When I Die, Will I Have a Wiki Page?
Maybe its because I’m turning a year older or maybe because I’m at a point in my career wondering if its time for a change, regardless, while looking at Jim Henson’s Wiki page this morning I wondered if I too would have a Wiki page when I die. I’m sure we would all like to have our names etched in stone or a reputable online imprint when we’re gone. For me, I can only hope it’s not about a ton of pictures on Flickr of me playing the guitar with somebody’s leg or giving the camera a "Rock On" symbol with one hand and holding a red cup with the other. I definitely don’t want it to be stories about me on Facebook and how I was one guy who never missed a party. So what does it take?
My New Year’s resolution was to "Make a Difference." I didn’t care what it was for, as long as it was something I was proud to accomplish. This is inline with the last few books I’ve read including "The Adventures of Johnny Bunko ", "Purple Cow " and "Free Prize Inside ". "Leave an imprint when you leave here" and "Be Remarkable" are two quotes from these books. "Leaving here" could mean leaving your current project, job, city, or even death. I’m not saying that my ultimate goal in life is to have a Wiki page, I guess I’m just wondering if anyone will remember or talk about anything I’ve done. Will I have succeeded in making a difference. I know many of you may be thinking as long as I make a difference in one person, whether that’s my child, friend or a random person, isn’t that enough? You know, it probably is. But think back to a person that worked with you in the past, or a friend that moved away, in under 1 sec does something come to mind that you remember about that person and do you still tell others about what they did that was so amazing?
I recently attended a web analytics conference where Lance Armstrong was one of the guest speakers. His speech about Cancer awareness had such an impact on me that I was very excited to get home to see how I could help. I now think I know what I should do which is to organize a Livestrong event for my area and maybe something larger. If ten years down the road some person somewhere in the world says to a friend, "I remember back around 2008 there was a Cancer awareness event that gave me the knowledge to spread the word," then I would feel accomplished that I did make a difference.
Now back to one of my original questions, "What does it take?" I guess I need to quit talking about it. Start making decisions to get the ball rolling. Whether it’s a Livestrong event, the products I build, the people I meet, or the presentations I give. I need to start the engine on some of my ideas and go to the edge so they have a chance of being noteworthy. It may not get me a Wiki page, but hopefully I will have made a difference.
Now, when you die, do you think you’ll have a Wiki page? Do you care? What will you leave behind so your story can be told?
Written by: tim