Even though I dress pretty boring… take pretty bad pics (especially of myself)… and am totally out of my league: I joined the Bloganistas on Flickr.
I’m not embarrassed by my t-shirts and jeans – in fact, I’m rather inspired by the outfits of the other bloggers. And quite motivated by the kind comments I get on bits & pieces of my outfits. I get to see things how others do and not just “me through my own eyes.”
If you’re a blogger, an indie biz owner, or anyone looking to achieve success in life – you know that much of your reputation is dependent on the company you keep and the community you participate in. Your business doesn’t operate in a vacuum. You rely on others to communicate your awesomeness, to volunteer your name when there’s a promotion on the line, to stand up for you when someone says something negative.
In an office setting or other job where people are all around, this might be easy to come by. For micro-business owners, like myself, it’s quite another thing.
Projects and memes, like Bloganistas, give us the opportunity to meet others with similar interests and find a community that will support us in things much more important than our daily closet exploits. My goal for this year is to not only participate in a few but start a few of my own. While Scoutie Girl may be a popular blog, its growth will no doubt plateau without some truly extraordinary supporters. I hope to find these fabulous people in my growing community.
How do you find community? What projects are you participating in now to build your network and get support from a community?
Such a great post! I think people get so wrapped up in using the web and social media as a marketing tool that they forget about the potential for community.
As someone who works from home, but needs to be creative, it can be extremely difficult with no one else to bounce ideas off of. Once I started realizing the potential for my blog and twitter to connect me to a community, working at home got a whole lot easier!
And kudos for joining bloganistas! (I was way too chicken to join!)
Wow! i know this post was a ways back but i thought i would leave a reply here instead of on a newer one. The content in your blogs and on your sites has me entirely immersed in the wonder of becoming a blogger. i am a newby to the blog world and only of the past couple of years have i had an e-mail address that i checked on a regular basis. For one, i never had to many people sending messages nor had i signed on to very many sites.As i have been surfing and reading, i have signed onto a lot of info sites, stores, and school newletters. Which have all helped out my web experience and I can get a lot of coupons and codes and free samples and look up what natural cold remedies to give my children. However informed i have become, it seems very unattached and “lonely”. Which is ok but i was looking for more of a social network.
Long story long-i am a crafty, and while on business sites i would see blogs along side to check out. Boy did that open up my world. After checking out and learning how to subcribe to a few newsletters, then RSS feeds, i feel so inspired so see what people are doing out there. I have been drawn to it like a bird to a tree and cannot stay away from checking out as many new sites I can everyday.
i have been a home “engineer” for over thirteen years now , but still not knowing what i wanted to do when i grow up!! i think i may have found the next step. i can’t wait to check out your ebook and some of the other sources i have seen here on your site. Thank you for putting yourself and knowledge out there for others to respectfully learn from.
Have you ever felt like the computer can hear what you have said or thought? No, i am not paranoid. Sometimes it seems like things i have wondered about come up online somehow or the info i have been looking for is right in my inbox the following morning!
i apologize for the novella, i guess maybe i should have sent an e-mail to you. i just wanted to give you a little background to help explain how much your content and ideas have helped a novice like myself understand and hopefully someday realize my hopes of participating on or having a blog someday.
When I took my first on-line class some years ago, we were required to participate in workshop forums–but they were not live. One would post a comment or ask a question, and wait. And wait. Sometimes days. It f elt surreal: sending my words out into the ether of the atmosphere, not knowing when or by whom they would be seen. And there was no seeing their reaction! I would read replies or critiques and try to glean some meaning from between the lines. However unattached and lonely it seems, it is merely attachment and community in another dimension. After several more on-line classes it was comfortable and familiar, and the nuances of the language revealed the characters of the writers, even if I didn’t know what they looked like; and their personality showed through their writing.
In revealing your character you also have the opportunity to build your character. I you build it with falsehood, or honestly, that will eventually be evident. It is what drives the artist. After–that is–they have overcome the fear of putting their work in the public eye.
beautifully said!! thank you so much, marcia, for sharing your personal experience with this crazy online community. you obviously have a great feel for who you are online and in – and i hate this phrase – “real life.”
i’m wondering, not because i’m looking for a click, but because i would love your feedback, if you read my post on “crafting your online self” over at scoutie girl? if not, you can read it here: http://www.scoutiegirl.com/2010/02/the-art-business-of-crafting-your-online-self.html
thanks again for your fabulous reply!
I am just bowled over by the structure of your blog! I’m older, so my experience with technology came when I was already kind of set in my ways. But I’m not really afraid of it; it’s invigorating to master some new aspect of it. At a crossroads now, job ending soon, I’m ready to leave the world of “office work” and be the artist I’ve always known was inside.
My talents really are spread over a spectrum. I love any tactile/visual art form: painting, ceramics, making jewelry; but I also love writing poetry, and writing in general. These things have just never been a focus for a career for me.
Part of the challenge means I’ve been reading, reading, reading and reading, on every aspect of e-marketing, starting, of course, with Etsy, where I discovered your blog. However, like the subject of your piece on Kelly Watson, onewomanmarketing.com, I picked a site name that is too close to what someone else is already using. Aaargh!
I’ll be spending a lot of time on your site; I’m already convinced that it will be a valuable resource for me, particularly ‘crafting your online self.’
Wonderful to have found you on the web Tara!
Hi Marcia! Thanks so much for your kinds words! Internet marketing is a fickle fickle beast! I can tell you what I’m doing now to promote my business & myself is different than the way I did 6 months ago. It’s constantly changing. I hope by sharing what works for me – and even more so the behind-the-scenes, I can help somebody out! My main advice: check out what’s out there, investigate it all, and then pick what you like the best!