— So, how's it going?
— It's fine. – I reply.
Sure, fine. It was fine until you showed up. You always choose the most inconvenient moment. That's why I hate you, you scoundrel.
— How's the article? – you asked with a smirk.
— It's fine. – to be honest, I don't want to go into details.
— Is it really fine?
— Really.
— Then why does it have such a low rating?
— It didn't go well.
— Again?
— Again.
— So maybe, you know…?
— Know what?
— Well, you know…
— No.
I pull out a cigarette and light it. The dog is sniffing around in the grass, looking for something. I never understood what she finds there. Sometimes there are dead birds lying in the grass, but now the grass is sparse, and there's definitely nothing on the meadow. I keep it clean.
— Why not? Maybe you should be honest with yourself? – you continue with a serious face. – Your articles are garbage and nobody needs them. That's the reality. Everyone hates you. You're just a writer. Admit it.
— Why?
— What do you mean why?
— Why should I admit that?
— What do you mean?
— Are you stupid or what? – I'm getting a bit worked up. – Are you trying to put me on trial? Why do you need this admission?
— Well, yeah, actually... Just admit it to yourself.
— Okay, I admit it. The article is garbage. I'm a writer. I've already written an article where I admitted this.
— And you're also an info gypsy, if I used that term correctly in the singular.
— Yes, I'm an info gypsy. Is that it?
— No. – You can tell your mood is improving. – I'm just getting started. You're nobody. You can't do anything. You're incapable of creating anything. You'll never sell anything to anyone. Your life is dull garbage, and nothing will ever change.
— I know all this. – I look you straight in the eyes, trying to understand what will happen next.
— Well there.
— Well there. – I repeat. – Is that it?
— What do you mean, is that it?
— What are you waiting for from me?
— If I knew… I want you to stop trying.
— And what? Lie down and die?
— No. Just… I don't know. Don't try anymore.
— Why?
— Because I want to.
— Hmm… – I smile. – Why should I care about what you want?
— How…
— Well, like this. My life. My articles. My projects. My job. My unemployment. My successes. My failures. Why do you care?
— Well, you see…
— I’ve been listening to this nonsense my whole life. From you and people like you. You won’t succeed. You’re just wasting your time. You’ll never achieve anything. But life proves otherwise.
— So what does it prove to you?
— The absence of absolute.
— Again with the deep philosophy… — you smile condescendingly.
— Not deeper than the dog’s poop lying around. Be careful, don’t step on it. I’ll clean it up along with the cigarette butt when I’m done.
— So what about the absence of absolute? — you move a little to the side.
— There aren’t any authors of good articles, for instance. Not a single one. To be precise, it’s not quite right — an author of good articles can only be the author of one article. Anyone who writes a lot, sometimes puts out garbage.
— Well, that’s understandable.
— Then what’s your complaint against me?
— Your articles are garbage.
— That’s it?
— That’s it.
— And how do you judge? What criteria?
— Do you think criteria are needed? It’s obvious to everyone that it’s garbage.
— But who then gives positive feedback? Who sends personal messages with serious questions? Who subscribes?
— Subscribers are those who want to react instantly to new publications and give a thumbs down.
— There are those too. — I nod. — But I review all the subscribers. Most of them can't vote. Many registered just to subscribe. You can tell by the registration date.
— Still garbage.
— You sound like the boy from the joke who listened and then said: but I… but I… but I’ll still punch you all in the face!
You pause for a few seconds, clearly trying to choose your words and arguments.
— Alright, let’s get down to business. You noticed that your article ratings are like a comb?
— It’s hard not to notice.
— What do you think that means?
— It means two things. First — there are articles where I write what I want and how I want. They are almost always in the negative. Second — I can't write in a way that pleases the audience. So a high rating is more likely a coincidence.
— Isn’t that a reason to stop writing?
— No.
— Why not?
— And why should I?
— Well, it’s just not working! Are you stupid or something? If it’s not working — don’t write!
— What do you mean it’s not working? Gaining high ratings?
— Yes!
— And what made you think I write for the ratings?
— I want you to write for the ratings!
— We’ve kind of discussed how I feel about what you want. I somewhat agree with you. But I can’t write for the sake of ratings.
— Then just quit!
— What are you talking about? – I snapped. – What's with the obsession to abandon what you can't do?! I told you – there’s nothing absolute in this world, everything is filled with probabilities. If one article doesn’t work, another will. If the second doesn’t work, the third will. The fifth, the tenth, it doesn’t matter. It’s pointless, even harmful, to set plans, criteria, expectations for ratings. This isn’t Mutko and the Olympics where you plan for medals. You have to understand how the world works.
— And how much do you understand about how the world works? – that sarcastic smile again.
— No. But more than you. If I had listened to you, I’d have been dead a long time ago. As long as I’ve known you, you’ve always said – it didn’t work, it doesn’t work, it won’t work. After the first failure, you always say you need to quit. After the tenth, the twentieth, the hundredth failure, you’re right there.
— The hundredth failure? And you think I’m wrong?
— I’m sure you’re wrong. Because before the hundredth failure comes ninety successes and nine more failures. You only think in absolute terms; your brain works in strange binary categories. But the world is built on probabilities and funnels.
— What funnels are you talking about?
— Like in sales. Always, whatever you do, there’s an input – traffic, flow, people, calls, it doesn’t matter – and there’s an output – the result for which everything was done. Benefits, money, offers, projects, etc. Remember this, and stop bothering me with it. There’s always a funnel. There will always be people in the world who don’t care about what you do. They simply don’t need it, they’re not interested. Just like I’m not interested in… Well, I don’t know… stones, birdhouses, asphalt, space. These people will always walk past, but they can still enter the traffic. They stumbled upon it, read it, and immediately forgot.
— Do you think I’m an idiot and don’t understand this?
— You understand perfectly. But when you see a person who isn’t interested, you always say – aha, you’ve created another piece of junk! Look, that guy just walked past and didn’t even glance! That’s it, you need to quit! You’re not succeeding in anything! And the next person who approached, got curious, and moved to the next stage of the funnel, you won’t even notice because you’re too busy with your ranting.
— I’m not a ranter…
— What a clickbait! Everything that brings you joy in life are failures and misfortunes. You seek them out, carefully and thoughtfully, and when you find them, you rejoice! And you present them as your own achievement – like, look, I found and understood it! I was the one who said nothing would work! But what happens when something does work?
— What?
— Well, you tell me.
— It's nothing...
— Exactly! Nothing! Success doesn't interest you at all! You're repelled by success. Your entire worldview flips upside down, you fall into depression, the only way out is to seek new troubles, even in success! Remember how you react, for example, to a well-received article?
— Well, I say it’s… I don’t know, even…
— I know. Either – it happened by chance. Or – the audience is just idiots. Or – bots were used to inflate the numbers. Or – the real authors are on vacation, and that’s how you slipped through.
— But that's the truth! – you exclaimed. – It can't be any other way! Without your pretensions, compare your works to real articles! The difference is obvious! Everything is wrong with you – the topic, the delivery, the structure, you’re even too lazy to look for images! It doesn’t take much intelligence to see the difference!
— It does.
— It doesn’t!
— It does. But you don’t need to see the difference, that’s not what intelligence is for. Intelligence is to understand that there’s no need to see the difference.
— So what?
— Just like in music. Every song and band has its fans. There's no point in comparing two bands or two songs. Yes, there are some metrics – some perform a lot, some not much. Some have managed to make a living from their art, while others continue to play at night after work. But I equally like both successful Metallica and the little-known The Dartz. You know The Dartz?
— Yes, you played them for me.
— Exactly. Try to find the difference between them.
— What is there to find… Almost nothing in common.
— And you like both?
— Well… There are good songs on both sides.
— And are there bad ones?
— Probably, it’s wrong to call them bad… — you say thoughtfully. — There are some that I don’t like.
— So, if we speak in your terms, both bands have a flaw?
— Yes.
— So what?
— What? — you ask, puzzled.
— I have a flaw – I should quit. Metallica has a flaw – should they quit too?
— No, they have already achieved success. The whole world knows them.
— Okay... Young performers—they have a comb too, right?
— Yeah, a flat one. – you smile. – No one listens to them at all.
— Should they give up?
— No, of course not. I mean, it's not for me to judge, but I understand that it takes time before they get noticed, their skills improve, they find themselves, their style forms...
— How? – I ask, feigning surprise. – They aren't succeeding! Just like me! They should quit immediately and go work in a factory! No need to try, to make an effort. That's what you want, right? To stop trying?
— I don't want to, I'm suggesting it. For you. What do you suggest?
— Who?
— Well, for the beginner musicians.
— Keep trying and expand the funnel.
— What do you mean?
— Man, you're really a bit dense... I already explained it to you. There are probabilities and a funnel. Roughly speaking, imagine... The whole world listens to this young band's songs. Well, it just so happens. Those with ears heard. How many of them will want to keep listening to this band?
— I don't know...
— I don't know either. Let's say it's one person out of a hundred thousand. That means seven billion listened, but only... seventy thousand became fans?
— Seems so. – you nod.
— Seems like it... To the bottom of the funnel, i.e., to the result, only 0.001% make it through. What does that mean?
— That means they should give up.
— No, you silly head. It means there are two directions to work on. The first is increasing traffic to the top of the funnel. With current efficiency, you need to bring in a hundred thousand people to get one fan. It's incredibly hard, I must say. Imagine—you posted a video with a song or a clip, and you need it to be seen by a hundred thousand unique users.
— Unreal.
— Well, not exactly unreal... But let's say the task is ambitious. The second area to work on is to improve the funnel. Make it so that more than 0.001% make it to the end, to the result. Calculating a specific target figure isn't difficult—you can start from the traffic. That is, it’s easier to understand what traffic you can attract and have a clear goal based on the result. You divide one by the other to get your funnel's efficiency coefficient.
— It's like on Zen, right?
— Yeah, kind of. Zen is convenient—views, clicks, read-throughs, and likes are clearly visible separately. The funnel becomes more detailed. You know what text is written in a way that people will read it, and which one is not.
— What are you working on?
— About traffic and the efficiency of the funnel.
— What exactly are you doing with the traffic? – It's strange, your tone has changed.
— I try to write on different topics, using various methods of presentation and different perspectives on the same problems.
— Is it working?
— It seems so. At least, there’s a reader for every article. You can see that.
— From the comments?
— No, from personal messages. Comments aren't an indicator; there's a different logic at play there.
— And how do you work on the efficiency of the funnel?
— To be honest, it's quite chaotic, without a plan. I need to organize it somehow, but I don’t know how exactly yet.
— Or should you just give up?
— You again?
— Yes, again. It shouldn't be like this. Either it's working or it's not. You should focus on what works, what you're meant for, that comes easily and freely, with consistent success. You can't do everything at once; you're spreading yourself too thin.
— That's not spreading thin; it's synergy. One thing helps another.
— Really? – you exclaim in mock surprise. – And how do your works help programming, for example?
— Amazingly, to be honest. The key is that the skill of writing texts greatly aids in promotion. I've talked to programmers – smart, talented, with interesting products. Do you know what their main problem is?
— Enlighten me.
— They can’t promote themselves. Like in the old Google ads – Vasya is very smart, but nobody knows about it. For them, writing an article about their product is a nightmare task that seems terrifying to even approach. They might spend months preparing to write a single publication. And when they finally do, they sell a couple of copies, only to realize that one article isn’t enough. Information now exists differently – in a flow. It’s impossible to embed something in the flow so that it remains there forever. The flow washes away any information into oblivion in just a few days. Constant input, mentions, and links are necessary. For that, you need to be writing continuously.
— But what can you continuously write about the same program?
You're getting to the heart of the matter. – I nod. – This is the second aspect of the connection between the texts and the product. Simply put, when developing a product, you need to think about what you'll write about it next. You have to plan the release so that there is enough material to write about. Not just two paragraphs, but a full-fledged publication. Such a publication acts like a defibrillator. Your product is already dead, everyone has forgotten about it, and only random sales are possible. And then – zap! – all attention is back on the product. From a new angle, new opportunities, new applications, rethinking, case studies, etc.
So, how many have you sold with your defibrillator?
You know the statistics. Almost twenty already, on just the 'zap' publications.
Is that sort of a know-how?
Sort of, yes.
Alright.
You fall silent, but your expression shows it's not for long. You clearly look for something else to say. You glance at me. Suddenly, you smile.
How's the weight loss going? – you ask triumphantly.
Everything's fine. – I reply confidently.
Weren't you planning to save the world from obesity?
Yes, I was. There's still time ahead.
Seriously? – you ask sarcastically. – How will you save the world if you can't save yourself?
What makes you think I can't save myself?
Well, you haven't lost any weight at all.
I've lost almost ten kilograms.
But it was the same a month ago.
Yes, it was. I spent a month doing additional testing – I was researching my plateau weight.
And how did it go?
Great. It really doesn't stabilize over such a short time. So, I can take breaks and eat like a horse. Then lose it again pretty quickly.
How quickly?
In a few days, I can lose what's accumulated over a month.
You're lying.
I'm not lying. – I pull out my phone and show the graph. – Look for yourself. Here's a minus three in a day. Here's a minus five in a week. Here's yesterday's point – look, it’s exactly the same as a month ago.
You fall silent. It’s clear you're tired and don’t know what to say.
So, will you keep trying? – you finally ask.
Yes. I will. That's the whole point. The last thing I’ll do is give up and stop trying. I’ll even keep trying when I'm retired; I already have a plan. It’s more interesting that way; there is meaning.
What about failures?
What about failures?
They are… I don't know… terrifying. They make your hands drop; you don't want to live, nasty thoughts race through your head. You just want to give up and… simply live, work, watch series, and drink. Without responsibilities, ambitions, plans, and attempts. Right?
Exactly. But it’s not the failures themselves that hurt, it’s you who comes along with them. If it weren't for you, the failure would have gone unnoticed. I would just keep moving on without wasting time talking to you.
Oh, come on. - You smile. - I'm not taking much of your time. I only come in the mornings when you walk your dog. Just a few minutes a day.
I know. I've gotten used to you, and I'm not afraid anymore. I have long prepared answers to all your questions. You can't come up with anything new - just 'don't try', 'nothing will work', 'live simpler', 'know your place'. It’s even boring.
Then why do you keep talking? You could just ignore me and that's it.
I can't ignore my subconscious. And I don't want to. In a way, you help me. Especially in moments of success - you prevent me from flying too high. It’s like King Solomon’s ring. I've wanted to make one for myself for a long time... So, thank you.
Glad to help! - You smile sincerely.
Well, see you later.
Tomorrow? At the same place?
— Yes.
Don't forget to pick up after the dog.
As always. Bye!
Source: habr.com
