Citizen of the Month

the writing and photography of Neil Kramer

Tag: blogging (Page 4 of 11)

Virtual Blogging Conference – Day One – “Being Practical”

September 29, 2009 / / 29 Comments

I was reading some of tweets from a recent blogging conference, and the tidbits of expertise sounded pretty trite.

“Find your tribe.”

“Comment freely.”

“Give to the community and the community gives back.”

C’mon, we all know that shit already. I knew that stuff when I was blogging for one week.

I remember during BlogHer, when Amy and I were doing our storytelling session, a new blogger stood up, asking an earnest question. After hearing the two of us talk for a while, she wanted to know if she was “writing her blog wrong.” This freaked me out, because I had just spent the last fifteen minutes “explaining” the rules of good storytelling, and I suddenly realized that this woman had actually LISTENED to what we were saying and was taking it seriously, as if we actually knew the definitive answer to the question, “What makes a good story?” I found myself getting pissed off at this woman. Couldn’t she see that Amy and I were nice people, but ultimately frauds?

“Don’t listen to what we are saying,” I told her. “If you follow what we tell you, you will write a crappy blog. You need to listen, understand it, and then say, “F*ck you, I’m doing it my way.” Then, you will have a good blog.”

Of course, I didn’t really believe that either. So much for being a good teacher.

Lately, I’ve been thinking more about the practical aspects of writing online rather than artistic ones. Let’s face it. Having a personal blog just doesn’t bring in the chicks as much as it used to. I met these bloggers last week, and there was little interest in personal blogging. Most of the talk was about book deals, blogging conferences, blogging summits, marketing opportunities, and staffs of writers on blogging magazines. Half of my blogging friends have moved away from their personal blogs to primarily write elsewhere. They are smart. Everyone needs money to live, including bloggers.

I have no complaints. Blogging has been good for me. I like my personal blog. But for many of us, especially if you have some ambition, it is not enough. Most of my writing for pay has nothing to do with blogging, so it has been a vanity publication for myself. Am I the only one who is noticing a growing lack of respect for the old-fashioned “blogging for self-therapy?” Even mothers, who used to say they blogged for “community,” now say they are in it for commerce. A mompreneur is cool. Blogging because you are lonely at home is kinda pathetic. Male bloggers have the most pressure. What male blogger hasn’t been asked by his buddies —

“So, dude, how much do you make on your blog?”

“Uh, nothing.”

“So, why are you doing it?”

“It is a creative outlet.”

“Man, if I had all that free time, I would at least be watching porn and jerking off!”

“I don’t really consider writing my blog as “jerking off.”

“I see. What you are saying is “Blogging” IS a code word for jerking off. I knew it! That’s cool that you can be home and jerk off. You had me there for a second with that blog writing shit. No real man is gonna be working for no money unless he lost his dick down the drain.”

++++

Today, I will be running a Virtual Blogging Conference on this blog. There will be only one person attending this conference. His name is Mike.

Here is Mike.

mike

YOU — all of you who have come to this post — have been hired as speakers at the conference. There will be no pay, but free virtual potato chips will be available in the lobby.

Today’s session is titled “Being Practical.”

Our job is to help Mike.

Mike just started blogging last week. He is a nice guy. He has a funny and likable writing style. He lives in Tulsa. He writes about his wife and his dog. Sometimes he writes about the funny things that happen at his office, where he is a graphic designer.

As a blogger, he has a goal. Within one year, he wants to have an extremely popular blog, make at least 500 dollars a month in ad revenue, win a blogging award, be written about in the New York Times, have an article published in the Huffington Post, be a keynote speaker at BlogHer, have a book deal with Random House, get a free trip to Disney World to blog about my experience, be followed by big-shot tech blogger Robert Scoble on Twitter, and gotten drunk with the Bloggess and French-kissed her at a Christmas party.

You may not care about any of these things. But Mike does. And he has paid good money to come to this conference. Our job is to figure out the best way to help him accomplish his simple goal. Seriously. In the comments.

It’s the Journey, Stupid

September 3, 2009 / / 29 Comments

I will be posting every day for the month of September. Let me warn you ahead of time. Many of these posts will be bad or lazily-written. I will have no time to be clever. I realize that this will be sabotaging my “brand” and my name, but sometimes we have to sacrifice everything for the greater good.

Why will I be posting every day for the month of September? Here is the uplifting tale —

I was kvetching on Twitter, as I frequently do, saying that I had lost my blogging mojo. There were many factors at play, causing this state of mojo-less — personal ones, disenchantment with the blogging world, the trauma of attending BlogHer, and a lack of focus.

After I wrote this “tweet,” some nice woman from one of our fine Southern states, sent me a message that struck me deep, like a Confederate knife into my abdomen. This nice woman was not a long-time reader of my blog or someone I knew that well, just a concerned citizen, but her voice from the darkness was a lifeline of reason and compassion. She said, and I paraphrase, “Shut the f**k up and just blog every day for the month of September.” I’m not sure if she used those exact words, but those are the ones that I heard.

I know some bloggers try to post each day as a writing exercise or as a challenge to themselves. I don’t care about that. The last thing I want to do is clutter my template with one of those “I Did Namblopomo Last Month” (National Blog Posting….). In my opinion, that is not a inspirational goal. Call me old-fashioned, sexist, patriarchal — but I can only visualize one true reason for doing anything:

“If I post every day for the month of September, will you tell me your bra size?” I asked.

She said yes, without a hesitation. Southern women are confident, and don’t play games. I am learning that.

I had my motivation. My muse. I said it was an uplifting tale!

Was it wrong for me to ask for this request? I don’t think so. Great literature, from Homer to Cervantes to Shakespeare, are filled with tales of men going out into the world to achieve an impossible task for the honor of a woman. Why else do the f**king impossible task?! Right?

And yes, I want a pay-off at the end. I am a man. I figured that asking for her bra size was extremely personal, but not outrageous in these modern times when women post about their vibrators, a 2009 equivalent of the thirteenth century knight asking the maiden for a locket of her hair.

Some of my male blogger friends were all, “Dude, you sold yourself short. You should have held out for a topless photo!” These men clearly do not understand what a muse is all about, because they have spent more time reading Penthouse letters than Ovid. Asking for a topless photo would be sleazy and TOO practical, undermining the beauty and poetry of the JOURNEY.

And yes, this is a journey. And yes, there will be a prize at the end, if I can fight the demons and sirens and fight the windmills and battle the Trojans and accomplish all of my tasks. The prize will be a satisfying one, a key to the unlocking of a woman’s deepest and precious mystery, but it is also a pointless one. And THAT is the point. I had lost my blogging mojo because I was in search of a reason – a practical point – for writing this blog, and the answer is — there is none. The journey exists on its own. There should be no prize. But, alas, I still needed one, even an illogical one, because I am a weak man, a soldier without a war, an athlete without a team, a priest without a God. I needed a muse. And soon I will know her bra size.

Leaving The House

August 16, 2009 / / 19 Comments

F You, Blogosphere! F You Twitter! F You BlogHer! F You Blogging Badges! F You, Those with One Reader. F You, Those Making Millions From Blogging! F You, Facebook! F You Maggie Dammit! (That’s right, Even You, You All-Around-Good-Person And Talented Writer) No one escapes my wrath this time! No one!

I love you. I hate you. You inspire me. You bore me. You tease me. I tease you.

It’s time for me to leave the house, go into the city and SEE REAL LIFE!

Be back next week.

Badge of Honor

August 7, 2009 / / 86 Comments

badge

I respect the ideas behind this new idea titled Blogging with Integrity.  I’m fans of the four women behind the concept, and met two of them at BlogHer, so I a bit nervous to talk about it, but as most of my long-time readers know, I always have issues with blog badges, and this one is particularly powerful.   It quickly appeared on the blogs of hundreds of women and got media attention just as BlogHer ended.  I would love to talk about it further in a civilized manner, analyzing the pros and cons, and whether this is the correct approach to the problem.

This is the copy on the BLOG with INTEGRITY webpage:

By displaying the Blog with Integrity badge or signing the pledge, I assert that the trust of my readers and the blogging community is important to me.

I treat others respectfully, attacking ideas and not people. I also welcome respectful disagreement with my own ideas.

I believe in intellectual property rights, providing links, citing sources, and crediting inspiration where appropriate.

I disclose my material relationships, policies and business practices. My readers will know the difference between editorial, advertorial, and advertising, should I choose to have it. If I do sponsored or paid posts, they are clearly marked.

When collaborating with marketers and PR professionals, I handle myself professionally and abide by basic journalistic standards.

I always present my honest opinions to the best of my ability.

I own my words. Even if I occasionally have to eat them.

Sounds good and decent.  Who would disagree with that?

What is the real issue here?    Unless I am wrong,  I am guessing this is primarily about the new FTC ethics guidelines, product reviews, and proper disclosure, with the swag-fighting at BlogHer only adding fuel to the fire.   Something must be done to show that bloggers are serious folk!

Are we talking only about mommybloggers?    The press seems to say so —

Now a group of “mommy bloggers” is banding together to promote a group called Blog With Integrity. The self-organised, self-policing group aims to instill a new measure of credibility in the blogosphere by encouraging bloggers to come out and proclaim their incorruptibility. (Financial Times of London)

One of the promoters, Susan Getgood, explains it like this: Blog With Intergity is “a tangible and collective way to express our commitment to a simple code of blogging conduct.”

First off, it would be nice for an issue as big as this one would move beyond the mommyblogging world.    What about daddybloggers?  Are daddybloggers completely honest in their dealings online, while mothers need overseeing?   Why not include a daddy blogger on the “editorial board,” giving a signal to corporations that men will abide by the same rules as women?  This is one of the few issues that I believe should not be segregated by sex.  If we are going to start a blogging union with blogging rules, let’s open it up to everyone.

So, what is the problem?   Everyone wants to create a better relationship between bloggers, the readership of blogs, and the corporations and PR firms who want to sell things.  This badge would be sort of a Blogging Good Housekeeping Seal of approval, announcing to others that this blogger who displays it acts honorably.

Or as my blogging friend Teensygreen says on her blog —

By signing the pledge and putting a button on your blog, you’re aligning yourself with wonderful people who truly care about the content they’re putting out there.

My biggest issue with the words in the pledge are these:

I always present my honest opinions to the best of my ability.

I’m pretty honest.  I am being honest right now.  But the very IDEA of pledging to be honest goes so against the grain of everything I believe, that I am rather shocked that more of you don’t have a problem signing this pledge.

As much as I respect the sentiments, I hope this badge doesn’t become too popular.  I would hate to see a two tier system on the blogosphere, where one person displays a badge of integrity, like a preacher carrying the Holy Book for all to see, while the rest of us are branded as lying heathens in Sodom, fucking goats.  Isn’t the logical conclusion — the hope of the promoters — that marketers will notice this badge and work with those displaying it?   Do we really want that to happen?   Ask Sophia’s parents about life in the Soviet Union, when people had to take pledges before getting jobs and apartments.

Am I overreacting?  Probably?  Maybe this is all a clever PR campaign to get some buzz.   But I am taking what is given to me — at face value – and see some problems with it.

Think about what this pledge really means.   When you pimp a book, are you going to say that it was written by your blogging buddy and that you never really got past page one?   Will you stop stumbling your friends on Stumbleupon as a “you scratch my back” gesture and only link to posts of high quality?   We all do disingenuous things online.

I think these women have done a great service to get the ball rolling, so we call all discuss the issue of honesty and integrity online.

I understand the FTC issue and the disclosure issue.  The women who created this badge are funny, creative women.  I just want to play devil’s advocate, so we remember that sometimes the best intentions can have negative consequences.

I blog so I can be creative.   Hopefully, I will win your trust with my actions, not with a pledge.

Anxiety Friday – New Post!

April 10, 2009 / / 35 Comments

The goal of Anxiety Friday is to share some of my anxieties with you before the weekend.  Hopefully, this will allow me to better relax by transfering my angst onto you.  Thank you very much!

This week’s topic will be blogging.

Most of you seem to be so NORMAL — and relaxed — about the blogging experience, caring about each other, coming and going with the friendliness of a country pastor at a church picnic.  Why does the reciprocal nature of blogging give me so much anxiety?   Am I petty, over-sensitive, or just an anti-social only child?

One of my problems is that I don”t find it natural for me to “hear” so many voices during one day, even if I am just hearing those voices in my head as I read.   Some say they “don’t distinguish between real-life and online friends.”  WHAT?!  How can that be possible?!  How do I know who is my “friend” here?  What is the criteria?

Here are three questions that I asked myself last night, and it really drove me batty.

Which ten bloggers are most supportive of my blog and my writing?

I love and appreciate these inspirational people.

If I were only allowed to read ten bloggers on a deserted island, who would they be?

I love and appreciate these amazing talents.

Which ten bloggers do I think are wonderful people and would be ideal friends in real life?

I love and appreciate these terrific  people.

Now, here is the big question — Do any of these lists match up?    Of course not!

And if they don’t, does that make me an asshole?

And if they do, does that make me an even bigger asshole?

No comments necessary.  I’ll let yourself go crazy instead of me.

Guest Poster Slams Mommyblogger

April 5, 2009 / / 24 Comments

Did you know that there are so-called “hate blogs” out there, that attack other bloggers, not only for their writing, but for the content and choices of their lives?  While some view this type of blog as horrendous and just plain nasty, I see these truth-seekers as important counterpoints in a blogging world so heavily tilted towards those with “power.”  Why shouldn’t another voice be heard?

GossipMaven is one of the more popular of these “hate-bloggers,” and a good friend of mine.  I respect her completely because she speaks her mind, consequences be damned.  I am honored to have her be a guest poster on my blog today.  Take it away, GossipMaven!

Thanks, Neil.  I am so grateful for this opportunity to take my views to a wider audience.

This is a post that MUST be read.  It is about that ubiquitous blogger that we call the “mommyblogger.” Let us be honest.  We all hate these people, but few of us are brave enough to speak publicly.  That is why Neil was kind enough to let me publish here, anonymously.

Enough is enough.  We must stop the insanity before this virus continues any longer.  The truth must come out, and I must NAME NAMES.  Mommybloggers are nothing more than uncreative hacks that use their own families for profit, mocking their so called “loved ones,” as IF they could ever truly love anyone other than themselves.

In my opinion, the most egregious of these mommybloggers is “Neilochka” of the blog “Citizen of the Month.”

At one time, years ago, his blog was mildly amusing.  Now, every other post is the same — and always about his MOTHER.  Monday, Mommy Blog, Tuesday, Mommy Blog, etc.  When did this once virile, confident man become such a momma’s boy — a MOMMYBLOGGER, always blogging about his mother, and exploiting this poor, hard-working woman for a few cheap laughs.  Whenever he runs out of material, he pulls his mother out of his hat, like a magician/therapy patient stuck in his latency period.

The story is always the same.  “Little” Neil is in some sort of trouble.  His “Mommy” shows to save the day.  Was it any surprise that his mother found the extra shower curtain?

Grow up, man!

This immaturity has turned this gray-chest-haired Peter Pan “boy” into a complete pervert.  He never comments on any blogs unless the blogger happens to be displaying a photo of her cleavage.

Sorry to tell you this, Neilochka, but you are too old to still be sucking on your Mommy’s tits!

And if he isn’t writing about his Mommy, he is writing about his dick.

What are you, Neilochka, — 12 years old?!

Writing about your “c*ck” all the time will not win you a date at BlogHer.  You just comes off as a desperate loser!  Women want a man who is CONFIDENT, not an insecure twirp still holding on his mother’s apron strings, singing the praises of the “juicy” brisket that she will make for Passover.

Your readers are fed up with you emailing them photos of what you promote on Twitter as “the greatest cock in the blogosphere.” As V-grrrl recently wrote in one of her posts, “I have received several of these photos, and if this is “the greatest cock in the blogosphere,” I have some investment ideas for you with this genius named Bernie Madoff.”

But I don’t really care about you, you slimeball.  You have dug your own hole and you deserve to sit in it, with nothing but your iPhone playing old episodes of “All My Children” all day.

I DO worry about your dear innocent mother, who once dreamed of you standing on the Senate floor, introducing a bill to ban poverty in America, but instead, has been reduced to the equivalent of a Rodney Dangerfield punchline.   One day, she will read these blog posts, or her friends with discover them online(you even use her REAL NAME, you imbicile!) and she will be mocked and ostracized by the others at her mah jongg game.

Mildred:  “Nice to meet you, Elaine.  My son is a doctor.  What does your son do?”

Elaine Kramer:  “My son writes about me.  He is a uh… Mommy Blogger.”

Thanks, GossipMaven.  You are always welcome back here at this blog to “tell it like it is!”

Blogging Updates

January 23, 2009 / / 41 Comments

One of the dangers of being an innovator like myself, is that, after your idea is realized, some jerk like Thomas Edison comes along, steals the idea of the light bulb and throws his name on it. Did you know that in 1608, the Dutch inventor Hans Lippershey completed the first telescope, but he was denied a patent for it. The next year, Galileo read about it and built his own telescope. Guess which which of these two men became immortalized in movies, plays, and books, got a mention in a bombastic Queen song, and had his name used for a NASA mission to Jupiter? Was it the genius or the sleazy crook? Galileo, that jackass.

A few years back, I was like Hans Lippershey. Inspiration hit me like a diet Snapple bottle thrown from the second floor terrace of a New York City apartment building. I had an idea. Rather than just having a boring ol’ blogroll, I would create a “Blog Crush of the Day.” Every day I would add a new, amazingly talented blogger to the list, and at the end of the year, I would delete the list and start from scratch. As you may have noticed, when 2009 arrived, I started again from an empty slate, erasing everyone from memory, much like we are trying to do with the Bush Administration.

But what was once a brilliant idea is now stale. I’ve seen dozens of bloggers — even some of you — with “Blog Crushes of the Day.” What was once fresh, is now as out-of-step with the world as General Motors.

But if there is one concept that I have learned from reading all the boring social media experts on Twitter, it is that we must always innovate, always be one step ahead of the pack, especially in the online world of professional blogging. Remember when AOL was the big man on the internet campus? Remember Friendster? Remember when we used Internet Explorer rather than Firefox? Times have changed, especially in blogging. How can a little personal blogger like myself ever compete in a world where bloggers are giving away Wii-fits, Disney cruises, and throw glamorous Obama inauguration parties featuring free Quaker Oatmeal? My measly “Blog Crush of the Day” cannot compete in such a marketplace.

It’s the same feeling I get as I write this screenplay. Modern audiences don’t just want witty dialogue and realistic characters. They want MORE. They need punching, fruit stands getting knocked over, and wild sex in hot tubs!

I need to raise the stakes of my “Blog Crush of the Day,” to make it something so compelling, that receiving this honor will make your day, even make it one of the greatest days of your life, after marriage, birth of first child, and that really good one-night stand you once had in that Miami hotel.

A simple “Blog Crush of the Day” written in my sidebar will not just cut it. That is why, from now on, each “Blog Crush of the Day” will not only receive a simple mention on my blog. They will also receive a PERSONALIZED “Blog Crush” greeting in my REAL VOICE in an AUDIO EMAIL send to their email account, via my new iPhone! Imagine waking up in the morning, before your daily coffee, your eyesight blurry, your hair a mess, cursing the day ahead of you. You turn on your computer to read your email, almost in fear of some bad news, like your company going bankrupt, or facing a multitude of spam messages all wanting to help you grow a bigger penis, but instead you see this unusual message:

From Neil at Citizen of the Month, an audio note!

“What can it be?” you ask yourself. “Can it be…? Can it really be…?”

Yes, it is. You will hear my lovable New York accent, and suddenly, the rays of the sun will peer through the venetian blinds, a little bird will sing to you from outside the window, and LIFE will be GOOD again! You will be the “Blog Crush of the Day.”

More Blogging News:

1) The Great Interview Experiment is now officially a year old. I apologize for being lax with it. It will soon be revived on its own website.

2) I’m going to try to respond more to your comments and email you back, so I will be a better citizen of the blogosphere.

Chat with a New Blogger

October 7, 2008 / / 54 Comments

One day, you wake up and you realize that you have been blogging for a long time.    When that happens, there is nothing as invigorating as chatting with a new blogger,  a new mommyblogger with youthful energy and that special glint in her eye.   Was I once that innocent, so full of hope about the blogosphere?    It is a wonderful moment like this that bring me back to when I was “green” and searching for my place in this exciting virtual world we call the internet.   Once I was the student.  Now I have become the teacher!

Wednesday night on Yahoo Messenger:

She:   Hey,  Neilochka!   How’s New York?

Me:    OK. Pretty good.

She:   Having fun?

Me:    Sometimes.

She:   Are you hanging out with xxx-Dad and xxx-Mom now that you’re staying in New York?

Me:    No.  I don’t know them.

She:   You don’t know xxx-Dad and xxx-Mom?  Everyone knows them.

Me:    I’ve seen their names.   I just never read them.

She:   You’ve never read them?  Everyone reads them.

Me:    Well, here’s one who hasn’t.   Maybe I’m waiting for them to read me first.

She:   Ha Ha, I think they’re too busy for that.

Me:   Thanks.

She:   But, wow.  I thought you were one of those guys.

Me:    What do you mean?

She:   Like you knew the big bloggers.

Me:    I know some.

She:   Like who?

Me:    Like personally?

She:   Like who’s the biggest blogger you talk with?

Me:    Hmmm… sometimes I IM with Schmutzie.

She:   Yeah, but she’s not THAT big.

Me:    She’s very talented.  But it’s all relative.  What makes someone big?

She:   Well, you have a 314 authority in Technorati.

Me:    That’s not so big.  It’s also deceptive.  Every time someone posts their Interview on their blog, I get a   link.  It has nothing to do with my blog or my writing or me.  90% of the people who do the interview never even read any of my posts.

She:   But you get the links!  That’s great.  I wouldn’t mind having those links.

Me:    What are you going to do with those links?

She:   That’s how you get on people’s blogrolls and you get even bigger.

Me:    I’m looking at your blog right now.  Look at your blogroll.  All you have on it — are the same five blogs as everyone else.  They’re never going to put you on their blogrolls.  Hey, I don’t see me on YOUR blogroll.

She:   I only put a select few.  The ones I read every day.

Me:    So, you don’t read mine every day.

She:   I read it every three days.

Me:    So, there you go.  You’re on my blogroll.  And you treat the ones who are ignoring you better than the one who isn’t.

She:   You have a point there.

Me:    It makes me think that if I didn’t put you on my blogroll, I would actually be MORE interesting to you.

She:   Maybe.

Me:    And that’s crazy.

She:   I know.  Did you get to see Bossy during her road trip?

Me:    Huh?  I don’t know Bossy.

She:   You don’t know Bossy?  Oh, well, it was great finally chatting with you.

Me:    Yeah, it was fun.  Don’t get so caught up in these things. It will drive you crazy.

She:   I know.  I’m too sensitive.

Me:    It happens to all of us.  Like today, I have this new application for Twitter that tells you when someone unfollows you.  And today, I got a message that X unfollowed me.

She:   Wow, and she’s big. I would be devastated.

Me:    Maybe I was rambling too much on Twitter.

She:   Yeah, I can definitely see that happening.

A Twitter Idea

September 14, 2008 / / 75 Comments

Recently, I went on Twitter and mentioned that my uncle passed away.  Some of you sent me such beautiful messages.  One blogger sent a quote from the Bible.  Later that day, I went on Google Reader and noticed that I missed reading about the death of a blogger friend’s mother, a birth of a child, and a woman’s three day stay in the hospital for surgery.  After people were so nice to me, I felt like a jerk — and self-absorbed — for not sending support or congrats to others.  Sometimes I think I follow TOO many people, only giving superficial attention to everyone.

I wrote a post last week where I said that the blogosphere seemed “conservative,” meaning that this virtual world follows the rules of Adam Smith and Milton Friedman.  It is a free market system, each blogger acting out of self-interest and self-promotion, each wanting to network with the more powerful.  If you work hard, Write well, meet the right people, and give away wii-fits, you can have 2000 comments just like an A-list blogger.  It is up to each of us to work harder to “compete.”  The system works well for most of us. 

But can we make the blogosphere a little more “liberal” — meaning trying to lessen the differences between the haves and have nots, a strengthening of the human aspect of community while maintaining the free-market, democratic nature of blogging?  Wouldn’t it be nice if there was more equality in the attention we get from the community during important life events — birth, death, illness, marriage?  It is a sad fact that Dooce’s dog would get more love and attention from readers for getting a splinter in his foot than an unknown blogger electrocuted to death by a faulty laptop (sorry, just made that up, but you know it is true).  It’s just human nature, and our limited attention span.

Every once in a while, a grassroots campaign starts up after a tragedy, such as the Nie Nie Benefit Blog.  But what about the sad events that aren’t so well-publicized.   Do we care only for those when there is sufficient media coverage or the story makes it on Oprah?

I spent this morning trying to think of way to equal the playing field online, not in quality of writing or popularity, but in how we can show more concern to each other, a way to open up the community to helping as many people as possible with a friendly message of hope or congratulations. 

And I thought of Twitter.  Twitter is the ultimate PR tool (look how marketing companies use Twitter) because “social media” spreads information quickly through word of mouth.

I have noticed that news outlets like the AP now use Twitter.  Whenever there is a big news event going on, they broadcast it.  Those on Twitter frequently know about an event before CNN.  Now that is powerful!

Here’s my idea.  Tell me if you think this could work.  We set up some new Twitter account and call it something corny like BloggerCares, BloggerNews, or LifeEvents.   Whenever one of us reads about a blogger with a big event — a death, a birth, a major surgery, a wedding — even if he is someone we don’t know personally — this information could be sent to this account, and then re-tweeted to hundreds of peoples at once, sort of a personal bloggers AP service.   Then each receiver of the tweet could act however they wanted to — sending a message to this blogger acknowledging this happy or sad event, trying to be as personal as they could with someone they don’t really know, posting a comment on the person’s blog, or writing an email showing support.  If it all worked well, we would be closer to a blogosphere where every blogger who needs it — can receive a few nice messages from the community, without any thought to who he is or what religious, color, political entity — or clique – he belongs to, or whether he is A-list or C-list.  

It wouldn’t require much work from anyone.  It is pretty easy to send an “I’m sorry about your loss” or a “congrats on your marriage” in a quick tweet or comment.  I know I certainly appreciated getting those messages about my uncle.

There are still some issues that need to be worked out.  For instance, wouldn’t too many people submit the same information about the identical surgery?   Would it all be too overwhelming to handle?  I’m not sure I could do this by myself.

Is this a dumb idea?  Any suggestions?

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