My own REAL numbers

Other people don’t want you to succeed. They’re worrying about themselves. Yes, people can feel proud of you. Yes, they can wish you success. But very few people out there are coming up with new ways to help you win. (Those who do, by the way, should be praised and cultivated). We humans tend to view the world from the comfort of our own autobiography. Make sense? Seek internal measures for all that you do. Make YOURSELF proud of you. Find your own REAL numbers to prove that you’re a winner. And let others sort their view of you out themselves.

-Chris Brogan in his latest newsletter (sign up here.)

External validation. Getting lots of followers, page views, comments… Numbers for numbers sake.

For me none of that has ever mattered, but it seems like if you don’t pay attention to your numbers you’ll fall behind, especially when it comes to social media. Bizarre.

I follow around 500 people or so on Twitter. I review that list every few months or so, and I can say this completely truthfully- I know at least something about every single one of those people. Maybe it’s where they live, what they do for a living, what their sense of humor is like, who else they talk to online…

To me, that’s a real number. That number matters to me. Does it matter to anyone else? Who cares?

I write on my blog only when the mood hits me, so my reader numbers are low. But the people who do read me are interested enough to subscribe and come back when I get around to posting. That number matters to me.

Around 60 or so people click on photos I upload to Posterous. That number stays consistent, so I guess that’s an accurate count of people who are curious enough to keep clicking through to see. That number matters to me.

When I post on Facebook (where I connect with a limited number of people) there are maybe only five or so who reliably respond to me now and then. And that number matters to me.

Are those impressive numbers? To some, not at all. To others, sure they are. But my numbers are just that, my numbers. They keep me going, to keep me engaging, make me feel like I’m not just out there talking to myself. And that’s enough.