Zach Owenby

Rubio's Enchilada Plate

At lunch early today, over a cheese enchilada, black beans, rice, chips, and a Diet Coke®, I had yet another engaging conversation with a friend of mine. As is often the case with our lunch conversations, the topic tends to focus on the current state of social media and its (mis)use nationally and globally. Today however, the conversation was a slightly different as I was topic of discussion.

Several years ago, when I had first decided I wanted to start a blog, I made the decision that I would not use my blog as simply a digital soap box from which to express contempt and angst to the rest of the blogsphere (or at least those who cared to listen). Like any other tool in our arsenal, social media can be used for both good and bad, or productive and unproductive purposes, and I would like to be known as someone who uses social media in a positive and productive manner. That’s not to say that there might not be an occasional treatise-turn-diatribe somewhere along the line (I’m human after all).

The prior flashback precipitated the following statement to my friend – “Quality blogging is hard!“

I consider myself a decent writer, but it comes at the expense of a significant time investment. Past colleagues had even gone as far to suggest pursuing an English degree. But writing alone is not what motivates me. I have always held considerable respect for those who write for a living, especially since I have spent the better part of an hour getting this far into my post. In fact, this week I have spent more time blogging than working on more important tasks (ahem… school work?), so I hope that this is a classic example of practice making perfect.

I will admit that at this early stage of my blogging development, the frequency by which I post is driven by both my excitement for the new experience, and the lack of content present in my blog. So the question in my mind is, if quality trumps quantity, how does one define quality? Isn’t quality subjective, especially in the blogsphere? Companies, both large and small, often use mission statements as a means of expressing their ethos to their employees and shareholders. The problem I have with mission statements are that so many of them are soulless and without meaning. They are a collection of words, typically printed on an image of a setting sun, a sweeping vista, or a vibrant collage of color, and placed in a decorative photo frame. You might even find the company logo in the image somewhere. Perhaps my opinion of mission statements explains why I am such a fan of Demotivators®. So in order to answer my question of how to define quality, I first must define the rules by which I will blog. Rather than create a personal mission statement, which by my own opinion would be pointless, I will define my values. You mean there is a difference?

A mission statment is designed to convey the purpose behind an organization, identify shareholders, outline responsibilities of said organization to said shareholders, and possibly include the services offered by the organization. Values on the other hand define guiding principals such as moral and ethical beliefs, personal priorities and strategic goals, and desired behaviors. In other words, values give meaning and context to words in a way a personal mission statement cannot.

Therefore, beginning today, I will architect a living values statement that will be used as a guide to grow not only this blog, but myself as an individual.

http://www.zachowenby.com/values/