Every once in a while, you get to meet someone truly original. If you're lucky, they also turn out to be everything you could ever want out of a friend or colleague or client.

Matt A. is just one of these folks, and he has a blog now- which is pretty exciting. No, it doesn't have anything to do with marketing or branding... but it has everything to do with passion (and yes, food). We could definitely all use a little extra dose of it here and there, and it doesn't hurt to draw from fresh sources every once in a while.

If his photos (and recipes) don't make you drool, something may be wrong with you.

Now, the question is... if a simple blog like his can make you crave food, if a free blog like his can make you want to try some of his recipes, why is it that most websites don't engage their visitors at all?

If you have a website, ask yourself this: Are your customers recommending your website to their friends?

If the answer is no, you probably need to find out why.

Is your website a nice, professional, by-the-numbers web presence or is it truly an extension of your brand?

... or better yet, is it an extension of you? Of what makes you tick?

Does your website (... or store... or catalog... or menu) just show what you have to offer, or does it also inspire? Does it make people feel something?

Does it make them crave more?

What you have to realize is that at the core of what makes your business special, at the core of what sets your business apart from every other business out there, is passion. You passion for building cars or cooking food or racing triathlon or shooting cutting-edge fashion photography is at the very core of your identity - as a person and as a brand. It could be brand you or the global brand you represent. Same thing.

Passion sets you apart. Passion inspires. Passion infects. Passion is ingredient X of every succesful brand.

If your passion isn't evident in the way you present yourself to the world - if every little thing you do isn't infused with it - oozing with it, even, you're dropping the ball. Badly.

If your website isn't as cool and engaging as Matt's blog, don't feel bad. You're running about average...

... which means (again) that you could be doing a whole lot better.