Strictly defined, a Renaissance man is “a man who has broad intellectual interests and is accomplished in areas of both the arts and the sciences”.
I am very passionate about social media, gadgets, Google, WordPress, tips and strategy etc and the posts here are a reflection of that. I can talk for days about strategy, how to leverage your brand and the latest iPhone app, but I wonder… do I have to limit myself to just those topics or can I also discuss other interests, such as social issues, politics and what’s happening in the world at large. Are American politics and ideals so polarizing that there isn’t room for a Renaissance man, for lack of a better word, in blogging?
I’d like to be clear that the intent of this post is not to blow my own horn or “market” myself, I’m simply trying to answer the question of whether there is room for personal idealism and social commentary alongside strategy and gadget talk — or do I risk alienating readers from either audience?
This is one of the things I often struggle with and something every blogger, at some point, must answer for themselves. What content should make it into my blog? The fear of course is that you risk diluting your content, and as a result, your readers, by not having a hyper-focused niche blog. The reward however, is that you have a robust, multi-faceted snapshot of not only your interests and passions but of the social and political climate at the time as well.
I spent much of my early adult life in the arts. In college my major was theater and I eventually transferred to an acting conservatory. That world is, for the most part, completely behind me but it is what helped shape much of who I am. More than wanting to be an actor, I was on a journey to study what made people tick. Little did I know that my early journey to learn the Method, to figure out how to use emotion to convey the words of a playwright would play such a significant role in such an incongruous field.
Part of what makes me successful as a strategist and a blogger is a very real understanding of human behavior and the effect of tangible emotion on an audience. The fact that I now make my living producing and developing social media strategies, problem solving and coding seems like it could be a separate world, but the reality is that there are many aspects that overlap. If all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players, then social media is an even more intimate stage, and all the men and women are actually writing the play as they go.
And that’s me… Renaissance Man… writing my own play as I go. Enjoy the show.
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About James
I think that in today's world of narcissistic “experts” (clearly, I'm not talking about myself here!), a Renaissance Man such as yourself — someone who understands and appreciates multiple aspects of what's going on around him — is extremely refreshing. I've always appreciated that your blog has more than just a niche topic — the fact that you provide broad expertise in several different areas makes your site that much more valuable to me.
That being said, I suppose you could consider that in making your site broad, that you risk losing readers from either side: those who are seeking broad information and those who are looking for specific topics. I think if you provide the tools necessary for either one of those groups to find the information they are looking for when they come to your site, then you mitigate that risk.
Personally, it's YOUR blog — a reflection of you and your thoughts. As someone who knows first-hand at the amount of information that you have swirling around in your head, this is the perfect platform for you to put pen to paper, whether it be social issues or social media.
I think that you will find that most of your readers feel the same way.
So have it, Renaissance Man!
Thank you, those are very kind words and they are much appreciated.
Thank you, those are very kind words and they are much appreciated.