community : The Art of Non-Conformity

Life

Welcome, New Readers! What The Art of Non-Conformity Is All About

I’ve had a lot of new people join my blog recently, mostly from all the media coverage about my new book. Welcome!

If you’re just joining, here’s a quick explanation of what all of this is about. I started this blog wayyyyy back in 2008. My mission is to help people live unconventional lives, especially through self-employment and travel, but also the general theme of non-conformity.

At the time I started, I was pursuing a big quest to visit every country in the world by my 35th birthday. I achieved that goal and wrote a book about it called The Happiness of Pursuit. I also wrote a book called The $100 Startup, and my newest book is SIDE HUSTLE.

But enough about me. What can you find here on the site? A lot of things, but let’s focus on three areas.

Et Cetera

This Summer: Hack Your Book, Learn the Science of Happiness, & Become a Financial Badass

Link: WDS 2016 Academy Registration Is Now Open to Everyone!

Every year since 2011, I've produced and hosted an global gathering known modestly as the World Domination Summit (WDS). More than 10,000 people have participated in WDS main stage events, and starting in 2014 we expanded to feature half-day workshops known as Academies.

Registration for Academies is now open to the general public, and this year we have something special: an all-new experience called WDS Connect.

When you register for WDS Connect, you'll get access to hundreds of meetups and special sessions that aren't open to the general public. You'll also get access to one complimentary Academy of your choice.

Et Cetera

Live a Remarkable Life in a Conventional World: Nominations Wanted!

I tend to ask a lot of questions. Why jump off the bridge just because everyone else does? What are "the rules" and who made them?

If your life is a movie and you’re the director, why did you add this scene to it?

Today, I have a question for you that might be even easier than those: Can you introduce me to an awesome person who's doing something really special?

Work

The New, New Economy: How the World of Online Publishing Is Changing, and Why You Should Care

For the past eight years I’ve made a good living through online publishing. I’ve shared much of the journey along the way, but I first documented the overall process in a manifesto, 279 Days to Overnight Success.

This manifesto went on to have a life of its own, thanks to the generous sharing of readers. Every single day—seven years later!—I hear from people who have found it online and enjoyed it.

And guess what? I think at least some of the lessons I taught so fervently back then are wrong.

Travel

How to Spend $46 and Receive Up to 9 Free Hotel Nights

Want to do something fun that will help you travel for free? Just want to make fun of me and a couple of friends who are out to earn points? Here’s a chance to do either or both of those things.

On December 4, I'll meet up with some travel hacking friends to stuff 94 handwritten index cards into envelopes in hopes of receiving at least 47,000 hotel points that we'll use for free stays. If you’re as crazy as we are, you can do this, too.

Work

Three Days of Learning & Community: Last Weekend at Pioneer Nation

We did it!

Last weekend I worked with a small and dedicated team to produce our second-ever Pioneer Nation, a gathering of independent entrepreneurs.

For the first time in any big event we’ve done, we took everyone onsite for the entire experience. The event was held at The Resort at the Mountain, a scenic setting near Mount Hood, an hour’s drive from Portland.

Events are a ton of work, but they can also be hugely rewarding. Once again I felt honored and inspired to be surrounded by great people.

Et Cetera

Make History by Eating Breakfast: Join Us for an All-New World Record

Link: Eat Waffles, Set a World Record (YES!)

When was the last time you broke a world record by eating breakfast?

Never, that's when. But fortunately for you, that's all about to change.

This summer, whether you're attending WDS or not, if you can make it to Portland on Friday, July 10, you can become a world record holder—and this time, the task required couldn't be easier.

Et Cetera

Non-Conformity and Adventure in Europe: The “Alive in Berlin” Conference

Last year I spoke at a number of worldwide events, but only one was in Europe. The organizers are bringing it back for another round, and a limited number of tickets are now available.

I like events of this size: not too small, and not too big. If you're in the neighborhood, broadly speaking, or if you're up for an overseas adventure, it’s a great opportunity to connect with like-minded people and learn more personal development.

36 Comments

Work

A Challenging Question

In talking with Chris Brogan for his new podcast recently, he said something I've been thinking of ever since. It was a question that you ask yourself when evaluating new opportunities. This question didn't actually come from Chris—I believe he said it was from one of his other podcast guests—but Chris is the one who implanted it in my head.

The question is: How will this new opportunity help me serve the community I already have?

Wow. Tough question.

32 Comments

Work

Fame vs. Community: The Small Army Model

I don't often discuss news articles or reblog things from elsewhere, but I loved a recent article on an independent musician who recently raised $1.2M through Kickstarter for her new album.

A couple of things struck me from this story.

Point #1: “It doesn’t feel like a windfall,” Ms. Palmer said in an interview before the party. “It feels like the accumulated reward for years and years of work.”

Et Cetera

Welcome, New Readers (What AONC Is All About)

Awesome people of The $100 Startup event: San Francisco, Tuesday, May 29th

Greetings from Santa Cruz, California—soon heading down to Los Angeles for a ~~book reading~~ party at Vroman's bookstore tonight.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. The $100 Startup launched as an instant New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. We've sold 30,000 copies in the first three weeks and plan to reach many more people over the next few months with the message of freedom and value.

23 Comments

Work

How to Conduct an Online Survey

As I mentioned in last week's survey invitation, when you’re trying to build a business, blog, non-profit, or pretty much any venture, regularly checking in with your peeps is an important way to make sure you know who they are and what they want.

This is especially important when it comes to a) transition points in the growth of your community, or b) product development at any time. Surveys allow you to take the pulse of a large group of people in a short period of time -- and because of how sampling works, you don't actually need to hear from all of them to know what most of them are thinking.

48 Comments

Life

What Makes a Community?

Every day I get emails from all kinds of fun people who are getting started on the journey of building an online community. Some of them want advice, and I'm happy to help wherever I can.

I always say to take my $0.02 for whatever it's worth, and ignore me if something works better for you. Also, I'm focusing here on online communities, but they share many of the same characteristics as offline ones.

In the 279 Days report, I wrote about the practical aspects of community building. We looked at RSS vs. email, how to create an e-book, and so on.

This post will look more closely at the underlying philosophy of a community. First of all, what makes a community? Definitions abound, but here's mine:

A community is a group of people united through a common struggle with the same stories.

Let's look at the definition and related features in more detail.