I’ve gotten a lot of very kind comments lately from people saying that they agree with some of my views or that something I have said has been helpful. This, of course, is an easy way to make my day (if you mean it).
I have to take this opportunity to point something out, however.
The way that I do things is merely my interpretation of what I have learned from people like Chris Brogan, Jay Baer, Ann Handley, Beth Harte and many more people that I am fortunate to have connected with on Twitter and elsewhere in the Social Media world.
Sometimes, people get frustrated that they don’t get responses from people who have pull in Social Media. Sometimes it seems easy to get attention by writing a blog post saying that that the views of the “influencers,” “thought leaders,” “cool kids,” whatever term you want to use, are wrong, uneducated, whatever.
If you like the way that I am using Social Media, I would ask you to take a moment to realize that these people, under the radar often times, are doing everything I am doing except that they offer at least a decade of experience behind everything they do, with 10-20-100 times more followers, and with expanded ways to reach out to you, like webinars, presentations, and more.
The parts of what I do that have gotten the best responses are all the result of me doing the best I can to learn from these thought leaders. My Social Media world, and what I do, is the size of a crumb compared to the full multi-level cake of people that these industry leaders are assisting every day.
Before you get frustrated, before you decide to try to pick a fight to get some attention, remember that the “cool” kids are people like you and me. They are perpetually doing something they don’t have to do, which is to help us get better at what we do. I am trying to pay back all of that time and free information by living it out and passing it along. Will you join me and do the same?
Image by Chris Greene. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/christgr
View Margie Clayman's profile
Dawn says
September 26, 2010 at 3:28 pmMargie,
As a tangent, complimentary I hope, to the point you’re making…
(“You” does not equal Margie, you equals all of us)
(It could be that I simply lack the ambition that others may have, but that being said) I’d like to propose that there is a very good vibe that comes with appreciating where you are and making the most of it versus pining for another 10 thousand followers. You have the time and the bandwidth to get to know the people who are following you and develop a connection that will serve you well into the future. I think @pushingsocial would call it tending to the “core”.
If you were to gain 10K followers in a few weeks or even over 6 months, I bet the “core” would be anemic, maybe even nonexistent. Gradually growing your followers, means you can tend more carefully to the core. And gradual growth increases the odds that the core grows as well.
I have followed people who are transparent in their desire to pole vault to the top, using some of the tactics you have described, and find myself wondering how many quality followers they lose as a result of their naked or thinly veiled preference to be hanging with the Cool Kids (again not that there’s anything wrong with that). What kind of follwers do you get, when those that *are* following you aren’t good enough?
Thanks for another thought-provoking post.
Marjorie Clayman says
September 26, 2010 at 3:32 pmThat’s a good point, Dawn, and I 100% agree. My BIGGEST fear right now is that if things keep going well, I might lose track of people who I really treasure. I am already thinking of ways to make sure that never happens. It wouldn’t be a matter of prioritizing – it’s just a matter of time. There are people who I always used to see in my Twitter stream who I just don’t see anymore.
I am not really sure for whom accumulating followers works. Even if they do occasionally retweet you, who cares?
I’d much rather have one Dawn Westerberg as a friend rather than 5000 people I don’t know.
Cristian Gonzales says
September 26, 2010 at 8:04 pmGreat post Marjorie, and good additional words by Dawn.
I was never one of the cool kids growing up. I always wanted to be, but was never part of the “it” crowd.
However, in retrospect, I’m glad I was never one of the cool kids, and instead had to rely on learning how to build my esteem without the approval of others. Granted, I have my weak moments here and there, but for the most part I’ve learned to like me for me.
In one of my blog posts I wrote awhile back I talked about learning and respecting those who are in the social media world and are making an impact. They’re making that impact for a reason. Sure, you may disagree here and there about some things, but instead of trying to stand out by disagreeing, I think it’s more effective to listen, learn, and practice.
No one ever got anywhere without a good teacher, or several good teachers for that matter. Well, at least no one I know of anyway.
Marjorie Clayman says
September 26, 2010 at 10:36 pmYep, I certainly would not be where I am (wherever that is) without help from people far more skilled and talented. I hope to one day be able to pay that forward.
And I think you’re a mighty cool kid 🙂
Cristian Gonzales says
September 26, 2010 at 10:43 pmAnd I think you’re a pretty cool too. 😉
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