The What's In It For Me Attitude

This is the third post I've written for tonight. Now I'm down to the wire and might get this written just in time to post, which is a really bad idea because I'm so opinionated and my less than mainstream opinions should be revisited before I post them. Sometimes I alienate people. That is not my intent. On the other hand, it is not my intent to collect a following of 'believers' in the Nadine way of doing things.

As they were growing up, I taught my sons maxims I felt were important tools for them. This isn't earth shattering wisdom. One I want to share is, "To thy own self be true."

There is no dainty way to say some of the things on my mind the last few weeks. I guess I'll know on Monday if anyone is still reading my blog.

Collect the information you need to make an informed decision of your own. There are several things I do or do not do that are vogue which I have evaluated in terms of my career goals. But don't do what I do because it is me, evaluate what you do in terms of what delivers your goals.

For example, online social networks. I just don't do them. I cannot justify the two hours a day spent on them. I know most people plan to spend less than an hour on social networking per day. Clock it for two typical weeks and average the time spent - I bet it is more like two hours a day, if you count the few minutes throughout the day when you check in at the sites you frequent.

Here is the math for a two hour average for all social network activity combined. Two hours a day per 30 days is 60 hours a month on social networking. That is like a week and a half work at a regular job. Are you getting results worth that time investment or are you just making yourself think you are doing something because you are busy at it?

I have the ability to come up with authors for 4 weeks of blog party because of a network I built by hand over the years from many sources. That is my style, not bulletin board like posts on certain sites. Relationships with actual people works for me. I'm not one to yell into the Grand Canyon and think my echo is meaningful interaction.

What disturbs me is all the emails I've received from writers who eloquently or bluntly want to be in the next blog party. Their WIIFM attitude is off putting. I don't know these people and they have not develop a relationship with me over time before asking me for a service that I am not in the business of providing, nor do I want to be a book promoter.

I'm not in the business of selling services to writers. My main interest is readers. I don't think we take as good of care of them as we should. As far as writers go, there are plenty of people who sell services to writers. It is a million dollar business - if not more. There are a few of these people I highly respect, like Irene Watson. There are quite a few I do not respect, and I won't name them publicly or privately - don't ask.

All I am saying is I don't have a messiah complex. I don't need to gather followers who don't think for themselves. That is not a responsibility I wish to assume at this point.

Frankly is scares me that there are so many writers out there whose main concern is themselves. As I mentioned to one person who complemented me for promoting other authors, "It is a shame more authors don't promote each other."

The thing about these emails is they made me feel used, or that I was someone to use because I will do this stuff for free. It was an opportunistic drive to email me out of the blue like that. That isn't how this works. If I do another blog party - and I had planned to, but am not so sure now - then it will be authors I see doing things for other authors.

I'm just too set in my ways and have paid my dues to be used like that. Please hesitate before emailing to ask to be in the next blog party. You've missed the point. The party was for readers.