January 6, 2009
Whatever you put out there, it has an impact. You might not see it now (or ever), but it has an impact on somebody somewhere. Whether you write something for the Internet or something published in print…whether you release a podcast or a video clip or a web comic…chances are good it will matter to someone. Maybe in a big way, a life-changing way…or maybe in a small way, barely noticeable…but the content you generate makes a difference. It’s easy to think that only money matters in this world…but the truth is, content rules! Our thoughts, expressed to others, building bridges, helping people we might never meet…they have an impact and a cumulative effect. As Paul McCartney sang in “Take It Away,” “You never know who might be listening to you.” By extension, you never know how what you put out there could change somebody’s life. So keep that in mind as you communicate with the world. Imagine you’re talking to everyone, because potentially you are…not just your personal network or clique or the people who regularly post comments on your blog and link to you on Facebook and MySpace. You’re talking to everyone.
I’m thinking along these lines right now because of something that happened today. I got in touch with a guy who wrote comics in the 1970s, when I was a kid, and I told him how much I’d loved his work and what a difference it made in my life. This guy was kind of surprised; he didn’t think much of some of the work he’d done back then. So this made me think about the things I’ve had published in print and on the ‘net, and it made me wonder if anyone out there is getting value from my writing, though I can’t see it right now. Maybe they are. Often, it seems like my writing just kind of disappears in the void, getting no reaction from anyone. It’s nice to think that maybe I’m reaching people after all, and maybe some of the positive messages I weave into my work are having a positive impact. Maybe someday, someone will tell me they liked my work, just as I told that comic book writer today.
