Here’s the challenge that is weighing rather heavily on me as we enter the new year. As a blogger, I just don’t feel I can keep up with two primary professional blogs and a business blog for BaileyHill Media (let alone trying to continually grow BaileyHill Media’s business). I now realize that what I once loved to do has become an arduous chore and I don’t like it. So while there’s no perfect solution I’m trying to figure out what will allow me to sustain my passion for blogging ideas, my desire for further building a community here, and my commitment to helping our growing stable of clients at BaileyHill Media.

My chief challenge is that my interests don’t fall into one particular niche. I might talk about employee engagement issues one day, online community development another day, and finish the week with thoughts on creativity. I see these somewhat eclectic interests as a personal strength but understand they can also be a detriment to generating salient content that folks want to read. If you subscribe to read more about improving organizational leadership, you may not care at all about how to build a better Facebook community. And I really don’t want to be hamstrung into only writing about one thing…that wouldn’t be authentic to who I am.

I need your help and would love to get your feedback on what I’m considering as my next step.

The option I’m heavily considering right now is to consolidate Alchemy of Soulful Work and Gravit8 Interactivity into a single online presence (likely to be located at chrisbaileyworks.com) that would serve all niches. It would be focused on me and the somewhat disparate interests I have: future of work, organizational development, management and leadership, social business, business anthropology, online communities, social media and web communication, etc., etc. In many ways, I can see the overlap…but here’s what I really want to know: would you still subscribe and read my writing? As much as I sometimes try to pretend it doesn’t matter, I do need you as a reader and commenter. Your thoughtful feedback to my posts are part of the dialogue that I value.

So, there’s the question that I want to pose to you. If you’re a reader of Alchemy, would you mind reading more of the things I write about at Gravit8; and it’s the same question if you’re a reader of Gravit8. Or would you prefer and advise that I continue to keep the niches separate and find ways to maintain a writing regimen that emphasizes both of these blogs?

For this post – perhaps more than almost any other that I’ve written in a while – I do need your comments and advice. Thanks so much.

Prompted and inspired by Jay Ehret (@TheMarketingGuy), I thought I would take a look at which blogposts were the most popular in 2009 based on total pageviews. Here they are, ranked by popularity and with my own reflections:

1. The Power Of A…So Close Yet So Very Far Away
Nothing like a good controversy to drive traffic to a blog. Earlier this year, the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) decided to create a new campaign called The Power of A. I didn’t like it at the time and am still not convinced it was well executed. However, it did provide a rather pointed example of what happens when you engage a major PR firm with little prowess in online social media to run your campaign.

2. The End Of The Industrial Age And Social Media
This was a useful example of what happens when a highly visible and well regarded twitter user promotes a post. In this case, it was David Armano and I am very appreciative of him sharing his popularity with me.

3. VIDEO: Building Your Brand Ambassador Program
Crikey, every time I see this post I ask myself in an exasperated voice, “Why the hell don’t I do more multimedia posts?” Probably because it was twice as hard to produce than a typical written post. The presentation that forms the basis of the content is one that I gave to a local nonprofit group. Maybe I’ll pitch the presentation again in 2010 with some subtle refinements.

4. Five Steps To Make Employees Your Best Brand Ambassadors
Technically, this post was written in 2008 but it makes for a nice followup with the Brand Ambassador video above.

5. Micro Center And The Art Of A Good Apology
I enjoy coming back to this particular post because it reminds me of what can happen when a company gives a damn about customer service. Whether Micro Center continued its good work or not…I can’t say. All of which is why one example of good customer service is fine, but it has to be demonstrated on a consistent, company-wide basis.

It’s always interesting when my favorite posts aren’t exactly the ones that are most popular with readers in terms of pageviews. Here are two of my favorites from the past year:

Beyond Engaged Community Members…Think Stewardship
I love the comments and dialogue that this post inspired. The idea of online community stewardship is one that continues to resonate with me. I hope I get to make more time in 2010 to explore this concept in more detail.

The (Weak) Ties That Bind: The Jobhunting/Social Network Connection
2009 marked in interesting year for me. I started up a new business and also had a hand in helping unemployed folks find new work. This post combined my interests in social networks and job hunting.

Over this past year, I’ve been blessed to make many new friends and build relationships that will only become stronger in the coming years. I hope that if you’ve been reading this blog for a while that you’ve found it useful and insightful. And if you’re brand new, I hope you’ll come back and engage in the dialogue.

Best wishes for a successful and kickass 2010!

Next Monday, I’m leading a presentation here in Austin on engaging your online brand ambassadors. It’s intended for the nonprofit crowd but I guarantee that there will be applicability to your business or agency, as well.

Finding and keeping passionate supporters for your organization is challenging no matter the economic climate. With so many competing demands for attention (and wallets) today, you need to think strategically and creatively about keeping your causes at the top of the public’s mind. Your nonprofit also needs to reconsider how it forms relationships with supporters so they remain engaged and wanting to tell others about your organization’s work.

We’ll talk about three keys that every nonprofit should know when it comes to finding and embracing online brand ambassadors:

1. Content
2. Meaning
3. Conversations

At the end of the session, you’ll walk away with the basics toward a gameplan that you can use in your nonprofit to better engage your unique community and have them wanting to tell the world about your causes.

Location: Austin Free-Net, 2209 Rosewood Ave, Austin TX [MAP]
Date: May 18, 2009
Start Time: 5:30pm
End Time: 7:00pm

RSVP at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=79231232073

05.21.09 – Update
I have posted a slightly modified video presentation of the one I gave to the Austin 501 Tech Club. The 28 minute video includes five keys and a branding model you can use in your organization.

Don’t worry…I’m not abandoning Bailey WorkPlay. But I am putting this enterprise and blog on semi-hiatus to focus my attention on building my consulting practice and Gravit8 Social Marketing. Right now, Gravit8 and the consulting I provide to organizations building online social communities is where more opportunities lie for business growth. So, here’s the plan and how you can help:

1. Visit Gravit8 Social Marketing and subscribe to my feed – in particular if you’re engaged in work involving online communities, engaging customers/members/constituents, and social media.
2. Visit Chris Bailey Consulting Works and subscribe to my feed there. I’ll be posting new resources, upcoming presentations and speaking gigs, and other goodies there.
3. If you like what you read and know about the work that I do, please consider referring business my direction. As someone who has spent his career working with organizations to increase their customer acquisition and retention, I can’t say enough about how important referrals are (and how much I truly appreciate them).

Thanks, y’all…I’ll be back soon.

This is a new venture for me, but one long in the making. In addition to my passion for probing work and workplace issues through Bailey WorkPlay, I’m also keenly interested in how organizations (both nonprofit and forprofit) communicate their brand. Gravit8 is a way for me to contribute to the idea that organizations market themselves best when they actively build relationships with their customers, members, donors, and clients. It’s these relationships that make for positively raving advocates and fans that aren’t shy to tell others about your remarkable products and services. Enjoy what you read here. And if Gravit8 can do anything to help your nonprofit or business succeed through social relationship marketing, don’t be shy to contact me.

Cheers, Chris