Book review of "Content Rules"

Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business


Authors: Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman
John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, NJ  2011


Content Rules is a how-to book for creating interesting online media content.  Online media includes blogs, websites, podcasts, videos, webinars, ebooks, and the like.  The first section of the book gives the "what" of content creation.  The next section deals with the how-to or "the rules".  The last section gives case studies of successful and engaging content creators.


The book was written for online publishers.  An online publisher can be anyone.  The target audience is primarily organizations such as businesses, non-profit organizations, etc.  However, individuals will also find Content Rules helpful.

MEET THE AUTHORS
The authors are Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman.  Ann Handley is the Chief Content Officer for MarketingProfs, which has a readership of 365,000.  Handley is considered a thought leader in the field of online publishing.  She writes extensively about online business, marketing, and life in general.


C.C. Chapman is a media creator, entrepreneur, and online marketing expert.  He founded Digital Dads, a site where a dad can be a guy.


REVIEW
When I started reading this book I was getting a lot of advice about building an online presence.  Some folks said it was important to have a blog to show commitment and expertise.  Others said build a website.  Still others said it was important to have a good Linkedin profile.  I was feeling overwhelmed and confused by all the advice.  Content Rules with its commonsense approach helped me sort through all the chatter.


Handly and Chapman advise focusing on one thing and doing it well.  Their reasoning is that a person or organization can't do everything.  They also advised developing a blog and using it as a hub for your online outreach.  I took the authors' advice and developed this blog.  They are correct; a blog works quite well as an online hub.


As for developing content, Handley and Chapman advocate using a human voice as opposed to a corporate voice.  A human voice is more conversational and uses accessible language.  A corporate voice is distant.  It uses industry jargon and "corporate speak" (i.e. drill down, leverage, monetize).


The best part of the book was the last section.  It has case studies of different types of organizations who built content by the principles of Content Rules.


Overall, if you're looking for a good, well written book on developing online content then Content Rules is for you.  I give it two thumbs up.

Attitude of Gratitude

I've been reading the book "The Hole in our Gospel" by Richard Stearns.  Stearns is the president of World Vision U.S.  Stearns believes that American Christians are not putting their faith into action.  There are billions of people living in extreme poverty.  26,575 children a day die from preventable causes (pg 114).  But American Christians basically do nothing about these situations.  Near the end of the book Stearns has a section of suggested actions people can take.  One of them was to pray for people living in poverty as we go about our day.


This morning I was led by God to do just that.  This came to mind as I was preparing my breakfast.  I like to have tea in the morning so I filled up the kettle with water from the sink (clean water, indoor plumbing) and put it on the gas range to heat (modern appliance).  I went to the pantry and got a couple of Irish Breakfast tea bags (I caught a sale) and put them in my favorite mug.  When the water boiled I poured it into the mug to brew my tea.  While it was brewing I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (I had a craving).  I then took out the tea bags, added some honey (I like honey more than sugar), and a little bit of French Vanilla soy creamer (I'm lactose intolerant).  Afterwards I mindlessly said said grace for my meal.  And that's when it struck me.  I should be more grateful and truly give thanks.


You see, I complain, mentally about my situation.  I haven't had a full time job in over a year.  I've had to give up my apartment and move in with my sister and brother-in-law.  So as not to be too much of a financial burden I'm responsible for purchasing my own food.  Because my income is limited I use food stamps to buy my food.  I complain to the Lord because I think "How can I do ministry in this situation?"  Perhaps if I stopped complaining long enough I'd find out.


This is a hard time for me but I'm still very blessed.  I'm writing this in the peace and safety of my family's home.  That I can read and write is a blessing.  Millions of women cannot.  I have access to a computer and the Internet.  Many Americans don't have that.  These blessings are in addition to the ones listed when I wrote about making breakfast.


So today I will be grateful.  I will give thanks for what I have and truly pray for the one's who do not have.

Follow-up to "Fit for leadership?"

For the next two weeks I'll be working on a writing project.  I'll be posting links to articles and blogs I find interesting.  I'll also write a short blurb on why they interested me.


It seems my last post "Fit for leadership?" generated a lot of discussion in some of my Linkedin groups.  Then one of my fellow group members, Mr. Guy Farmer, posted an article titled "Your Impact as a Leader".  The gist of the article is that the kind of leader you are impacts morale, productivity, and corporate culture.  So friends, read the article and tell me what you think.  Thank-you.

Firefly and visions

I recently become a fan of the Firefly television series.  Firefly is described by its creator, Joss Whedon as a space western.  One particular episode, "Heart of Gold"  really captures the western feel.

The episode takes place on a moon which has not been fully terra-formed (made to look like Earth).  So the landscape is the hard-scrabble, dry, desert, type that you see in many traditional westerns.  There's a ruthless land baron trying to drive out a small enterprise.  In this case its a whore house (I'm not dealing with the morality here).  The highpoint of the story is a shootout worthy of any western.  The whore house prevails and metes out some frontier justice.


Firefly first aired on one of the network broadcast stations.  Based on what I've read, the network executives never caught Whedon's vision.  The show was canceled after 14 or 15 episodes.


The Firefly series has grown in popularity since then.  It has aired on a cable channel and DVD sales are quite strong.  There is a movement by fans to bring the show back.  The reason given for the show's cancellation was lack of viewers and profitability.  I wonder what would have happened if the network executives let it stay on long enough to build a following?


I almost killed a vision.  I had some parishioners who wanted to start a food pantry and clothes closet ministry.  Initially I was resistant.  I was concerned about getting the approval of the church council,  getting money in the budget for it, how our insurance would be affected, blah, blah, blah.  I found all sorts of bureaucratic reasons to kill the ministry before it even got started.  Then I went to a conference for church leaders.  The presenter said that leaders should give their parishioners permission to do ministry.  We shouldn't bog them down with red tape.


Thanks be to God I listened.  The ministry was formed.  It was that ministry that became a 501(c)3 non-profit.  I almost deprived the community, the church, and myself of something that proved to be very beneficial.


I wonder how many visions I did kill?  I wonder how many useful products, services, and ideas have been lost because someone killed another's vision?  God save me from killing anymore.