Nothing sucks the enjoyment out of something like being paid to do it. This is a well known psychological effect illustrated in Daniel Pink's book "Drive" ... when you reward someone for something they would do anyway it reduces the enjoyment in the activity.
There is another outcome as well, of course, the quality often improves when you're paid for the outcome. As exhibit A compare Re:Know, my personal blog, with the one I run for my employer, Klick Pharma: Digital Rx.
Oh yeah, there's a quality difference alright. Some of that difference is due to the fact that I'm sober the entire time I'm working on the Digital Rx blog, not something I can claim for Re:Know :-). Some of the difference is the fact that I have a whole group of SMEs (subject matter experts) who actually have writing blog posts on their objectives.
Tip #1 - if you want a successful corporate blog, ensure that the thought leaders in the company (you know, the ones that have no time) have it on their objectives. You will get a LOT more traction that way.
Take, for example, the Klick Wire. Back in the day when I did more client-related work I would put together updates approximately once a week and send them around to a mailing list that I kept on Outlook. These updates were mainly well received, even if some co-workers created special "Brad Dumps" where all the emails would go until they could read them (you know who you are DLoTO).
Now, I curate an internal email (Klick Wire, but you can't have it) that really is the envy of the pharma-marketing world. If you read this thing you'll get a distilled view on all the happenings in digital and pharma marketing over the last week. I even make special versions for some clients, and that takes a lot of time. Just the base research takes me 8-10 hours a week, not insignificant, and I love it... yet... the pure joy is gone. I get professional satisfaction from finding and curating the very best material, plus a certain high when I promote information before my other sources, but not the same ... glee ... as when I did it as a volunteer effort.
Tip #2 - there really is no better way to advance your career than compiling the very best information in a certain topic or fiend and forwarding it to the movers and shakers in your company. This doesn't mean just the top brass... oh no, you should select your peers who you respect and make sure they get it. Your peers who move up are momentum-builders for your own career as a word from them to upper management is pure gold.
I guess this whole payment-kills-enjoyment thing is a warning to myself about the User Experience Practice Group (UXPG). This is a group I run as a volunteer effort for folks looking to improve their UX skills as well as those folks trying to break into the industry. The warning is that if I make the curriculum into a course (like I want to) the enjoyment will be diminished. Yeah, that would suck... unless I'm paid :-)
Ah, the global truth... Provide me with more wealth and I will gladly sacrifice the joy of my activities...
And the world turns one more time...
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