Miscellaneous Uses for a Blog

Look Outside The Fishbowl

You’ve heard the term, right?  "Look outside of the fishbowl!" It refers to looking outside of that circle of influence and to peer out into the outside world to get their perspective. This is especially true when it comes to promoting your online presence outside of the online world. I’ve always taken issue with the "look out of the fish bowl" phrase. You see, when you are inside of a fishbowl, you see everything on the inside with relative clarity. However, if you look through the glass to the other side, that same fishbowl distorts your view of the outside world. Things appears stretched and twisted. Abnormally large or abnormally small.

This is something that has bugged me for quite some time. The growth and power of new media is impressive, but it still pales in comparison to traditional media channels. While you may have used a computer for years and communicate with email nearly hourly, yet over 1 in 5 US households have never sent an email in their life . That’s 21% of the population that has no clue, nor likely any desire to engage in the new media revolution. While you can make the argument that many of these are a generation separated from technology, that comes no were close to the 20%. The digital divide is still there folks.

As with any interest group, to those of us hyper-connected and in the heart of the online and new media revolution, it’s easy to get a distorted view of the realities of the other side. You are looking out of the fishbowl, but see a distorted view of the actual realities. I constantly hear arguments like

"Does anyone use X service any more?"

- Does anyone use Yahoo any more?

"It not a big deal because everyone has X."

- The DTV switch is not that big of a deal because almost everyone has cable or satellite TV already.

I think you can see the problem…

No, CLIMB Out of the Fishbowl

As you progress in your quest in this new media world, whether it’s building your personal brand or your business, where do you get this view of the outside world? Do you deliberately take the time to talk to others that spend little time online about your online presence? Have you taken a few days to completely disconnect and gain insight to where others focus their energy? Have you CLIMBED out of the fishbowl instead of just looking out of it?

What ways have you found to gain the perspective of someone outside of your typical sphere of influence? How has this new perspective helped you in your activities inside and outside of the fishbowl? Leave a comment!

I don’t know what it is, but there have been a ton of things in my life over the last several weeks that have begun to change my perspectives and refine my focus. Everything from fatherhood, to my Christian walk, to my presence in new media. There have been realizations of things that I had failed to notice in the past, advice, validations of years of effort, and unexpected encouragements. In all of the new and unexpected slaps to the face, I’ve been renewed and my purpose has been refined.

With all of us, there are various times when these perspectives change. Once in a while, it’s something small: A word from a friend, a truth spoken to you, or another person’s perspective about something you are involved in. More often than not it’s those times of struggle that clears away the other junk in our lives so we can clearly see direction. I can point to specific times in my life where times of struggle has pointed to new perspectives and direction.

No matter what the circumstance is that brings you new perspective YOU have the opportunity to make a change. You can use these new realizations and truths and run with them, or maintain your status quo. Hindsight is 20/20, and so often we realize we have lost opportunities to grow if we choose not to act. The next time you are faced with a new perspective, does this new knowledge prompt you to action?
In the coming weeks, there are two huge events in Podcasting and New Media: The Podcast and New Media Expo, and Podcamp Boston 2. Each event will likely draw close to if not more than 1000 people. I have the incredible fortune of being able to attend both events. I know many of you that read this blog will be attending one or both of these events as well. It will be a time of learning, networking, and perspective changing. When the knowledge transfer, face-to-face networking, and good times are over, what will YOU do?