Photo Credit: Nakiea Nakiea (Flickr)
I got up to write this morning but I have been so out of the writing game that I feel overwhelmed by the absence of momentum. In the search for distractions, I decided to read through unpublished poems and essays that I have written.
From this, I realize that I don’t really have to write anything new. I actually have text that I can publish weekly for the next few months. But where? Where will I publish them?
And then I realize that I still have a branding problem.
You see, I spent this summer thinking through my marketing strategy. And, I really thought I had made some real progress. In general, I acknowledged that I had three platforms for producing content and was able to successfully outline a theme for each.
But, in not knowing what to do with the unpublished text I discovered this morning, I realize there is still confusion. There are overlapping areas that make me question the distinctiveness of each platform.
I read somewhere that bloggers should have multiple blogging sites to allow their blogs to really cater to a specific audience and serve a specific purpose. So what do I do now that I see that there are parts of my work that cannot be partitioned into the boxes that I have made available?
One answer could be to cross post these pieces. But, I am not sure about this. I still need a primary platform to give direction and frame to the message. I need to honor the uniqueness of the platform… the message and the followers. Even in the overlap– or even better, especially in the overlap— I need to give these pieces meaningful relevance.
To solve this dilemma, I finally launched a new platform I had been considering for a while: Mary Mariah. I knew that I needed a place to talk through the personal and sociological intersections of my work with empowerment. I believe the absence of this platform caused confusion on how to thematically protect the other three, especially when the parts of the business that constitute the work (the work of empowerment) does in fact overlap.
Please find some time to go check out Mary Mariah. In that PBS Development is about personal development as much as it is about business and school development, I truly believe my personal journey with empowerment (as my business and my deep spiritual conviction) can be helpful. To others also on a journey of trying to live out that which is professed, I hope my story (and my struggle for transparency) can offer insight and encouragement.
In the meantime, I am excited by the heightened clarity that will come through my other blogs as the result of Mary Mariah. And, I look forward to capitalizing on the opportunities that an interrelated, multisite blogging platform will render.
In closing, let me share a quote from the first Mary Mariah post.
(My personal intersections with empowerment) is the impetus of the blog, more so than my love for politics. It is a deep conviction that empowerment is not a text book experience nor is it one that stands alone. It is one where all of us must come face to face with resistance (some more than others) and all must submit to the vulnerability and the learning curve that come along as companions.
Hopefully through the blog, others will be encouraged to embrace their personal intersections and ultimately, clarify their brand as I have.
Owner/Senior Consultant
PBS Development
Executive Director (Interim)
The Empowerment Network
