There was a point in time when I felt special, not that I don't now in many ways. But, with respect to the blogosphere I did. This was perhaps three and a half years ago, if not longer, when I first met Andrew Chen, in his days before blogging. He was the resident whiz kid (sorry to use that term but too true) at Revenue Science, an integral piece of the business having parachuted in from one of its venture investors. Any who have read Andrew pick up on his unique intelligence, wit, and amiability. I'm continually amazed at his blend of genuine thought leadership, strength of character, subtle self-promotion. His mix of business savvy, product mindset, and tech skills make him someone that any would want to back and/or create an opportunity to work with.
I particularly enjoyed a post of his, now almost two weeks old, titled, "I want more tools to reach my readers, not monetize them!" He writes something that really struck a chord. He writes, "I didn’t start this blog to make money 
Instead, I am writing it because I enjoy the process, it helps me structure my thoughts, and I often meet interesting people through my blog."
From what I can tell, bloggers fall into distinct archetypes - the prolific and the pensive, the analytical and the rambler, the focused and those who write about anything and everything, those looking for direct monetization and indirect, etc. (You can just imagine a chart that lists the attributes across the type and each blog as the row in the chart, showing the relative weighting of each by attribute.) I admire those who have managed to cross that chasm by writing prolifically, not always about topics of substance, and found a way to tie direct value to their blog. In the affiliate world, guys like ShoeMoney.com come to mind. I'd mention Fred Wilson, but that's just like someone singing the virtues of LeBron or Tiger.
My writing and this blog were an accident, but I owe so much to the act of writing and the people I've been fortnate enough to meet and feel no shortage of gratitude when hearing from someone that I've never met before that they found value in something I wrote. And, it probably comes as no surprise to know there are no shortage of topics that I have notes on but don't write. I perhaps place too great a hurdle on what deserves publication and your time. As a result, this blog tends to house my more flushed out thoughts (translation long articles) instead of some of the more real-time observations and discoveries. That's the format I've chosen for my personal brand.
There are so many topics - both real-time observations and those too specific to a given industry, that I've decided to start a new publication - LeadConfidential.com. While topically about online lead generation and the broader world of online customer acquisition, it really focuses on transparency - who are the companies in the space, what are the strategies they use, and how can those interested in online customer acquisition have a place that they can all their own. It is there where I will and have begun to post some of the more specific thoughts that are presumably too narrow for here. And, I think it makes a nice complement to the LeadsCon brand and its mission of serving the needs of those in online customer acquisition. Please check it out if you have the interest and feel free to write me with any ideas on what you might want to see / read or if you simply want your company covered.
