Brazen Careerist’s Ryan Paugh featured me on his blog today, which I really appreciate. There are some people in this world who have an undue amount of patience for me, and when it comes to my blogging, he’s one of those people.
One of the questions Ryan asked me was what I would change about blogging. At first, I didn’t have an answer, but I then remembered how cynical I am and how easy such a question should be. The word “groupies” quickly came to mind.
My initial thoughts on blogging groupies are in Ryan’s post, but my answer generated a lot more thinking, particularly about the types of groupies I’ve encountered on the internet. I believe there are four types, in order of the increasing level to which they can frustrate:
The girl in the front row who’s obsessed and screaming loud, in your ear, the whole time.
This groupie is the one who would take an autograph right on her chest. She wore the low-cut tank top just for that reason, Sharpie is in the back pocket. She is a fierce admirer and follower. Her comments read more like run-on compliments than they do conversation-creators. She believes that everything the blogger does is awesome, and she is motivated by her admiration.
The name dropper who texts you to announce when even a pseudo-celebrity is near him.
This groupie is more of a lurker than an out-and-out fan. He’s not in your face screaming accolades, but you’re going to hear about it when even the smallest, most peripheral connection is made. At dinner, he probably tells his mom he talked to Robert Scoble on Twitter today and expects her to appreciate how important that is. This groupie not only thinks the blogger is awesome (like the admirer), but also believes even small commonalities are genuine association.
The “If you like The Beatles, you’ll love us.” groupie.
This is the groupie who would love to latch on to the coat tails of a successful blogger and ride them for the fan base. The motivation is popularity. This groupie might be a blogger who is spending more time hawking her posts than developing good content and real relationships. She finds the large audiences of established bloggers very appealing, and in her lust for quantity over quality, she tries to attach herself to them by appearing to align with what they offer. She’s likely to use the strategies of the name dropper, the compliments of the admirer, and a healthy dose of self-promotion to boot.
The “I’m with the band.” groupie.
This groupie may already have more popularity than the others, but perhaps not as dedicated a following, and not anywhere near the influence leading bloggers have. Influence is really what motivates this groupie. He claims he’s an expert, but he tends to be the only one saying that. The community may follow him, but has not necessarily embraced him. It’s kind of like the “viral campaign” that some marketers say they are “planning”. Can it really be viral if it’s not passed along and shaped by the community it is targeting? Can a blogger really be considered influential if his work is not creating new conversation or generating excitement within his community?
For what’s it worth, I think we’re all groupies of different kinds at one point or another, especially of the adoring fan variety. I used to spout Beth Kanter’s name around the office like she was the only one doing anything right with nonprofit social media, and I was giddy the first time I met Rosetta Thurman, a young professional I truly admire. I’m not afraid to admit I’m a dork and really love connecting with some people… but my intention is not to be a fan forever. My hope is to genuinely and intentionally become a co-creator.
Tomorrow, I’ll offer ideas for being a blogger and community member instead of a groupie.
Learning and action go hand in hand for me, so as I’ve started to build more creative activity in to the new year, I’ve sought lots of connections and resources for ongoing learning about creative process, inspiration, etc. These are four of my favorite finds from this week:
Some thoughts on writing, by Elizabeth Gilbert. Because I’m reading Eat, Pray, Love and because I really like Gilbert’s style, I was hoping she’d have a blog I could become similarly infatuated with. Not so, but I did find this page with her ideas on writing process, including her take on how to learn as a writer. What she offers, especially her perspective on workshops and formal training, is pretty refreshing.
Cultivating a Writing Habit, by Chris Brogan. This blog is a must if you’re someone who cares about social media and online communications, but it was great to read this post on writing process outside the scope of a particular content area. It goes without saying that I’m in agreement on the notion of reading first, writing second, as Chris recommends. I also like the suggestion that writing is something bigger than action that happens on a page, with a specific intention to Write Something. It happens when we’re brainstorming, talking, jotting notes, sending off a quick email.
Passion vs. Practicality, by Susan at twenty(or)something. Good thoughts and questions on the struggle to balance personal passion with paying the bills, from another twenty-something who seems to be where I am in terms of craving a more creative life (and who also keeps looking back at college, thinking — seriously, was that the best incubator I was going to get for this work?).
Writers, abandon your muses, by Iain of Write for Your Life. Given my attempt at a no-nonsense plan for writing, this post’s no-nonsense approach to the muse cliche is appealing. Anything that assists in excuse-making, as a muse sometimes does, really has no place in a plan for building a creative life. Because even when you’re “on”, the muse isn’t any more or less a tool for writing well (or writing at all, for that matter).
With all the reading I’ve done this week, I continue to see some threads: people want to introduce more creativity in their lives, but not just creativity for creativity’s sake. Creativity is both a desired goal and an intentional process, one that has to be married with other parts of life — like business and paying the bills — for it to be meaningful and sustainable.
It makes me wonder what kind of resources or communities could emerge this year to help people find the intersection of creavity, practicality, and process. I hope that blogs like Write for Your Life fill this role, but wonder if there are tools that might also crop up to support this kind of work?
It’s embarrassing to admit that I didn’t read much of anything last year, by way of literary works. Even when pursuing my English degree, I didn’t read as much as you might expect. I blame this on an unfortunate talent: I’m neurotically systemic and love synthesis. I was efficient and focused in college for the most part, able to craft a thesis and a tight analysis without ever finishing the book.
As a child, my mom told me that if I could write well, I could do anything. I don’t think she was referring to cutting corners in my chosen area of study.
For those writers I have read cover to cover, such as Kate Chopin, John Steinbeck, and Toni Morrison, I offer a kind of feverish allegiance. When I get stuck committing to a work by a different author, I run back to them and ask if we could be together just one more time. If reading was a high school prom, I’d be part wallflower and part creepy/infatuated/semi-stalker kid.
I know I want to write again, but reading is probably more critical than writing. Writing without reading is running before you know how to walk, or even crawl. I would love to run right now – I even have places in mind I’d like to go, but first, I think it’s important that I crawl through some new books.
So for January, I have chosen Eat, Pray, Love. I bought it last spring, and like so many other books, it has decorated my house and that’s about it. (When it comes to my English degree background, I still try to keep up appearances.) I am only 50 pages in, but I am so, so glad that I chose this book first, and I am regretting not having read it sooner.
I will say I’m a little startled at some similarities between Elizabeth Gilbert’s circumstances and my own… the prayers in the bathroom, the underlying worries, and so on. Her description of divorce is so on-point I feel like I’m revisiting a person I used to be.
And I love the use of something as structured as the japa mala to seek and describe balance and meaning in her life. I love this conceptually, as a book, because I find vignettes and poetry to be a much-needed tug away from other, denser literature. And I love this personally, as a way of organizing the journey. A few months ago I moved the rosary my grandfather made for me from my nightstand to my purse, so I’d have it with me for reasons similar to Gilbert’s: as a reminder of balance, meaning, and as a structure for contemplating the two.
I’m grateful for such a good pick to get started – good to the point of distraction. For the first time since I was in high school, I would rather sit and read than imagine doing anything else.
This is the last of three parts about my resolution to develop a creative life in 2009. I’ve shared my reasons for doing this and the realities at play, as well as the requirements and rules. Now it’s time to talk about the goodies — those that will support me during this process and those that await me if I am successful.
Resources
Much like a business plan, this creativity plan needs resources attached to it. The most critical resource will be my own dedication to the plan, but there are other elements that I feel are important to articulate:
- Time: I estimate that at least 10 to 15 hours will be needed to successfully and happily work this plan. I currently have Fridays off, which is very helpful, but I’ll need to structure my time throughout the week so I don’t simply arrive at Friday and feel uninspired to plow through a day’s worth of creating.
- Money: I think the plan requirements, including events and supplies, will need a budget of about $500 over the course of the year. That’s assuming that every event I attend costs at least $25, but I’m sure I’ll be able to do better than that. I’m not about making this an elite experience, but I do realize that if I want to pursue so many diverse events and opportunities, money will be a factor. (Virginia Woolf got this so right.)
- Support: I am sharing this plan for input, ideas and awareness. I hope my blog will be an informal support, and I will share the plan with my husband Carl, as he’s been very supportive of me getting back in to writing, and I know he’ll enjoy the opportunity to help me be accountable.
Rewards
When I discussed this plan with my friend Tania, she was pretty adamant that a reward system was needed. She probably knows my creative tendencies and barriers better than anyone else, as we spent a lot of time together in poetry workshops and literature classes at Michigan State. So as much as I wanted to dismiss a rewards system (I’m so altruistic like that), I trusted her judgment and created one:
- By the end of the first quarter, if I have met my monthly reading and writing requirements, I will buy a subscription to Poets & Writers.
- By the end of the second quarter, if I have met my monthly reading and writing requirements, I will buy a new set of nice pens (a budget of $25).
- By the end of the third quarter, if I have met my monthly reading and writing requirements, I will spend $25 in new music on iTunes.
- By the end of the year, if I have met all my requirements, I will get a new laptop. Yeah. Blammo. Had to run that one by the hubby so I don’t shock our year-end finances. But honestly, if there is anything that I’d really love and that would be a good tool in my ongoing creative pursuits, it’s a new computer. That’s a pretty big reward, but it’s the one thing I can think of that has practical relevance and the thrill of a new toy.
As always, I appreciate your comments and ideas, either here on the blog or on Twitter! I’m starting to dive in to my plan and will continue posting to the blog as a way of keeping myself on task.
