The challenge is set...
“The goal is to unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavour to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again.” – Tripbaseblog
OK, I finally started paying attention.
I’ve decided to contribute my blog towards The 7 Links Challenge, and go against my natural impulse of not giving much thought to a ‘Best Of’ post. Not that I thought there was anything wrong with them, but they just never really got my interest. I prefer posts which dive into a topic and wade in deep, rather than a collection of links and mentions. But as it stands, Ken Wert from Meant to Be Happy nominated me to take part in The 7 Links Challenge – you may have already seen it around, but you can click on the link to find out more.
Instead of my usual response, I got genuinely interested. I thought, “Why not give it a go Stuart?” So I accepted Ken’s challenge.
Here are 7 of my blog posts for 7 different categories. I’ve also decided to cheat a little and allow my guest posts for other blogs to be included in this challenge, just to spice it up.
My Most Beautiful Post
The Force That Drives – This was a toss-up between this post, and B.E, but I’ve decided on this one, simply because it’s the post where I knew I was pouring my heart out. Highly romantic, but I managed to integrate personal development aspects into it, because that’s my role here.
My Most Popular Post
Value 101: Part 12 – Again, this was a toss-up, this time between this post and The Force That Drives. You see, Part 12 has the most comments out of all the blog posts, but Force has the most page views. And yet, seeing as I’ve already chosen Force, Value 101: Part 12 gets the nod here.
My Most Controversial Post
Why We Will Never Live The Life Of Our Dreams – A guest post for Tim Brownson, and one which I hesitated before sending it over to him. I was worried that some people would dislike what I said, and I was later proven right. But I spoke from the heart, and most people recognised the validity of my words.
My Most Helpful Post
You Are Whoever You Choose To Be – Many of my posts have been helpful, particularly as that’s my aim for this blog! But my personal favourite is this one, because I truly believe that we, as humans, can choose our own paths of life to walk, no matter how many obstacles are in front of us.
A Post Whose Success Surprised Me
5 Reasons To Be Happy – A guest post for Life Optimizer, and it’s success still surprises me to this day. Even though Life Optimizer has over 16,000 subscribers, I only got a few comments coming in. I thought this was a sign that the post wasn’t a success, but I kept getting referrals week after week. I think that guest post has sent me the most traffic overall, which I certainly wasn’t expecting a week after it was published.
A Post I Didn’t Feel Get The Attention It Deserved
The Journey Is Not Fixed – This post came at a point where I was seriously re-thinking my blogging habits. As documented in What I’ve Learned About Blogging Over The Past Week, I had decided to cut down on my blog commenting, and focus on writing posts much more often. The result was only 12 comments on this nominated post – something which I regret, as it was great writing it, and it deserved a lot more attention than it actually got.
The Post I Am Most Proud Of
20 Bloggers Who You’d Want To Comment On Your Blog – I’m proud of many of my posts here, as well as my guest posts for others, but this one stands out for me. Why? Because not only did Marcus Sheridan wish he had this brilliant idea for a post, but I also stepped up my efforts as a result of the success of this post. I knew I had reached the next level of blogging!
The 5 Nominations
Now it’s time for the second part of the challenge, where I nominate 5 bloggers to take part and contribute, like Ken asked me to. Here’s the Fantastic 5:
Danny Iny – Firepole Marketing
Frank & Jermaine – A Spark Starts
Jonathan Wells – Advanced Life Skills
Marcus Sheridan – The Sales Lion
If you want to take part, don’t wait for an invite from me! Start writing and I’ll see you there.
Image courtesy of BeepThe Geek
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Stu, sounds cool – I’m in. How do I play?
Hi Danny, glad I’ve caught your interest!
Just pick a blog post for each of the 7 topics listed above, then choose 5 bloggers who you’d like to do this challenge.
That’s all there is to it!
Yup, Danny is awesome
Matt recently posted..Jazz… And Effective Meetings?
He sure is, the guy’s a loveable machine
I really like this type of post actually, and am glad you did it Stu. Think I might just add it in there myself like you so kindly asked.
But it’s cool to look back on the posts you mention here, many of which I remember, and think, ‘Ahh yes, that was a great post…”
Have a great weekend brother.
Marcus
Marcus Sheridan-The Sales Lion recently posted..Forgetting Labels: My Crazy Journey from ‘Pool Guy’ to Web App Developer
I would be very happy to see you tackle this kind of post Marcus! You’ve got a lot of vintage material to choose from
Take care, and thanks for stopping by
This is great, Stu!
I just spent way too long reading some of the posts I’d missed before finding you.
I also read a bunch of the comments others left on your posts. I love your honesty and openness. Very refreshing! You chose some great posts for the categories. I’m glad you participated.
I’ll return later when I have more time and check out a few of your nominees I’m not familiar with later!
Be good!
Ken Wert recently posted..The Ghosts of Blog Posts Past: My Nominees for “My 7 Links”!
No worries Ken, and thanks for providing me with the inspiration and the incentive to do this!
You’re a true lifter-upper
Hey Stu,
I really liked this one (as well), and that’s mostly because the plugins people are using, or the sidebar widget with popular posts will almost always just be posts that have the most comments or the most views or the most something … I really enjoy it when I can read your own opinions and your own experiences, and especially a post that you didn’t think got the attention it deserved.
Great post Stu.
Jens P. Berget recently posted..Your Grandma Just Poked You on Facebook, Now What?
Thanks Jens, glad you liked my personal touches!
I try to explain why I do what I do, but also it helps people to ‘see’ into my mind a little bit, to find out what makes me tick.
All in a good way of course
you always come up with creative ideas Stu !
this sounds like a real good one
Thanks Farouk, it was a lot of fun compiling this
This is why you’re becoming a blogger on the move, a new blog mover and shaker Stuart. Ever evolving new concepts and ways to connect and share the centre stage with others and their work. You’re the 007 of blogging – never shaken and stirred into action. And you give as much as you receive. Great stuff mon ami!
John Sherry recently posted..Sorting The Unsporting
I’ve never been referred to as the James Bond of blogging John, but I’m not exactly complaining
Thanks for stopping by my friend
He Stu,
This was a great idea man. Loved it. Great idea to reflect back at the progress and also to introduce newer readers to older, yet good content.
Last weekend I went back into some of my older posts and read through them. It was crazy doing so because it’s like watching an old video of yourself or seeing a older picture. Pretty fun stuff.
Anyhow man, loved reading this and wish you continued success!
PEACE
Jk Allen recently posted..Taking Action to Improve the Hustle: One Thing at a Time
I hear you Jk, it felt like a trip down memory lane sorting through the golden oldies! Brought back happy memories at least!
Thanks for stopping by amigo
hello stuart
how are you?
life optimizer is a fantastic blog to guest post on and i still get referrals from it despite posting slightly over a year ago. i also remember getting a few comments.
within certain contexts, i agree with your post on tims blog…
as for the post 20 bloggers you would want to comment on your blog, apart from your kind words which i truly appreciate, it also brings along traffic from your blog.
hope you are having a great day.
take care and love to sam.
ayo recently posted..A Few Reasons To Love Again
Hi Ayo, thanks for the kind words. I’m happy to hear that you’ve had benefits from Life Optimizer too, it’s a great place to write for.
Your inclusion in the 20 bloggers post was entirely deserved, and I’m glad about the traffic too! It was my pleasure.
Thanks for all your support Ayo, it’s very much appreciated
Interesting indeed, it does allow you to reflect on previous work if even sometimes you don’t know which ones you would pull from the scrap heap. It’s also interesting to reflect and think about what was going through your mind when you wrote a particular piece.
I think these days blend into weeks that blend into months and you finally look up and see you have been doing this for some time; hey, we are survivors, right?
Thanks for sharing this, it was pretty cool. Hope your week has gone well.
Bill Dorman recently posted..Did video kill the radio star?
Hey Bill, pleasure to have you around as always!
Reflection is a big thing for me, and I certainly got plenty of that when I was writing up this post!
Hey Stu this is really useful, I’ve been writing for a long time now so it would be really helpful to see how far I’ve come. its nice to have a recap, I’m going to get right on it.
Thanks stu – I love coming over here it always valuable
Blessings Be Geat
Lloyd Christie recently posted..Warning – Beware Of Your Playlist
Hey Lloyd, great to see you again!
I’m sure your readers would enjoy reading some vintage material
Memes are definitely a great way to build links as well as drive traffic to a blog. Glad you took the challenge, Stu.
Also, glad I found your site via Ayo’s blog; love your content so far.
Ana
PS Adding your blog to my new CommentLuv enabled blog list!
Ana Hoffman recently posted..CommentLuv Premium
Hi Ana, thanks for stopping by and for the kind words!
It’s a pleasure to have you here, and I hope you stop by again
This is interesting stuff Stu. I wish you a great luck
Naveen Kulkarni recently posted..You Are Not A Robot: Stop Living Like One
Thanks Naveen, it’s appreciated
Hello Stuart — Danny Iny has become a blogging friend. I’ve written for his site and he’s written for mine. I loved his “7 Links Challenge” post and just published my own “7 Links Challenge” and linked to your site. Viral marketing at its best. Thanks for starting this. I hope to keep the chain of challenges going with my readers. You can click on the link at the bottom of my comment here to read my post, if you’re interested. We could start a club! Great idea. Thanks.
Jeannette Paladino recently posted..The 7 Links Challenge and the Best of the Web — From Me
Hi Jeannette, it’s a pleasure to welcome you to Unlock The Door!
It seems that this challenge has become viral, as I’ve seen it spring up on a variety of blogs. I got the idea from Ken Wert, who got it from someone else, so the chain reaction effect is truly in place here.
Great to see you taking up the challenge
Stu,
Sorry I’m so late to the party. I have never heard of the challenge but it sounds really interesting. I will see what I can come up with at a later date. I don’t know if people would want to see the selections I choose but I think it will be fun.
Thanks for tagging me in for this opportunity.
Frank recently posted..The People Who Inspire Me
Hey Frank, no need to apologise my friend, my commenting duties have slacked off as of late so I can’t complain!
It would be great to see your version of the challenge Frank, I’d definitely come on over!
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