Instead of talking about predictions (right or wrong), goals for 2009, and what I feel my best blog post(s) were from 2008, I’ll zig from the pack a bit. At least for today.

Here are ten bone-headed moves that I made in 2008, mainly in the areas of social media and content creation. I’ll look at what went wrong, what went right, and how I’d handle these occurrences in the future. Maybe you can learn something from my errors.

1. Too much time spent chasing social news supremacy

What went wrong:

In late 2007 and the first quarter of 2008, I spent too much time trying to build up my authority on Digg.com and a couple of other social news sites. I tried to build up a following on these sites, submitted any story that I thought had half a chance at doing well, and bugged a bunch of people to vote for my submissions. I probably would have been better off taking most of that time and putting it towards my blog or more beneficial social networking.

I finally realized that I could be a social news maven or do other stuff like eating, writing a blog, and working for a living. No offense to the masters of this art: it just works better for you than it does for me. Plus, to do it right, you have to spend a lot of time and energy supporting other social news people.

What went right:

I did manage to develop a bunch of cool contacts, was more by chance than by design. My social news activity did provide me with a springboard into other social media sites.

2009 and beyond:

Use in moderation.

2. Niche site nothingness

What went wrong:

I tried to create a niche site as a means to make some money. The thing is, I didn’t do a good job because the topic was extremely boring to me and I didn’t put in the time and effort. Plus, the domain name that I purchased turned out to be the wrong one. I lost some time and a tiny bit of money (probably less than $25) on this little project.

What went right:

I didn’t put in the time and effort; I moved on to other things; and I learned a few new tricks.

2009 and beyond:

Only put in the time and effort if you’ve done your research, got the right thing, and you’re really willing to put in the time and effort.

3. A couch surfing potato is you!

What went wrong:

Let’s just say that I didn’t do a good job of eating right and getting enough exercise while I spent hours in front of keyboards.

What went right:

I did adjust my sleeping schedule for the better – I was staying up too late far too often. I got better at this.

2009 and beyond:

Eat better, exercise more. For that matter, exercise.

4. Not enough soul

What went wrong:

My writing was too cerebral, too abstract, and too far into the stratosphere at times. I spent too much time on theory. Part of that came from inexperience; it also stemmed from a desire to separate my work and personal life from my social media activity.

What went right:

Um, I started to realize that people were reading my stuff, not machines? Twitter became a place for me to let my hair down a bit and just be silly whenever I wanted. Also, I began to realize that some of the best content that I was consuming had a definite human touch with an emphasis on stories.

2009 and beyond:

Try to incorporate more storytelling into my work and to show a little more of who I am.

5. Seeking the favor of the rich and famous

What went wrong:

I spent a little too much time trying to get in the good favors of some of the A List bloggers in the hope that some of their magic power would rub off on me. Let’s be honest: these people are ten times busier than most of us and they only have so many hours in the day. They are besieged by offers, demands, and pleadings: who would have the time to make contact with every single person who wants their help? Better to try to build a relationship and work with someone who doesn’t have so many demands on them.

What went right:

I did have some positive interaction with quite a wide range of people in social media and the blogosphere. Some of them were much more accessible than I thought they would be. In the end they are all human like the rest of us and many are quite nice when they get a moment to breathe. At any rate, I think/hope that I’ve got this way of thinking out of my system. That’s not to say that I won’t approach someone who’s more famous or successful than I am in the future, but I believe I’ll have a better approach and frame of mind.

2009 and beyond:

Focus more on building relationships and working with people as peers, regardless of who or what they are.

6. Too much time spent looking for the big break or the big win

What went wrong:

Looking for the big break (i.e. a link, a Tweet, or a recommendation of some kind from some of greater stature) as a means to quickly boost traffic, subscriber counts, and authority does not work over the long term, especially if your own work is uneven or weak.

What went right:

Some of my guest posting/contributor opportunities (Problogger.net; Mashable.com; LouisGray.com; PistachioConsulting.com) were fairly high profile, so that does help a bit. However, you’ve got to keep creating good content and getting better or else the temporary traffic bursts and authority spikes will have no lasting value.

2009 and beyond:

Work on consistent, high quality content mainly at my own blog. I will guest post where it makes sense or where I’m truly interested in writing. I will focus more on organic growth.

7. Social media expert – not

What went wrong:

I think I focused too much on social media and technology. The more I learned, the more I realized that it wasn’t a place for me to focus. I did learn a lot about social media, but it would be more relevant to me if I had a job in marketing, PR, communications, or something that was customer-facing. I also have a nagging feeling that social media is just one tool in a professional’s toolkit, not the whole toolkit.

What went right:

I learned; I came into contact with more interesting people.

2009 and beyond:

Use the tools to do great stuff, not just to keep up with everyone else.

8. Discounting the power of images

What went wrong:

I used to take pride in note using any images at all in my blog posts. I later came to realize that pictures, images, diagrams, etc. can really add a lot of value to written content. If nothing else, it’s easier on the eyes and provides much needed variety.

What went right:

I started to experiment with images and began to see the value.

2009 and beyond:

I want to get better at incorporating images into my written content. I’m still developing a feel for it, including the type of image, size, and placement.

9. Quantity vs. quality – trying to publish daily

What went wrong:

There’s nothing wrong with writing daily, but there’s plenty wrong with publishing daily if you can’t create high quality content daily (I want to attribute this thought to Skelliewag.org, but I don’t remember the exact post). To be brutally honest, there are a lot of posts on my blog that should never have seen the light of day without more thought, more editing, and more culling.

What went right:

I’m able to resist the urge to publish daily – sometimes.

2009 and beyond:

I’m going to try to post less often, but increase the quality of my writing. I’m more interested in producing evergreen content than new or limited lifespan material.

10. Discounting the power of face-to-face and local presence

What went wrong:

This is more of a lost opportunity than anything else. I have always tried to make Broadcasting Brain a global blog (i.e. not trying to aim it at any specific location, country, etc.) that’s relevant to anyone in any part of the world. I have typically downplayed where I’m from except to note that I live in a small town in a small part of the world. However, it

What went right:

I’ve been reaching out a bit more to people in my part of Canada without sacrificing a global focus, I think.

2009 and beyond:

I won’t ignore my own part of the world. I also want to try to get to a conference of some kind this year, plus get to at least a couple of Third Tuesday events.

So, how about you? Got any mistakes that you’d like to share?

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