durtbagz: why i’m tired of reading blogs

i’m loving the weather here this monday morning: low 50’s and rain. perfect change when you live where it’s sunny and goes from hot to hotter and back to hot. we’ve had a lot of these days lately and i just love them. makes me feel like something in this big dirty city is getting cleaned. right now, it’s my driveway after what looks like an eagle had bowel problems over it. or someone dumped paint all over it in our sleep. one of the two.

you might be thinking that this title is negative, but really, it feels like a release. in my frustrations with starting durtbagz, i’ve been resorting to looking to others who’ve started their own businesses or successful blogs so as to not reinvent the wheel. and pretty much, it’s been a tremendous waste of time. here’s why.

1. 90% of what i’ve been reading doesn’t seem to apply to me. it’s all about how to make money online and yes, that does apply to me. but the methods do not. i have an online store where i sell classic, random, edgy bagz. i don’t do B2B. my crowd is not the same crowd that reads blogs on how to be successful. they read college humor, perez hilton, and love the breaking story of the morning concerning carmen kontur gronquist. if you don’t know who that is, look her up on google. no, she’s not a porn star, she’s a mayor in oregon.

2. the way i read blogs is not productive. i read them and then link to another post that might be helpful and then go to someone on their blogroll and then it’s been two hours and really, i haven’t read anything substantial that i can apply directly to durtbagz. i’m always looking for something, but rarely find the answer that applies to me.

3. everyone is an authority, even if they are dumber than me. since you don’t need a license to drive on the superhighway, anyone can post about anything and be the end-all for that topic. it’s so hard to sift through the crap that it gets overwhelming and frustrating. i know that i trust the people on the blogroll of the blogs i actually enjoy and respect, but other than that, it’s mostly junk. and turds.
4. the majority of authors of these blogs don’t fit into my crowd. they are grown-ups and do business with other grown-ups. not durtbagz. so the whole theory of posting comments on these blogs seems like a waste of time to me.

this is the point where a lot of you are probaby going, “but…!” or “nuh-uh! you’re not doing it right!”. hear me out. are there blogs out there that apply to my crowd? hell yes. have i found them? some. does the theory of post and get some attention apply here? sure, but read my #5.

5. i am not interested in doing things like everyone else. i don’t want to reinvente the wheel, but my wheel isn’t exactly perfectly round. are there things i can do that others have done to help drive traffic to the site and sell bagz like i want? of course. but here’s my thought process: i’d rather be popular for being the odd man out than for following directions and being a good kid. the most frustrating thing about this whole revalation is that i feel like i’ve become somewhat of a follower and that is not how i roll. durtbagz exists because it’s something new and totally different; why would i leave that behind to execute it?

will this way of thinking probably be more difficult than just trying to copy what others have done? i guess. will it take longer to make durtbagz a popular site. depends. yes, if the marketing ideas i try aren’t weird enough. but the answer will probably be no if i execute a couple of really great, random events that grab peoples attention and get them talking about my school bagz; no matter if the talk is good or bag. i mean bad.

i’m not big on new year’s resolutions; if you decide that you are going to do something in the new year…and it is currently june, that ain’t right. however, since it happens to be the new year, one of my resolutions is to trust myself more than looking to others for ways to become successful. realizing this; that i’ve been looking to others instead of myself is actually a huge weight off my shoulders. i know it sounds weird because it’s probably creating more work for me, but it’s actually really exciting to finally pinpoint what i feel has been a negative factor in this so far. and it feels really good to make the decision to go my own way. it feels like me.

having said that, there are a few blogs that i read that are about being successful and i read them more for a swift kick in the rear more than looking for answers. plus, they are typically entertaining to boot. those blogs are itty biz and self made chick. these two blogs are written by women who are entrepreneurs and real people. and i’ve become friends with them over the last 6 months or so. if you need a bit of entertainment, some thought proviking experiences, or just a good laugh, you’ll get find all of the above. (PS naomi, i’d vote for ron jeremy for president).

i’ll be blogging about the dr. phil/britney relationship that has come to be on my blog on durtbagz.com either today or tomorrow. you really didn’t think i’d leave that alone, did you? i’m going to try to get an exclusive interview with dr. phil so check over there in the next 24 hours or so for that. i’m sure we’ll be able to get him.

happy monday. even though the weekend is over, you have a lot to be glad about. for example, you are not the mayor of a small town who decided to post photos of yourself in your undies on your myspace page. LOSER.