-revolution-rocks/
Since no one ‘really’ knows me from just my online stuff I suppose I can’t really surprise anyone. OK, I was once a 7th grade Language Arts and Social Studies teacher.
And there you go – I would never have know you were a teacher. Now I do.
Not something you’d consider doing again?
I blog, have blogged, and actively participated in social media for years, but always approached it as something primarily just to inform and entertain myself. It’s in that context that I present to you a ‘best post’ lacking any of the characteristic sensible ‘best post’ qualities, and candidly going for the cheap yuks. I figure it’s like my dad used to say, “you can’t take life to seriously, you’ll never get out of it alive.”
http://www.lifeonthegrid.com/2007/07/considering-need-for-personal-branding.html
I can also be found, followed, and engaged with at http://www.friendfeed.com/spinchange
By the sounds of it, your dad was a pretty wise kind of guy and I’d follow his advice anytime.
Thanks for stopping off and letting us get to know you that little bit better.
Danny, it’s very nice from you to do this. Thank You.
The “About” page on my blog would be the best way for someone to get a quick idea of who I am and what I’m doing.
http://www.travessiawineblog.com/mivinotuvino/about-me.htmlI can also be found on twitter (@travessia), facebook, friendfeed, etc…. last social network of sorts that I signed up to is last.fm – still waiting for my first friend there, but then again… I haven’t become a friend of anyone else. Love to work on my computer while having my last.fm library playing in the background.
http://www.last.fm/user/mmontezSurprise… well, maybe that I hold passports to three different countries, each in a different continent, and all valid. And no, I’m not a diplomat
Thanks Marco – I checked out your About page and my best wishes for your vineyard endeavour!
So… three passports? What are you hiding?
Well, I’m very new to the blogosphere, so I don’t have many posts to choose from. Out of what I’ve written so far, this would be the best:
http://confessionsofachewinggumaddict.blogspot.com/2009/03/catastrophe-of-nugget-proportions.htmlThis post shows one of my world views, and concerns about the direction society is headed. I guess this is also kind of the direction I want my blog to head in, in terms of taking real life situations related to law and politics (along with random other things of my choosing) and look at the bigger picture.
One surprising thing…it tends to surprise people that I have a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do.
There Danny, I’ve commented on a blog post.
Hey there Steph, nice to have you here.
While you may be new to the blogosphere, I have to say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your views so far. The example you used is a good one to introduce people to you – 911 indeed…
And I didn’t know that about your Tae Kwon Do level – thanks for sharing, I’ll make sure never to upset you!
Danny, this was a pretty cool idea. I’m in the process of checking out some of the other bloggers who commented above.
Strangely the post I would pick would be a meme of all things; You Hang With Gypsies and Something’s Bound To Happen. I choose this post because 1 it lists off 7 things about me that most of my readers probably wouldn’t know and 2, it gives a bit of a background into my past and what I do. I also chose this one because I think even though it’s a meme it captures my writing style a bit. Rather than just spout off things in the meme I tried to put some effort into the post to help my readers get to know me better.
That’s the funny things about meme’s – they can often be annoying or pointless, but sometimes they open us up just that little bit more and show others who we are and what we’re about.
Cheers Mike.
What a great idea Danny!
It took me a while to finally contribute to this post because I had the hardest time finding a good post to represent me. Ironically, the one I finally chose is this guest post from your own blog
I think this post represents me well because it expresses a lot of what I believe in. We’re all people. Let’s treat each other as such and we’re one step closer to all getting along
I love sharing and connecting. Let’s chat on Twitter (@timjahn) or on my blog!
In terms of surprise…for the past 3 years, I’ve put on an animated musical Christmas lights display at my parents house. I love the magic of the Christmas season and this is my annual way of spreading it to all those who come to see the dancing lights.
Talk about strange karma – I’ve seen those videos a few times (my wife sent me the Youtube links) and I never knew it was you. Now, obviously, I do – good job, fella
Danny,
What a great and generous idea! I’ve enjoyed following links and discovering new blogs.
I got hung up on posting a comment because “best” post depends on what measuring stick I use. My blog is very personal, while most of my comments on other blogs have to do with social media and communications activities that you won’t find on my blog.
After debating the merits of linking to “Ways that I Am Stupid” (plenty of personal disclosure), “Sweetie and the Poo Rock” (family sense of humor revealed, plus praise for my Sweet Husband), and “The Zen of Fingernails: Giving Up Attachment” (personal philosophy applied to a personal hang-up), I chose “Thank You for the Belly Laughs, Marie Osmond”: http://biketoworkbarb.blogspot.com/2009/01/thank-you-for-belly-laughs-marie-osmond.html. This one includes all 4 of our kids, our family sense of humor, and plenty of mockery (warning: if you are a doll collector or a Marie Osmond fan, prepare to be offended).
Something that may surprise you–Well, I did use the 25 Things meme as a blog post so you can always go read that if you want a long list. Since in my professional life I apparently appear to be fairly conservative in my tastes, it surprises people to learn that one of my all-time favorite songs, one that will reliably make me stand up, sing badly, and start dancing in ways that embarrass my children, is Super Freak by Rick James. All I need to hear is that guitar opening: Doo doo doo DOO unh unh, doo DOO unh unh, doo DOO unh unh.
@BarbChamberlain
Bizarrely, I wouldn’t have pegged you as a Super Freak kind of gal either – just goes to show the things we take for “granted”, huh?
Thanks for introducing yourself, Barb – Marie Osmond will never look the same again. There goes another teenage crush…
Danny,
I’d start people at the post I wrote recently on how to write an about me page! http://debworks.blogspot.com/2009/03/about-me-update.htmlI’m teaching a class in May on blogging, twitter and facebook for beginners and boomers. My 30 day plan this month was writing the how to on it. I figured, what the heck – let’s put it in the blog.
You can find me at http://www.debworks.com, http://www.readhampton.com, http://www.twitter.com/debworks, http://www.debthinksgreen.com — to name a few spots.
What you don’t know about me? I volunteered for Obama, I love my local Historical Society and do tours of the oldest house in the county, I’ve always been crazy about Omar Shariff, you might really be my cousin.
Danny – love the work you do. Thank you.
Hey there Deb,
Good to have you here. It’s surprising how many websites don’t have a good About page. Would you do business with a complete stranger?
Looks like you have a good collection of courses coming up – good luck with these and look forward to keeping updated with your progress.
Danny, This is a very timely post. I just posted less than an hour ago, what I would say is the blog post that defines me most:
Paying it Forward: http://passionate-evolution.blogspot.com/2009/03/paying-it-forward.html
I am passionate in all that I do, and I firmly believe that the way we treat people is a total reflection of who we are.
I’m an internet marketer by day, and I try to live this message in all I do with my clients.
I very much enjoy your blog – though I don’t comment as often as I should, and I appreciate what you are doing with 12 for 12k (I’ve even blogged about it).
You can find me on Twitter as @socialpmchick and am also on Facebook and LinkedIn regularly.
One thing that is surprising about me? I’d be surprised to learn something surprising about myself – I am who I am, and it is what it is. God made me this way and I thank Him for it every day.
Great video and post, Wendy – just checked it out now. It’s great to see so many people and organizations coming together this way and going the Pay It Forward “route”. It bodes well for our futures for sure.
Kind of chiming in late on this one. Got carried away on projects, finals and geek stuff.
1. My about page best defines my role – Father, Husband, Christian, Geek, Musician, Biker – http://www.southplattewebdesign.com/about-bill/
2. It is all encompassing about what I do, who I am.
3. I am all over the web – 98% of the time, my user name is southplatte or south-platte the other 2% some spammer tried to steal my identity, or something like that. lol
4. I have 5 kids at home. Yeah, time management, people management and space management are my specialties in that area.
Something else I found out about you was that your wife is on Twitter – pretty cool.
It’s interesting that people are using their About page as an introduction – adds weight to the suggestions of having at least some kind of About Me page?
Blog post to offer a view of who I am would be my first (very poor) post
- want some sales help? – http://ian-farmers-sales-help.blogspot.com/2008/08/i-love-sales-i-love-helping-sales.htmlWhy this post? Spells out my approach to sales and helping people – especially people new to selling.
Might surprsie you – One day I’d like to do a stand up comedy spot
http://ian-farmers-sales-help.blogspot.com/2009/01/marketing-dinosaur.html
But that first post received some questions of their own, so that makes it a success.
Cheers Ian, thanks for letting us get to know you.
I’ve got to offer two blog posts because I just can’t pick one:
– This one shows my obsession with sports & writing.
– This one shows me outside of the office.These two posts are good examples of me because I’m a big sports fan, a writer by both passion & trade, and I like to write about my life regardless of the blog. Right now I took the big plunge and am trying to make it as a freelance technical writer, and I must say, it was the best decision I’ve made in a number of years. While I haven’t yet scored that first contract, I’m having a blast!
You can also find me on LinkedIn and Twitter too (@juliaborgini)
And a surprising thing about me? I’m technically a day younger than everyone else because I went back in time over the international dateline in 1993 and just kept going.
Welcome to the world of self-employment, Julia, and good luck with your change in career.
I’ve always wanted to try that time-traveling thing – when you get to my age, anything that keeps more wrinkles at bay has to be a good thing!
I don’t know of a post that defines who I am, but perhaps I should work on that
.I don’t really like talking about myself or my perceived strong points so I will let my goals and desires speak on my behalf.
Goals:
1. Run a marathon this year
2. Become a competent communicator
3. Become Financially Independent
4. Teach other people to become financially independentThanks for the post Danny!
http://twitter.com/happinessisbetr
http://happinessisbetter.comRun a marathon? Just thinking about that tires me out! Kudos to you for running it and let us know how you get on.
Hi Danny,
As you know, I love what you’re doing! Keep up the great work.I guess this post describes who I am, at least from a professional side: http://budurl.com/gnmf
I got into my line of work after being incredibly frustrated with how ill-informed direct sellers were on how to use social media appropriately. I felt like it was giving the direct sales industry a black eye in the social media world. It became my mission in life to help change that, both from an individual and a corporate standpoint. Seems to be gaining some traction and I’m having fun, so that’s a good thing.
What might surprise you…my last gig was when I founded a direct sales company that donated 100% of its corporate profits to charity. We gave away over $150,000 in the last 3 years. Made a huge difference in a lot of lives too. Of course then the economy tanked and we lost everything, but I will never live my life wondering “what if?” We jumped in, made a difference, and lived out loud. And how can you regret that?
Cheers!
JenniferThat’s a great post to introduce yourself by, Jen – as I commented, it shows that not all “old school” should be viewed as “outsiders”. Thanks for sharing that.
That’s an amazing commitment that you made – to give 100% profits to charity is one hell of a statement, kudos to you. As you say, it’s sad that the economy hit what you were trying to achieve, but at least you were trying, and for that you should be more than happy.
Thanks for offering a look at Jennifer Fong.
1. I don’t blog *GASP*, but I’ll take question number 2 as an opportunity to explain why.
2. I’ll admit I’m a little chicken when it comes to starting a blog. I worry about always trying to find something to write about that’s witty and engaging. I worry about criticisms from posts that people don’t like (yes, I know that criticism is part of putting yourself out there and that you can learn a lot from it, but it can still hurt). I worry about the time writing and maintaining a blog will take. When you start a blog, you are essentially starting a community (Danny’s blog is a great example of that) and staying engaged with that community while balancing the rest of my life is a daunting task and one that I worry I will fail at. Also, I worry about job security. I see starting a blog as the possibility to expand my career and reach out to other areas, but also as something that could risk my current employment because of confidentiality issues.
3. I’m on Facebook and LinkedIn. I’m still getting the hang of LinkedIn for networking purposes and my Facebook is devoted purely to my personal life…no work allowed.
) 4. One thing that might surprise you? I’m pretty new to the community, so you guys don’t know too much about me. I can’t color inside of the lines to save my life (with 6 nieces and nephews, it’s something I’ve known for a while). I even find it hard to write in a straight line on lined paper, I’m always writing at an angle to fit a point in or to connect two thoughts. I hate to think what that says about my personality.
Thanks Danny for the excellent post! I’m having a lot of fun checking out everyone’s blog and my RSS feed is getting pretty full! Happy Friday everyone!
Hey there Brenda,
Wow, some great thoughts to share with us, thank you!
I know what you mean about starting a blog. The idea in the first place is great, but to really keep it going takes a lot of commitment and love. You really do have to “love” blogging to keep it up.
Have you ever thought about something like Tumblr or Posterous? You can keep the posts as short or as long as you like, and all you have to do is set up an account. Then you just email your thoughts in and the tech guys over there transfer them to a blog post? It’s a great way to test the waters without getting your feet really wet, so to speak.
I love that you can’t stay within the lines! What are lines anyway, except a little more authority? Be the one to do what you want and scribble these dang lines all over the place!
Thanks again for telling us about you, really appreciate it.
I almost didn’t comment on this post until I saw some other comments from today. I had gotten behind on my blog reading.
I have just started to adapt my style on my blog but this post might begin to introduce me: http://www.abilitysuccessgrowth.com/threekeystobetterbusinessskills/2009/04/30/of-tightropes-humility-and-self-promotion/
This post came about because Michael Benidt urged me to elaborate on a comment I left on his blog. (He’s worth following too at http://www.goldencompass.com/blog) Since I am also shy by nature, I prefer conversations as they allow for connection, learning, and less pressure.
For something that may surprise you, I started off as a music therapist. I’ve come a long way from that and yet, I use that experience frequently.
Thank you, Danny, for encouraging us to introduce ourselves. I look forward to reading the blogs from other members of this community.
Hi there Elli,
That’s a fantastic post to introduce yourself with (and I left a comment there for you).
I’ll definitely check Michael out – anyone that references The Golden Compass in his URL gets my interest right away!
Music therapist sounds interesting – is that using music to recover from trauma, or something else?
Thank you for sharing with us, Elli, appreciated.
Music therapy can be applied in a lot of clinical settings. You are very intuitive picking up the bit about trauma. I did practice in a psych setting.
Here’s the quick explanation of my previous work: I used music to enable clients to learn to build safe relationships and explore deep seated issues as well as play and relaxation. In session, we used live and recorded music along with talk therapy.
Since we all respond to music, it can be a place where anyone, regardless of circumstances or disability. can be capable, strong, and whole. That’s how music therapy can be so healing!
Danny, you forgot the bit “if you don’t have a blog, what’s stopping you and what can I do to help you get going?” part, eh? =)
I think the latest post, which you’ve seen, on my blog gives a little glimpse of what I really try to do with my online experience: give as much information as I can while putting the personal stuff in that offers a link to the part of me I’ll never be able to tack a URL to. You know?
Something surprising…is it possible for me to surprise anybody further? =)
I’ve listed you often in suggesting a blog feed for people to subscribe to. It really means a lot that you’re reaching out and suggesting that others do the same. That’s yet another way to participate in the lives of others. That’s how we build community. That’s how we lift each other up. That’s how we all move forward.
Thanks for helping it all move ahead. Good on you!