Reader Appreciation - Kicking Off Another New Feature
January 8, 2008 | In Reader Appreciation |
Today, I’d like to introduce the second of the new feature articles on the blog - Reader Appreciation. Although Ripples is very new, with activity really only in the past month, I’ve already got a couple of regular readers. Since not only will my activist efforts not succeed without help from others, but my blog will die without connecting with others, I really appreciate those who take the time to read and comment. Although my website statistics will tell me the IP address of my visitors, unless those visitors comment, I won’t know who they are. Which makes comments that much more wonderful!
I could just say thanks and leave it at that, but I want to go one step further. With this new feature, I want to give a special thanks to one particular reader. The individual will be different every week, and as Ripples grows I expect I’ll have a hard time choosing one person to highlight. However, this week, the choice is clear.
Evan Hadkins from wellbeingandhealth.net has not only been a frequent commenter, but he also pointed me out to his readers on his blog recently, directing them to my post The Angries - “Management” Isn’t Always The Best Idea.
To be honest, I didn’t expect this post to make such an impression. It was a one off kind of thing, me talking about what was foremost on my mind that day. However, given that it received such a good response, it made me reconsider what I want to talk about on Ripples. I realized that the vague ideas might be nice, but they didn’t resonate with others. By cracking open a bit and revealing more of my true self, I hit on something good. I must credit Evan for his comments and his shout out with making me realize that I need to make every effort to do this regularly. I’m using my real name and a real picture on Ripples, so I must give some of the real me too.
Evan’s most recent post (as I write this), Two Loves for a Healthy Relationship, looks at love through the words of a Crosby, Stills, and Nash song. “If you can’t be with the one you love, then love the one you’re with.”
While I’m not sure I agree that not being able to be with the one you love shows that being “in love” precludes us from looking at our love’s faults, I did like that this post got me thinking. He talks about two different loves as shown in the two parts of the line. I like how he asks some hard questions that we should examine in our relationships, but also how this made my mind think about being nice to whomever I’m with. Even if that isn’t someone I have a romantic relationship with. I can love my coworkers, for instance. Not in the family, friends, romantic kind of way, but more in the “we are all human and we all struggle with similar experiences” kind of way. A thought provoking article I encourage you to check out.
Once again, I say thank you to Evan for being a reader and I hope you continue to be one. I also say thank you for making me think, not only with your comments, but with the posts on your blog as well. The internet is full of great people and I’m grateful when I get a chance to meet one.
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I think the reader appreciation feature is a fabulous idea. I’m fairly new to blogging so am still thinking about what it is and what it means. The advice that good content is important is absolutely true I think.
But there is also another side to the story I think. This was shown to me when Caroline Middlebrook, who blogs about blogging, posted off topic a little while ago about the break up of her relationship. The response was tremendous. And had little ‘content’ about it. This doesn’t mean she should do a blog like this every day. But I do think it says lots about readers.
Put briefly I think the blogosphere is still a pretty heady-nerdy-geeky sort of culture. There is little personal feeling and emotion expressed (very difficult in this medium of course).
A working theory (yes, I’m very heady too) is that the posts are for the head and the comments for the heart (building rapport/relationship).
So I’ll be watching to see what happens with this feature.
Thanks for the mention too - it’s delightful.
Wow, that’s a longer response that I might have expected!
Part of me thought - Oh, he’ll just say thank you and move on.
But, I was wrong. I really like the idea that the posts are for the head and the comments for the heart. That’s a really neat image. And, I agree that I “liked” Caroline’s post. If like is the best word. I’m sad that she went through such a rough time, but I am inspired that she was willing to show so much of herself on her blog.
And while “good content” is important, what exactly, is “good”? For me, it’s content that connects with someone else, content that brings folks back to keep checking on me. If I was writing just for myself, I wouldn’t have a blog, so I do want to connect with others. In that sense, showing a little of myself, or a lot, as Caroline did, fits into “good content.”
So, I will continue to do my best to connect with my readers and show them that I really do appreciate them. Some day, I hope to have so many readers that I have to hold some kind of contest to pick one person to highlight. (Similar to what Skellie was doing for awhile.) Someday…