Danny Brown's Blog, page 17

I Don’t Always Like Who I Am

When you look at yourself in the mirror, proverbial or otherwise, what do you see in the reflection looking back at you?

Do you see a person that you’re happy with, and wouldn’t swap for the world, or do you see a percentage of that happiness?

Do you see a person who is everything you want to be, or do you see a work in progress where sometimes the work is more needed than the progress?

I don’t know what I see.

Sometimes it’s a little A, other times it’s a little B.

Never one more than the ot...

It’s Just Like Blowing Whisky Out Your Arse

Whenever people say to me, “Wouldn’t it be great to drop everything and just go on an adventure?”, I always wonder what kind of adventure they mean.

Depending on how old you are, an adventure can suggest a myriad of things.

For young kids, an adventure could be as simple as a trip to the zoo for the first time. Or it could be a camping trip.

For older kids, an adventure could be the first time away from home on a school trip. Or it could be sneaking into a movie above their age rating.

For ad...

Your Whole Damn Life is an Idea for a Blog Post

While browsing the homepage of my preferred sports site the other day, I saw an ad for a “content engine”, to help with blog post ideas.

Given that I’ve had a little bit of a battle in the past with companies and consultants that offer a quick-fix “this will change your life/business!” promise, I thought I’d check this solution out.

I wasn’t disappointed.

From the blurb of the sales pitch, this “content engine” would help you…

…to quickly crank out share-worthy, clickable blog content that ge...

Why I’m Going to Use @couldntgiveanymoreshits As a New Social Network Username

Last night over on Facebook, my friend Allyson Kapin shared details of where to find her on new mobile social app Peach.

For anyone that hasn’t been swept along by the current buzz around Peach, it’s an iOS app that, in the developer’s own words,

Peach is a fun, simple way to keep up with friends and be yourself.

The difference, and thereby selling point, of Peach is it lets you share GIFs or videos, your music, your fitness achievements, as well as speak to it and it gives you tools to “draw...

Why a Share via Content Jacking Isn’t Really a Share

Imagine you’ve worked hard on your home, and you’re really excited to start inviting people over for get-togethers.

You make the place look nice; you make it feel welcoming; you work hard to be a great host, so anyone that visits leaves feeling happily satisfied and can’t wait to come back.

Now, imagine if one of the guests was telling people afterward that, yes, they should totally visit your home – but only if they come to that guest’s house afterward.

And that guest’s “recommendation” can’...

Do Kids See What We Wish We Could See?

A couple of weeks ago, my three year old daughter Salem was still awake and chattering away in her bedroom, despite being in bed for over an hour.

When I went in to give her a cuddle and ask why she was still awake, she whispered to me, “She’s here.”

“Who’s here?” I asked.

“The girl.”

I pulled away a little and looked at Salem, who was looking intently behind my shoulder. “What girl?”

“The girl in the corner.”

I looked behind me to the corner of Salem’s room, where there was a little bit of s...

So What Happens When You Remove Your Social Sharing Buttons?

A month ago, I published a post about an experiment I was going to run – what happens when you remove social share buttons from your blog?

The gist of the experiment was simple: having run a bunch of tests through Google Analytics, it was clear that – as the direction of content here shifted – social was becoming less important a driver of traffic for me.

Don’t get me wrong – that’s not the same as saying social media has no value. Far from it. However, there’s a difference between being valu...

Our Wonderful, Imperfect Selves

December 31st. A day that marks the end of the old year and the preamble to the new one just beyond the midnight bells.

A time when, traditionally, we make vows and resolutions to be “new” us in the next 12 months. You know the drill:

lose weight, stop smoking/drinking, eat less junk food, work out more.

All good goals. All good things to try and do, regardless of the time of year.

But to say “this will be the new me” says the old, or existing, you is no longer relevant and out-of-date.

And...

The Best Decision I Made About This Blog

As the end of 2015 waves its face in front of us, it’s usually the sign for times of reminiscence, both in our personal lives as well as professional.

The same can be applied to pretty much everything we do, with blogging being one of them.

If I were to look back on where this blog has taken turns since starting it back in September 2008, there have been a lot of directional changes in that time.

There’s one, though, that stands out for me as the best decision I made about this blog’s directi...

A Holiday Message from Pure Blogging

As 2015 draws to a close, I thought it’d be nice to look back at where Pure Blogging has come since launching back in August this year.

Additionally, as everyone starts to wind down for the next few days in readiness for 2016, I wanted to share some words from the Pure Blogging Team, both in personal hopes and Pure Blogging ones.

I’ve broken the questions down into three areas:

Your hopes for the direction of content in 2016; Your goals with Pure Blogging in 2016; Any particular holiday mess...