It’s a Monday. I’m on the Strætó bus in Reykjavik, thinking about this blog, thinking about what I hope to get out of it. I get to thinking about TAGFEE, a concept popularized by Rand Fishkin and the team over at Moz. On this blog, I’ve always tried to balance the fine line between privacy and transparency.
It’s not easy.
Rand’s promise to stay TAGFEE is truly inspiring, not just in business, but in life. It’s very similar to the way Mike conducts himself, personally, professionally, especially in our relationship. He constantly points out that although transparency isn’t always easy, it’s honorable, saves time, and builds trust.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with TAGFEE, I’ll briefly discuss, but you should probably just read Rand’s post on TAGFEE.
First thing to know, TAGFEE is an acronym. It stands for:
T = Transparency
In regards to this blog, transparency is being completely open with my readers. I won’t conceal how I come about travel opportunities. If I’m being sponsored or offered products for discounted or free rates, I’ll say so. Additionally, I won’t gloss over the grittier parts of my journeys or misrepresent myself to potential sponsors or partners.
A = Authenticity
I’ve always strived for a level of authenticity on my blogs. I shy away from trends, preferring to experience new or undiscovered things. I write with a lot of heart, and I don’t try to personally over-cater to my readers. What you’re reading is me, unfiltered, eccentricities and all.
G = Generosity
My intention for my travels is to be generous and gratuitous with those who have helped me (and even those who haven’t). I believe those two characteristics go hand in hand.
In the future, I hope to find a way to give back to a non-profit on my blog, but until I figure it out, I want to strive to be generous in my everyday life. I always try to be mindful of ways I can pay my good fortune forward.
As for showing gratitude, Mike recently pointed out to me that at times, it’s hard to gauge how thankful I am. Not always, but at times. I’ve really thought about that – how I’ve thanked and shown gratitude to friends, family, and co-workers, and realized that at times, I have difficulty expressing it. Recognizing that early on in my travels (as well as in my relationship) will allow me to focus on improving that side of myself. No one is perfect.
F = Fun
For the first week of my trip, I tried not to focus too much on work. I put off looking for freelance projects, stopped worrying about money, and just tried to enjoy Reykjavik – a place I’ve always wanted to go. Allowing myself to have that time, that refresh, really helped me get motivated. When it comes to our shared and individual projects, Mike and I both tend to get a little bit of tunnel vision. Staying aware of that, and making time for fun, helps me not to burn out.
E = Empathy
Early on in our trip, Mike and I discovered how we both handle stress. Mike is proactive, I’m patient. When we got delayed in Boston en route to Iceland, Mike was in every guest services line trying to switch our flight. I sat and made the delay work to my advantage, editing a blog post on my laptop.
Although these two traits can complement each other, I’ve realized since that I need to stay aware of the pressure Mike may get from it. While he’s naturally proactive, making it a habit to at least offer help, especially when he’s got a lot on his plate with work, is important.
I’ve found that this empathy is the key to any successful personal or professional relationship.
E = Exceptional
I often find that blog posts take longer to write, videos take longer to edit, because I want them to be the best they can possibly be. Recently, I blogged about our trip to Blönduós, and without a lot of editing, I published. Mike looked at it and immediately noticed some of the images I had included didn’t match the content. He pointed this out, and as I skimmed through the rest of the post, I realized that my haste caused me to miss basic grammatical errors.
There isn’t always time for a single blogger, or even, a pair of bloggers, to make work absolutely exceptional. We can try – we can share the best pictures, strategize content, edit and re-edit posts, but we’re only human. Freelance work at times, will come first. Sometimes we’ll need to take a break, sometimes we’ll spend some time out discovering the place we’re in. However, those things aside, before I hit publish, I ask: is it readable? Is it interesting? What would make it better?
The aim is to be exceptional.
So although I don’t run a company or organization, it’s important for me to stay TAGFEE on the road.
As we’re on the bus, headed to the highway to start hitch hiking, I’m discussing this with Mike – contemplating how transparent I should be, questioning how much I should share with my readers.
“There are some personal aspects of this journey,” I tell him, “I think could be beneficial to other people. But how much is too much?”
I notice an older man sitting in front of me, with thick, long dreadlocks, nodding as I speak. As I discuss the potential benefits – not just for my blog, but for our relationship, he continues to nod, without turning around or saying a word to me.
The bus stops. The man gets up, adjusts his bag, turns to me, looks me square in the eyes and smiles. He nods again, and walks off the bus. Kind of amazed by the approval of a stranger, I turn to Mike.
“Did you see that?”
He didn’t.
I rest back in my seat,wondering if I should take that stranger’s approval to heart. Should I?
Absolutely.
So going forth, in addition to my adventures, you can read my travel journal that with highlight some of my more personal endeavors. I’ve already started with last Thursday’s post about my trip to Western Iceland with Iceland Excursions.