Reigniting the Conversations

When you start out at the top of your game, how do you top that?

That question has been my limiting belief for too long now. After all, blogging is about delighting those who think you have something valuable for them with original thoughts, insights and stuff they can’t find easily on the Internet.

In 2004 the role of blogs became mainstream and one of the early success stories was John Jantsch and his Duct Tape Marketing Blog. Instead of following the crowd with his blog written by just him, John cast an experts net out and invited hundreds to “try out” for a spot on his all-star blogging team. It was like a magazine with 10 top writers, all experts in their field and with followers already. John selected me, Georgia Patrick, for one of those top spots with the subtitle blog named “Customers Count.” It tapped into my pioneering work with CRM (customer relationship management) and my passion to light up minds with the one powerful truth that I learned from Martha Rogers, Ph.D.—“Everything is ephemeral. The only thing that is real is the customer.”

That Duct Tape Marketing team blog was number one in the ratings for business blog for three years in a row. Maybe longer. It was a great ride and taught me blog success habits: 1) It’s not about you—it’s what your followers tell you they want; 2) Write every day and post at least twice a week; and 3) Work hard to stay authentic and never boring.

Fast forward to 10 years later. I started blogging again and stopped when I wasn’t convinced that I was igniting conversations. My excuse, looking back, was lame. I thought, Well by now everyone is blogging and there is more to read than anyone ever would. Who needs another blog?

What was the clue that this was stupid?

I was reading more blogs! Others were reading more, plus sharing on tools created after my first tour of duty in John’s blogging army. Tools such as Facebook, Twitter and others.

The inspiration for the new blog came from three years of fascinating conversations with the CEOs and directors of certification enterprises, accreditation agencies, industry-standards gurus and credentialing professionals. These are the people on the front lines of every possible profession and line of work you can name or not even imagine yet.   Their issues seem to impact every business and every career choice that millions make every day.

People are very complicated. You have to listen deeply to understand what they really want and need. The journey to write to those needs is never complete, but I have my compass and my maps. I know how to read the wind. So it’s time for a change.

This year, I’d like to try something new. I want to write on the five issues in the credentialing world that matter most to the clients we serve and the hundreds of organizations and collaborators that matter to them.

I want to write about the things that you care about, as honestly and helpfully as I can. I want to talk about the hard stuff, the things you are afraid to ask but want to know. I want to use my experience — the good and the bad, about what I’ve learned about the entire credentialing spectrum and the value of certifications to make it a little bit easier for someone else out there.

Join the conversation. Step into my list of the issues that matter most to you. Tell me which ones you want me to blog about. I boiled my initial list of 75 issues down to the 14 conversations that bubbled up most often in the past three years. Issues like microcredentialing, the business of certification, strategic thinking, accreditation readiness and disruptive change. Go ahead—weigh in and send me an email if you think of a burning issue not on the list.

I don’t want to complicate things, so it’s going to happen through good old-fashioned email to start. I’ve created a mailing list, so you can opt in if you want to. My writing is for you and for those who choose to participate in the conversation. No mind reading or guessing, so you’ll have to tell me what you want to see in this blog.

If you’re interested, you can sign-up here.