The Bamboo Project Mission

A blogger's mission statement should answer one not so simple question--Why do I blog?

In coming up with my own mission I found that answering that question opens up a world of issues--like, what niche am I in? Am I focused enough? Why do readers come here?  Do I give people what they want? Am I writing just for me? It also makes me wonder, if my blog disappeared, would it be missed?

It took me awhile to craft the Bamboo Project mission. A few weeks, actually, as this is something I began thinking about  when I started the 31 Day Challenge and made the pledge to get more serious about blogging.

I feared the arrival of this assignment because I've often felt that my focus here is "whatever interests Michele at the moment," something that's fine in a personal diary but not necessarily in a blog that aspires to be more than just about me. I knew that when faced with this task, I'd be forced to really think about what I want to achieve here and why I post day after day. And I wasn't sure I was ready for it. Apparently I was, though, as I did manage to produce something.

I'll write in a 31 Day challenge summary post about the process I used to arrive at my mission and complete my assignment. For now, I'll just share with you what I came up with. As always, feedback welcome.

The Bamboo Project Mission Statement

I blog to:

• Help people use new technologies to learn, grow and achieve success in a changing world

• Empower myself and others to learn and create on an ongoing basis

• Connect and engage with interesting people who are passionate about what they do

• Be the change I want in the world

• Have fun

• Make a difference

Update--After posting this and re-reading (for the 100th time!) I think I may still sound too vague and unfocused. Suggestions? Thoughts? What have any of you done for a mission statement? I couldn't find a lot of examples, but I didn't want to look too hard for fear of the "me too" mission.

Photo via Raindanc3

Comments

[David Wilcox]

Michele - you really are doing great stuff here.
Maybe take the "engage with interesting people ..." line as central.
"Engage with interesting people so we can inspire each other to ... "
"Usually, but not always, using new technologies"
Works for me too, so keep at it:-)

New pic is a bit serious though ...

[Michele Martin]

Hi David--I like the "engage with interesting people so that we can inspire each other to. . . " and making that more central. Gets at the collaborative element more and I like the word "inspire."

RE: the pic--my husband HATED the old one and begged me to replace it. I told him I would for now, but that I would see how people reacted and change it back if the reaction wasn't good. Personally I agree with you, but I said I'd give it a shot.

[Christine Martell]

I would miss your blog a lot if it went away :)

I like where you are going with the mission statement. How about adding some clarifying statements about how you will know if you are doing it? How will you know if you are engaging people? What will be happening (or not)when you are having fun? What will others be doing when you are inspiring them?

As your reader, I'm much more inclined to engage with you if I have some sense that I'm aligning with what you are doing. If I can see myself as part of your mission.

I think the picture is too serious for your style. Your writing is warm and engaging, so I want to see a photo that is a bit more inviting. Save this one for the critical analysis blog.

[DweezelJazz]

Hi Michele,

I really like your mission statement.

You mention you think it may be too vague - the good side is that it covers your main intent on the blog and doesn't tie you down in how you do it. So when you're looking for inspiration for a topic it might be easier if your mission statement remains more open and general.

You may also find in the future that you think of a whole new way of looking at how you do what you want to achieve here and it leaves you open to new possibilities there too.

Maybe a photo with you smiling in it, having fun, would be nice?

The ideals you express in your mission statement are really beautiful.

[Brigitte Reiser]

Hi Michele,

I like your blog very much! I’m a passionate reader of it and I started a similar project in Germany. My blog focuses on web 2.0 and stakeholder-management for nonprofits in the social services. So I especially like your posts, when you write about learning, social software and scarcity thinking etc. in the nonprofit sector.
A lot of people write about how to blog, but only a few write as inspiring as you about the organizational and mental changes that are necessary in nonprofit institutions. Because you call things into question. You don’t scratch on the surface like so many other bloggers, who write about voluntary organizations.
So why don’t you focus your blog more on the nonprofit target group, making this explicit in your blog’s mission statement? In my opinion, this would be a great role for you and your blog!

P.S. I don’t find your blogroll anymore. Where did you leave it?

[Michele Martin]

Christine and DweezelJazz, you'll see that I heeded your advice and returned my old photo to the site. It was definitely a failed experiment. :-) I appreciate, too, your advice on how to shape my mission statement. I'm hearing that I need to be broad enough to leave myself some room, but that it would also be good for me to talk a little about what impact I want to have or how I'll know that I'm being successful in meeting my mission.

Brigitte--you're making me blush with the compliments. I'm so glad that The Bamboo Project is helpful to you and that you see it as going more deeply into organizational thinking, etc. That's exactly what I want for this blog, so that may have to make it into my mission, too.

I'll say that I'm currently struggling with how nonprofit-focused I want to be. A lot of what I write about does apply to all kinds of organizations, so I hate to limit. But then again, limiting things is the nature of niches, so it's a decision I have to make if I'm going to get more focused.

As for the blogroll--I took it down when I did my site re-design because I discovered that no one was actually using it. I wanted to declutter the sidebar, so I took it out. Is it something I should put back in some form? Maybe a page of its own? I can put it back up if people want it.