Have You Ever Met A “Blog Snob”?
I’ve met a few lately. They look kinda normal – except for a few ticks…
…the slight raising of one eyebrow, “You mean you only blog once month!?”
…or the haughty look down the nose, “I have over __ followers on Twitter and made ___ dollars as a result. What about you?”
…or how ‘bout the gun-slinging swagger of the tech wonk (I had another word for gun…), “If you’re not using such-n-such technology/application/plugin/widget/web tool/hardware/software, you’re an idiot.”
In the old days (like about 3 years ago) a Blog Snob was someone who took a ‘tude with a non-blogger. Nowadays, I meet Blog Snobs who deride their fellow bloggers for a variety of reasons:
- Not blogging often enough
- Not doing it right
- Having a “lame” blog site
- Not using the “right” technology
- Not optimized appropriately
- ….and other crimes against blogging
Blog Snobs laud their social networking prowess, as if the fantastic number of friends, feeds, fans and followers confirms their “expert” moniker and popularity. It’s like we’re back in high school – puhlease, not back there!!
Another thing Blog Snobs do is wag their finger and remind you how much you’re missing out by not playing their way; trying to impress you with their knowledge, their name dropping, and how successful they are. It’s all about them. They don’t really give a rat’s ass about what other people might need, want, or prefer – leaving them feeling somehow lacking or inadequate.
You might think I’m projecting here. Maybe I am. I’m the poster child for ‘glacial blogging’ and don’t care. I tweet when I feel like I have something to say that’s relevant, interesting, funny, or acknowledging. I’m more amused and curious by Facebook than “strategic” about it. A lot of it I find inane. I’ve been on LinkedIn for a couple of years and would probably use it more if I swam in the w2 ocean like I used to. For now, I use it mostly to check people out – like my ex-husband, whose profile is exceedingly boring and straight-laced, just like he was.
Here’s what I say: engage in your blogging, tweeting, writing, podcasting, video’ing, and basically communicating and expressing yourself in ways that feel authentic and good for YOU.
Don’t worry about frequency, style, quality, image, looking good, doing it right, doing it wrong, being perfect, screwing up, or breaking the internet. Do what you want, and don’t do what you don’t want.
And don’t try and be someone you think others will want you to be. I’ve been down that road – heck, I helped pave it – and it sucks! I have more power, am more successful, and make more of a difference to others and to my communities when I am true to myself. I suggest encourage insist you do the same. Ignore the Blog Snobs.
Stand up for who you are.
Open up to who you are.
You are totally enough!!
It’s Exciting To Be In Business!
Think about when you completed a big project, or achieved an important goal, or accomplished something that required a lot of effort – perhaps you had to overcome challenges and fear.
It felt terrific, didn’t?
I recently finished a project that I had been thinking about for many months. I kept putting it off and putting it off – stopped by fear and that perfectionist gremlin that hangs out in my head WAY too often. You know what I’m talking about. But by making a commitment and declaring it to my coach, I gave myself a deadline and proceeded to get it done. WOW! Accountability to someone else can do wonders, eh?
