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In this episode of the GradBlogger podcast we talk about causing a ruckus and creating the change you want in the world through your blogging business. We discuss the anatomy of a movement and why you need to dream big with the change you want in the world. We also cover tips you can use to increase the change you are creating and why the world does not need more “starving artists” putting material into the world for free.
Disclosure: Some of the links in the podcast show notes and transcripts are affiliate links (indicated with [Affiliate] in front). If you choose to make a purchase through these links GradBlogger will earn a commission from that purchase at no extra cost to you.
Introduction
[00:00:00] Welcome to Episode #3 of the GradBlogger podcast, where we help academics build businesses and change the world through blogging, podcasting and video!
I’m your host, Dr. Chris Cloney and in today’s episode we’re talking about causing a ruckus and creating the change that you want to see in the world through your blogging, through your podcasting, through your video creation and through creating your platform online.
So those of you that have been following along, you’ll note that the first three episodes of the podcast have been focused on what I call the three Cs to building a business around blogging. The first is content. You need to get good at creating content and you need to really practice that muscle of creating and shipping into the world. The second step is creating a community around your work. This is not necessarily a paid community. It could be, but it’s actually creating a feeling or a group of people that really believe in what you’re doing. We’ll talk a little bit in a couple of minutes about what that might look like.
How to change the world?
[00:00:55] And then the third step (not really for the faint of heart) is planning the change you want to see in the world and creating it. So there will come a time in your blogging journey when this becomes applicable. For some people it might be at the very start. For me, it wasn’t. It took a year or two of actually blogging, putting material into the world before I saw it. But I realized that I could actually make a difference in what I was doing with this community, with this platform, with the content is putting out.
Understand the anatomy of a movement
[00:01:16] I realized that I could actually target something that I want to achieve in the world and actually go about setting it into motion. Later we will talk a bit about my story and how that looks as well, but before we get into that, I want to talk about an idea that I first came across when reading the book [Affiliate] Tribes by Seth Godin. This is a really thin book, a quick read, but it’s got a ton of really, really useful information!
In Tribes, Seth outlines what he calls the “Anatomy of a Movement”. And this is synonymous in his words, to causing a ruckus. Doing this really big, hairy, scary thing that you want to do in the world. In the book he says there’s three things to the anatomy of a movement:
- A common narrative
- Connection between the community
- An action, something for the community to do
You might notice that this maps really well to our three Cs. The common narrative is your platform and the content you’re creating, whether it is written content through a blog, whether it’s podcasting, whether it’s video. Each can provide that common narrative that you’re putting out into the world. We covered this in the first podcast episode Content creation strategies for your research blog.
Then there is providing connection between the community. This is all about building that community, making people feel involved, getting them to help spread the word, and have them really believe in what you’re doing. We covered this in the second podcast episode Three steps to build a community around your blog.
If you really want to harness the power of that community and make big change in the world, then this third step in Seth’s anatomy of a movement is also important to do. This is the change part. So once you have this group, once you create this material you’re putting out, you say, well OK, what can we actually do in the world to make change?
That’s really what we’re about in this podcast. GradBlogger is about helping academics build a business from blogging about your research or your expertise and then use that to actually change something in the world. That’s really the third step of providing something to do for your community.
Don’t be scared to be niche
[00:02:56] So I want to take a moment to talk about one of the biggest fears that I commonly hear from people when they’re thinking of starting to blog or podcast about their research area.
And that’s the fear of being too niche, being too small, having too small of an audience. Maybe that won’t convert into a business or maybe, you know, they won’t come to your blog in the first place. But I always encourage people to actually start as small as you can. It is better to start really small and work your way out, then to start really broad and try to work your way back in.
I’ll give you an example. The amount of change you can actually put into the world, this whole act of causing a ruckus, is inversely proportional to to the size of your audience. If you try to blog to everyone that does history research or everyone that does science research. Then you’re going to struggle to make a really big, impactful change in those that audience’s lives.
But say you niche down geographically and blog only to families where both parents are academics, where they are tenure track and they’re located in the Midwest. Well, then you could probably change their whole summer, maybe even the whole childhood of those children and that family by telling them what they can do with their family, how they can best make use of their summer vacations or whatever makes the most sense for that audience.
Say you niche down even further and you blog only to single mothers who have children with autism. You might be able to change that families whole life. You may be able to show them where the best place is to go to get help when they need it. Here’s the best way to do certain activities, or help them with treatment. You could actually change their entire life, because you are blogging to a very small niche.
That’s what I mean when I say that the amount of change you can put into the world, into people’s lives, is inversely proportional or goes up as you reduce the size of your audience. So it is really important to try and niche down as much as you can, especially at the start.
And my recommendation is that a great place to start is the thing you’re doing every day. The journal papers you’re reading every day. The academic research that you’re trying to do. Because we all know that only five or six or seven people are going to read our PhD thesis – this is a very small niche!
Dream big… really big!
[00:05:04] That’s where I started and then worked my way out. So with that, I want to talk a bit about my story, about dreaming big.
If you have listened to the first podcast episode and the second, you’ll know a bit about my story. I started blogging in late 2016 about my my academic research involving dust explosions, which is a subclass of industrial safety, which is a subclass of industrial engineering or chemical engineering.
This is very, very, very niche. I don’t even blog about all explosions that are happening, only ones that involve solid particulate powders and materials. So I start blogging in 2016 about that topic. I started to build a community throughout 2017 and started to monetize in late 2017. We’ll talk a lot about that in the podcast moving forward.
But how this relates to creating a change and causing a ruckus comes from early 2018 – near the end of my thesis. I started writing in December of 2017 and it took me three or four months to get the thesis put together. At the same time, I was really starting to see what the impact of building this this blog could be and what building my independent research company could be.
On April 16th, 2018, I defended my thesis. It was a Monday and on the 17th, the incorporation went through for my company. I didn’t really plan it that way, but it’s just happen to be the next day that DustEx Research Ltd. became a corporate entity. And then the following Monday after that, I traveled to the largest trade show in powder handling industries in North America.
This was the Powder and Bulk Solids International Powder Show. And at that conference, I actually launched my company and our big idea, which was something I’d been thinking about since actually starting to create content in this space. This big idea was a global tracking platform for dust fires and explosions. From these incidents we would determine the effects on workers, the effects on the facilities involved, generate lessons learned, and get an idea of how we can stop these from happening, stop them from killing people.
So my goal and my mission with DustEx Research is to have a year with zero fatalities worldwide by 2038. So over the next 20 year period. And with the Incident Database, with the DustSafetyScience.com website and with the DustSafetyScience podcast we are really saying, how how bad are things right now? How many are happening?
So that was the big change I dreamed up. And this was from my expert opinion Roundup post that I talked about in Episode 1 and Episode 2.
“From the roundup, I got to see that the issues that we have in Canada are different than the issues that we have the United States. They’re different than the issues that we have in Africa, and the issues we have in Brazil. And that I could be that kind of global connection between all those different groups.”
I could also advocate on a government level with my research as an independent company on what was needed to further this mission. I could be a connection that could really drive industry to participate better with the people that are providing safety equipment, safety services, and also really provide a conduit for research.
And I was, needless to say, pretty nervous when I went to this conference because I had presented lots during my my academic career, but never in front of this kind of industry group or a trade association. And I actually found myself dialing back the message the days leading up to the presentation. However, after reading tribes again, I decided not to dial the message back. I said no, I have to keep it in because otherwise how am I going to know if this is actually going to be accepted?
So I went and got on the center stage, in front of a couple hundred people and said, this is what we’re going to do. We’re going to change the world. Lets stop dust explosions from killing people all over the globe. And that was a really scary thing. That was my change that I launched since April of 2018 into the world. That’s what I’ve been working towards. Since then, we’ve recorded over 500 dust fires and explosions. We’ve done a lot of independent research and brought that in, trying to figure out how bad is the actual problem? We’ve looking into some ways that we can move towards fixing it. We’ve also started doing a lot of work with universities and government groups around the world.
At the time of recording, we get 4000 unique visitors per month coming to see our mission. 8500 page views. And this is all on a blog that’s focused on dust explosions. It’s a really small niche but we are building this really powerful platform to be able to put this change in the world.
So that’s my my dream big story. That is the change I am putting into the world with DustSafetyScience.com and DustEx Research Ltd!
Tips to Changing the World
[00:11:17] I want to give you three tips for how you can go about changing the world. As I said, when you start you might have a small idea what the changes are that you want to see. And that’s fine. Write that down as your current mission will come from a bunch of these previous versions.
I just want to put that out there, that this is going to be a process. It’s hard to believe that you can be the authority at the start. That you can have the kind of personal brand that brings you to the forefront of your research field by blogging, podcasting, and creating your online platform. But that is what we are going to show you how to do through this podcast!
Tip #1: Surround yourself with smart people
[00:11:25] The first tip is to surround yourself with smart people. And you have probably heard this before, but it is hard to implement. For me, podcasting allows this.
For example, in my DustSafetyScience Podcast, I now have a position where I can email anyone in the world that’s an expert in combustible dust and say, what are your thoughts? Would you like to get on a call and discuss? We will tape it and give the interview to the larger community. And people are really receptive. Especially once you get the ball rolling – once you have a couple of big people on your podcast, then it is a lot easier to reach out to others.
Now I have a line up and just managing the number of people that want to be on the podcast is actually pretty tough. That’s how I can surround myself with smart people though. Now, when I actually go to an event, to a conference, I get to meet these people in person and am generally at the forefront of the most important things being discussed there.
It doesn’t have to be the podcast, though. The expert Opinion Roundup post (See Episode 2) was a great way to do this as well. Just having your own platform online where you can discuss these topics is the most important step to surrounding yourself with smart people in your field.
Tip # 2: Be willing to ask questions
[00:12:23] So the second tip I want to share is to be willing to ask questions!
I heard this way of saying it from Jordan Harbinger, host of The Jordan Harbinger Show. In a previous podcast he was part of, they would always say
“We don’t know all of the answers, but we are willing to ask the questions.”
This is a great mindset and an important way to think if you want to change the word. It is hard to be open and admit you don’t know the answers, but be willing to really fish for them, and be willing to ask important questions in your field.
Tip #3: Listen more than you talk
[00:13:06] Then the third tip to changing the world is to listen more than you talk. If you find that you become willing to ask the questions, you also need to be able to sit back and listen to the answers. I came across a really good quote on this the other day when I was reading [Affiliate] If I understood you would I have this look on my face? by Alan Alda. It’s a good book for those interested in science communication. The first half was a little bit drawn out, but the second half has a lot of great tips.
The quote I really liked and am probably paraphrasing a bit is:
“In communication, unless you’re willing to be changed by the other person, you’re probably not really listening. But if you do listen, openly, naively and innocently, then there’s a chance, possibly the only chance, that a true dialogue and real communication can take place.”
When I read this quote, it actually kind of struck a chord with me. Especially the line “unless I am willing to be changed by you”. So when I get into conversations now, I actually try to say that to myself. I actually think about this quote and say “I will let you change me through this conversation” in my head. This usually gets me to tune into that conversation more, and allows me to be more open minded.
Art Pays Me – Don’t be the starving artist
[00:15:40] So above, I gave some tips on how you can go about changing the world. I want to close this podcast episode with another story.
This is a story that I think is a really important part of enhancing the impact you can have in the world, but it might not be for everyone. And building a business by creating a blog or building an online business also isn’t for everyone. There are people out there doing it just for science communication, doing it to help get the research out there. And that’s really good, but I want to share this story because it has influenced the way I have thought about what I can do in the world and how I can do it with my business, and why monetization is an important part of that.
So this this story is about three words and nine letters: Art Pays Me.
In March of 2018, before I went to the conference where I launched DustSafetyScience, I wanted some help with Search Engine Optimization for the incident database part of my business idea. The incident database is part of my content machine and in a year, we have put up almost 500 blog posts from it – but I was confused on the best ways to index and search these posts for SEO purposes.
I didn’t know who to talk to, so I reached out to a local expert in digital marketing and he put me in touch with somebody who I should talk to. So in March 2018, I sat down at the library here in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with a local guy who’s really big in the space. His name is Mike Tanner and he runs One Red Cat Media.
When I sat down with him over coffee, I was kind of intrigued with what I saw. He had on a plain red sweater, with only these three words on it: Art Pays Me. It was kind of striking to see and for some reason really stuck in my memory. But it wasn’t until January of this year, so last month, January 2019, that I learned more about these words.
Last month, I attended a local conference called PodCamp here in Halifax. And at the conference, a local artist, Duane Jones was giving a presentation about his company, Art Pays Me. Duane’s presentation and goal with his company, covered how he struggled to stay involved with his passion, fine
That is why Duane created this company and this message, Art Pays Me. To show that it doesn’t have to be that way. If you are able to make a living from your art, then you can follow your passion your entire life. He also went on to say in his presentation, that as content creators, anyone that is creating a blog, or a podcast, or is creating video, is an artist. And the whole point of the presentation was that:
“The world does not need more starving artists”
The world needs more brave artists, willing to put their work out there and be paid. And from being paid they can continue to hone and create their craft. We all deserve to be paid for what we’re creating and the change we’re putting into the world. This presentation was pretty striking to me and these three words, these nine letters, are something I kind of took to heart, especially with my business.
So I run a business from DustSafetyScience.com. I do that to generate income so I can accelerate and enhance the change that I can put into the world. If I want to go to a conference in Chicago, I can do that because my business makes money. If I want to go internationally and talk to people in Germany, Australia or China I want to be able to do that to increase my business. Or if I have to pay for a podcast hosting or any of these things that come up online, I can do it because I’ve built a business behind my independent research company.
Yes, we are mission driven. Yes, we are a goal driven, but we need some sort of income generation in order to be independent, or to actually be able to create effective change in the world. And this all comes back to this concept: Art Pays Me.
This presentation by Duane, had a big impact on my thinking of what it means to monetize your passion. I would encourage you to check out his fashion brand at ArtPaysMe.com and he also runs a very influential and important podcast locally, here in Halifax, called Changing the Narrative.
To close this out I just want to ask, what do these three words mean to you? You could think of it as Science Pays Me, or History Pays Me, or Research Pays Me. Think about the narrative of a starving artist in terms of your own field. As Duane said, we are all artists, but it doesn’t really help anyone if we all starve. But if we take control of our own business destiny, if we are able to think, act, and create independently. If we can monetize our businesses, then the change we can put into the world is almost endless.
I want to finish this episode with one last quote. This one is from the audio book [Affiliate] Leap First by Seth Godin. I actually had this one on my wall for over a year as I built my business. He says that every time he builds something or goes to put it out into the world, he says:
“Here, I made this – I hope it changes you. Here I made this – I hope you find a useful. Here, I made this – I hope to be able to make something again.”
So this again comes back to the starving artist concept. We are all creating art. We all need to have money to live the life we want. And in almost all cases, more money could increase the impact we can have in the world. One good way of doing this is by building a business from the art your create everyday.
Conclusion
[00:21:32] So I hope you really enjoyed these first three episodes of the GradBlogger podcast focused on content, on community and on the change you want to put into the world!
I’d encourage you, if you have enjoyed them so far to go to itunes, subscribe, rate and review the podcast. That will help the podcasts get out to more people!
And this is really just the start. But it is a start that I am really excited about. GradBlogger is something I’ve wanted to do for for over two years and I’m just getting around to being able to do it now. Now that I have my thesis done and my company is up and running, I have time to put these conversations out there.
And I feel like they need to be put out there. They need to happen so that researchers can change the world with their research and with their experience and their expertise.
Coming down the pipeline, we’ll be discussing more tools, more processes, more tips on how to build a business by blogging about your research. We will also be doing interviews. And we will be opening this dialogue about what it looks like to be an academic entrepreneur. What it looks like to start your own business? What are the nuts and bolts of building a business through blogging, podcasting and video?
Leave a Comment
So what are your thoughts on the “Starving Artist” idea? Are graduate students, those that have finished and are looking for a job, professesors, ext. Are they doing their art for nearly free?
What kind of change and ruckus could we all cause if we are able to monetize our passion, and be paid for the research, expertise, experience and yes, art, that we put in the world?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below and I am looking forward to building this movement together!
