Performance Anxiety

This has been an amazingly beautiful weekend here in Montreal, Quebec. Warm, hot, sunny. A long weekend. The pool was opened and the kids were all swimming despite the 68f degree water.

Usually I would have been on active rain quite a bit however I just couldn't sit down and write.

And no it isn't because of the weather or having more important things to do. It is because of performance anxiety. I have had this anxiety for about a month now.

So I figured I had better sit down, write about it and move on.

At our last long weekend (must have been Easter) I sat down and wrote a blog post about bed placement and the importance it has in showing a bedroom at its best.

I was so lucky to have the post featured. I got so much traffic to my post that I was really flattered and surprised. Since then I have felt the need to perform as well. To put up a post that will be as interesting to everyone.

This is where the performance anxiety is coming from. Instead of just being able to post about home staging or real estate I am finding myself worrying about who will like it and what will they say.

On the one hand I think this isn't a good thing because I should be writing about what I want to write about. So I don't need to perform.

And yet isn't the idea to provide value to potential readers ?

So I should be concerned about performance.

hmmm

This whole SM world. Web 2.0 is about connecting with people. Building trust. Building relationships. Being ourselves. Our true selves. And it is also about providing value. Givers gain.

So many people love SM tools because they finally have an opportunity to speak and be heard. No one can be stopped from speaking and someone somewhere will want to hear them. You could be interested in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and there will be someone to connect with. Dealing with dandilions or cloud gazing. All possible topics to connect with others on.

Is there really a perceived need to provide value ? Is there value just in having something to connect on ? Or finding that one person who shares your interest.

Or should we be concerned with providing value to others. Especially in communities like ActiveRain?