Tags
No tags :(
Share it
I want to know more about you. Stick with me and I’ll explain why. There’s a survey buried below and you could win a $25 Amazon gift certificate just for taking it.
Meanwhile, here’s the backstory behind the survey.
We have a family friend who can’t bear to read any book or content that’s written from the standpoint of an omniscient character, speaking to the reader in a first person voice.
I think it’s more than a personal pet peeve. (There I go… only one sentence into this thing and I’ve already offended K’s Rule three times.) K. is a former Navy man who has spent his life in service to others. Me-centered content goes against the grain of everything he believes in—traits such as selflessness, duty and a belief that if you’re truly good, you don’t need to say a word about yourself; it will be evident to all. In my lifetime, I’ve known a lot of people like K. Most are from a previous generation, although I know a few young people who share his ethos. Mercy, I miss those days.
Never mind the fact that K’s Rule disqualifies some of my favorite books. It also upsets a new world order: I tweet, I blog, I post, therefore I am. I don’t care who your are or what you do; if you’re working today, you cannot succeed without self-promotion. Or so it seems. (Hey, I didn’t make the rules. I’m just repeating them for the record.)
K’s philosophy is directly at odds with current thinking about what counts as good communication. Professional writers and bloggers are encouraged to make their work represent businesses in the most personal way. I call it the Personalization Rule.
In the realm of personal blogging, some of us take the Personalization Rule to an extreme. We create content that’s all about ourselves. Truthfully, there’s really nothing wrong with that. It’s a great way to record life and keep in touch with friends—the modern form of a letter. I can’t knock it because it’s the way I started blogging over a decade ago.
The real intention of the Personalization Rule is to build and maintain long-term relationships—real ones. Service journalism is a more challenging threshold to cross. It requires me to make my content all about what you like to learn, read, wear, eat, drink, see and do–without speaking to you in a stuffy and remote way.
What’s the point?
I’ve been blogging in this space for seven years, starting as vintage fashion blog. Gradually, it morphed into something much less specific—a place a Renaissance person might visit to glance fondly at bygone arts, conventions and values such as our friend K’s.
During the transition, I lost a few readers who were following strictly for the vintage fashion. I worried about betraying those folks, but eventually, I discovered an abundant and loyal readership of women who would rather have five true friends than 25 superficial ones. Sister, if that’s you, you’re my kind of friend and reader. You might have come for What to Wear to A Western Themed Wedding or Forgotten Vintage Names for Your Baby (the two most popular posts on the blog), but you stayed for Coco’s Corner and Is Trump a Narcissist?
It takes a lot of devotion to maintain a regular blog. I want to make sure that every time I write, I’m doing something worthwhile for you. That’s why I’ve prepared this short survey to make sure I understand you and your interests.
Will you please help me maintain a high quality of content by completing the survey? To sweeten the pot, I’ll be drawing from participants for a $25 Amazon Gift Card. You can enter the drawing by tagging me in a comment below to let me know that you’ve completed the survey. Let me know if you have any problems and I’ll be glad to help.
Life is short. Wear the good stuff.
8 comments
June 10, 2017 at 10:34 am
Hi, Crystal! I’m missing you, Lady! I completed your survey. I hope it helps you glean the information you need.
June 10, 2017 at 10:48 am
It was hard to put things I like in order on the survey. Especially in the middle.
June 11, 2017 at 8:52 am
A thought-provoking post here. At 62, I’m a widely published journalist who understands the need for self-promotion, yet I often cringe at things I see posted on social media sites. I took a break from Facebook for many reasons, one of which had to do with friends who relied on Facebook to share their “news” and photos with me — in place of personal contact. When I quit FB, one of them — who lives here in my neighborhood! –actually got angry with me, saying: “Now that you’re not on Facebook, you will miss the photos of my kids!” (As if that were the only way to share photos with friends?)
But I digress. I blog and post on Instagram, but more often than not, I am careful with what I post and tend to share details on my personal life in person. I know this sounds contradictory, but after being a newspaper columnist for many years, I believe in having healthy personal boundaries and keeping our private lives private. While it’s possible to do this and still have a social media following, the majority of people I know often cross the line and over-share. And, sadly, many of the people who abuse social media (and blogging) are more concerned about getting people interested in *them* and rarely reciprocate the attention.
June 12, 2017 at 9:57 pm
Love to read — historical fiction and mysteries. I try to read both fiction and non-fiction. I like to quilt and knit. I like shopping in antique stores and consignment shops. (Don’t much like shopping for clothes — too hard to find suitable and pretty clothing for my age group.) Enjoy reading your blog.
June 12, 2017 at 11:31 pm
I love reading your blog, Crystal!! You always have something interesting to say!!
June 12, 2017 at 11:32 pm
By the way, I completed the survey.
June 13, 2017 at 7:14 am
Hi Crystal! Just letting you know I entered your contest! Hope you are doing well!
June 13, 2017 at 4:24 pm
You scared me! I thought that it was a “goodbye” post! Such a relief. I did, indeed, complete the survey. Thank you for great content.