“You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you’re sitting’ at the table.
There’ll be time enough for counting’ when the dealin’s done.”
The Gambler- Kenny Rogers
I was nine years-old when Kenny Rogers released The Gambler. The first time I remember hearing it was during a performance on The Muppet Show.
At the time I never thought of it having any sort of message I could apply to my life. It was just a fun song that people would spontaneously sing and sing along with. Call it a piece of pop culture from my childhood.
That nine year-old boy dreamed of going to space and of playing left field for the Dodgers, but I don’t think he ever thought about a time in the future when he would find himself fighting again the Tyranny of Social Proof.
I define The tyranny of social proof as what happens when people use those inaccurate measurements to judge your blog and your knowledge about social media. It comes into play when you don’t get picked as a speaker for blog conferences because you aren’t seen as being an A-Lister whose presence lends more credibility to the conference.
It comes into play when you don’t get hired for certain writing or social media positions because people aren’t taking a serious look at your blog and are relying upon these inaccurate measurements to make a quick decision about you.
It is a bit like the Sneetches from Dr. Seuss. If you had a star on your belly you were cool and if you didn’t…well you just didn’t have the same juice.
A Good Gambler Picks His Battles
Those of you who know me best will tell you that I have a body built for demolition and not for grace. They’ll also tell you I am tenacious, stubborn and willing to take on any battle that comes my way.
Well, the advantage of not being 25 is I don’t need to prove any of that to anyone and I am willing to concede that some battles aren’t won by using shock and awe.
And that my friends is why I need your help. I am working on some projects that are going to require more social proof than I currently have. So I am here to ask if you would please “like” my Facebook page. If you are on Twitter I would love if you would follow me.
Your Comments Are Worth Something
The Triberr affect is starting to impact things here. There has been a significant increase in the number of readers and pageviews. I am grateful for that and for all of you who visit, but I am going to ask/encourage you to do something else.
Comment.
Be a part of the community and leave your thoughts in the comment section on the posts here. Let us know what you are thinking. If you have requests feel free to leave them there.
We can do some very cool things together. The community is my ace and I hope it becomes yours as well.
I also want to extend my gratitude to those of you who are already fans of the page or following on Twitter. I appreciate it and I appreciate you.
There is much joy in the journey.
- “All that is gold does not glitter,
- Not all those who wander are lost;
- The old that is strong does not wither,
- Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
- From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
- A light from the shadows shall spring;
- Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
- The crownless again shall be king.”
- The Fellowship of The Ring- J.R.R. Tolkien
Joshua, I don’t really think of myself as a blogger. I perceive myself as a story teller. I love a good joke, and I can put them on paper, easy enough. I don’t think I have many original thoughts, just as I’m not the first, to try new things. I do like to share, though, so most of my blogging consists of sharing info from others.
Hi Dennis,
If you were to check my LinkedIn profile you would find that I describe myself as being a storyteller. It is something that I think is important, useful, meaningful and significant.
Stories are how humans have communicated for millenia. In my mind it is not always about having original thoughts.
Sometimes it is about voice and perspective.
I think I’m following you everywhere… just short of stalking but please don’t tell anyone.
You’re killing me with Triberr… every time I go there, it’s like going down a rabbit hole. Now I’m splitting my time between that one and the other rabbit hole called google authorship.
Sigh…
Champion on, J!!
Hi Kristen,
Not even close to stalking and it is all good. I know, you keep hearing about Triberr but the explanations haven’t really sunk in. If you are interested we can Skype or do a G+ hangout and I’ll be happy to try to explain/answer any questions you might have.
Maybe that will help clear things up. Just let me know.
Thanks again, I appreciate your help.
Happy to help. We’re already connected, but I’m happy to leave a comment. Here it goes:
All in good time, my pretty. You are a very talented writer and a smart and engaging person. Your success with this blog is definitely going to happen. But it takes a while to grow a blog, as you know. Enjoy the journey.
I will help spread the word. Your line about “I have a body built for demolition and not for grace” shows why your success is inevitable even if it’s not imminent.
Hi Carolyn,
Your help and support is much appreciated. It is a pleasure to have friends who are reliable.
Thank you for the compliment. I am pleased to see the growth here for multiple reasons. It is demonstrative of the influence of my friends, Triberr and in my understanding of how to use Social Media.
Most of all I like this because I am having fun and that is the key element in all this. You just don’t last otherwise.
Hey Josh,
I remember that song but I was much older then you when I first heard it. Not telling how much though. 😉
I’m already connected with you on the fan page so I have that one already done. Just followed you on Twitter and of course I’ll comment.
You know I had a guy tell me that he would love to hear me speak at Blog World and I was so flattered that he would even consider me to be at that level. That’s one of those things that I’m not sure what constitutes who being able to speak and what they compare that to. I mean having a bunch of fans and followers that you have no connection with isn’t really all that darn great. But to me, if people come to your blog and see all the interaction going on then they’ll understand why you have all the likes and followers you know. But that’s how I view things, that doesn’t mean that’s how it is.
But, I’ll support you my friend and best of luck to you.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne,
All I can say is thank you for your support and being part of the community here. It is gratifying and rewarding and much appreciated.
I think it always comes back to figuring out what we want to accomplish and then establishing a road map to doing so. Once we have those things in place the story of the journey becomes far different.
Adrienne, If you speak at Blog World, I would come. But please make it the New York Blog World. 😉
Every body loves a comment. The reason we all blog is we want to hold a great conversation and comments are the first step to have a great conversation.
I manage reading but not commenting always. I feel I am reading so much more but not commenting as much as I used to. Don’t know why. Like right now, I have 105 posts in my reader and I have read a few and commented on even fewer!
Hi Hajra,
I think we all go through cycles where we have more time and or interest in commenting. A lack of comments isn’t always indicative of a lack of interest, sometimes it is lack of time.
Hey Josh
I’m definitely connected with you on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ and I’m glad we are.
As I find more and more, it’s a struggle to get around everywhere that I would like to comment but I do have a few core blogs that I comment on and here I am!
Hi Tim,
It is a real challenge to find the time to get around. Sometimes I feel badly because I don’t get to visit everyone as frequently as I would like to, but we all do the best we can.
I appreciate your being here.
Like Craig said, I’m a fan too.
The thing about social media though is that, ever since I started my business, I haven’t had the time to be everywhere anymore. I am hardly ever on Facebook, but I’m still on Twitter several times a day. But, as long as we’re connected it doesn’t really matter where does it? 🙂
Hi Jens,
It sounds like you are busy with the business and that is great. That is where you should be focusing your energy.
Hi Josh
Well you always have something interesting to say. I am just now getting my feet wet as one might say with being out and about, I know I have a long ways to go. It is about deciding what direction I need to be going in. I am dealing with other issues that have to be settled, once that is done hopefully I will fully know where I want to go. Also have a lot of books I need to read to become focused on success.
I will tweet you, etc.
Mary
Hi Mary,
It is nice to see you. It sounds like you have established goals and objectives and that is important.
It is a big part of how you build your roadmap and figure out how to get where you want to be.
I appreciate your coming to visit.
Hey Josh,
Just for the record, I’m a fan 🙂 I think I’m connected with you on all the social media outposts, but if not, let this old boy know.
I’m still not sure exactly what qualifies as true social cred, really. I remember a recent Facebook post by Deb Ng about a very popular blogger who needed sponsorship money just to afford to go and speak.
So, do popular, but very broke bloggers count? Or do the bloggers making fistfuls of dollars (people we’ve never heard of) count more? What is an A-lister?
Regarding your plan, I’m on a similar path, so that will make for an interesting conversation … 😉
Hi Craig,
Success is subjective or so I continue to argue. It is really contingent upon whether your blog is meeting all of the objectives you have established, that is assuming you have established some.
I am not a fan of the term A-lister. Chris Brogan is supposed to be a very nice guy. I haven’t met him in person, but we have interacted online many times and he is always a pleasure.
Anyhoo, his “shadow” extends far and wide online, but ask a guy walking down the street who he is and they probably won’t know.
For me it always comes back to whether your blog is meeting the goals you set for it and whether it makes you happy.
Good on ya for asking, Josh. You’re right, when you’re starting fresh, the journey up is challenging. Community comes and goes but getting it to stick is harder. I think I’m with you on all the channels; let me know how else I might help.
Hi Jayme,
You are with me on all channels and I am grateful for the support. One of the best parts of blogging is that when you build your community you see some amazing things happen.
The support that comes with that is a two way street that is simply amazing.
I think that, as writers, no matter what people say about comments or no…we like them. We like when people take a moment to drop by and comment, and we welcome the opportunity for exchange: not only between the writer and the commenter, but among the commenters themselves. (One of the reasons I like to incite good ol’ fashioned #TeamBlogJacks 🙂
I haven’t been getting around to all the places I like to comment, purely based on numbers and time. I strive to share as often as possible (triberr has been great for that, and I always read a post first: I don’t automatically share), I strive to thank those for sharing my work (although again, like I said over at Jayme’s, that’s not always 100%) and I strive to, when I comment, comment with substance and sincerity. Cheers! Kaarina
Hello Kaarina,
That makes sense to me. Comments are always nice, even the obnoxious ones. They present one of the easiest ways to build a relationship between the author and reader.
Don’t worry about making the rounds. It is not always easy. Life gets in the way and there is nothing wrong with that.
Great song choice. I don’t know how one gets social currency, but it seems like you have a pretty good plan. I imagine it takes time and if you continue down this path, you will get there.
Consider yourself “Liked” on Facebook.
Hi Brian,
Glad you like the song. I figure that we get our currency online the same way we do in person, by being real and showing we are likable. That is my theory and I am sticking to it. 😉
I appreciate your support.
Josh, I used to think Kenny Rogers had the sexiest voice in the world, a couple of decades ago. And that song was one of my favorites!
I just came over to tell you that I love your blog, your writing style and think you rock. And yes, I’d definitely support you 🙂
The Tolkien verse is also one of my most favorites.
High-fives and hugs!
Hi Vidya,
I appreciate your support and you very much. As I mentioned on your blog I very much enjoy your stories and your pictures. It might sound silly, but India is exotic to me so I like getting an insider’s view.
Sadly I can’t say I ever found Kenny Rogers to be sexy. 😉