I found myself enjoying (for lack of a better term) an existential crisis in terms of my CultureFeast identity. For so long, I focused on the Google Analytics, and constantly looked for blog topics that would draw in search visitors. But I don’t need to rank for Randy Galloway’s name or discuss the latest web 2.0 news to enjoy a fulfilling blog culture. CultureFeast has been anything but focused, and that means I have been anything but focused.

I reprimanded myself this evening when I realized that I no longer enjoyed blogging. I contribute to four blogs and one article column, and I am sick and tired of fitting into the mold of SEO / copywriter / PR consultant. Each of those jobs can be rewarding to the right person, but that person is not me… at least, not right now.

Yes, I will continue to offer those services to those in need. But there’s more to me than marketing. Way before I knew anything about marketing, I wanted to write books. I wanted to tell stories and I wanted to share life experiences. Ideally, I would find a market in young, curious adults who have more questions than answers. No, I don’t pretend to offer all the solutions to life’s problems, but perhaps I could share some wisdom that would make other people’s lives easier and less confusing.

The problem with writing from the heart is that people read what you write. It’s much like journaling, only without the privacy. That means that in the midst of my professional pursuits, those snoopy clients, employers, etc. may very well track me down online and read these words and reconsider working with me based on my publicized opinions and views.

Hence the spineless underpinnings of the blogosphere. Those intensely popular and utterly shallow industry blogs. Okay, I’m being a bit harsh, but only because I have no respect for an industry that promotes lives without political, ethical, spiritual, or moral beliefs. Everyone is so nice, they have no personality. We’re all a bunch of identity-less bloggers who have sold out to become well known.

Well, you can have it. I’d rather be uncommon. I’d rather be true to myself than to make millions as the how-to guy.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Here are a few numbers for this website for April 21 - May 21, 2007:

8,842 unique visits

12,161 pageviews

1.38 pages per visit

8,167 visitors from search engines

471 visitors from direct URL entry

204 visitors from referring sites

Traffic is up yet again. Good news. The only thing that’s not so great is the amount of traffic from referring sites. This means that we need more inbound links.

Popularity: 9% [?]

For those of you looking at CultureFeast, wondering, How much traffic does this site really get? What kind of ROI can I expect from advertising on this blog?

Whether you’re interested in advertising or not, here’s the skinny:

Traffic is way up. The site saw 3,766 visitors and 5,505 page views in the past 18 days (April 13th to April 30th). May 1st saw 245 visitors in one day. That’s small beans to megastars like Copyblogger and Problogger, but it’s good news for us.

Posting has been slow lately, due to busy schedules. I’m even more amazed at our traffic since we’re currently getting more new content daily from Papaya Clothing Company fans’ comments than actual blog posts.

I have a list of topics to cover in the near future, so keep checkin’ in and drop us a note whenever you can.

Oh, and I want to recognize Sarah Kuglin. She’s been a friend for ten years, and she’s one of the first to create a MyBlogLog account. The rest of you need to get off your duffs and setup your profiles. Since most of my friends are technology illiterate, one of my next posts may be a list of communities and websites everyone should join…. Yeah… that’s a good idea.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Yesterday’s post gave me reason to pause and reflect on how I experienced some of the music I mentioned. I can remember the anger, the resentment, the sorrow, and the pain I continually stirred up with those songs. Those songs helped me to develop a false sense of strength, pride, and superiority. These feelings always stayed locked inside. I was never very expressive of my deepest feelings.

Let’s get raw on purpose. I’ve wasted too much time attempting to be some super special blogger whom everyone will link to and quote. It’s simply not me. So let’s dispense with the formalities and pick up where I left off a long time ago - just sharing my thoughts.

I can guarantee you that there will be topics I refuse to cover. There will be feelings I refuse to disclose. I may express my opinions more than feelings, but they will be genuine. On top of all that, I may not write very often. I have neglected my journal (the actual, physical book) for too long. I need to get back into it, so you may only find a couple posts per week at times while others you may find several posts per day.

CultureFeast just hasn’t been a predictable site, so I can’t promise anything will last forever. There have been more than a dozen different ideas for the “identity” of this site. They all flopped, for the most part. For better or worse, I am the identity of this website. I hope you will contribute because I really enjoy engaging conversations. Please leave comments whenever you think of them. This isn’t about the money. It’s about the interaction. It’s you who makes this thing worthwhile.

Popularity: 2% [?]

It occurs to me that if you read, oh let’s say, ten of my posts in a row, you probably would wonder what the hell this blog is for. I wonder sometimes myself.

It all started with MySpace - yes, the beast of the marketplace that will one day vanquish Google and take the title of “Supreme Being On the Web”. As I was saying, it all started with MySpace. I joined because a friend of mine insisted. Pretty soon I was all into it: decorating my profile page, selecting the music, uploading the right photos, looking for friends, and writing my first real blog. I still have two blogs I started on Blogger.com before then that rarely see any action.

But MySpace was different. I could see when people were visiting my profile, I knew how many times my blog was viewed. I had a list of people who had subscribed to my blog and I could see pictures of their faces. It was personal, man. I loved it. I shared very personal thoughts, ideas, emotions, and memories with those people. They responded to many of the things I wrote. I had total strangers who weren’t even subscribers send me emails to thank me for sharing how much I love my wife. I touched people’s lives.

Of course, I couldn’t always write on the heavy, emotional side. A guy needs a break. The unfortunate side of blogs is the relatively short attention span of most people. If you stop writing for more than two days, you just lost a chunk of readers. My goal was to build a readership and then try to transport them to this website.

It didn’t work. For one, I started writing here more often than there because I was using this for business and I wanted to show how I can write. Not only that - i was impatient too. My MySpace readers needed another month or two at least to become habitual readers of my blog. Then they would have taken the time to click to another website just to read my stuff. Well, live and learn.

Right now, my blog pages are being viewed approximately 200 times per day. It’s not that I’m trying to feel important. What I’m trying to do is build a reputation. This is me slowly establishing rapport with a community of readers. Yes I’m building a reputation through each contract writing project, but the reputation is with a small group of businesspeople. I want to reach the masses. I want to connect with the everyday man and woman. I don’t want to be anyone’s savior. I don’t want to be a celebrity - just one of your favorite writers.

The haphazard topics and photos come from whatever stage of growth I’m now in. I have a lot of opinions. I don’t necessarily need to share them all. I guess this is both my way of building a readership and honing my craft at the same time. Perhaps a handful of people someday will be able to say that they enjoyed the priceless journey of watching me evolve and mature into an excellent writer - a poet. That is my hope. For now, I’m just more than a little bizarre.

Popularity: 2% [?]

I’ve spent a little time lately promoting the CultureFeast name, listing my copywriting services in directories similar to MarketingTool.com. My copywriting company is listed under Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, as well as the major cities in Ohio and California (they use copywriters more in those areas than in most other parts of the country).

Some companies don’t look outside of their city for contract or freelance help, and that’s fine if they are comfortable with their local selection. I personally think it would be much cooler to truthfully be able to say that you have offices in another city or state in the country. That is one small benefit for smaller or young businesses. Another is extending the reach of your contacts and resources. It’s a strategic move to begin working with writers, designers, and programmers in other cities if you plan to cover more territory within the U.S. Those people function as new bases of operations in each new city. Their resources become your resources. Imagine the opportunities.

I recently printed new business cards. I’ve been wanting to show them off on the web, but the scanner I use keeps cutting off the last line on the back of my card. Just imagine that it shows my web address: www.culturefeast.com
My services aren’t limited to those listed on the back of the card. With limited room, I selected those most likely to be needed and which I have the most experience. I also offer brochure writing, creative ad copywriting, taglines, slogans, etc. If it’s creative, it’s up my alley.

If you or someone you know is looking for a professional copywriter in the Dallas area or anywhere else, let’s talk. I do what I say I’ll do, even if it costs me. There is nothing more important in business partnerships than a reputation for honesty and reliability.

In all honesty, you can find many cheaper copywriters and many that are more expensive. You can get your work done for pennies on the dollar if you go through India or auction your services on websites like elance.com. I started off working on elance, and I realized that I wasn’t going to make a living at it. Writers bid insanely low for projects that cannot possibly be profitable for them unless they farm the work out to contract writers in India, and I know some of them do.
Just FYI. I’m not the only fish in the sea, and I don’t pretend to be. I’m okay with that. My business relationships are less about negotiations and more about relationships. I like to keep in touch with people and help them out in any way I can.

Look, the “civilized” world is only getting busier and busier, with more gadgets that interrupt more of our days and steal precious moments from real relationships. You may not be able to reverse the bursting dam of Progress, but you can choose your business relationships carefully and intentionally work with people who remember how to be people.

I know it sounds crazy. Just think about it.

Popularity: 2% [?]