I read a blog post today in which the writer said he was told that every
post should have a "takeaway" and a "nugget." I've been reading his
blog posts for a while, and I kind of think they usually have plenty for me to "take away," but the
comment made me wonder how my posts would stack up in the "takeaway and
nugget" contest. What do people take away from reading about someone
else's experiences? I wonder.
As I reflected on both my own posts and the other person's, I realized
that what I take from his posts is not necessarily something he holds
out to me, as if to say, "Here, take this." Rather, my "takeaway" is the
meeting of my thoughts and opinions with his thoughts and opinions. I
take away something, or store some "nugget," because something in there
rings true, or gives me insight I might not otherwise have had. Only a
strictly instructional blog post (and what fun would that be?) would
hand something over that you could just take without thinking. Most of
us, I imagine, continue to read because ideas strike a chord in us. If the blog post
makes us think, or feel, or understand, then we bloggers have done our
job--takeaway taken, nugget delivered. Which is not so different from
any learning or growing experience we ever have--what we bring to the
table is a huge factor in how much we take away.
And that's the only nugget I've got I've got to give--at least for today. Go ahead--take it away!
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