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EmailAndrew Norcross from RestlessLikeMe.com - Less theory more practicality
Contact: andrew.norcross [at] gmail.com
Twitter: @norcross
Websites: http://restlesslikeme.com/
Career: Investment Officer (Money Manager) for Raymond James Trust, NA (Part of Raymond James & Associates http://www.raymondjames.com/trust/)
Passions: “Technology, esp how it has become so integrated into our everyday life. Not specific to social media, per se”
I met Andrew on the blogosphere when he left a comment on my blog. It was actually a very insightful comment, and not one of those “Hey, you have a great blog” that we’re all used to. Since then, we have kept in close conversation through Twitter and I have come to respect many of his opinions about products and online communication tools.
In this interview, we go into an interesting discussion about blog topics and credibility. Andrew feels that too many people online are creating “How to” posts that are simply based on theory. Instead of writing posts based on theory that help no one, people should only give advice when they have 1st hand experience.
I feel that blogs are a great platform to teach your theories and let people know about how you think something should be done. However, I do agree that practicality in posts will make your blog stand out and make it that much more effective. What do you think?
Conversation Breakdown:
1:26 - What do you love to write about?
Andrew has actually be restrained in his writing because of his temper. He feels that 500 words is too short to explain how he really feels.
2:46 - If you didn’t have to work another day in your life for money, what would you be doing?
Andrew would be programming. He is completely self-taught and wishes he could devote time to refine his skills
3:35 - You have several projects, are married, and have a child, how do you balance everything?
Andrew sleeps only 5 hours a night. More importantly, he prioritizes his life very well. Everything is not equal - his wife and his son take priority over everything else.
5:57 - You’re very opinionated online. Do you have any pet-peeves about what’s going on online?
Andrew feels that the information provided by the “untouchables” (like Seth Godin) is constantly being imitated and regurgatated. He wants to see more practicality and less theory in blog posts.
8:06 - Are you saying that just because you’re 20, you can’t be an expert?
Andrew is not saying you can’t be an expert strictly due to age; it’s all about the experience that you have. Just because you have 6 months of experience, does NOT mean you are an expert in your industry or topic.
9:55 - Where do you want to be three years from now?
If all goes to plan, Andrew will be a consultant that helps companies utilize new technology to create a stronger company.
Man am I glad you post those summaries! Andrew is right on the money with his comments about Seth Godin (who is a great guy, has a lot of genius in him!), saying that it’d be nice to see less regurgitation. That said, I think there is an ample, if not equal, amount of “practicality” posts online that just end up being “59 thing you’re not doing in social media that you should be!” laundry lists. These quickly become just as meaningless, as those who really need them still don’t understand the theory behind them, and those that do understand the theory typically don’t need more than 2 or 3 suggestions from that list. Big waste of time on everybody’s part.
It all comes down to action, which most people don’t do enough of. We sit around and read articles, watch videos, etc. but, it seems to me anyway, most of us tend to just sit back & nod in agreement, save the bookmark, and then move on to the next RT from Twitter.
Tyler, social media has really allowed anyone to become an “expert” in something. Even if you have no practical experience in it, you can teach anything through words and theory. Though some blogs are helpful, I do see that most are just regurgitating information to build traffic or to build their personal brand. It loses a sense of authenticity.
With that said, I think I will make a top ten list of practical blogs who have actually put their advice into action.
That would be something I’d love to see. Action is a great benchmark for most theories.
I am a learner by nature. I love to learn from what’s around me, from my experiences. I also connect things - what I’m learning in grad school with experinces from work or the thoughts of those I respect online. I think this impacts my writing. The difference is, and the questions that Andrew is getting at seems to be, do I always talk about those things in a way that reveals I am speaking from experience? I don’t know. It would be interesting to look.
The problem also, with credibility and speaking with authority you’ve earned, is that right now, so much of what we know we are also learning (whether you are 20 or 50 - I mean everyone). It’s a paradigm-shifting time, not just in media, but in the world in general.
And to write with authority on something that’s evolving requires a heavy dose of confidence, transparency, and adaptability. Are those things teachable or inherent? I’m not sure, but I do know that they are practicable.
Thanks for the interview! Lots of good things to think about.
It seems to me, here, in the beginning of the internet-based digital social media, we are working out many kinks. Re-Tweets, Re-Posting, link blogs. etc. are the ways information gets passed thru this media. It may be that we can now transition to a place where we can trust that people who need certain information will find it, without us passing it along.
It may be helpful to have an open wiki version of all the how-to lists, a WikiTutorial service. Those who need to know, can get up-to-date, considered instruction trusting that it is continually improved by users experience.
Great interview!
I totally agree that a lot of people could have great ideas and theories on a certain subject, but until they have been in the field for long enough or have actually accomplished things in it, they are not considered an expert!
1.) Andrew is an AWESOME guy who I’m really glad I’ve had the chance to connect with because I think we’re two very different people, yet have mutual respect for each others’ thoughts and opinions.
2.) He’s been my tech/coding/programming savior guy. I borrowed him from Holly Hoffman. [Side note: Can you interview her? Only if she promises to say crazy shit that only she and PT would say aloud?]
3.) I stay away from Andrew with politics. He’d slay me, but I do listen from afar to some of he and Milena’s discussions.
4.) Some really good, insightful comments here. I like Tyler’s point that there’s a lot of practical posts (at least by design) that aren’t very useful either. I try to keep in mind that someone people write for themselves, and publicize it so others can share in the learning process with them - and that we’re all in different stages of where we’re at. We also choose what we want to read.
5.) This space we live in is VERY fast-paced, and the paradigm is shifting and I think you do need to be taking action, but you definitely have to mix in the reading required to stay abreast amongst all the noise currently being emitted.