The night that I proposed to my wife, I had everything planned out perfectly. First, we would enjoy a really delicious meal at our favorite sushi bar over in Berkeley. Then, we'd drive over to San Francisco for some ballroom dancing at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Then lastly, driving across the Golden Gate Bridge, we'd park at the vista overlooking the city lights. And there, I would romantically kneel to pop the question....

Unfortunately, driving from the Hyatt to the Golden Gate, I got lost. As we drove around for what seemed like hours (men never ask for directions), my bride-to-be feel asleep. Finally arriving at the vista, I had to wake her up and propose to her in a half-comatose state. To this day she argues that she doesn't remember saying "Yes!"

The best of plans and intentions, and my words fell on apparently inattentive ears!

As I sit here late at night, perusing the first 20 or so pages of the most recent posts, it suddenly strikes me....

...."Is anyone's voice being heard?"....I mean, seriously, "Are people actually reading what you're writing?"

What benefit is there to investing countless hours on contributing article after article to your blog if no one is reading what you've penned? You can expend a significant amount of time and energy spinning your wheels, and never get anywhere. You've put your readers to sleep!

Now, you read some posts and you have to scratch your head and wonder, "What were they thinking?" There is nothing of substance to what you read -no personality, no perspective, no passion. Just empty, lifeless words on the screen - cold and clinical. The words fail to engage. There is no stimulation of thought, nor provocation of response. The reader's mind moves numbly along, retaining nothing. Your post is simply a blur on the blog highway.

So I guess the much larger question is "Why do you Blog?"

Now there are those rare occasional souls who have no specific purpose for why they blog. Their blog is simply an extension of who they are - the essence of their spirit expressed in written form. They could care less who reads or doesn't read their musings. To them, blogging is more about giving their creative energies a place to flow. These folks tend to be some of the most honest, vibrant, and refreshing writers among us. Their thoughts seem to fall to the page so effortlessly. And of course, we all hate them.

For the rest of us though, we have ulterior motives to our blogging. We follow the latest marketing trends and adapt ourselves quickly. That's why we're successful. We embrace emerging technology and apply it in ways that further our successes. We 'get' it.

And so, here we are, blogging our brains out til our fingers are bleeding! (well, maybe not to THAT extreme, but you get my point)

We want to be 'found.' We want 'visitors.' We want 'comments.' But bottom line, we want prospective clients to 'find' us through our blogging!

So then, the question becomes, "Who are you writing too?" And more specifically, "Who makes up the audience you wish to attract?" And right along with that is, "What is it that you can say that has value to these readers? What issues and information is important and vital to them?"

These are the two points I'll address next time - "Who are you talking too, and what should you say?"

Or, as Arnold used to put it, "What you talkin' bout?"

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com