Jason Calacanis and I share a few passions - tech, business, blogging and sports. He's dead-on right when he says the so-called "A-list" is an open club. Anyone with talent can become a key influencer, no matter what community they inhabit. There's also always a changing of the guard. New voices replace the "fading stars." Everyone has a chance to "rise." BL offers similar advice.
By the way, even if you are part of a community and you don't shake trees with your words, photos or videos, it doesn't mean you're not just as important as everyone else. You are. That's why I love to link to new voices. Still, there is a hierarchy in every social network and many do aspire to rise. Just spend time on digg and you'll see how tough the competition is.
If this is your goal, zero in on the common bond that unites the influencers. It doesn't matter if it's Scoble in the blogosphere, Thomas Hawk on Flickr or Ask a Ninja on YouTube. They share an essential trait and that is an unbelievable work ethic and a commitment to quality.
If you want to become an influencer - not that it needs to be your goal - you have to show up every day. You need to know the community inside and out, produce quality content and work your butt off. There is no other way in. There's no hall pass. The most influential (I say most because we all influence) post every day - weekends too. Some never miss a day ever and when they do, they're upset. Look at Fred Wilson, for example. He missed a day blogging for the first time in years because he was moving and he was shocked that he did.
In addition to my peers, my family and business leaders, I look to the sports world to inspire me. One of my favorite players ever in any sport is the Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki, who just might be this year's MVP. Dirk's nickname is "the work." The odds were against Dirk. He's a German ballplayer in a league dominated by Americans. Further, for awhile he was a poor on defense. The fans even nicknamed him "irk" because he had no "D".
But Dirk didn't care. He focused relentlessly on the prize. No, not the MVP title. The big kahuna - the NBA Championship. When the Mavs blew a two-game lead last year to the Heat in the Finals, Dirk took it personally. He worked extra hard all off-season and all season because he's obsessed with perfection. He's a champion. Take a look a the stats in the widget below from the NBA's site and you will see what I mean. He's one reason why the Mavs are dominating the league.
So if you aspire to be an influencer, it takes work and it's an open door. If you want it, be like Dirk. If not, that's cool too. We need as many voices as we can in this conversation. Together, we're a team. But every team has all-stars.
