My 10 most valuable lessons on-line in 2009

This is Part 2 of my annual on-line review where I’m using a simple but effective framework to take stock of what worked and what didn’t, before writing my 2010 goals.  As you may have seen from Part 1, robbed of my off-line super powers and armed with naive enthusiasm, I failed hard and often.  In this post, I identify what I’ve actually learned from my pioneering adventures on-line.

Article Version: 1.1, 31st December 2009

Recap from Part 1: a framework for your annual review

The framework I use is very simple.  It’s presented as four key questions:

1. What were my worst failures?

2. What were my most valuable lessons?

3. What were my sweetest wins?

4. What were my greatest moments?

Although I usually apply these four questions firstly, to my life overall, and secondly, to my business overall, because this is my first year on-line, I have decided to focus this post on my experiences on-line. I will post my answers to all four questions as a series of articles over the next few days.

Part 2: My 10 best lessons on-line in 2009

Lesson 1: it’s much harder than it looks

I’ve learned that succeeding on-line is exceedingly difficult.  From setting up a blog, to writing and formatting blog posts, to understanding the jargon and navigating the constant tsunami of changes, upgrades and new technology, I’ve often felt overwhelmed as I’ve pressed forward into this unrelenting headwind of zeroes and ones.

Lesson 2: beta first and fast

I’ve learned to ‘just get it out there’.  Coming from a corporate world of ‘get it right the first time or suffer the consequences’, I have paid the price of pre-launch perfecting.  Thanks to my brother, John Dickinson, I now understand that one of the greatest advantages of the on-line world is that you can get an idea, quickly bang out a rough draft of your blog post, podcast or e-book, get audience feedback, and then improve as necessary.

Lesson 3: build an audience, then a product

I’ve learned the power of tribe building.  Again, this is counter-intuitive for an ex-Product Development Manager who’s used to spending months, even years ploughing along new product launch Gannt charts, where only the last stages involved customers.  With collaborative tools such as blogs and Twitter, building an audience – a fully engaged and cooperative tribe – has now become a mandatory and most enjoyable first step.

Lesson 4: build value before volume

I’ve learned the power of building relationships based on value.  One of the things that has shocked me the most on-line is a seemingly universal infatuation with large numbers – masses of followers, subscribers, friends and lists – as the first priority.  To me, this is anathema to building high quality, mutually valuable connections – relationships – with human beings.  By joining those who take the opposite approach, it has become very clear to me that people not only respond to a value-based approach, but long for it.

Lesson 5: help others succeed

I’ve learned that it’s all about helping others.  Initially, I got swept along with the whole ‘build your traffic’ thing.  It was fun and seemed to work.  Just write about popular stuff, use key words, copy high profile bloggers, keep up with the latest tricks and bingo – instant crowd.  Fortunately, and thanks to the many generous and wise souls who have guided me, I now know that we are here to help, encourage and support each other – not so that people feel compelled to help us back, but because we can.

Lesson 6: increase your value per word

I’ve learned the difference between value and noise.  I sometimes imagine the on-line world as a crowded room, where everyone is continuously talking at the top of their voice.  There’s a noise that emanates – a kind of generic, verbal blancmange that rings in my ears like an Internet tinnitus.  But there’s a fresh sound in the air – one where increasing numbers of people are thinking before they post, tweet or comment.  One where people are taking the time to learn what’s important to their tribe, so that they don’t have to say everything to communicate with them. 

Lesson 7: don’t use a bucket to fill a thimble

I’ve learned the power of drip-feeding ideas. One of my off-line personas is working as a business development consultant.  It’s a role where I’m paid to deliver the right results on-demand.  To succeed at this means producing high volumes – buckets – of ideas, strategies and solutions. And so I found the situation on-line completely the opposite.  Not a bucket in sight.  People hold out thimbles expecting them to be filled with that one idea, that one powerful answer or that one break-through, ‘a-ha’ point – so that they can grab it and go.

Lesson 8: don’t follow the mob

I’ve learned that popularity can lead to mediocrity.  In the search for success, I have been tempted many times to do what everybody else is doing.  Wherever the ‘Mexican wave of everybody’ went, I was sure to follow – urged on by the latest gems or secrets from the on-line gurus.  No longer keen on the idea of being part of a sourced crowd, I seek to find out what everybody else is doing, and don’t do it – do something different.

Lesson 9: sustainability will make or break you

I’ve learned that sustainability drives longevity.  One of the key challenges of living and working in a time of plenty is the ever-increasing abundance of choices we are confronted with everyday.  So too when it comes to building an on-line presence.  What’s my niche?  What should I focus on, write about?  How often should I blog?  How much should I write?  How many blogs should I have?

It has become very clear to me that the one question I’ll be keeping in the back of my mind from now on, before making any such choices, will be: “Is this sustainable?”  i.e. can I keep at it day after day, week after week?  Does it make sense in the context of my other work-life priorities?  Is this an expression of my authenticity or a phony echo of someone else’s?

Lesson 10: persistence works

I’ve learned the power of persistence.  There have been many times over the past six months when I’ve been tempted to throw in the towel and get off-line.  I could have easily rationalized that whilst it was fun to give it a shot, I had other more serious and interesting projects to pursue in the real world.  But I didn’t, thanks to the support and encouragement of fellow travellers.

I have kept my head down, plodded forward step-by-step and been richly rewarded with new insights, wonderful connections and relationships that continue to unfold in ways that delight and surprise me.

In summary…

Reviewing these key lessons was a very different experience from the Failure Review, and for this reason it’s important to keep the two exercises separate.  Although I feel an unusual mixture of humility and excitement as I contemplate my next steps, I realize the real power of these lessons will be released in their application in 2010.

Your lessons and opinions

• What are your most valuable lessons of 2009?

• How will you use them moving into 2010?

• Are you learning more or less as the months and years tick by?  Why is that?