That Is The Right Question
“It’s not how much you make per hour. It’s how much you make per year.”
– Lloyd Bliss (My father)
When I first started working I remember being proud of the amount I earned per hour. Maybe I was mowing lawns. Or maybe I it was mucking hours stalls. But, I’d get work hard and manage to earn something amazing like $10 or $12 per hour. The point was it was only for a single hour. My dad used to remind me that it’s not a single hour, it’s what you get for a year.
The most I’ve ever made in my career (per hour) was $250. That’s the equivalent of $500,000 per year. (I did NOT earn a half million per year.) I did earn pretty good money that year consulting.
I don’t do consulting anymore. Now, I’m a writer. (BTW, typically writers earn less than minimum wage when you chart it out. Most of us anyway. ) Writers write. But, we also need to sell our work. And do that requires readers. . .and viewers.
Last week I posted on LinkedIn and got a really good response.
My brother is an expert on increasing your reach on LinkedIn. People pay him a lot of money for his help. And he’s really good. He’s my brother, so he helps me for because he can.
As the views on my post kept rising, I looked at the data on who was looking at my post. By far the largest group were people who had a job title of author. I DM’d my brother,
Looks like the bulk of people viewing my post are exactly the people I’m trying to influence.
That’s exactly the right answer
He was pointing out that while a large number of views on a post is exciting, it’s really about making sure the right group of people are seeing your post. And it was exciting to see a post getting noticed.
This week I created another post on LinkedIn. Typically I post once per week. This week’s post? Not nearly as effective.
As I was lamenting the difference between last week and this week, I remembered my father’s counsel. He passed away before social media became a thing. Had he been around for it, and if he cared, I’m sure he’d have pointed out that it’s not the number of views on a post, it’s the number of views per year.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
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