Blog growing pains
Today, in preparation for my presentation in Las Vegas, I was flipping through my slides from my ERE break-out session last fall. Not that long ago, but as far as the world of blogging in the staffing industry is concerned, it may as well be light years. Wow...I'm feeling a little dramatic today ; )
Back then, I was talking about blogs as if nobody had heard of them (many hadn't) and explaining to people why you would want to blog in the first place (recruiters like to make a direct connection between an activity and a hire...hard to do with blogging). I think it's possible that the staffing industry, despite the fact that most companies won't allow blogging, at least understands the medium now. I'll find out in Vegas. No jokes about what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, OK? Trust me, if I stink up the place, it will make its way back up to Redmond. They (the people that have time to make up silly names for things that really don't need names at all) call the warm winds that come up the Pacific Coast from Hawaii the "Pineapple Express". If it comes up from Vegas as a result of a stinky presentation, it won't smell like pineapples in my office ; ) I'm getting off topic and I'm hungry.
Anyway, looking at that presentation put me back on the mindset of 6 months ago. I was still in the "wheee...this is cool!" space then. All of us bloggers have been there...it comes after the fear of pressing the submit button on your first post and before that dreaded moment when you realize you don't have something fascinating to say every day. This much later, I'm beyond the novelty, and I am thinking about some new things:
1) Fast Company aside, you wouldn't recognize me walking down the street so there's no need to get an ego about it. I definitely see some people (anonymous nameless people for the sake of the discussion) in the blogging space getting their egos in a bunch. Recognition from the media is cool. How cool would it be if they saw me sitting on my couch in my PJs with a clay masque on my face, eating coffee ice cream like it's my last day on earth (not that I would ever do such a thing)? How cool is that? Blogging can make you feel famous but you are not (well, at least I am not). Your voice is just louder. Just like Vanilla Ice. How "cool" is he now? But anyway, I'm digging the Fast Company thing.
2) I am not interesting on a daily basis. It's not possible unless you have someone writing your lines. Or maybe it is possible, but just not for me. I've decided not to force it. If I don't have anything, I don't have anything. My weekend was filled with a trip to the vet, house cleaning and magazine reading...zzzzz. I just can't imagine that anyone is interested in how to stuff a benedryl into a snausage, which was the excitement in the Hamilton home this weekend.
3) It's really hard to straddle the line between having conviction and credibility and being wrong. The blogging medium is about expressing opinions...otherwise, what is the point? It's really hard to express those opinions (or my view of the universe) in a credible way without becoming too self-involved (see #1 above). I'm trying to turn off my blog voice the second I look away from the site. I think people become too invested in their blog identity and that is when it can get ugly (just a general observation). Frankly 99.9999% of the population doesn't care! Despite the fact that I'm constantly analyzing what's going on relative to my ability to blog about it (it's a binary decision...can I blog this or not?), When I leave here, I'm just Heather (like my neighbors give a toot what I do). It doesn't follow me in life, it just whispers "blog this" every now and then.
4) I really thought that blog trolls would get to me. They just come on your blog to correct your grammar, criticize your interests, etc. They so don't bother me like they used to. Don't get me wrong, there's a little bit of exhilaration in the ensuing fish slapping ritual. But it's just not a personal thing for me...anymore. People in life are just like that and I feel sorry for them. Perhaps we bloggers are doing a service by giving them someone to criticize so they don't take it out on their dog/SO/whatever. That is not an invitation to troll here! If you've got an opinion on something relevant, let's hear it. If your opinion is "Heather can't spell", "Heather has too much time on her hands", save it. We knew that already. ; )
Anyway, just some things I have been thinking about that some of the other bloggers out there may have noticed as well. I'm not sure if I'm just noticing it because the medium is involving or because I am getting past "whee!"
Comments
- Anonymous
April 18, 2005
We'd recognize you walking down the street, don't you worry...
Mark (& Anna Lisa) - Anonymous
April 18, 2005
What bothers me about the blog trolls is that they only critisize your blog. Where are they when you're writing that important memo?!?
What I need a permanent group of hecklers to look over the non-blog writing I do ... before I hit SEND, they'd quip "haha, what is a 'programer'?". - Anonymous
April 18, 2005
"Frankly 99.9999% of the population doesn't care!" I try to keep that in mind everytime I blog, although I'm not always successful. :)
I've only been doing this for the past few months and I only started because I thought it might be a neat way to keep some notes (mostly technical) for myself while being able to share them with others (when asked). That's still my primary motivator...notes to myself, links to remember, stupid little quizzes, odd thoughts I have, yada-yada-yada.
In fact, yours was one of the first blogs I started subscribing too and is still one of my favorites (even though I'm not looking for a job). Just keep doing what you're doing. :) - Anonymous
April 18, 2005
Mark-well you and Anna Lisa are among the few. I think once you meet in person, you are officially friends and not blog readers ; )
Alex-exactly! The least they could do is make themselves useful!
Tod-isn't it weird...sometimes you feel like nobody is watching...sometimes it feels like everybody is watching and you are always somewhere in between but you don't know where! - Anonymous
April 18, 2005
When something is done for a passion and not a chore good things will happen. Congratulations on your blog and passion. Blogging is reaching a new point where we have to get past the "I do it" and get to "I do it well and I like it". There are too many people bloggin that think they have to. I like your blog because you like to do it and everyone who reads it can tell that.
I know the people who read your blog are happy for you. - Anonymous
April 19, 2005
Hi Heather, You used to have that tiny picture of yourself online. You seemed to look pretty good but it was so small that if I saw you on the street I would hestitate before pressing "submit" for fear that I was making a mistake. I wouldn't want to get arrested for harrassment or even staring. (There have been such cases in Toronto). - Anonymous
April 19, 2005
Chris-you're right...it doesn't feel like work at all!
Michael-I'll be sure and watch over my shoulder if I am ever on Toronto ; ) - Anonymous
April 24, 2005
Heather - Keeping #4 by my computer. Everytime a blog troll (love that term) flames, I'll think - I just might be saving a dog from being kicked! - Anonymous
April 25, 2005
Toby-and people wonder why I love my dog more than most people ; ) One troll ruins it for the rest of us! - Anonymous
April 25, 2005
Heather -- Don't get me started on my view of the smartest canine in the world vs. the average intelligence of humans in the world. It would be a very on-PC thing! :) - Anonymous
April 25, 2005
Chris-hah! It's not un-PC if you don't name names! It could just be that you have an exceptionally intelligent dog! ; ) - Anonymous
June 13, 2006
You know a post is really well written when it makes you laugh and nod. You got the blogger mindset dot on. Loved reading it. - Anonymous
June 14, 2006
Thanks Astha!