SheGeeks

For the past week, a lot of my Twitter followers have noted that I’ve been M.I.A. (missing in action). And I have. To be honest, I’ve gotten a little bored with socializing online. That’s not to say I’m tired of talking to my friends online. I touched basis with Cyndy (a.k.a. the other Louis Gray) just last night. Last week, I had not one but two conversations with my sexy-man/partner in crime Chris Miller. However, all of these conversations took place offline.

Let me state beforehand that I find this post a little difficult to write. How can you elaborate on a sentence that explains it all: I’m sick of socializing online! It’s not the entire online social experience that I’m sick of though. It’s different elements that are starting to either bore me or annoy me.

This post was inspired by Is Social Over-Hyped?

Repetitive Conversations

A friend of mine once asked my why I kept posting about the same service over and over (Twitter was that service). I told her because there were various aspects of the service that I felt were unexplored that I could add some input to……and I needed something to post about. However, her question has been haunting me lately because our little bubble of web 2.0, silicon valley, and social media can get pretty repetitive.

I couldn’t write about a different service because there was nothing out that was of interest to me. On the other hand, there weren’t many meaningful discussions to contribute to either. Either I had nothing to say about the subject, or what I was thinking had already been said. There’s no point in rehashing a point just for the sake of saying something different. This is how I’ve been feeling lately.

Reading & Blogging Became A Chore

I’ve let my unread articles in Google Reader stack up to ridiculous amounts for the past few weeks. I’m sick of reading. It’s becoming a chore that I’d rather put off for various reason.

• There’s nothing new of interest.
• The conversations are all the same.
• I don’t feel like searching for new content.

I think I may be discovering that I’m one of those people that doesn’t like a lot of order. I like things to switch up every now and again. However, the section of the blogosphere that I’m interested in has a hit a plateau and in turn, so has my blogging. Once again, it’s all too repetitive to the point of tedium.

Plateau in Innovation and Creation

All the latest sites and services are all the same to me. Clones. Clones that do one feature better than the original. Clones that don’t have any of the features that the original has. Clones that are playing catch-up and clones that should have never seen the light of day because the original was a dumb idea to begin with. There’s nothing to talk about because there really isn’t any “real”" news. Innovation is at an all time low and we’re all suckers for it because something is better than nothing. Well, screw that!

A Hiatus on the Horizon?

No, I won’t be taking a hiatus. I still love this too much. However, content from SheGeeks will be on the slow side. I refuse to post just for the sake of posting. I want to add something new, if not original to the conversation. I want to discuss something different, something exciting, something….moving. That’s how FriendFeed and Twitter were when I first discovered them: exciting and moving. Where are the services, theories, and concepts that can accomplish that same feeling, while being of interest to me?

Popularity: 21% [?]

For the past week I’ve been experiencing blogger burnout. Keeping up with blogging is a tough thing to do. My biggest problem was having nothing to say that hadn’t already been said. I don’t blog just for the sake of putting up a post. I like to have something to contribute and lately, there’s been nothing. Zip. Nada. So what’s a blogger to do?
   

Relax

First and foremost you have to relax when you hit a roadblock like this. I learned that stressing out about not having something to post won’t help the situation. If anything, it made my brain come to a complete halt. So don’t stress out. It’s ok to take a few days off.
     

Revisit The Excitement

I actually used the burnout as an opportunity to get back to doing the things I hadn’t had a lot of time to do anymore. I started commenting on blogs again. I joined Plurk. I twittered. I wrapped up TheSocialGeeks podcast for tomorrow with Chris (@Idonotes) of TheSocialNetworker. I was in Google Reader a lot more and I actually read my feeds instead of scanning them. I even started stumbling more. This helped to get my creative juices flowing again.
    

Converse On The Phone

I started answering my phone calls more too. Talking is another way to break through writer’s block. So instead of IMing everything on Google Talk or chatting away on Twitter and Plurk, I picked up the phone. I talked with old friends that had no clue about tech and I talked to a few geeks too. I talked and didn’t worry about blogging.
    

Write It Down

After every conversation, I opened up Microsoft Onenote and wrote down ideas. This is basically my idea of a blogging journal. After I wrote, I played with those ideas and let it marinate. I asked questions to myself and wrote responses for each question. For some, I even did some research. I got it out my head and on my new laptop.
    

Now Go Back To Work

Now I’m back and I have exciting plans for SheGeeks and a special treat for everyone next week. However, now my brain is being stimulated again and I feel like writing. I now have a host of ideas to write about too. Maybe this is why Pro Bloggers say you should create backup posts. I’d rather not though. I don’t always write for the future. I’d rather write for today, not tomorrow. So when you’re feeling the burnout set it in, relax, take a deep breath, and go back to what got you to where you are in the first place. Revisit your roots. Do the things that you get your creative juices flowing. Take your time. Write your thoughts down. Then, when you feel it’s time, go back to giving it everything you got.

Popularity: 7% [?]

One of my friends posed a question today: Does money motivate you to blog?

Everyone’s different. Some people have to pay the bills. I don’t really have that kind of financial responsibility. I’m single, with no kids, and I don’t spend money getting my hair and nails done every two weeks. So money isn’t really a big concern of mines right now. I now work with two great companies: Guidewire Group and ReadWriteWeb. While it’s nice to be paid, money wasn’t first and foremost in making my decision to join with these companies.
       

Why I Work for ReadWriteWeb

I was once told that one of the things that makes me so attractive as a blogger is that I don’t blog for money. I’m one of the few people who doesn’t. This allows me to have a certain amount of freedom that I wouldn’t otherwise have. My friend noted that I’m getting paid now. That’s not how I look at it. I didn’t come on looking for a way to make more money. I joined with ReadWriteWeb for the experience. Marshall Kirkpatrick and Sarah Perez are two of my idols in blogging. They have great voices, great opinions, and the best jokes ever! I wanted to be in that type of environment. I wanted to surround myself with such great minds in hopes that it would magically rub off. I wanted to learn and grow as a blogger and I felt that ReadWriteWeb was the perfect network for those goals. It’s not nor has it ever been about money.
        

Why I Work for Guidewire

With Guidewire, I explore a different side of technology outside of blogging. I get to see the business side of technology. I talk with CEOs and explore technologies that I may never use but are nonetheless fascinating. I really get to see the wave of the future working with Guidewire. With Guidewire I get to expand my knowledge, connections, career, and myself. It was never about the money. If I were unhappy with any of these companies I would quit. Point, blank, period.
       

Passion Should Motivate You

Passion is what motivates me. I have a burning desire to learn. All knowledge is worth having. I have a passion for technology and it’s important as a blogger to learn the ins and outs of the tech industry. I enjoy it and I revel in it. If money motivated me, I wouldn’t post the things I post nor say the things I say. I’d be more concerned about SEO, marketing, and writing more “professionally”. While I do try to improve on those things, I feel they’re more directly related to money and I’m not. If I wanted money, I’d go get a 9-5. Money has never mattered much to me. I’m more concerned about enjoying my life and what I do. When money motivates you, there are too many negative factors against you. You start to do things with no heart, no passion, and no personality. You’re only doing what’s necessary to make money. I see that as a problem and it won’t do you any good in the long run. You have to do things because you want to. Otherwise, you’ll be torn apart.

Popularity: 9% [?]