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Bloggers On Pedestals Revisited

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This post first appeared at Ken Mueller’s house at Inkling Media. It is one of my all-time favorites and highly received by Ken’s community (and 323 Tweets later…uhh, what the heck am I not doing at my house?).  I’m swiping a trick I’ve seen Laura Click of Blue Kite Marketing do – re-post her guest posts on her own blog. I think this is a swell idea because why shouldn’t I actually capture my writings should other bloggers decide to remove their shingles?

The premise to the story below is that it’s lonely at the top for bloggers…see if this material is still relevant after having been published August 25, 2011.

I’ve been feeling and seeing some angst on the blogosphere lately. Some folks are having a bit of confidence issues; blogs are folding, people are saying their writing does not stack up, and some wonder if being a power blogger is attainable.

What I’m also seeing is that the power bloggers — those who rank higher than the Ad Age Power 50 – are distinctly on a pedestal put there by their peers, themselves, or others in their communities.

This is not intended to be a negative; it’s a fact and it’s what the blogosphere thrives on — leaders. But sometimes leading bloggers are regarded so highly that new bloggers struggle with that influence also wondering whether they can stack up.

If your goal is to become a power blogger, take a look at those who have earned their position. These bloggers are rightly on pedestals. I am always amazed when I see another level of giving, counsel, time, and sharing that is delivered to complete and total strangers in the name of building community, brand and business.

I’ve had the distinct pleasure of meeting Mark Schaefer, Jay Baer, and Gini Dietrich IRL (in real life), and I feel like I’ve met Danny Brown (he is very accessible). These four peeps are to be congratulated for their positions as leaders on the blogosphere. (Since I wrote this, Marcus Sheridan has burst onto the scene; his writings are indeed powerful.)

There is no guidebook how to be a power blogger; ithappens over time and with a lot of hard work. In fact, I would suggest power bloggers’ blogs are true extensions and representations of their businesses. When you reach that level, monetization of a blog is moot; it happens automatically, and the blog is the business.

I know how competitive we humanoids are — we want to have the best blog with the most readers, comments, RTs, and highest rankings with awards badges in the margin. We want to have authority and influence, and we want to change the world with our insightful content. I’m certain that each of us will eventually get there, but only if we want to. It’s OK not to be a power blogger, but if you want to be on a pedestal, let me offer you some perspective.

The next time you’re chastising a power blogger for his or her comments, thoughts, opinions, articles, or the way they conduct themselves in their own house, know this:

  • It’s lonely at the top.
  • What I said above–there is no mentor for them to follow and fashion a set of rules after; each of them is writing their own guidebook.
  • We are like paparazzi to them; everything they say, write, do, eat, share, photograph, we want a piece of. They are in the limelight because they sought that position and have earned it.
  • When you feel like attacking as a troll or someone having a bad day, think twice about blogjacking the tone with your drivel.
  • If you’ve ever left a snarky comment, ask yourself whether it was because of envy or jealousy?
  • How many times have you learned from these people about new trends in social media, new apps, new tech, new devices, copied their blog design, or received your invite to Google+ or Spotify? It’s real easy for me to sit back and wait for a power blogger to do the work first with a post that paves the way.
  • Lastly is simply about thanks. Have you ever genuinely recognized a blogger leader for their time, commitment and dedication to teaching you what they know? Thank you is a wonderfully unexpected two words.

I’ll say it again, folks, it’s lonely at the top and showing the love is one small courtesy to bloggers on your pedestals. Whether the bloggers you follow have a badge of honor or not doesn’t mean they are any less influential or authoritative. A pedestal can be as short or as tall as you deem.

 

Power Blogger Bullies Baby Blogger, Threatens Lawsuit

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A baby blogger in my peer group (we’re young) has been writing incredibly investigative and analytical posts about in-depth topics many of us wouldn’t take time to write. I’ve been noticing and marveling over the time and thought she’s puts into her content. She’s also become a guest author on a regular basis for several Ad Age Power Bloggers the likes of Danny Brown and Mark Schaefer.

And, that is exactly with whom she had a run in this week — a power blogger (not Danny or Mark); a run in that is akin to a cyber blogger bullying experience.

This woman wrote an article about the use of back links to drive traffic to websites via affiliate marketing. Apparently, there’s something of a black social media market for +1, links, SEO and key-word rich posts, and the like.

What ensued on her post in comments was an outright negative attack by this power blogger who demanded the blog post be retracted, threatened to sue her for libel and refused to calmly review the issue. Following this incident, the said power blogger was tooting his horn on Twitter saying he’d successfully corralled and shut down another “hater.”

Imagine that. An Ad Age Power Blogger took the bull by the horns and called out this baby blogger with no phone call, respect or attempt to understand the facts and the reality.  The power blogger’s brand remained intact with another notch on his belt while the baby blogger’s psyche and brand are in need of repair. And, the communications strategy to manage her response has been ongoing throughout the weekend; I know because she and I have been in continuous conversation about appropriate messaging and the strength of the story she needs to tell as a follow-up.

This situation makes me sad — there are so many of us who don’t know the ins and outs of every aspect of blogging — there is a back end that needs coding, there are tools and apps to drive traffic and interactivity, and link building and affiliate marketing have a key place in driving success, too. We who are innocently learning the ropes and bringing authentic content to the forefront are suffering from the likes of egocentric individuals who elect to use bullying tactics and the threat of a lawsuit instead of coherent conversation.

I applaud Neiclole Crepeau for her steadfastness in this matter, and she’s aware it’s been a learning experience. She admits she could’ve chosen a word or two differently, and she has sought counsel to determine how best to proceed. At the same time, she is smarting from the experience, and yet, she’s done absolutely nothing wrong; she has corroborated this. While I will not name names in the event that this dude gets his underwear further in a bundle, I will share that his blog rhymes with “sloppyfrogger.”

As we experience the tipping point in social media where automation is devouring authenticity, those of us still developing and delivering authentic content in small communities should open our eyes widely that something as innocent as blogging can be fraught with landmines. This situation is a good reminder that words are not innocent; they can be taken differently by whomever is reading.