I've got to be honest with myself… I am not sure that I would be missed right now. When I've taken a couple of weeks offline, nobody has asked where I've been!

Hey, that ain't going to put me off – the purpose of the honest answer is that it tells me that I've got to keep going and adding more and more value through my blog and other online activities until it is true.

Simon

Excellent points….and exactly what I was thinking to myself after not being able to answer 'yes' to the question of 'would I be missed'.

Blogging has done a tremendous amount for me. I've gotten much better at writing and have met a ton of great people (yourself included). I've created an outlet for my thoughts and ideas. This is a wonderful thing.

But the question is still relevant….even though you and I are enjoying ourselves and learning a great deal, do we make a difference? I think we do…but it's a good question to ask yourself occasionally.

I ask myself this question all the time: what value am I bringing to the table? It helps me focus on the important things.

It can also be a painful question to ask.

Perhaps the other point to add is that adding value to others is not always the objective of what we do online.

If I stopped doing the things you listed, *I* would miss me.

I would miss the experience, the learning, the pure enjoyment of it. That would be the biggest blow of all. Sure, it's difficult to keep on doing those things when it's obvious nobody is listening. This is why most bloggers and tweeters give up in the early days. If it stops being enjoyable, then that is understandable.

The most important thing is when involving oneself in these pursuits is to always make sure it is fun. That way…. who cares if I am missed?

And it lets me take little thought vacations with people like you.

I agree wholeheartedly with your statement on blogging. While I hear many people talk about the death of the blog, I can't really imagine that ever occurring.