Comments on: Treat Everyone Like a Who

By: Matt Grant

Matt Grant — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 20:19:42 +0000

Not to be the party-pooper, but I don’t think that the “cocktail party” metaphor tells the whole story here. In addition to meeting like-minded folks and sharing thoughts and insights with them, blogging is also about getting noticed and attracting readers who may not be bloggers themselves and whom you may never meet otherwise.
An important part of that effort involves building a network and, at the outset, you will have to do that one node at a time as you might when you are circulating at a party. But here’s where the model starts to breakdown. Bloggers aren’t just individuals, they are also hubs, centers of reader communities that have formed around them. When you leave a comment on a blog, for example, you are not simply addressing its author. If you wanted to communicate with just him or her, you would send an email. Instead, you leave a comment to be read by everyone else.
For this reason, the “Who’s” of blogging are attractive for more than their content (and not everyone is a “who” – I include myself in this “not-quite-who-ness”). They are attractive for their readership. In a way, blogging is the opposite of a cocktail party. Whereas at a party you wouldn’t necessarily seek out the person with the most “partners,” in the blogosphere, that might actually make sense. (Though as someone here said about “getting on Godin’s radar,” you’ll end up feeling pretty lonely if you only go after “who’s” like him.)

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 20:14:13 +0000

Sounds like a party to me. I’m a little old for a rave, but game. Add a little blues or southern rock to that dive bar, and we got a party.

By: John Dodds

John Dodds — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:44:23 +0000

Personally I prefer the honesty, equality and informality of a late-night dive bar to the shoulder-gazing, ambition of the cocktail party and like to think of blogging in similar terms.

By: David Armano

David Armano — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:35:18 +0000

What the…? Is this party still going on?
OK, I make the motion to ditch the Cocktail Party metaphor in favor of a “Rave” metaphor.
Somebody please pass me a nuk.

By: Jayniek

Jayniek — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:32:23 +0000

A sponsor would be a cinch for a blogger gathering like this.
A group of us just gathered for a Boston Blogtoberfest last month and got over 40 bloggers together! We were approached by multiple sponsors, solely by WOM and a little badge we all put on our personal blogs.

By: gianandrea facchini

gianandrea facchini — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:37:07 +0000

lewis, that’s a great idea. but i have to get a ride with tim over there.

By: Tim Jackson

Tim Jackson — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:15:19 +0000

Gianandrea- Wine makers are totally fine too. Maybe a nice Italian one, say… Masi winery for example. Just sayin’…
I tell you what- you get over here and I’ll bring a bike for you to ride as well.

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:10:27 +0000

Tim,
You are my new hero.
Gianandrea,
I’ve got a better idea. You get the sponsor and we’ll come to Italy.
Ciao.

By: gianandrea

gianandrea — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:01:56 +0000

what about a winemaker?
i just have to get a visa and a low cost airfare.

By: Tim Jackson

Tim Jackson — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:40:35 +0000

People, I’m serious here- we have to find some big company with tons of money to sponsor a “Party with the Profs” blogging/ marketing seminar/ cocktail party.
Here’s the pitch; we hold a very casual panel discussion that is set up more like an open bar. People can mingle, have drinks, eat some hors d’ouevres and learn from the brightest marketing minds gathered in one place.
Anybody smell a corporate sponsor? Captain Morgan? Finlandia? Guinness?
Who’s with me?

By: Ann Handley

Ann Handley — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:08:54 +0000

Glad you and CK met, Lewis. I am pretty sure that you both have to be my two favorite extroverts. : )

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 14:22:37 +0000

Ann,
CK passed along your hug. You really are a great hugger!
Here’s an idea: Let’s arrange a Boston – NYC Blogger’s Blue Jean Ball. Of course all would be invited, but we could meet in either city or somewhere in between.
Then in addition to our daily virtual cocktail party, we can enjoy a more traditional party with lots of cocktails. (Make mine Chianti or Sam Adams Lager.)

By: Tim Jackson

Tim Jackson — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 03:39:47 +0000

I’m typically late to the party- fashionably late? It’s just been so busy in the coal mine this past few weeks. Pour me a tall one; Scotch on the rocks, but just a few rocks and a lot of Scotch!
(Anybody for body shots? C’mon Ann…)
So many great comments posted here (dammit Ann). I’m with Armano here- what’s with the heightened uber-posting lately? I’m getting a tad upset…
This party goes all day and all night with everybody having a great time- even the ones listening to the conversations from across the room and not saying anything.
Lewis- Back atcha friend. I am so very happy to be a blogger and I am ecstatic to be blogging here. This particular cocktail party is full of Whos. Deliriously entertaining, smart and funny Whos at that.
Jeff- Good for you! Jump in and have fun and use that shared knowledge floating around as a way to enhance what isn’t in the textbooks.
Gavin- You’re so totally right; Ann is the Hostess with the Mostest!
This place makes me giddy. I love being a part of this and being a part of this amazing group of people and the community here. (It isn’t even the Scotch doing the talking…)
Ok, who’s up for Naked Crisco Twister? Anyone, anyone…?

By: Paul McEnany

Paul McEnany — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 03:11:40 +0000

Ann-
That’s a great read, especially for people just getting into blogging. If you start out trying day and night to get on Godin’s radar, you probably won’t stick with it for too long. But, if you take part in the conversation and just enjoy the ride, you’ll get much more from it. Great stuff!

By: Manage To Change

Manage To Change — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:34:42 +0000

Everyone’s a Who!

Thanks to Ann Handley over at MarketingProfs:DailyFix I found my favorite quote of the week. Charlie O’Donnell was comparing blogging to a cocktail party: “First off, the industry notables are going to get mobbed at a party like this, and

By: Ann Handley

Ann Handley — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:43 +0000

Thanks for the comments, all… and kind words. Thanks! (Gavin: I raise my glass of red in your direction…)
And Maureen — I LOVE your extension of the analogy when you say, “… it may be hard for those of us who are not used to drinking to keep from getting a little tipsy.” Tell me about it…I’ve had more blogging hangovers from late-night binging — especially when I start to see Armano at the bar — and my relationships have come *this close* to suffering from my inability to keep my head…so to speak. Thankfully, for those who over-indulge, there’s always:
http://darmano.typepad.com/bloggers_anonymous/
: )

By: Gavin Heaton

Gavin Heaton — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 23:15:01 +0000

If this is a cocktail, then Ann, you must be the hostess with the mostest!
And this is a great cocktail party to come to … you get to meet some fun, strange and really smart people, talk about interesting topics and issues. Even a little silliness makes it feel more human, connected and real. One warning, don’t blog and drive.
Oh, and make mine a martini.

By: Maureen Rogers

Maureen Rogers — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 21:47:29 +0000

Ann – I’m a relatively new blogger (and, thus, blog reader),and I think the cocktail party analogy is great. To keep the analogy going, it may be hard for those of us who are not used to drinking to keep from getting a little tipsy. I’m finding a lot of fascinating – and edifying – blogs, some real conversations, and every blog has its own set of links to explore… It’s an open bar with no closing hour! Tremendous fun, interesting conversations, and still a little thrilling when someone picks up the thread of one of my comments and/or comments on one of my posts. I can see how it gets kind of addictive.
P.S. Lovely and generous reminder about getting to know the “Who’s of Whoville”. But it didn’t stop me from posting a mash note to Malcolm Gladwell when I stumbled onto his blog and saw that he had written that he’d gotten a lot of criticism for “The Risk Pool” (his article on the pension crisis) which I thought was just great.

By: gianandrea facchini

gianandrea facchini — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 21:43:10 +0000

ann, when i first got into mp blogs, blogging was not an option of mine. than i started to comment your posts and, as lewis points out, to know a bit about all of you and of this world. and i felt to be a who. my favourite part of the party has always been this: 4) Listen, don’t wait to talk. People focus too much about what they’re going to say in their blog, but if everyone went into this party itching to get something said, it would probably be a pretty obnoxious, self centered crowd. Try actually being interested in what the other person has to say first.

By: David Armano

David Armano — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 16:46:41 +0000

Dammit Ann!
What’s been in your Starbucks lately? These posts keep getting better and better. I hate you.
Seriously I really love the cocktail party analogy, and I think it’s spot on. (BTW, love to see the use of BSP here and on other blogs–what a hoot).
To put this perspective in branding terms, the brands that figure out how to make their customers feel like a “who” –a somebody are in my opinion the ones who will reap the long term benefits.
Great post. This translates in so many different ways. Now I need a drink. Preferebly–one with an umbrella.

By: Claire Ratushny

Claire Ratushny — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:32:28 +0000

Hi Ann,
The MP blog has become a great gathering place for informal discussion of topical marketing issues, and we all thank you for providing such a communal forum. Spirited discussion, input from like-minded and very different points of view make this thought-provoking for everyone. A special thanks to Lewis for contributing so much to everybody’s conversations! It’s nice to get to know everybody through this medium, and even better when people are able to hook up in the flesh!
Lewis: I salute you as I raise my cup of DD coffee to you! Keep up the good work.

By: Jeff Lawrence

Jeff Lawrence — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 14:17:15 +0000

Attending and off shoot campus of Northwood in Texas. It is and accelerated learning night school for working adults.
Yes you could have heard crickets the first time she mentioned blogging in a class filled with us old folks.
Even though we are only required to do 6 comments during the 8 weeks. I find myself posting on all of my classmates blogs every week and for bogs outside of my class mates, I have probably posted 6 times on Lewis’s blogs alone. Today I even asked our divisions head of marketing to take a look at my blog and give me his opinion on it.
I have found that blogging can be used in many different ways, from professionals doing business, doing research befor purchasing a product or a group of people keeping in contact by blogging instead sending reply all emails.
I always wanted to be a Who.

By: CK

CK — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 14:03:23 +0000

Ann: What a great post–thanks for pointing us to Charlie’s great metaphor and musings. You have and continue to treat everyone as a Who–it’s part of the reason I fancy you so much (and why I call you “Ms. Community”)
Just FYI to all: if you want to “voice-in” to the collage I’ll be updating over the next few months so people can still include their views on the value of blogging…after all, everyone’s voice is important and should be represented .
To voice-in, just go here, then scroll down and leave your comment:
http://www.ck-blog.com/cks_blog/2006/08/voicein_wont_yo.html

By: Cam Beck

Cam Beck — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:58:13 +0000

“[A] pretty little cocktail with a cute umbrella garnish can nevertheless pack a punch.”
That is a very apt metaphor. You and your compatriots on this blog continuously impress me with your wisdom and insight.

By: Ann Handley

Ann Handley — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:49:24 +0000

You are welcome, Charlie..! Your post was inspirational.
Lewis — I told CK to give you a big hug from me. : )
And Jeff — thanks for stopping by. I’m impressed that your professor has you all blogging, and gratified that you are getting so much out of it. Where do you go to school?

By: Jeff Lawrence

Jeff Lawrence — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:28:56 +0000

Well once I saw the you reffered to it as a gathering of smart people, I wondered if I should be blogging.
Then I thought they will never know how bright I am.
So here I go, for me I thought my MKT Prof was crazy for asking us to start our own blog on MKT. We were also required to post on other blogs during the semester. Instead of a waste of time I have found it a way to expand my knowledge by tapping in to views of knowledgeable professionals and improve my learning experience.
It also suits my personality because I am a person that will tell you what I think even if it may not be what you want to hear, and that is generally what bloggers want from you.

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 12:19:12 +0000

Ann,
“Treat everyone like a who” are words to live by, whether in the blogosphere or at the local Starbucks. (Sorry, DDers, I had to get another plug in for my favorite coffee.
For me, this blog and others like it have created a community of peers and friends that I likely would never have met. Today, I meet CK in New York because of this blog.
But I feel as if I know you, and Gianandrea, and Ted, and Tim, and Toby, and so many others, yet we have never met.
Just keep on blogin on.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 11:43:17 +0000

Sah-weet… Link love. Thanks!