Eric Janssen - finding the signal in the noisefinding the signal in the noisehttp://www.ericjanssen.com/blog/2010-02-14T21:28:22ZSquarespaceWrite about what you knowhttp://www.ericjanssen.com/blog/2010/2/14/write-about-what-you-know.htmlEric J2010-02-14T21:07:39Z2010-02-14T21:07:39ZEvery creative writing class teaches students to write about what they know and the obvious reason for this lesson is that it's easiest to find your voice, to sound authentic when finding inspiration from something specifically personal.

However, that advice runs contrary to similar advice given to journalists which is know your audience and write each story with them in mind. 

Both bits of advice are solid instructions but can come into conflict with one another, especially as a journalist is trying to be creative and opinionated and not necessarily reporting on events of the day. Balancing both a need to appeal to an audience and a desire to write what is sometimes deeply personal is one of the characteristics of successful independent writers.

It's a balance I tried to achieve when blogging more consistently years ago and one I'm trying to strike right now.

Yet two other key elements to good writing are reading and volume. Great writers are usually voracious readers as well as compulsive writers meaning that they write a lot, even if not all of it is published. Practice makes perfect and I know that the more I write, the more my writing improves. 

I cranked out my best writing when I was writing three or four times a day and reading dozens of other writers in blog posts, articles, reports, books, etc. And during that time I was always aware of my audience while keeping the writing grounded in what I knew.

That's what I'm working to recapture. It's not easy but I'm doing it. Not everything I write over the next few weeks will be something I look back at fondly but it's the discipline I'm trying to reclaim.

]]>Why 3D?http://www.ericjanssen.com/blog/2009/12/28/why-3d.htmlEric J2009-12-29T04:34:03Z2009-12-29T04:34:03ZJust saw the film "Avatar" and while I really enjoyed it, I don't understand why it was in 3D. Most of the movie appeared to be a normal 2D experience with the 3D adding occasional visual flair and thrills. 

So, why was this film a must-see 3D experience which forced me to cram uncomfortably grubby, smudged glasses on my noggin for nearly three hours? I have no idea but there are a few theories circulating around that run counter to the PR reasoning spouted by James Cameron and the studios:

  1. It makes the movie virtually "piracy" proof. Much too difficult to copy a 3D movie and add it to the torrents.
  2. Competing with large, HDTVs and Blu-Ray. The experience of 3D is really only obtainable in a theater. No matter how good your set up is at home, the one at the theater is better.
  3. Make more money. I just paid $11.50 per ticket to see the movie in 3D. The 2D version was $9.50. I really paid an extra two bucks for blurred glasses and a headache? Yes. Yes I did. That extra coin helps the box office take and gets this flick up the financial charts just a little bit faster.
  4. Try watching this movie on an iPhone. This is a theater and ultimately home theater film. It's not meant for laptops and iPhones. Maybe that's not a bad thing?

I'm not saying the film didn't look great. It did. Quite possibly the most beautiful film I've ever seen. And I do believe that the 3D added to that beauty and the effectiveness of the film but it did so at a price. The price of actual money ($2), the price of comfort and I believe the price of having a film that might not present the same experience for everyone.

Not everyone can see films in 3D (some common vision problems make 3D film ineffective) and I don't believe that I'm getting the same experience as everyone else. It's the same reason I hate hearing about people's dreams. It's like those old computer 3D paintings you had to stare at for a while to see the 3D. Half the time I never could see it and I felt left out of the experience I heard everyone else squealing about. Sort of the same with 3D movies. I hear others raving about it non-stop and wonder if I saw the same movie they saw? I think I did but that 3D didn't seem all that spectacular to me.

So, why 3D? I don't really know but I do know this, I'm not a fan. At least not until they can figure out how to get it working without those nasty butter smeared glasses.

]]>Portable Blogginghttp://www.ericjanssen.com/blog/2009/12/28/portable-blogging.htmlEric J2009-12-28T03:41:10Z2009-12-28T03:41:10Z

This post was written entirely on my iPhone while lying (or is it laying?) in bed with my 20 pound feline purring nearby.

The only reason I'm blogging on the iPhone is to review the new Squarespace app. I have a wireless laptop that would make this much easier to post.

Likes: it's obviously more portable than my laptop and the autocorrect keyboard is nice to have when blogging. It's also an easy way to quickly communicate in more than 140 characters.

Dislikes: There doesn't appear to be a way to format text, add links or integrate any media other than photos. And of course the iPhone isn't the best device to use for composing lengthy messages of any kind.

The app is pretty feature rich considering the limitations of the iPhone. I can add categories and tags, preview the post, edit previous posts and check real time stats. That's a win.

This app will definitely help me increase the frequency of my blogging and for that I'm grateful to Squarespace and glad I'm a customer.

]]>Stealing timehttp://www.ericjanssen.com/blog/2009/12/26/stealing-time.htmlEric J2009-12-26T22:21:47Z2009-12-26T22:21:47ZI have children. This means that it's nearly impossible to devote an appropriate amount of time and energy into blogging or producing content of any kind. Ok, Tweeting, checking in to Foursquare and updating my Facebook status is easy to do and it's my way to stay connected to the wonderful world of content publishing but it hardly allows for the depth of expression I enjoyed when I was blogging at least once per day.

And that's my excuse for not blogging. Kids. Well, kids and work. And the work excuse is actually a pretty good excuse because it does take up a lot of my time but I still find time to watch "Seinfeld" or listen to podcasts.

So, why is it so hard to find the time to blog now? Where did that creative spark go? I had kids when I was blogging daily so that excuse doesn't hold up as well. No, I think the real reason I don't blog anymore is that I'm scared. Scared that what I put down for the world to consume is weak, pathetic drivel that isn't worth publishing. Frankly, I've lost my edge and that sucks.

How do I reclaim my edge? I'm not sure but avoiding the act of blogging certainly doesn't help. The formula I used in my golden days of blogging was simply this - blog often and the quality will follow.

And now that Squarespace (what powers this blog/site) has an iPhone app there's really no excuse for me to avoid a daily blog post. 

Yes, this is the beginning of my daily blogging. As rough and unpolished as it is right now I am confident that I will look back on it in six months and smile that grin of satisfaction knowing that I decided to get back in the saddle and pursue one of my original loves - writing!

]]>Charlie Brown Memphishttp://www.ericjanssen.com/blog/2009/9/28/charlie-brown-memphis.htmlEric J2009-09-29T01:54:53Z2009-09-29T01:54:53ZWhen I meet other folks from Memphis they're always surprised to learn that I'm also a native Memphian.

"Oh really?" they ask. "You don't sound like you're from Memphis and you certainly don't act like a Memphian."

I'm still not quite sure if such comments are meant as compliments or insults but my guess is that they're intended as a compliment. Which is sad when you think about it, especially when considering the source of such comments - fellow Memphians.

If a wiseguy from Brooklyn said something similar to one of his neighborhood brethren it would no doubt be an insult.

"You're from Brooklyn? Really? You sure don't sound sound like it. What, are you too good for us you gotta talk like some oatmeal newscaster from Iowa?"

Or imagine the big buckled Texan berating his Lone Star State kin. Or the guy from South Boston. Or Savannah.

But in Memphis, sounding and behaving like an outsider is to be envied.

Why is that? 

Since I'm a native Memphian I believe I'm in a position to take a guess at the answer, even if I don't sound and behave like one. 

Memphis is the Charlie Brown of cities. Always running towards the football but never quite kicking it. Lucy is always there, with promises and smiles, ready to pull that football away at that last, critical moment. That's Memphis. Full of optimism and hope but ultimately landing on its back time and time again.

Yet, like Charlie Brown, it's still a lovable, endearing place full of great ideas, ambitions and dreams and able to keep plodding along in spite of the back-breaking string of disappointments.

And after a while, the people of Memphis, lovable and good hearted as they are, adopt some of the self-deprecating qualities of their Charlie Brown city. 

The result is that a fellow Memphian who doesn't sound like Charlie Brown is something to be celebrated.

"He doesn't sound and act like us. Maybe he's kicked the ball. Good for him."

]]>Identify. Dominate. Expandhttp://www.ericjanssen.com/blog/2009/9/19/identify-dominate-expand.htmlEric J2009-09-19T22:56:17Z2009-09-19T22:56:17ZThe strategy for success online is quite simply. Identify a niche. Dominate that niche. Leverage the niche dominance to expand beyond the niche. It's a simple formula but few follow it and even fewer succeed with it.

Why don't more people follow this simple plan? Most folks find it hard to stay focused and dilute their efforts to dominate a niche by not clearly defining it from the get-go. A recent example of someone succeeding with this formula is I Can Has Cheezburger. The site began with the narrowest of niches, essentially a blog about Lolcats. However, from that dominating success the site has been able to expand to other categories such as FAIL Blog and Engrish Funny.

Other examples abound and possibly the most successful one being Huffington Post. What began as a non-localized, left-leaning political blog quickly dominated the niche and recently expanded into locally focused content as well as broadened the initial niche target.

What does this have to do with me? I'm in the process of identifying my niche. The dominance comes later but right now I want to scope out that niche and fully understand how to move forward with it. Any suggestions?

]]>Follow Your Passionhttp://www.ericjanssen.com/blog/2009/9/18/follow-your-passion.htmlEric J2009-09-19T04:29:17Z2009-09-19T04:29:17ZI envy folks who discovered their passion early in life. It took me nearly 26 years before I discovered my passion and I spent another five years learning how to cultivate that passion into a career.

I have four little sisters and part of my big brotherly advice to them has always been to discover and then follow your passion. Working a job is for suckers, pursuing your passion is pure bliss.

But following your passion is certainly not without risks. That path is cloudy and uncertain. Success on that road is defined differently than the storybooks. That road often leads to poverty, failure and disappointment but those who're following their passion can endure because their happiness resides in the pursuit.

I truly believe in the advice I give to my little sisters. I truly believe that following your passion leads to a happiness that can't be duplicated in any other way.

]]>Journalism Studentshttp://www.ericjanssen.com/blog/2009/9/17/journalism-students.htmlEric J2009-09-18T03:16:57Z2009-09-18T03:16:57ZI spent my morning speaking to a class of journalism students at the University of Memphis about how the news industry is rapidly evolving and the survivors are those who learn to adapt to our new environment.

The class seemed to "get it" and we spent quite a bit of time talking about Twitter, Facebook, comments and ways to improve audience engagement. Specifically with comments we discussed ways in which comments can add value to a story when some effort is exerted to cultivate that value.

We also watched a bit of Clay Shirky's interview about his book "Here Comes Everybody" and discussed how newspapers are uniquely positioned to lead community conversations and connect local communities. Additionally, newspapers can best filter through the noise that's generated by those in a community and find the signal that's important to the local audience.

It's always good to talk to students and today's group seemed like a good one.

]]>I'm Backhttp://www.ericjanssen.com/blog/2009/9/13/im-back.htmlEric J2009-09-14T01:50:52Z2009-09-14T01:50:52ZWell folks, I'm back. My blogging hiatus is over and I'm ready to dive back in to the big, bad blogosphere.

Did you miss me?

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