The day was May 7, 2010. I had been blogging for about a month, trying to tweet on and off for about 4 months. I wasn’t having much luck. I think I had about 16 followers on Twitter, and my blog, I’m pretty sure, had tumbleweeds blowing over it. As I was doing my morning reading, I came upon a blog post by Chris Brogan, which itself was a response to something Tony Robbins had said. It was about how Native Americans used every part of the buffalo. I thought “Hmm, that’s interesting. I can tie that to integrated marketing, I think.” So I wrote a blog post during the first part of my lunch, then went off to eat.
When I came back from lunch, I had about 7 new followers and 2 comments on my post. This, in both cases, was completely unprecedented. “What is going ON??” I asked myself. I went over to Twitter, and there it was. Chris Brogan had tweeted out my post. In half an hour, my number of followers increased by nearly 50%.
My first reaction was, “Wow, I can’t believe that someone that important saw my post and tweeted it out!” My second thought was, “Wow…imagine being so influential that tweeting someone’s post out inspires people to follow that person. Just based on you tweeting about them.” I thought I kind of wanted to see what that was like.
You’ve been there, right?
With great power comes great responsibility
It’s 9 months later, give or take a couple of days, and there’s a lesson that I’ve learned particularly over the last 3-4 months that I really want to share with you.
If you’re shooting for that influence, or if you’re shooting for Social Media fame, you are asking for an immense amount of responsibility. Just as Spiderman thought that flying around was pretty cool at first, you will find a lot fulfillment from your successes in Social Media, no matter how big or small those might be. But also like Spiderman, you will be asked to be accountable to and for that power. You should not look at that responsibility, that accountability, as a burden. It’s in fact a tremendous gift. But you may not see it coming.
What success in this world means
There are lots of ways to find success in the world of Social Media, and each of those ways leads to a different kind of responsibility. For example:
If your blog is tweeted out by a big force in this space -> you are seen as moving up a ladder in the “this person knows what they’re talking about” category. People will ask you for advice and will trust you to continue to be a good resource.
If you are invited to write a guest post on someone’s site -> it’s like driving someone else’s car for the day. You’re representing everything that person has built. You are answerable to that person’s community. You are expected to provide the same level of content that the community has come to expect.
If you are put on a list -> you are like the smartest kid in class. People will see you as an increasingly bright candle, and they may come to you if they find that they are having problems getting their fire going.
What happens if you shrug it off
For awhile there, if you watch the Spiderman movies, Peter Parker decided that being Spiderman wasn’t such a good deal. He stopped showing up. He thought he was relieved for awhile. He thought he was happier – for a short while. But as crime increased and Spiderman wasn’t around, people started to lose faith. That’s how it is in Social Media, too. If you find success and someone in your community, someone who helped you get there, asks you for help, it is your responsibility, your obligation, and your pleasure to help them out.
That never stops, once you start.
Social Media can seem like a game. It’s called networking sometimes. It’s called community building sometimes. Ultimately though, if I had to put a word on it, I would say responsibility.
Once you build a community of blog readers, you’re responsible for continuing to be a valuable resource, not just via your posts but via your visits to theirs. Once you start building a following on Twitter, you’re responsible for making sure you are helping where and when you can.
The perks and the price
Is experiencing success in Social Media really nice at any level, however you may define it? Oh yes indeed. I still find it amazing that I can tweet something to no one in particular and people respond. I can start conversations now. People are reading my blog and are telling me it’s helping them. That’s awesome. It’s everything I envisioned Social Media could be.
It’s what goes on when you don’t see me on Twitter, or when you don’t see a post here, that matters the most though. Answering direct messages, emails, and comments to the best of my ability. Visiting peoples’ blogs, commenting, and promoting them. Encouraging others in their endeavors. It’s wonderful. It’s rewarding. It’s invigorating. And it is a LOT of time, a lot of things off the radar that you don’t see. It’s no frills stuff. It’s the stuff you don’t get put on lists for.
The more success you find in Social Media (so I would hypothesize), the more it’s “that stuff” taking the bulk of your time.
So, are you ready?
I am not saying this to dissuade you from pursuing everything you desire in this space. But for me, the time investment, the sense of responsibility borne of gratitude – that all came as a big surprise. I am not planning on changing my pathway and I have only thankfulness, no regrets. I just wanted to let you know, taking that first big step – it’s a lot more than what you might see on the surface. Are you ready? Come on, Spiderman. We’ve got some work to do.
Margie,
I love this post. It might be one of my favorites from your fabulous collection. Now I want to turn to you and ask for your advice. I am blogging for a few reasons that are different from yours; however, I would love to expand my reach a bit. Prior to moving to my new self-hosted blog, I was gaining some great momentum. That has totally dropped off.
Whatever should I do?
@jwsokol
Hi friend,
Per my DM – send me your email address. I have some ideas I’d like to discuss with you on this.
Thanks 🙂
This post hits home today. Just made the 100K tweet mark and still going strong.
I’ve been nicknamed Mayor and Godfather of St. Louis twitter folks. Outside my local area, lots of folks listen when I mumble as well.
I used to really hope to be influential one day, and now that I’ve gotten a taste of that, I still forget to be responsible with it. You’re reminding me not only to focus on adding value but making sure I’m responsible about what I share, what I write, and where I link to.
People are watching, and in my case, from pre-teens to older folks, and a huge diversity in politics and religion as well. Sure I can tweet about orgies, but unless there’s something important to share, my time would be better spent sharing something more valuable.
That said, I still like to just have fun. Not every post or tweet appeals to everyone.
Cheers to you for your success and once again, thoughtful blog post.
Todd
@tojosan
Wow, that’s a huge benchmark. Congratulations!!
I agree, this is not to say that you have to button it down and become serious and inaccessible. You just need to make sure you are giving back along with receiving 🙂
Glad you liked the post!
Thank you Margie for a high value real life example of your experience with social media and blogging. I particularly like how you used a great tag line from one of my favorite superheros – superman to tie into your story.
@williamlennon
Thanks, Bill. Glad you liked it!
Margie,
Great post, on the spot and so needed. I watch some friends go through these things, and I told you long ago you were headed there too. Responsibility is the word, but don’t forget that the first responsibility is to one’s self. If you don’t put yourself first, there won’t be anything else.
Spiderman was merely human when he was Peter Parker, don’t forget humans have limits. =) The hardest part for most people is saying no, and the hardest part for those asking is to take the answer no. If everyone read this they might better understand what it is like for those in that level of demand.
Sanity can sometimes hang by a very thin thread. You may have well helped a lot of people keep theirs.
Great points, keep it up! You are an amazing writer and human being!!
xox
maya
Very true, Maya. It’s a lot to balance, kind of like the clown riding a unicycle while juggling flaming torches. If ya lose focus – ouch. On so many levels 🙂
Thanks for your constant belief in me, and your support. I credit a great deal of any success I find to you.
*smush*
Sniff sniff – I love ya man =)
You would be successful no matter what kiddo. 😉 But thanks. Back atcha.
Hey Margie,
Watching you go through this metamorphasis is inspiring – and I’m proud of your continued growth as an expert. One of the finest things you’ve done is be a real human being. Actually, you’ve been a tad more than that…more like the human we would all like to be. I’ve seen you wear a lot of hats: educator, friend, advocate (and a smart chapeau now and then 🙂 – all traits that many of us aspire to. Thank you for sharing your experience and providing glimpses into how your success has come about.
You remain, the best.
P
Thanks so much, Paul. I think you were around for some of my tumbleweed days – thanks for hanging around 🙂
Margie, I love your sense of responsibility. Also the way you are always adapting, reaching out and helping. Success can create complacency and you always seem to be able to remember where you came from and what that feels like.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Joe.
To me, responsibility is the essence of Social Media. I don’t like to say that anyone is doing anything “wrong” but if you are not feeling that pull to give to get…I wonder about ya 🙂
Great take on being a social media guru. I LIKE that you didn’t talk about “making money online” at all. It’s easy to stray into that realm when talking about blogging, social media etc…
Well, I’m not using my Social Media presence to directly sell things right now, so it’s easy for me to avoid that territory unless I talk about how I’m avoiding that territory.
But, even if you are in it for the money, and even if you are making lots of money – you still, in my opinion, should try to give back.
Thanks for your comment! 🙂
I really think this is a great way to make many who don’t understand what they are getting into.
I think the doing good for other people like you and Spiderman do is the real key into making any effort succesful.
Thanks Raul – spoken by someone who truly understands the deal 🙂
Hope you feel better soon!
Dear Margie –
The main message here is that it takes time to get noticed. Somehow, we feel if we write somethng it will take off like a rocket.
And sometimes, we get a big surprise.
I wrote a post called “When Your Husband Has Died – A survival guide”
Just an ordinary post, I thought. Couple of years ago.
It has become a forum for widows. Now 1500 or more. They all help each other. I rarely comment because it now belongs to them.
You never know where your words go. So we need to keep writing words.
Very true, Corinne. You never know what will resonate, what will make a big difference for someone – so just do it, as Nike would say 🙂
Margie,
I bet even back in the “tumble weed” days you were this thought provoking. I love reading your blog because it usually makes me sit back and *think*, deeply.
I’m still one of those aspiring to Super Hero status, yet this is a good reminder to everyone about values and responsibility. Something I think is easy to forget in a virtual world.
Nicole
You’re sweet!
I of course would love to think I was thought provoking when I first started blogging. I provoked myself, I’ll say that 🙂
I think everyone is forever aspiring to super hero status. Those who you and I would classify as super heroes already probably have some other huge goal on their radar. As long as you keep carrying people with you as you go, you’ll be fine. At least, that’s my opinion, and I’m sticking to it! 🙂