Online Business Freedom

One of the hardest things to do is create fresh, original content for your blog.

I was going to write about the dangers of Blog Incest (and why copying what everyone else is writing about may be hazardous), but I think I need to take a step back and look at the post again before publishing it.

But anyhow, the purpose of this post is to introduce you to the idea of going OUTSIDE our cozy little corner of the Internet Marketing Blogosphere to gain inspiration.

And as a result, to gain different perspectives, mesh different ideas, and to write innovative and thought-provoking blog posts.

It’s simply not healthy to feed your brain ONLY with the information of people who are in the same field as you are.

I don’t care what industry you’re in. If you don’t try and step outside of it from time to time, your writing will start getting stale and boring.

If your sole inspiration is other blogs JUST LIKE YOURS… well, that’s what Dan Kennedy calls marketing incest.

Everyone copies what everyone else is doing, and it starts working like regular incest. Everyone gets dumber as a result.

Once again, I’ll publish my thoughts on this in the next couple days or so. I would really appreciate your thoughts on it.

But for now, here are 9 websites and blogs that have nothing to do with Internet Marketing, but can be a source of great inspiration for a great many IM blog posts.

They are in no particular order.

1. http://www.Boingboing.net - Without a doubt one of the most popular blogs on the Internet. This blog is chock full of seemingly random information (Make a Fireball Shooter?), but upon closer inspection, there are some extremely thought provoking posts and humorous topics as well.

For instance, “Good Comment to Thread: What’s Happened to the US Economy?” “Untooned Homer and Real World Mario,” and “Universe’s most powerful blast witnessed this week”

2. http://www.Neatorama.com - Just a plain nerdy and interesting blog to get new ideas to write about. How can you go wrong with posts like, “The Stories Behind Four Exorcisms,” “Writers and the Sylvia Plath Effect,” and “The Man Who Invented Karaoke”?

3. Ever wanted to improve your life technologically and socially? Check out: http://www.Lifehacker.com. This week’s best posts included, “Download Music from Your Friends’ iTunes Libraries Over the Internet with Mojo,” “Avoid These 8 Worst Foods in America,” and “Aggregate Your Online Social Life with FriendFeed”

4. http://www.Lifeclever.com - An extremely interesting site based on design, productivity tips, and making life easier

5. http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience - I’m not much of a science guy, but the Wired Science blogs make science FUN! Look up anything from “Phillip Morris Tries to Engineer Cancer Out of Tobacco,” to “How to Win Your March Madness Pool Through BracketScience”

6. http://blog.wired.com/geekdad - An awesome blog about doing geeky, fun stuff with your kids. For instance, “YouTube in the Classroom,” “Electric Origami at Home,” and “And Always Twirling, Twirling, Twirling: Stupid Toys 101″. Perfect for you dads out there.

7. http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog - Blog from Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert. There is obviously some office humor in here, but also Scott’s thoughts on politics, science, and whatever’s on his mind that day

8. http://www.NewYorker.com - A potpourri of fiction and poetry, arts and culture, politics and science, and probably the funniest darned cartoons anywhere. It’s been around since 1925, and you can read all their stuff online

9. http://www.DrudgeReport.com - Pure politics and world news, but the best headlines ANYWHERE. Sure, this is a current events based site, but honestly, it’s a lesson in copywriting as well. Again, the headlines rock.

That’s it. Hope this was interesting. Let me know if the sites got your creative juices flowing.

-James D. Lee

PS - I have to say thank you to a friend of mine who recommended a lot of these sites to me. She will actually be the subject of a post herself, as she is one of the only true information mavens that I know.

Information Mavens?

You know, the kind that Malcom Gladwell talks about in “The Tipping Point.” (That’s essential reading, by the way)

You wouldn’t believe how helpful it is to have someone like that in your life, and the role they can play in creating “a tipping point” in your business.

More later…

-J

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