Merlin Man Keynote – “Don’t Be a Dick!”

There are few “great” speakers out there, but Merlin Man can definitely fall into this class. Unlike other speakers, Merlin was able to keep the audience’s attention, while getting his point across. For anyone who attended IzeaFest, but wasn’t able to make the keynote… it’s unfortunate. Luckily if you did miss the keynote, or couldn’t even make it to IzeaFest at all, the video of the keynote is still available online.

Merlin Man runs 43Folders.com and writes a lot about blogging and how to best manage your time and keep everything together. While the title of the post may come across as funny or offensive, it plays well into how a blog should be run. Your blog is not only a place where you get to write about whatever you want, but it is also your home… Merlin Man gave a good example on the concept of writing a blog post. If you were told to write a 500 word paper, then throw it out… you would write it differently and with a lot more attention than if you had to write and actually give it to a teacher for a grade, or for a special occasion.

The main slide show for Man’s presentation was the following and broken down into several different steps for managing your blog and writing.

Find your obsession.
Every day, explain it to
one person you respect.
Edit everything, skip shortcuts,
and try not to be a dick.
Get better.

The end result is putting more work into your blog (posts) and not coming off as sloppy or completely arrogant in the process. Don’t be afraid of what people think of your posts. Be honored by others reading and leaving feedback on your blog… and lastly, don’t be a dick and keep getting better!

Merlin Man was a great addition to the IzeaFest event, be sure to check out his blog at 43Folders.com.