1000 Ways to Tell the Same Story

With all my recent and upcoming writing about “Social Design for the Web�?, I fear being redundant. Instead, I want readers to say “Since Lee got on this Social Design kick, his writing has become more compelling and interesting.�?

You see, I have a plan to brand Common Craft and the way I figure it, I need a few things to come together:

1. I need to have a strong sense of focus – what Common Craft really does
2. I need a story to tell – why its relevant and meaningful
3. I need to stay “on message�? (something I learned from the darned Republicans in 2004)

So, how can I do these and still remain relevant and interesting to my readers? How can this weblog tell a story that builds a brand without being redundant?

Is it One Story?

Recently I was thinking about the story, the big idea, the one thing that relates the value I want to put into the world. Soon I realized that thinking about *one* story is futile- It’s unlikely that one story could do the trick.

Instead, I began to think about the unique nature of the weblog and how it can accelerate the branding without being redundant.

It's 1000 Stories

Equipped with a focus and a theme for a story, my weblog gives me the opportunity to tell the same story in new, interesting and compelling ways over time.

I can tell the same story 1000 times, each time different than the last. For me, this is a key to branding with weblogs- having 1000 chances to engage and connect the market to what I do and why it matters.

So, this is the opening salvo in the campaign to brand Common Craft and Social Design for the Web. It starts right now, before your very eyes, in the very words I’m typing right now- this is branding for me and you’ll be seeing more of it.

I guess I did start the branding earlier:

New Common Craft Business Cards
The Step Just Before Community
Common Craft Does Social Design for the Web