BlogRoll: La Shawn Barber's Corner

La Shawn Barber is a witty, insightful, and ambitious blogger who is clearly going to be a superstar in the blogosphere. Malcolm Gladwell would probably call her a Connector---she's able to bring disparate people together, to build a far-flung network of people from thin air, as she did by knitting together those bloggers following the Eason Jordan scandal.

I've enjoyed her posts for some weeks now, not being connected myself well enough to have checked out her work before.

This post is what guaranteed her a spot in Ye Olde Blogrolle:

Indulge me for a moment while I wax self-centeredly. I want to be more than just a “black conservative blogger/writer” or a “Christian blogger/writer.” If I must be either or both (it’s human nature to attach labels), I want to be huge, the biggest black conservative blogger in the blogosphere or the most popular Christian blogger on the web.

I don’t mean simply well-known but influential and sought-after. I’m talking about visitor stats out of this world, endorsement deals, books, TV, radio…

Or something like that.

I’m not satisfied with my current traffic and linkage. Blogging all the time has its rewards, but let’s face facts. Success sometimes depends on who you know and whether or not they like you. I want to be every blogger’s favorite. Irrational, isn’t it? I don’t care. I want everybody to like me and link to all my posts, even if I write something stupid.

Have you noticed that the big bloggers have favorites and link to them all the time? I want to be a favorite. I read those bloggers’ posts. They aren’t any more interesting or special than mine, in my opinion. But I’m biased.

People like me OK, I guess, but not enough to suit me. That’s selfish and short-sighted, isn’t it? For all I know, some of you might be saying the same things about me. I don’t care. Guilty. Envy is not fun. It can be used for good or evil. I try to use it for good.

The mini-pity party is over now. It felt good. Back to reality. I’d like to thank you for suggesting names for my business. I’ve selected a reader’s recommendation, slightly modified. I will make the announcement perhaps as early as Friday, but definitely before next week.

Anyone who's attended sales training knows that the fundamental rule of sales is that you have to ask for someone's business. You can't just hint. This is why Dubya made a point in each debate to talk directly to the American people and say, "I want your vote." It's that simple.

It's also very unusual. It takes guts to sell. Confidence. Moxy. Chutzpah. Stones.

It's also a great predictor of success. If someone refuses to be daunted by the awkwardness of engaging another human being very directly and asking for something, chances are they won't be daunted by much of anything life throws at them.

In reading La Shawn's blog, it's very clear that she is, quite simply, dauntless.

We at MoltenThought are ardent admirers of the great British bulldog, Sir Winston Churchill. He was dauntless too, as well as eloquent, witty, and smart. As the great man has long gone to his eternal reward, and Ouijablogging isn't catching on, we'll be reading La Shawn Barber's Corner, a Churchillian blog if ever one existed.

And with a heave, and a ho, to the BlogRoll it will go!