Over the past 72 hours I have been accused of being jealous and of nursing a galloping case of sour grapes. This morning I was also told that it is very poor form on my behalf to have “attacked” the remarkable bloggers so viciously.
Oh dear internet, you are being very defensive.
If I had worked furiously, filling up 24 hours a day in my quest to be an uber successful blogger, if I commented everywhere, joined in with everything, courted PR firms, blogged about cleaning products and hosted giveaways. If I had turned my blog into an easily marketable package and my bookshelves were lined with Darren Rowse’s “How To” books nestled next to Everymans guide to SEO for Dummies.
If, my lovely internets, I had done everything in my power to become the number one blogger in the world and failed miserably, well then it might be fair to say I was suffering from Sour Grapes.
What I am suffering from internet is an inability to keep quiet and an overwhelming urge to poke at the status quo.
All my life I have asked, Why?
This is not the first time I have used my blog to ask questions about what is happening within the Australian Blogosphere. With the help of friends I mounted a rather successful albeit very short lived, “Die Churp Die” campaign. I am not sure if we killed the birdie or not but no one has been churping in my twitter stream so I count that as a win.
I ruffled more than a few feathers when I wrote this blog post titled, A question of Personal Ethics, where I banged on about Nestle courting the Australian Mummy bloggers. I wrote about my views about the so called A list of Australian Bloggers and exhorted everyone to act like they are an A list blogger.
I don’t write these posts for the stats as It was pointedly suggested on twitter yesterday, my stats could be through the roof but they wont do me any good as I don’t run advertising that pays by page view. All a high traffic day does is make my graphs look uneven and messy.
I write these posts for the same reason that I bang on about plastic in the environment. I am driven to start conversations that some people find unpleasant because there is a huge culture of silence within the Australian blogosphere and I don’t like silence when it is coupled with business, it makes me nervous.
This morning as I was reading my rather unpleasant emails and asking myself If I really did have sour grapes, am I an arsehole who just wants to “bring people down” I clicked over to twitter and in an instant knew who I was again.
I saw that @ChadLaFarge had given me a +K on Klout for Bacon and a +K for Eek.
This made me very happy and restored my equilibrium.
If I really was the nasty grasping piece of work I have been accused of I wouldn’t be at all pleased by a Zombie K at all, nuh-uh I would be chasing Ks for blogging and marketing and whatever it is that Klout thinks is important.
So there we have it internet, I am back being happy with myself again. My place in the blogosphere in secure because Klout tells me I am influential about Zombies. I really think that is rather remarkable, don’t you?
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I go to you for all my eek related questions.
I will try to keep up to speed, just for you Toushka, you wouldn’t want me leading you astray now would you?
I thought the responses got a bit out of hand, too. It amazes me how people often assume the worst of us, when all we’re trying to do is raise awareness or voice an opinion. This is probably why I often don’t.
You should voice your opinions more Dorothy. Opinions are good, differing opinions are healthy.
It is the same in the photography world, dear Kim. I often cannot keep my mouth shut when I see something happening that I think is harmful for the industry overall. And I am constantly surprised with the inability of some people to debate, rather than abuse or block, and consider that trend harmful for more than just our industries.
The sad thing is, that when I “speak up” I am not telling people that they are wrong. I’m trying to have a discussion about it.. to put forward my point of view and to listen to and learn from a differing point of view. I’m not at all adverse to changing my mind publicly, and have done it often.
When, on the other hand, I am called a “hater” or told I have “sour grapes” or am dismissed as “jealous” I feel that the discourse has become personal and the benefit and POINT of my speaking up is lost. God help me if I then display MORE emotion when trying to defend the reason why I initially spoke up. Of course, by this point, WHAT I said is usually lost and it becomes only about WHY I said it.
The irony here, in a community of predominantly women, is that dismissing WHAT we say by labelling us emotional is the main method that the patriachy have successfully used to silence and dismiss women for centuries.
I watched some of the latest drama. The wonderful thing is that there were clear and respectful voices on both sides of the conversation. It’s sad that they were drowned out by the name-callers. It’s a great debate that can only benefit the blogging industry in years to come. I hope that it is continuing in a more gentle forum as I type.
You understand where I am coming from Fe. We are very similar.Thank you for commenting and making me smile.
Nestle nutrition ar one of the sponsors of the speech pathology australia conference in Hobart next month. FYI 🙂 Old people, baby, and disability nutrition stuff I guess. *shrugs*
*shrugs* back at you 🙂
I know when i need help with my zombie questions, you’re my girl.
Well Klout does consider me to be an authority on Zombies. It would be a real shame to not make use of my expertise in this area Tiff.
You are my favourite Zombie. I have been watching and reading but really couldn’t summon enough energy to respond. Thought your post covered what many are thinking. The retaliation and all the extra palava I can’t be bothered with. I do think the bloggers chosen are remarkable, but we all are 😉
You just keep on doing whatever you need to keep your head above water Nathalie and if you need a hand I will be there in an instant to help you in any way that I can. Love to you my friend xx
I am a firm believer in social justice. Which means, among other things, that bullying is never, ever acceptable. It also means questioning the motives of said bullies.
And, as a naive, relatively baby blogger I thoroughly enjoy your space (sour grapes and all). Bah. A pox on them all.
There wasn’t any bullying that I could see EC, though people did get a bit shouty and grumpy with some of the discussion.
And Yes a double pox on the nasty emailers but as they do not have the courage to email me using their proper names I can easily dismiss their words. (After I have sulked for a bit of course)
Good on you!
I find that people who resort to personal attack rather than stand up for they believe in know deep-down that the very thing they’re crying fowl over is socially wrong … that it does hurt people and that they’re often too caught up in it to believe that they can step off the merry-go-round. They’re scared … of what people will say … will think. Like you I find silence coupled with business disturbing on a deep level.
I may not always like what you say but like that you say it.
thank you
and my final line … the best bit of the whole comment … is missing a ‘not’ … as in;
‘I may not always like what you say but like that you say it.’ 🙂
Don’t you hate that. I can edit it back in for you if you like?
That’d be great! Thank you 🙂
‘High traffic day’… oh how I laughed! Spectacular post. Zombies! Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha! A-M xx
I am very influential about Zombies, I used to be influential about Oatmeal and Crocs but somehow those two gems slipped off Klout’s radar and have been replaced with Eek and Bacon. My daughter Veronica is an authority on Elephant, singular. I do like Klout.
I came late to all of this and did some reading back and am quite surprised by how both you and Zoey were treated for raising valid points about The Remarkables. I am so glad you spoke out and it’s very disappointing that others have jumped on a soap box and ‘misinterpreted’ what you’ve said. Mostly intentionally so.
Thank You Becky, I think it was the deliberate misrepresentation of what we had been saying that frustrated me the most. I am glad that you could see that 🙂
as you know i’m impressed that you’re influential about Zombies. the only way i could be MORE impressed, is if you were influential about Zombies that wore Crocs – off.the.scale.i.tell.ya.
maybe something to aim for 😉
I tried very hard to keep my K influence about Crocs going but Klout decided to make me influential about Ethiopia and Beer instead.
Ooh! Chaos and animosity! Honesty and people getting pissed off at it. I have absolutely NO idea what you are talking about but I want to know more after reading this post.
This is my first visit to your blog. I’ve come over here after reding Miscellaneous Mum’s excellent posts about fellow bloggers that she lurves.
It definitely will not be my last (even when the furore settles 😉
Welcome Sue and thank you for making me smile 🙂