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Thanks again SO MUCH to everyone who is passing the 279 Days manifesto all over the universe. I have a data field on the email signup where I ask people where they heard about the site, and someone who joined on Friday said “Everywhere!”
I liked that. Thanks, guys.
As you read this, I’ll be passing through PDX, DFW, and JFK – continuing early Tuesday down to Port au Prince, Haiti – the first stop of my latest trip.
In 279 Days, I included links to many of the people I respect and have learned from since I started this site. I did this because I wanted to give credit where credit is due – and each of these folks deserve a lot of credit for helping me.
Here they are again, with a quick synopsis on why I think they are awesome. If you’re looking for people to learn from (I always am), I encourage you to check out their work.
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Darren Rowse – Like every other blogger in the world, I’ve learned a lot from Darren Rowse. What I’m trying to figure out now is how he routinely manages 50,000 Twitter followers and a tremendous number of inputs every day while still keeping it real. I’m already starting to struggle to keep up with a much smaller base. [Web Site / @problogger]
Chris Brogan – Chris has been writing about social media since March 2004 – I know, he’s ancient, but not in a bad way. I was first introduced to Chris from Valeria Maltoni (more about her in a moment), who told me “he’s everywhere.” All content on ChrisBrogan.com is licensed under Creative Commons, another thing I appreciate about him. [Web Site / @chrisbrogan]
Havi Brooks (and Selma) – It’s fair to say that Havi is one of the reasons I live in Portland, Oregon now. After exchanging a ton of emails with Havi while I was overseas, I had dinner at her real-life kitchen table with the whole family (well, some of them – she has a big family) on a scouting trip from Seattle. Since then I’ve seen Havi several other times, and I always learn from her. [Web Site / @havi]
Naomi Dunford – I first met Naomi in person at Euston Station in central London. I was on a 30-hour layover before flying to Africa, and we spent the day together in the city. Then we went to her house in the middle of nowhere (one hour from London), where I hung out with the rest of the Dunford clan (husband, son, mother). In business, Naomi calls it like it is. She is 100% authentic, and I like that. Oh, she’s also extremely smart about marketing. [Web Site / @ittybiz]
Jonathan Fields – The Career Renegade was one of the first “big name” bloggers to endorse the World Domination manifesto. He’s also given me good advice on my book proposal and countless other topics. We keep missing each other from Austin to NYC, but I’m sure we’ll connect soon. Among other things, he does a great job putting out good resources and promoting other people’s content on Twitter. High respect to JF! [Web Site / @jonathanfields]
David Fugate – My ass-kicking literary agent who helped me get a book deal (good) and helped me improve my writing (even better). When I get on the phone with David, I pretty much just say “uh-huh” over and over as he tells me what’s not working and how to fix it. Forty minutes later, I hang up and think, “Why can’t David just write the book?” But then I get to work, and the results are not half bad when I finish. [Web Site / @launchbooks]
Chris Garrett – At first I was mad because he has the domain ChrisG.com – damn, I wish I had got to that one first – but then I learned that Chris is not only an incredibly smart guy, he’s also incredibly kind. Among other things, he did a site review of the AONC design in its early days. I agreed with everything he said in the review, and his flagship content report was also helpful in establishing my branding and writing the first manifesto. [Web Site / @chrisgarrett]
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Leo Babuata – Everyone knows Leo for ZenHabits, and rightfully so — but what I appreciate about Leo the most is the back story behind his site. To me, Leo is the classic example of someone who goes from living an average life to living a remarkable life. I wrote about him in the World Domination manifesto, and since then I’ve been threatening to pay a visit to Guam the next time I have a couple of free days in Asia. [Web Site / @zen_habits]
Seth Godin – I started reading Seth’s books while in Africa (2002-2006), and they made me think differently about my work – even though work at the time didn’t have much to do with marketing. I realized later that some of my early writing had a Godin imprint on it. The funny thing is that I didn’t even think about it at the time. That’s kind of how Seth works – even if you don’t read him directly, you’ll end up being influenced by him one way or the other. After all the readers he sent me last week, I’ve decided that Seth is like a one-man Business Week, only much smarter and more likeable. [Web Site]
Haruki Murakami – Mr. Murakami is not likely to show up on Twitter or Facebook anytime soon, but that’s because he’s the best novelist in the world. Like all good artists, he falls in the love-or-hate category, and I’ve read nearly all 15 of his books that have been translated into English. [Check out Murakami's books on Amazon - I recommend A Wild Sheep Chase or The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle]
Inside joke for Murakami fans: when Sonia Simone heard I was going to Japan to meet him (it’s a work in progress, long story), she said to me, “What are you going to do – crawl down in the bottom of a well and wait for him to show up?” I told her I might just go to a remote cabin in Hokkaido and see what happens.
OK, sorry about that – back to regular programming.
Steven Pressfield – I know Steven Pressfield only through his book The War of Art, but what a book it is! Highly recommended reading for all creative people. Go out and get it. Then, follow the book’s advice and get to work. Defeat resistance! [Web Site]
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Men with Pens (James Chartrand) – I think there are actually several pen men, but I only know James. He lives in Quebec and helps people improve their web sites. Naturally, James is very good at what he does, but you get a bonus: sarcasm (the good kind, like mine) is included at no extra charge! Just like Chris Garrett offers, you can get a helpful site review from the Pen Men. [Web Site / @menwithpens]
Dave Navarro – The “Rock Your Day” guy is really rocking it. I respect anyone who is willing to get up at 5am to work on side projects while also working a challenging real job. His story is far from over, and I recommend you pay attention to where Dave is going. Stay tuned for a joint project from Dave and me, where Dave will teach some of us everything he knows about online marketing. I can’t wait. [Web Site / @rockyourday]
Steve Pavlina – Whenever people mention Steve Pavlina, they usually do so with disclaimers. “Yeah, Steve is interesting but…” As for me, I hate that. Steve has paved the way for almost everyone who writes about personal development and lifestyle design. I appreciation his personal courage and steadfast dedication to the cause of helping people think for themselves. Sign me up. [Web Site / @stevepavlina]
LifeRemix (Glen Stansberry) – This Mac expert and productivity geek is also a very cool guy. I learned a lot from his LifeRemix network prior to starting AONC. Congratulations to Glen on his upcoming wedding! [Web Site / @glenstansberry]
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Gretchen Rubin – The incredible Gretchen sent me readers from her Slate.com column recently, and I noticed that 98% of them were women. I knew her blog skewed more female than male, but I didn’t know the ratio was that high. I guess I’m one of the 2% of her guy fans — I’ve been reading Happiness Project since well before I started my site. Good stuff there, and I’m looking forward to her book this fall. [Web Site / @gretchenrubin]
J.D. Roth – J.D. was the first major blogger to ever link to AONC. I logged into Gmail from the Hong Kong airport and was shocked to see 100 new subscribers to the newsletter. 100! For the first week or two, I only had 20, so J.D. effectively quintupled the readership in one fell swoop. (Of course, it’s grown a bit more since then.)
I’ve been to J.D.’s house, he’s been to mine, and I really respect his hardcore commitment to Get Rich Slowly. Some of his readers are a bit uptight (a few always complain when he mentions my site), but J.D. is brave enough to publish what he likes. I try to do the same. [Web Site / @jdroth]
Liz Strauss – Liz also welcomed me to the community when my site was just a few weeks old — check out her fantastic free service where she does this for other new writers each week. Also check out her SOBCon event taking place in Chicago in May. I wish I could go! [Web Site / @lizstrauss]
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Valeria Maltoni – Valeria is a connector in the truest sense of the word – every 10 days or so she sends me another idea or email introduction. In Italy I stole a newspaper from an airline lounge and carried it all the way back around the world for her. Then, I spent four hours with Valeria in Austin where she skipped the SXSW sessions to have breakfast and hang out with me. Thank God I didn’t buy a $400 ticket to SXSW — Valeria explained it all to me before we finished coffee. [Web Site / @conversationage]
Gary Vaynerchuk – With writing, I aspire to be myself, on the theory that everyone else is already taken. With online video, I aspire to be a somewhat more subtle version of Gary Vaynerchuk. I don’t care much about all of the different kinds of wine, but I love watching Gary talk about it. My philosophy on creating personal connections with as many readers as possible definitely has a Vaynerchuk influence to it. [Web Site / @garyvee]
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Kevin Kelly – I don’t actually know Kevin, I just learn from him by reading his blog. Kevin has written a ton of great content, but I think about the classic 1,000 True Fans almost every day. It’s pretty much the way I make a living and my ambition for the small business side of AONC. I bet when Malcolm Gladwell read 1,000 True Fans, he wished he wrote that piece — I know I did. [Web Site]
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John Wesley – I haven’t kept up with John recently, but the best early advice for AONC came from him – “Get to the core of what the readers want.” Thanks, John. The community here is better because of that perspective. [Web Site / @johnwesley]
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Soniei I met Soniei through Dan at Empty Easel. Dan sent me links to a dozen unconventional artists, and I immediately latched on to what Soniei was doing. I’m a big fan of her self-represented “no galleries” style, and the way she uses social media and online video to build her brand is inspiring. She also understands hard work – Soniei currently works 80 hours a week on her painting and the related business. Look for more from her in the upcoming Unconventional Guide to Art and Money. [Web Site / @soniei]
Colleen Wainwright – The brilliant Communicatrix came to Seattle last fall and I rode my bike out to meet her. Now I try to read everything she writes, including the great newsletter she puts out each month. Subscribe! You won’t feel bad in the morning, I promise. Whenever Colleen writes about me, I post her trackback as “The Great Communicatrix.” [Web Site / @communicatrix]
Reese Spykerman – Designer extraordinaire Reese works on location from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You already know how great her work is if you’ve seen AONC, either of the manifestos, or most of my products. Simply put, she rocks. From time to time people write in and want to know how much it costs to hire her. I always say, “If you think hiring a professional is costly, wait until you hire an amateur.” (Reese is a professional, by the way.) [Web Site / @reese]
Pamela Slim – Pam just got a brief mention in 279 Days, but she really is my superhero. Among other things, she offered to be my book-writing mentor, which I took to mean that she would help David write the book for me. (How’s it going, Pam? Are you writing it yet? Just kidding.) I’ve set a personal goal to help her sell 500 copies of Escape from Cubicle Nation, so stay tuned for a full interview feature with Pam. Better yet, buy the book now so I only have to sell 499 more. [Web Site / @pamslim]
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Wrap-Up
As mentioned in 279 Days, links are the currency of the internet. When people write about me and send visitors my way, I think, wow, I’ve just got paid. More people have come into my network. Not all of them stick around, of course, but some do. When these kinds of referrals are done well, it’s a win-win for everyone involved.
Naturally, if blogging isn’t your thing, you can still find a way to thank people. Gratitude is still sufficiently rare that it sometimes catches people by surprise… and it’s always a good surprise.
Who has helped you? How can you acknowledge and help them in return?
Feel free to share a few examples here if you’d like, but mostly, be sure you reach out to them to say thanks.
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