Jordan Cooper's Blog: startups, venture capital, etc…

The 2 states in which a blogger doesn’t suck

Posted on December 7, 2011. Filed under: Uncategorized |

Taking inspiration from Chris Dixon, who tweeted that he is forcing himself to publish as a means to fight writers block, I have decided to do the same.  It used to be that I would sit down and say “what happened today that was interesting?”  I’d think of a cool conversation or an interesting thing that I learned and then write about it.  At some point an agenda started to weasel it’s way into my blog.  What does this post say about my company? What does this post say about my fund? What does this post say about me?  Those questions tended to influence my writing adversely.  Rather than communicate a point or thought in its raw and unadulterated form, I was conscious of my audience.  “what if this investor is reading this post?”  “What if our new hire is reading this post?”  The filters that are placed on raw content dilute it.  It is easy to be raw and honest and take risks with the online content you produce in 2 general states.  State 1 is when you have nothing to lose.  When I started writing this blog, it was literally from the ashes.  I had just shut down a company, I was wandering aimlessly though startupland without a real brand or agenda, and I just started writing to organize my thoughts, engage the community, and really to communicate that despite my failed attempt at building a company, that I was smart and had something to contribute.  I could call out big shots and fear nothing in the way of recourse.  I could write every awesome idea I had, because I had no platform or ability to monetize them.  I could let my mind throw up in wordpress and the reality was no adverse reaction could take me any further down than the depths of “no man’s land.”  As I built momentum, the blog became my platform, the community engaged in my environment, and I began to cobble together resources that would ultimately become Hyperpublic.  As my company grew, and as Lerer Ventures grew, I found I had to check certain ideas.  The ratio of published to unpublished writing began to change, and I held back concepts and ideas that could have an adverse affect on goals that I was better positioned to achieve.  I believe that this tension, which Fred has written about a few times, as have others, led to a filtering of content to which I see but one resolution.  And it is in that resolution that I arrive at State 2 of unfiltered or honest content creation.  That state is “Fuck you, I’m crushing it, and even if I do lose something for writing this it doesn’t matter, because I’m untouchable.”  Perhaps the greatest example of someone who has embodied that ethos, weather or not he is the most deserving example of it, is Dave Mcclure.  Love him or hate him, he doesn’t give a fuck and will write whatever is on his mind with little filter.  The result is entertaining content and a good read.  Most everyone else lies somewhere in the middle.  Some days we feel throttled, other days we feel free.  Perhaps lately Dixon was throttled by his effort to sell Hunch.  One wrong misstep, one wrong post, and Ebay could have walked.   Sometimes we are dealing with heavy shit, where the stakes are high, and it is hard to find a subject matter or thought train that isn’t sensitive to share.  Sometimes so much mental bandwidth is wrapped in a realm where the potential loss associated with publishing stifles our ability to put pen to paper.  Today, somehow, someone else’s expression of the frustration associated with this state released the strangle hold that my mind had on my words.  So post I shall, and hopefully again tomorrow.

Make a Comment

6 Responses to “The 2 states in which a blogger doesn’t suck”

Comments RSS Feed

Where's The Comment Form?