From Australia with Love

We already know I have a split personality so I will probably take forever. And I like stories that work. My trackback function has been broken so I have no idea if this will work. Gavin Heaton from Servant of Chaos is about to hit 500 inbound links -- you can help him make that happen by linking to his blog for the first time. That is the deal so it cannot be me, I've already linked to Servant of Chaos a couple of times.

Why would you want to do that?

1. When it comes to telling stories about you, Gavin is the pro. I've lost count of the people he has featured in his blog over time and I cannot remember reading one single post that did not pick up a conversation with someone else. If you spend a little time with his blog, you will discover interested people and interesting stories. I promise both will be the launching pad for deeper thinking and inspiration for your posts.
2. Blogs are online tools designed to carry on conversations with each other. The link and trackback functions are not there as beauty complements: they are what make blogs living and breathing (ok, the writers behind them breathe) testimonials of an economy that relies more on collaboration than competition. That is good.
3. When we help someone else succeed, we make room for us as well. That means that our frame of reference and context becomes making the pie bigger vs. staying busy with grabbing as much of the crumbs as possible. This is very important in business. An example of that, from our conversation in the comments of The Value of a Happy Customer is the ideas of thinking about suppliers when working with customers.
4. Helping businesses connect with each other is good for your business. This is an extension of thinking of suppliers as partners -- yours and each other's. For example, I am a one-person department at my current company. We outsource printing, design, advertising creative, and certified labeling services. I made it clear on the get go that we were all working together to serve our customers: my company's customers and each other. Over time, each of these companies discovered the strengths and skill they each brought to the table and started cross-referring business. And they worked better together to help us grow our business.
5. You can be a guest blogger at Servant of Chaos and meet new bloggers. Expand your horizons, make new friends, and find out what it means to blog in another environment. Immerse yourself in the world of branding and storytelling of another time zone: Gavin blogs from Sydney, Australia.

How do you say "love" in the blogosphere? Through a link.

Comments

[David Armano]

Gavin's blog is one of my favorites and he is indeed a gifted storyteller and a wonderful person. I'm glad we got to meet in the real world while he was in Chicago.

And What a great feature you've done here!

[Gavin Heaton]

Thanks for the kinds words Valeria ... you are so right about collaboration. Blogs give you a unique opportunity to engage in current and energetic conversations across the world.

[Mack Collier]

If for no other reason, everyone needs to be reading Gavin's blog because if the wonderful job he does in shining the spotlight on other bloggers. Being a good community member is probably the most important factor in growing a blog, and this is where Gavin excels.

[Valeria Maltoni]

David -- After Friday's blogger meet up in Manhattan I am even more determined to meet more of you in the flesh. I have been an admirer of Gavin's easy style for a long time.

Gavin -- some days I think that all we need is really only love. The rest will take care of itself. Your spirit shines through and makes some of those harder days a lot easier to get through.

Mack -- I truly believe that helping people connect with each other ultimately benefits the connectors. Your meticulous tracking of the top marketing blogs is one example of that. Thank you for stopping in.