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A whole new mind

I recently read Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind. The book blew me away. The premise of it, for those of you that haven't read the book, is that we are moving out of the "information age" into a new "conceptual age". Whereas the information age is driven by largely left-brain thinking (logical, linear) the conceptual age is one in which right-brain thinking (intuitive, parallel) will become of greater importance.

The six senses

There are various characteristics of right-brain thinking that Pink highlights, he calls these the six senses:

1. Design
2. Story
3. Symphony
4. Empathy
5. Play
6. Meaning

Pink coins the phrase "high-concept and high touch" for these senses.

Meaning and empathy

I got to thinking of the impact that the conceptual age will have on the business of blogging. I think the conceptual age raises all kinds of opportunities for bloggers around the world. Let me illustrate what I mean by looking at just two of these senses - "meaning" and "empathy".

In these days of greater abundance people find they have all the food they can eat, they have warmth and comfort. They have designer clothes. In terms of material needs most people, at least in developed countries, have everything they want. You can only sleep in one bed at night - right? However, people often find their lives are strangely empty. Look at how many stars, who have looks, fame and fortune, have wasted their lives in a drug induced stupor - or who have attempted (or actually carried out) suicide. Many have found great wealth, but the search for happiness and meaning has eluded them.

People these days are becoming more and more aware that it's quality of life, and meaning in life that's of most importance.

The search for meaning and a better quality of life can take many forms but here are some examples:

• People are no longer prepared to put up with careers that grind them down and burn them out
• People don't want to spend 4 hours of their day commuting
• People want to spend more time with their families
• People want to retire early so they can enjoy more time doing the things they love
• People want to move abroad to countries that have a slower pace of life
• People wish to have a greater sense of spirituality in their lives
• People wish to find more rewarding (meaningful) leisure activities

Taking the last item on the list for example, the significance in the leisure industry alone is apparent. Take my own hobby of scuba diving, divers not only want to dive, but dive in an eco-friendly way. They want to give something back and work on projects that develop and sustain the fragile marine environment. They want their hobby to have some meaning beyond the sheer enjoyment of being 25m down.

In addition to the greater emphasis on meaning in the conceptual age, the sense of "empathy" will also take on greater significance. Empathy, the ability to understand a person's thoughts and feelings and identify with them, is becoming ever more important in the work place, at the doctor's surgery, in hospitals and even in running a business. Pink covers the reasons for this in detail in his book, so I am not going to go over that same ground.

The basic point is it's no longer acceptable to go to the doctor, explain your symptoms and have the doctor say "take these pills for the rest of your life". Patients can find such a response on the web - they could determine their symptoms and self-diagnose and then buy their drugs from the web too. However, a doctor who determines the patients story, shows empathy with the patient and who takes a holistic approach to providing a solution to the patient's problem is not something that can be replicated by a computer.

So what does this all mean for bloggers?

Firstly, bloggers need to work on their sense of empathy. They need to tune into people's thoughts and feelings, hopes and desires. This will allow them to create the next generation of blogs that help people to achieve greater meaning in their lives. Bloggers also need to understand meaning in a practical sense - and how that relates to people's everyday lives. I listed some examples of this above - but the list is far from exhaustive.

Secondly, I think the nature of blogs themselves will change - they will become more empathetic in nature - they will represent virtual coaches, consultants, therapists, mentors and confidantes. They will involve more hand-holding and more step-by-step explanations of how people can achieve their dreams. The goal will be to create something like a virtual assistant. There will be a much greater emphasis on media such as video and sound - because actually seeing the blogger and hearing a voice is a human connection. Visitors are not just reading articles - they will be experiencing a relationship with the blog author.

The future

The conceptual age will bring some great challenges for bloggers, but also massive opportunity. Currently too many blogs operate in a milieu that is centred mostly around material gain: earn $10,000 per week - turn your annual salary into your monthly salary - become a millionaire by lunchtime! Bloggers need to rise to the challenge and meet the needs of people beyond these material wants.

The world is changing, and that change represents new opportunities for bloggers on an almost daily basis.

Tony Bedford first started blogging in March 2000. Tony currently maintains a free guide to more profitable blogging at http://the-business-of-blogging.blogspot.com