Uncle! Why I Quit Following Chris Brogan

26 Jan

The Break-UpI give up! Chris Brogan is just too damn smart!

One of the most popular questions asked of Chris Brogan is “How do you find the time to follow so many people?”

I’ve been wrestling with another question: “How do I find the time to keep up with Chris Brogan?”

Chris is a brilliant man; that much is beyond a doubt. He’s a savvy marketer, a Twitter king, and a writer who distills big ideas into tasty, consumable bites.

I just can’t keep pace with him.

Of the 114 unread blog posts that have accumulated in my feed reader since last Friday, 18 of them are from Brogan’s blog. He published 7 posts on Wednesday alone!

“Prolific” barely seems adequate.

And here’s the kicker: His stuff is all good. He’s a one man intellectual confectionery factory, and I can’t consume fast enough.

So I’m quitting. With all due respect to Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, I can quit you Chris. It’s not that I don’t love your stuff — I do — I just need breathing room. This ride is too fast for me.

I’ll still follow Chris on Twitter. And I’ll still read his stuff. The thing about kick-ass content is that it gets around (not like Britney Spears…more like a good book). The best Brogan posts will still find me.

And it’s not just that I’m over-consuming. I need to open the door for other thinkers. As powerful as Brogan’s posts are, reading seven unique voices might be better for me than seven posts from one brilliant mind.

So…here goes. I’m unsubscribing. We can still be friends, right?

Editor’s Note: Want a different perspective? Here’s a really good reason you should continue to follow Chris Brogan, from none other than…Chris Brogan. I’ll give you a hint: You are important to him.

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View Comments to “Uncle! Why I Quit Following Chris Brogan”

  1. dan360man 26. Jan, 2009 at 10:35 am #

    I take it you're not a big fan of Guy Kawasaki, then.

    I get you, though. Chris posts like a fiend.

  2. Scott Hepburn 26. Jan, 2009 at 10:43 am #

    The great thing about folks like Guy and Chris is that their stuff is everywhere. I love what they write, I just can't get to it fast enough to keep my plate clean!

  3. Daniel_Honigman 26. Jan, 2009 at 5:35 pm #

    I take it you're not a big fan of Guy Kawasaki, then.

    I get you, though. Chris posts like a fiend.

  4. Scott Hepburn 26. Jan, 2009 at 5:43 pm #

    The great thing about folks like Guy and Chris is that their stuff is everywhere. I love what they write, I just can't get to it fast enough to keep my plate clean!

  5. Deirdre Reid 26. Jan, 2009 at 9:46 pm #

    Just curious, which blogs are your favorite lately. I subscribe to too many myself and so have put some “on probation.” But I'm always interesting in compelling reading.

  6. Deirdre Reid 27. Jan, 2009 at 4:46 am #

    Just curious, which blogs are your favorite lately. I subscribe to too many myself and so have put some “on probation.” But I'm always interesting in compelling reading.

  7. Rob 27. Jan, 2009 at 8:00 am #

    Chris who? ;o)

  8. Scott Hepburn 27. Jan, 2009 at 8:26 am #

    Take a peek at my blogroll (over on the right –>) to get a flavor of who I'm reading. I love what Jay Baer is doing, and my PRstore colleague Lisa Hoffmann is a moving writer who brings a human element to marketing.

    But maybe we should start be talking about what interests you. What do you love? What do you hate? What motivates you? What do you want to be better at?

  9. Colin Clark 27. Jan, 2009 at 12:36 pm #

    I'm with you on this one. It's so hard to keep up with. I definitely don't feel bad if I can't get around to reading every post. I'm not ready to unsubscribe yet tho.

  10. Rob 27. Jan, 2009 at 3:00 pm #

    Chris who? ;o)

  11. Scott Hepburn 27. Jan, 2009 at 3:26 pm #

    Take a peek at my blogroll (over on the right –>) to get a flavor of who I'm reading. I love what Jay Baer is doing, and my PRstore colleague Lisa Hoffmann is a moving writer who brings a human element to marketing.

    But maybe we should start be talking about what interests you. What do you love? What do you hate? What motivates you? What do you want to be better at?

  12. Albert Kaufman 27. Jan, 2009 at 4:55 pm #

    I don't feel he's really added anything new in a while, and I despise all of the advertising of products, so I will unsub, too. thanks for the suggestion.

  13. Colin Clark 27. Jan, 2009 at 7:36 pm #

    I'm with you on this one. It's so hard to keep up with. I definitely don't feel bad if I can't get around to reading every post. I'm not ready to unsubscribe yet tho.

  14. Deirdre Reid 27. Jan, 2009 at 10:44 pm #

    It looks like we read a lot of the same blogs. I'll have to check out the ones we don't have in common. Although I already have a RSS problem, need to cut back.

    Such good questions, I'm asking myself the same ones lately. What do I love? I'm realizing lately that what I love most about my job — discovering and sharing resources with our local staff (I work in membership/member services at a state trade assn), helping them to be better at what they do, creating community, writing (tough but satisfying) — are the reasons why I'm so attracted to social media/networking. What else do I read? Lots of craft beer blogs, food blogs, news commentary blogs, housing blogs (my industry), and association management blogs (of course), and other random blogs.

    What do I hate? That's a strong word, but I get frustrated by “stuck in a rut” or “resistant to change or trying something new” types (fighting that battle now, but enough of that). What motivates me? Learning. The possibility of helping someone. What do I want to be better at? Marketing, writing, I'm sure there's more that I can't think of now. Well that was a bit revealing, Dr. Hepburn! Oh well, it's a transparent world these days, and maybe this exchange will cause others to ask the same questions of themselves.

  15. Albert Kaufman 27. Jan, 2009 at 11:55 pm #

    I don't feel he's really added anything new in a while, and I despise all of the advertising of products, so I will unsub, too. thanks for the suggestion.

  16. Deirdre Reid 28. Jan, 2009 at 5:44 am #

    It looks like we read a lot of the same blogs. I'll have to check out the ones we don't have in common. Although I already have a RSS problem, need to cut back.

    Such good questions, I'm asking myself the same ones lately. What do I love? I'm realizing lately that what I love most about my job — discovering and sharing resources with our local staff (I work in membership/member services at a state trade assn), helping them to be better at what they do, creating community, writing (tough but satisfying) — are the reasons why I'm so attracted to social media/networking. What else do I read? Lots of craft beer blogs, food blogs, news commentary blogs, housing blogs (my industry), and association management blogs (of course), and other random blogs.

    What do I hate? That's a strong word, but I get frustrated by “stuck in a rut” or “resistant to change or trying something new” types (fighting that battle now, but enough of that). What motivates me? Learning. The possibility of helping someone. What do I want to be better at? Marketing, writing, I'm sure there's more that I can't think of now. Well that was a bit revealing, Dr. Hepburn! Oh well, it's a transparent world these days, and maybe this exchange will cause others to ask the same questions of themselves.

  17. Alaia Williams 28. Jan, 2009 at 10:30 am #

    Yep, it makes total sense. There are people I follow on various sites/blogs, but sometimes, it's just too much information. And yes, if you really need/want the information being posted, it can easily be found. Gotta love the internet…..

  18. Scott Hepburn 28. Jan, 2009 at 12:46 pm #

    Ha! Dr. Hepburn! I suppose my mother will be glad I’ve finally achieved that goal ;)

    I encourage you to keep exploring your passions, Deirdre. Poking around in the areas the light you on fire is a great way to find your voice, and your blogging will be better for it. Dare to say the unspeakable, stand tall and be brave. There’s a community waiting here for you.

  19. Alaia Williams 28. Jan, 2009 at 5:30 pm #

    Yep, it makes total sense. There are people I follow on various sites/blogs, but sometimes, it's just too much information. And yes, if you really need/want the information being posted, it can easily be found. Gotta love the internet…..

  20. Jim Thebeau 28. Jan, 2009 at 9:22 pm #

    I started following Chris several months ago and found his blog spot on. And I continue to follow him. Like most everyone else, I sift through the myriad blogs to find those I can learn from and add and subtract. Chris is staying on my list.

  21. Jim Thebeau 29. Jan, 2009 at 4:22 am #

    I started following Chris several months ago and found his blog spot on. And I continue to follow him. Like most everyone else, I sift through the myriad blogs to find those I can learn from and add and subtract. Chris is staying on my list.

  22. Ari Herzog 30. Jan, 2009 at 7:37 pm #

    Will you also unsubscribe from Guy Kawasaki's, Robert Scoble's, and Jason Calacanis' blogs? Or is it the velocity alone?

    Shameless plug since I know Chris fairly well (we live a few miles away from each other): If you're unsubbing from him, will you sub me? I'm at http://twitter.com/ariherzog and blog at http://ariwriter.com

  23. Scott Hepburn 30. Jan, 2009 at 10:07 pm #

    Fortunately, I'm already following you, Ari ;)

    While this post was a little tongue-in-cheek, I was surprised to hear from a lot of people who shared the sentiment. Fortunately, Chris takes it all with a sense of humor — part of what makes him Chris.

    Thanks for stopping by, Ari. Hope we can cross swords one day soon.

  24. Ari Herzog 31. Jan, 2009 at 2:37 am #

    Will you also unsubscribe from Guy Kawasaki's, Robert Scoble's, and Jason Calacanis' blogs? Or is it the velocity alone?

    Shameless plug since I know Chris fairly well (we live a few miles away from each other): If you're unsubbing from him, will you sub me? I'm at http://twitter.com/ariherzog and blog at http://ariwriter.com

  25. Scott Hepburn 31. Jan, 2009 at 5:07 am #

    Fortunately, I'm already following you, Ari ;)

    While this post was a little tongue-in-cheek, I was surprised to hear from a lot of people who shared the sentiment. Fortunately, Chris takes it all with a sense of humor — part of what makes him Chris.

    Thanks for stopping by, Ari. Hope we can cross swords one day soon.

  26. Steve Sherron 23. Aug, 2009 at 6:37 am #

    You sure gave him some good man-on-man digital felatio first.

  27. Steve Sherron 23. Aug, 2009 at 1:37 pm #

    You sure gave him some good man-on-man digital felatio first.

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Trackbacks and Pingbacks

  1. tim mahoney - 26. Jan, 2009

    Why I’m not following Chris Brogan on Twitter anymore…

    I have to agree with Scott Hepburn about his just being too prolific on Twitter
    My own personal opinion is that while Chris is brilliant, and I will continue reading his blog, I just can’t see how following 32500 people on Twitter is a good thing…

  2. The Subtle Art of Linkbaiting | chrisbrogan.com - 27. Jan, 2009

    [...] Hook – Uncle! Why I Quit Following Chris Brogan (pretty good [...]

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