Because of a Blog

You wouldn’t think that your life could change much just by reading a blog, but somehow mine did.

Maybe because it wasn’t just any old blog that I started reading.  I knew there were  millions of them out there, so it seemed like a good idea to just start with who I thought was probably the best (based on my limited knowledge.)  And as it turns out, after a year or so, and reading a lot of other blogs, I still think it’s the best.

I’m talking about the blog of Seth Godin.

Soon after I started reading it, things began happening to me. 

One day, in one of his posts, Seth offered an opportunity to have our picture on the cover of his next book.  All we had to do was send him a mug shot.  So I said, “Why not?” and sent one in.

Then he made an offer that if we pre-purchased his book before it was released, we could join his Triiibe, an online community hosted on ning.com.  It just so happens that today, July 29th, is the one year anniversary of the launch of this Triiibe (the 3 i’s have special meaning).

And what a year it has been!

It’s kind of hard to explain, but when you bring a diverse group of smart, take initiative -type people together, you get a lot of good discussion, education, and an opportunity to make something happen.  Which is just what we did.

We published two e-books, got one of us to speak at the TED Conference, helped a graphic artist start a comic column, provided some consulting for a company, created more Squidoo pages, started multiple movements, and most of all, built relationships that have enabled countless more things to happen.

And that’s just what the triiibe has done, from my corner, off the top of my head.

In my own personal life, in the past year I’ve been promoted to a dream position as a community builder at the highest levels of the company, started my own blogs (inside and outside the company), earned an Alternate MBA, read many books, organized some big events, and took leadership in making a difference.

All because I started reading a blog.

Who knows, maybe big things could happen to you if you pick the right blog to read.

PS. And my picture did make it into the inside cover of “Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us” (good luck finding it)

Today, in honor of the one year anniversay, a bunch of Triiibe members blogged about their experience. The image below links to another person on the list, but here’s a link to the whole list of Triiibal blogs:

http://mattkern.com/triiibes-links/