Sometimes life seems like a huge popularity contest.
There are those that attract attention, those that want attention, those that profit off those who have the attention, and then there are those who just love watching people who are able to get their attention.
Besides all those categories of people, there are some who are like hermits. They don’t have attention, don’t want it, and they pretty much don’t care about celebrities, popularity, and all the hoopla. For the most part, I’m one of those.
Though I’m quiet in everyday life, I blog and expose my thoughts on the internet for a few special reasons.
It started when I wanted to write and sell novels. That’s what prompted me to buy this domain name.
I heard that writers need their own domain name and website and hurried to get something started. That was 12 years ago. After all this time, blogging has become a matter of self-preservation.
I make money by writing on the internet on blogs and content writing sites, and part of that includes letting people know who I am and why I’m here.
No privacy allowed!
If you want to be a successful writer these days, you can’t be shy online.
Occasionally I write about celebrities and other uber-popular people… for example, one of my spiritual mentors, Jo Dunning, who I love, love, love! She was a science teacher who was shot during a home invasion robbery. Her roommate was killed. She had a spiritual experience after all this trauma and became a healer. So… I wrote about her because I admire and respect her.
Not too long ago I noticed that people were earning a lot of money by writing about Justin Bieber. In a crazy moment I decided to write my own Justin Bieber page after he lost the Emmy to lovely Esperanza Spaulding. Awesome musicians, both of them. But I honestly ended up agreeing that Esperanza deserved that Emmy. She’s amazing!
Last year a friend wanted me to start a Charlie Sheen website – Charlie Sheen for President. Now, what do I care about Charlie Sheen? NOTHING, to be honest. But I was fascinated by his appeal and activities as I researched for content on this website. And you wouldn’t believe how many people have written already about Charlie Sheen for President. This is an American phenomena!
Part of being a content writer is the need to be enthusiastic about topics that normally wouldn’t get my attention. Really, celebrities are not an interest of mine – but (and I consider this sad) they are a popular topic on the internet so there’s money in writing about them.
I’ve lived a life at the bottom of the popularity curve and managed to be very reserved and introverted in most ways. This doesn’t include my writing and online life where I’m forced to be a bit more outgoing.
In person I have a tendency to retreat.
I think a lot of writers are this way as we need to have time alone to write!
Today I listened to Pro-Blogger Darren Rouse’s interveiw with uber-popular novice blogger, Ana White. Ana has been blogging for only two and a half years and has millions of readers.
What makes her blog popular?
Why did she succeed when many other craft and DIY bloggers didn’t?
Perhaps it was her dedication to making worthwhile daily blog postings despite anything else that was going on in her life.
Maybe it was her dedication to building furniture, not something you would expect from a pretty young mother.
Or maybe it was Facebook! That’s where she found out about blogging.
Ana’s blog is very interactive and she spends time there every day writing comments to her many fans and followers.
Recently I learned about the A-List Bloggers Bootcamp and joined for what I think is a very reasonable fee of $20 per month.
Believe me, I’ve seen higher prices for similar membership sites. Last year I was a member of Immediate Edge for three or four months – and that was, as I recall, $97 per month! I considered it training, just like A-List Bloggers Bootcamp is.
After twelve years of blogging I need to be brought up to date so I can compete with bloggers who are using the best information and techniques available today.
It is a fact of life for bloggers and content writers that while we spend a lot of time trying to help each other, we each also have to do whatever we can to make our own blogs work right.
I expect there will be some changes on this blog as I learn more.
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I am always learning.
We who are writers will also have to enter the popularity contest fray when we start marketing our books. It probably isn’t what most of us want to do with our time, but if we want our books to sell we have to get our names out there and compete with other more marketing-savvy writers and publishers.
It is a fact of life, that no matter where you go, or what you’re doing, popularity will have an impact on your success.
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