Upon hiring for writing my Teen Blog, I was encouraged to get out there and up my readership in order for them to want to keep my contract. I find nothing wrong with this. I begin investigating this tech world that I confess I don't know much about. I research how to increase your blog followers in many different articles. Right now - my biggest form of advertisement has been through my friends on Facebook and my family. Though I love you all dearly I don't think they were thinking that those kinds of numbers would sustain our partnership for any length of time. I began trying to implement some of the suggested techniques.
First they said to write often. So I began writing almost daily. Check.
Another suggestion was to make comments on other blogs or postings. So I started reading blogs that contained issues that pertained to me or my same interests. I posted a few comments when I learned that I had common views and specific thoughts with a few people. I left my URL as suggested and waited to see what would happen. Meanwhile, I felt that I had at least attempted a connection in a world that feels foreign to me.
A couple of months ago, I started a Twitter account. I'm not really sure that I have the time to invest in this thing. It is "real time" so if you don't keep up, you miss out. With my busy life, I just don't know how this will work out for me. Anyhow in my research attempts today, I decided that rather than using Facebook with some of these connections I would try to use Twitter. I tried to find places that I would feel comfortable connecting and have a mutually beneficial relationship.
I decided to get out there and "tweet". I put out over 40 "tweets" today referencing different stories that I have written in my blog. I was hoping that someone who was interested in the same things, might pick up on it and make a connection. I wasn't trying to collect followers - just find appropriate channels that would have common ground.
I was excited earlier today when a few people from sites that I commented on paid a visit to my blog. I was hoping that they would be interested in what I was dealing with in my parenting and that I would feel the same about them. After all, I thought parenting was universal and that most of us would be experiencing the same sorts of things to commiserate or build each other up.
I even called my mother to tell her how well it was going and I thought I was figuring some of this stuff out. I made that call WAY to soon. I had read on one of the blogs that they would be holding a "tweetchat". I'm still not even sure what that is...but nonetheless I was interested mostly in the topic. They were going to be discussing Facebook and it's use with our kids. Perfect! Right up my alley. It's been on my mind so much. Facebook is this new thing that you can't really find alot of parenting expertise about. Experts may make their suggestions - but we don't really know what the true ramifications of Facebook will be for our youth. As I blogged earlier, I am already seeing issues in my own children's interactions socially that cause alarm for me.
When I got home from working this evening - I remembered that this chat thing would be up and running. I was really curious to see what advice would be given. I tried to engage several times. I must have looked like a fool. I thought if you wanted to talk to someone you did the little @ sign and their "call name" - then tweeted away. After asking several questions of this person without ever being acknowledged - I gave up. Welp, I must not know what I am doing - they realize this and aren't willing to help out. Finally after the "tweetchat" was over, a general statement was made by this person about getting to know people before you follow them. Naturally, my insecurity led me to believe this was directed at me. After all, my Twitter is followed pathetically by 6 people and I'm pretty sure some of those accounts have lapsed.
So, while I am still feeling incredibly lame - another mother blogger who has chosen to follow me and I her today tweets. She says something to the extent of "If your entire twitter stream consists of you demanding that people follow you, I won't. You might want to rethink that tactic." I was shocked when this popped up. Of course, my insecurity went straight to the heart again. Clearly, this was intended for me and all of my tweets today about my parenting stories. She obviously must be somebody because she has roughly 50,000 followers. I'm a nobody with only 5. It dawns on me - I've been bullied at 40 years old by a complete stranger on Twitter.
Apparently the cyber world is a hostile place. I immediately blocked this mother from Baltimore, as this isn't the kind of heart I was looking to be involved with. I "unfollowed" her quickly. I guess there is no room for mistakes, human error, encouragement or forgiveness in the cyber world of Twitter. But think about it. How could you do all of those immense things in 140 characters anyhow?
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