Chris Brogan advises building something of personal or business value by starting as if you already have a platform.

“When I say “platform,” I mean this: a body of principles on which a person or group takes a stand in appealing to the public; program.” In this, I also mean build a presence, a place from which to share those principles and ideas.”

He goes on to describe his blog as…

“a place where people can come to get a taste of what I think and what I stand for, and it’s a place where people can match and measure their own ideas against what I put out there.”

Yes. That’s pretty much it in a nutshell. I like having such a place. And, for better or worse, my blog is a “taste of what I think and stand for.” Even people who have known me for many years wouldn’t know as much about what I think and stand for as someone who reads these posts.

I’ll dabble in the social shallows of Twitter and Facebook but they cannot be (for me) the platform Mr. Brogan describes