DISQUS

every square inch · 2 years ago

Thanks for the post - could you expand on what SMO really is? Not just in concept but in real, practical terms.

I also want to join the High Calling blogs...just haven't gotten to it yet.

Marcus · 2 years ago

I plan to do that later this week, ESI. It's one of my top 3 "big picture" things to take care of this week.

L.L. Barkat · 2 years ago

Okay, I joined. But I'm wondering about the fine print... particularly the rights stuff. In other words, how does this work out if someday I want to use things on my blog towards a book of my own, but HC has already used it with complete freedom (in any media or form)?

I decided to take a wait and see stance, but depending how it goes, I might withdraw later. Does this make sense?

L.L. Barkat · 2 years ago

Oh, and now I just read the rest of your post. Quite fascinating really. And the perfect justification for a blog addiction. :)

real live preacher · 2 years ago

Totally fascinating stuff Marcus. I'm going to Chicago (believe it or not) to talk to some marketers of Christian publications. I'd like to ask you if I can use your info, but the truth is, I'm going to whether you say I can or not. ;-)

Seriously, Real Live Preacher has a pretty hefty little network going, but I couldn't sell very many copies of the book I published myself. Lost money on it. Now, I did act like a major publisher - did it the real way and not through a vanity press. But I had to fork out for a LOT of copies. Hard lesson to learn.

I'd like to see you talk about what takes place in that hour a day.

steve · 2 years ago

As someone who has been in the direct response industry for 27 years, I find that you have an amazing talent for cutting through the clutter and getting to the heart of the matter. Much appreciated!

Heather Goodman · 2 years ago

Oh, now, Marcus, we wouldn't call you a geek. Not to your face, at least. Of course, in the blogging world, we're not exactly face-to-face, now, are we?
Seriously, thanks for this information. I signed up as well (and am in the audition phase) but have the same concerns as LL, so I'll be looking for your answer.
It's a whole new world out there.

Marcus · 2 years ago

L.L, you're in! If any one else wants to join, just let me know. I'm going to try to post about it specifically later today if possible.

real live preacher, Gordon, everything here is up for grabs. I only ask that you mention where you got it from. : )

steve, you are awesome. For those who don't know, Steve Gibson is president of Gibson Direct, an absolutely incredible consulting firm that helps publishers with direct marketing. I'm glad you felt like I cut through the clutter. I worried some about the length of this post.

Heather, glad to have you on board! The concerns you and Laura have are good instincts, but don't worry. We wrote the legalese specifically with author bloggers in mind. Meaning, you can pitch and link out to sales pages all you want. We just ask that you not put "BUY NOW" buttons and paypal add-ons directly on your blog. We're a nonprofit, so we have to be careful we aren't used for profit.

That said, it is perfectly appropriate to link out to direct marketing pages. (And to be honest, those pages will work better off blog anyway.) Most writers have a brochure-ware website in addition to their blogs anyway.

Plus, I'm the one in charge of the community. So if we need to change the TOS, we can discuss that. I want to help you do your thing, I just have to be careful not to get used by others as a sales vehicle. (Not that you or L.L. would do this, of course!)

every square inch · 2 years ago

Marcus

Can you set me up to join the HC Bloggers or do I have to do so myself? If you can, please set me up automagically...because I may never get around to it.

L.L. Barkat · 2 years ago

Oh yes, the links thing was a secondary concern. Thanks for clearing that up. My primary concern had to do with HC's rights over my material... to use it even in other media. This seemed, well, hmmm....

Charity Singleton · 2 years ago

Marcus - The stuff you post here is so great. I've kind of taken the summer "off," you might say, when it comes to blogging. I have a lot going on in life right now. And I realize very tangibly now that the work I have NOT invested in blogging and social networking has meant less traffic, fewer comments, and generally, a lack of community. I want to come back here and soak up these points more later. Also, when I finally end my sabbatical, I really want to find out more about High Calling Blogs. You guys do such great stuff at thehighcalling.org.

Marcus · 2 years ago

Hmm. L.L., you bring up a good point. We need to change that. The project evolved quite a bit as we were creating it. And we evolved past that point after we talked to the lawyers and drafted our terms of service.

EVERYONE, rest assured we will not republish content from your blog! (Except in the normal way of quoting people you know.)

Charity, thank you thank you!

Marcus · 2 years ago

ESI, drop me an email reminder and I'll send you the information to join up. We definitely want to include you because you really get what we are trying to share!

spaghettipie · 2 years ago

Wow-fascinating information, thanks for distilling it down and sharing.

I started my blog for precisely the purpose you mention - to build relationships. I was hopeful that building a little bit of a platform might happen as a side effect. I have been amazed at the number of relationships I have now with people I've never met - but would go so far as to call them "friends." It's a fascinating world, this blog-o-sphere!

Oh, I'm interested in the HC blog thingy, but I think I'm still confused about what it is, what's required of me and if I'll even be accepted??

Marcus · 2 years ago

spaghettipie, I need to post something about that explicitly.

Mark D. Roberts · 2 years ago

Marcus: Great stuff. I look forward to talking with you about all of this. I do appreciate your geekishness. Geeks have pretty much taken over the Western world, you know.

Marcus · 2 years ago

Thanks, Mark. I can't wait for you to get here!