I’ve been thinking about blogging and social media. Why do we do it?
There are all kinds of answers for all kinds of different folks and I’m sure they each apply to me in some degree.
Some are looking to be heard (in other words, to be listened to – aren’t we all?). Some are looking for their 15 minutes of fame. Some want to come down on one side or another of a specific issue and be right, damn it!
I’m guilty of all of these things, as I said, to some degree, but none of them are the main reasons I do this.
Humbled by this @stocktwits milestone. Continue to do my best to help you guys do what you do best! pic.twitter.com/jtYyuCWy3O
— Jesse Felder (@jessefelder) October 22, 2014
First and foremost, I blog and tweet and such because it helps me flesh out my own ideas. A lot of the time I’m just thinking out loud and typing it. There’s something about writing things down AND in a public way where you can get feedback that just helps expedite or make the thinking process more efficient. I can’t explain it but it works.
Second, it helps to put things out there where they can’t be retracted in order to hold myself more accountable. When something’s not put out there permanently it’s really easy to either totally forget about it or to change the way we remember it over time. A blog post or a tweet brings it right back into the present and makes it impossible to misremember or deny.
Finally, one of the best feelings I can get in my business is helping someone learn something that makes a dramatic impact in their lives – even if it comes from my own horrible mistake! It’s why I do this here and on social media and why I teach a class at the local community college. It’s just very rewarding.
But at the end of the day, this whole thing, the blog, social media and even my class is really just for me. It helps me be a better thinker and a better investor – so I’ll keep doing it.