Los Santos Province Panama
I am big on the concept of release.
I need to be.
I am a digital nomad.
My life is a study in release. We have a P.O. Box. That’s it. I own clothes for a week, a backpack, carry on, Chromebook and phone.
I run pretty much all I do through the “release filter” from time to time.
Why?
Letting go of what needs to go promotes peace of mind, freedom and worldly success.
Blogging communities come and go.
But do you stick to the winners and actually let go of worn out collectives?
If tribes come and go you better come and go with ’em. Grabbing at a losing proposition only leads to loss, in many forms.
Blast from the Blogging Community Past
I recently scanned a blogging community; hadn’t been there in a long time.
Periodically, I check my backlinks to see where I tend to pop up. But scanning this site revealed a forum post from 14 years ago. 14 years in the online world is like 80 years in the offline world. Changes in internet marketing, online business and blogging in general have been dramatic during the time frame.
Think back to 2011. Scammers and spammers routinely dominated page 1 of Google for a wide range of competitive keywords. Using black hat tactics still worked as far as gaming page 1 of Google. But the forum post reply I published seemed somewhat evergreen, at least. I teach bloggers to create and connect; always have, always will.
However, the energy pervading the forum smelled of:
- fear
- greed
- desperation
Most users wanted to get rich quickly. I knew to leave the community years ago because my blogging message is love and co-creating, not fear and competing. Chasing fast success is not my gig. Come to think of it, chasing fast success is no one’s gig because no one has found out how to make money online quickly. Run, never walk, from the few hellbent on making this income claim.
Fear and Comp: A Match Made in Hell
Anyway, the forum largely became fear and competition before changing hands through ownership a long time ago. The newer owners – from back in the day of course – adopted a different forum voice. Fear and competition dissolved into harmony and co-creation.
I believed those owners were onto something special. Unfortunately though, those owners sold the forum to more competitive-minded owners who returned to the same spammy, BS tactics guaranteed to attract:
- greedy
- desperate
internet marketers to the forum. Seeing that unfortunate ownership shift marked the last straw for me. I vowed to never use the forum again because the group voice did not resonate with my vision.
Get Out of Online Hell Fast
I am not about fear, competition, hyped up claims and other manipulative practices. Making the choice to put the community in my rear view window felt like a no-brainer but only based on my clarity. However, being less clear would have led to waffling about and even possibly sticking around even though I knew few potential readers and followers awaited for me, on the forum.
How quickly do you drop blogging communities like a hot potato the moment either users turn or you notice the fear element long ignored in the group?
Fear scares some bloggers into sticking around even though these individuals know it is time to move forward. Holding on to a losing proposition only hurts your blogging campaign because how can you gain by focusing on loss? I intend to attract passionate, empathetic bloggers focused on having fun helping folks. This trusting lot vibes with the Blogging From Paradise message.
How in the goodness would I ever find these readers in a forum dominated by:
- hype?
- inflated claims?
- absurdly delusional promises?
My ideal reader sees through these silly forms of manipulation. More importantly, the majority of those greedy, desperate people want to get rich quickly and have zero interest in my generous, patient, persistent approach to blogging.
Establish Clarity
Letting go of the forum felt easy but bloggers lacking clarity may not make as definite a decision. In those cases, do your best to honestly assess what communities need to stay and what groups need to go.
You and I know deep down what groups need to go. But fears try to scare you into the concepts of loss, scarcity and a general waste of time, for having worked the group for years prior. However, clinging to a losing proposition is a waste of time. Hug loss to experience loss. Non-resonant community members never increase your traffic or income. Collectives chock full of uncaring members never positively affect your blogging bottom line.
Bonus Point
Apply this practice to blogging relationships.
Check your network.
Do you achieve full resonance with blogging relationships?
Did any “jump the shark”?
Did any radically change their values?
I released a fair number of blogging bonds over my career because let’s face it: people change.
Bloggers who shared my values 5, 10 or 17 years ago sometimes change values. It happens. People come and go but you better let them go (non-resonant types) to:
- keep peace of mind
- maintain strong resonance
- increase blogging success
Whether people or groups, when the time comes you need to give them the boot.
Conclusion
Let go to grow. Be at peace with releasing groups that no longer benefit you. Letting go makes room for new groups to move into your experience. Releasing the old and worn out makes room for the fresh and energizing. But allowing in resonant communities involves giving worn out communities da boot.
Do group audits from time to time.
See what needs to stay and what needs to go, to grow.
