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Biting The Hand That Blogs...

Hi All

I was trolling through the AR posts mere moments ago and came upon apprentice Kelly Kilpatrick's (RSM Lifesyles.com) post "Project Blogger, An Insider's Perspective" In it, she talks about her experience thus far with Project Blogger and her reaction to another post Blogger Idol, Where's Simon Cowell When You Need Him. Originally my post was going to be a comment to Kelly's, but as I began to compose it, I realized that I wanted to weigh in myself, beyond the bounds of an acceptable comment length (see, I have learned something here...).

I was also rankled by the "Simon" post. Rankled enough that I didn't, actually couldn't comment on it for fear that I would get carried away.

This experience has been revelatory for me for many reasons. Not the least of which was the in the amount of time it would consume, the amount of energy I would expend and in the amount of information I would acquire.

As to the time, I gave up counting the number of hours that I have devoted to this pursuit long ago. I think it is better that way. All I can say, is that since discovering Active Rain and joining the Project Blogger contest, which for me happened within mere days of each other, I have yet to get to bed before 2 AM any night. I have literally spent so much time with my laptop glued to my thighs that I am beginning to see signs that the pattern it leaves behind may soon become permanent. I no longer go into my community without my camera and an eye toward what I could write about. And I have read more posts, comments and blogs and written more than some folks have in a year or better.

I too, like everyone else in the competition have also been working at my "day job" or in my case, day jobs. I have continued to make personal appearances at various functions large and small as my clown character Ellie, have been working on learning more skills to make me a better Realtor, have continued to maintain what can only be described as a somewhat punishing auxiliary training schedule. Have attended community events, tried not to neglect my family and through it all, to continue to produce somewhat readable posts that (hopefully) won't bore people to tears.

I also agree with apprentice Teri Lussier, (whose site TheBrickRanch.com is a great read btw) who, in response to Kelly's post said "We are all doing what we can- that goes for coaches and apprentices. When I read the Tomato post I immediately had to switch into "Keep Your Eye on the Prize" mode, and by Prize I'm not talking about a contest. I really think my "job" here as an apprentice is to share what I learn with the AR community in order to encourage everyone to do a great job. And for me to build the blog I want to build, not the blog anyone else wants it to be. " Well said, Teri!

I am trying, as I am sure we all are, or should be, to build a personal blog site that will reflect me as a person and as a professional. Sure, there are tricks we could all resort to in order to make our sites flashier to catch a judges eye, but is that truly the point of the exercise? I certainly don't think it is.

Really, unless the judge is also considering a move to Claremont, then working solely to please that one master would be almost utterly wasted effort. My site Route66Living.com will continue long after the contest has concluded. And, if I build it right, they will come, and come, and come.

Criticising the judges thus far and by extension the apprentices and their coaches, for not being less supportive, less kind and less helpful is pretty poopie. No, none of us has truly been raked over the coals, had body parts severed and handed back to us on a plate, or been otherwise eviscerated, but I don't think that is a bad thing. And, more importantly, it also has not been warranted.

I also don't think that there is anyone who has watched the progress of this event, for that is truly what it is, whether they be in the thick of it or "lurking" on the periphery, who has not seen the growth in each participant and who has not learned something themselves.

As for Simon Cowell, I also watched the beginning of American Idol, as my hubby and I have done for the last couple of years, just to see the initial auditions. And I have for the most part agreed with what he says, and a lot of the times, with how he says it. But likening this experience to American Idol and hoping for or encouraging a "Simon" style approach, is, I feel quite counterproductive for all concerned.

If someone really watches good old Simon, they will see that, he does what he does

1)Because it gets ratings, which in turn gets advertising dollars and that is what TV is all about.

2)He doesn't suffer fools gladly (see above) and

3) He tends to only get truly nasty to people that get nasty to him.

Project Blogger would not and does not deserve the Simon treatment. All of the posts that I have seen have been, intelligent, well thought out and wholely deserving of any kudos they receive.

This competition is not about generating ratings to sell soap, it is ultimately about education. About showing folks who have never done this before, or who have never done this successfully, how to improve and what to improve.

Sure, starting a flame war, or hitting some hot button topic will generate a flurry of activity and may generate a whirlwind comment storm, but that does not a teaching tool make. It is the difference between American Idol and Nova. Both are interesting, both are entertaining and both are on TV and that is pretty much where the similarities end.

Deciding that judging is somehow less valuable because it is not being delivered in a heavy-handed or mean spirited way, I think, misses the whole point of the exercise and of what makes this tool as versatile, valuable and instructive as it has been. From where I sit, as a truly interested party, the only thing that I hope to see from the judges is a consistent application of the originally stated judging criteria to the work being generated.

What I write, I feel passionately about (yes, even the funny stuff...) and when it is criticized, I feel it keenly and tend to take it to heart. I am not saying that I don't welcome the constructive criticism or that I don't want to know where and how I can improve, but what I am saying is that I don't want to miss the message because I was emotionally felled by the messenger.

So, judges, whoever you may be... Please continue to deliver your message more Paula than Simon. I am sure that we will all learn just as much, enjoy the experience a whole lot more, and it will hurt a darn site less.

I shall now dismount my soapbox, secure my tray table and return my seat to it's upright position...

Take care, help lots of people and have a wonderful day!

Tisza

Posted by Tisza Major-Posner, DRE#01784679 on 05/11/2007 12:28 AM

Comments (14)

14 Comments on Biting The Hand That Blogs...

MAY

2007

Tisza... this was very tasty blogging. I did comment on that post and I meant what I said. I stopped viewing this as a real competition almost before it started. I don't think the writer's intent was to do a whole lot more than shed light on what I think most of us already feel. This is less competition than it is event.

When was the last time Phil Jackson went to a Phoenix Suns practice to give them pointers? I'm thinking... never. In real competitions the competitors don't help each other like everyone is helping each other here, they don't learn from each other, coach each other, lift each other up . But that's exactly what is happening and I couldn't be happier about it.

Great post. Call me Paula if you want, but it's true. Great post.

Hi Jeff,

I couldn't agree more... and Paula says Hi!

Tisza

hi tisza!

i admire everyone who has taken the time out of their busy schedule to participate in project blogger. in my book, everyone is a winner already. like jeff mentioned, it is more of an event than a traditional competition. my hat is off to everyone, win lose or draw.

blogspeed everyone :)

rudy.sellsius°

I don't watch much TV and really don't even LIKE the idea of "reality tv" such as the Vote-Me-Off-The-Island shows or American Idol, so some of that stuff was totally lost on me.

But Tisza, as usual, you hit the nail on the head.

I don't want to write a long missive here, but I am actually NOT that competitive a person (except with myself). If you know the sales personality types, I'm not a "high D" but rather a "high I" - I want to have a good time!!!

Anyway, it's all a learning process.

I'm trying just to do what *I* do best: write. For me I just don' t know that I'll ever get rankings, or pinging, or Wordpress or any of the techno-talk. If I can just learn to write stuff that folks will actually want to read, then maybe I can hire out someone else to do the rest.

I know I can't possibly sound as cool as most of the other apprentices. That is just not me. I am NOT comparing at all. (Besides, who else is gonna write about the haunted spots in town??)

My grandfather, who died last August at age 104, used to always say "Do your best and don't worry about anyone else. Do your best and be happy with yourself."

In other words, "I have a maniac for a boss. I'm self-employed".

Tisza, keep up the great posts.

I think you rock.

with a hug from Silicon Valley,

Kevin and I have established a fabulous relationship. What other people think of us and what we are doing is really not reflective of how we really are doing. We have spent hours and hours on the phone. We were working in the back door of his blog today and having great fun and he was learning so much so quickly.

One thing I make sure he understands, because he is always worried about embarassing me. I am always on his side regardless. I am in it to help him and not to judge him. It's all about him and what HE is trying to accomplish. We are already winners. We each found a great friend.

I will never forget the days when you were trying to gain Apprenticeship and the relationship you and I established during that time. I am twice a winner already. It has been my pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm very glad I agreed to particpate. The end result for me is a party in San Francisco, not judges and winners.

Hi All,

Rudy - There is not a day that has gone by since I began this whole process when I have not been honored, amazed and awed by everyone that I have met here and by the fact that I am being allowed to count myself among such a rarefied group. I appreciate everything I have learned and everyone who has taught me. Thank you for being one of my many teachers.

Mary - Amazing, I knew we were in the same field, but I had no idea that we both worked for the same company. I am sure you will get "ranking" and all the other good things that this can offer because they are all byproducts of the writing. And like you, the writing is the part I think I do best as well. I hope you can make it out to the L.A. AR gathering on 6/9. That would be an extra added bonus.

Take care all, have a wonderful day and help lots of people!

Tisza

ARDELL,

The party in San Fran will be really amazing. And I agree, the deeper I get into this experience, the more valueable the experience becomes and the less attached I become to the outcome. It really is about the relationships, the learning and the sharing. I too have been twice blessed... in fact I have been blessed many, many times over.

Take care, help lots of people and have a wonderful day!

Tisza

Holy cow. After reading what you wrote here, and Kelly wrote there, and Mary's extensive comments, I think all my thoughts have been articulated. It's about learning! Ah...Sounds like the title of a post.

Thanks for saying what I was thinking better than I thought it!

Hi Tisza! Well said.

I had a very lengthy comment that I was half a second away from posting on the Tomato's post about Project Blogger. I stopped myself.

What upset me most is that it looked more like someone was calling for a blood bath... and that is not what I signed up for.

I was also upset because the Blogger Idol post seemed to belittled the contest, which really takes away from the amount of time and energy all of us as contestants have put into our work on the project. I have 4 kids, a new real estate career, and several other important obligations in my life.

The results of Project Blogger will not be seen for several more months, but the effect that it has had on launching my real estate career is already visible. My phone started ringing the very first week I started blogging.

I'm not looking for anyone to pat me on the back, or scratch behind my ears in this contest... but I also didn't signed up to become the "entertainment" for the evening.

I don't watch American Idol, (never have) but if "Simon Cowell" were on this panel, I can say with great certainty that I wouldn't have agreed to set myself up for that slaughter. I didn't come to this competition with anything to prove. There isn't a million dollar record deal on the line. I came to the table with an open mind and a desire to learn.

At the end of this competition I think we will all be surprised that there isn't going to be any real "winners" or "losers". After reading the thread of comments on the Idol post; if that's what your looking for, you'll probaby have better luck buying some tickets to the horse races. :)

Sorry I hijacked your post!

Tisza - IMHO, this is your best post yet!! The bottom line is that we are all learning, we are all contributing and sharing, we are becoming better bloggers and we will all benefit from this "event" (as Jeff Turner calls it). Thanks for beign so candid.

Hi All,

Teri- It is about learning, and sharing and growing. Thank you for being one of the ones that I am privileged to learn from. And you're right... it does sound like the title of a post!

Julie - It's only hijacking if you decide to take something in a totally different direction. I think the whole point from what I have seen and heard, for all of us, is that the direction we are heading and the ultimate end result we all desire, are actually one in the same. The development, construction, implementation, continued use and growth of a viable business tool. And, personally, I like the longer posts, gives me more to chew on and a better picture of the author as a person. So you didn't hijack anything, we are all on the way to the same destination.

Ines - Thank you for the compliment. I agree it really is an event, I even said so above :-) If this were merely a contest we would not have so many people playing along. You don't see people going to a baseball game and hopping down on the field to pitch alongside the pros.

I am not, by any stretch implying that I am one of the pros, far from it. But one of the things that I have found most gratifying throughout this whole experience is the availability of the information that everyone is uncovering. I would be curious to see how many other blogs, besides the ones launched by the apprentices, have been started here or outside as a direct result of this contest. That would be an interesting number.

Take care all, have a wonderful day and help lots of people!

Tisza

T-

I agree with all that you have posted with the exception of these:

"Criticising the judges thus far and by extension the apprentices and their coaches, for not being less supportive, less kind and less helpful is pretty poopie. No, none of us has truly been raked over the coals, had body parts severed and handed back to us on a plate, or been otherwise eviscerated, but I don't think that is a bad thing. And, more importantly, it also has not been warranted."

Criticizing the judges has absolutely nothing to do with the apprentices and coaches - claiming that there is an extension to them is presumptive and false.

Criticism is what we all should be looking for. This need not be in the form of human torture as you paint the picture. 'Blogger Idol' was a not so PC post on purpose. We need to have the constructive analysis of what we are doing right and wrong to improve. Everyone getting a pat on the back does nothing but boost our self esteem... and in a competition, that gets old quick.

So where are those judges anyhow? I don't care if it's Paula, Randy, Simon, or Ito. Every day that passes without the contest organization that all of our efforts merit makes this less and less a worthy cause. It's a shame.

Hi Tomato,

Your organization has been very supportive of this project from before there even was a day one. The information you have shared, help you have offered and support you have given have all added to the experience for everyone in and outside of the contest.

Yes, the lack of organization has been a significantly less than stellar part of the experience. I really think that the organizer's underestimated the level of participation they would receive and the difficulties that would be engendered if all of the apprentices were as prolific as I alone have been.

I do think that the way it was presented in the Tomato article made it very much feel to me at least, and I know I am not alone here, that I and not just the judges, was being attacked for being nice, helpful and supportive, in short, for being the person I am all the time, not just here on AR.

- As take from the Simon post -

"Currently, the Tomato is involved in a contes there in the Real Estate Blog-o-sphere, our own Blogger Idol, if you will. And although Jackie (Tomato's apprentice) is 'in the race', and the competition is just a month in, it's immediately apparent that the contest is failing to live up to it's initial fanfare.

There is something curious about this contest.
It's a free t-shirt away from being a one mile charity walk.
It's a pat on the back and a "You gave it your all" at a T-ball game
It's a blue ribbon away from a first grade science fair project"

Now, tell me honestly, that if you were in my shoes as one of the people offering themselves, their talents and their personality up for judging, how you would fail to take the above as anything but a bit of a slam, intended or not, on your efforts.

I know the post was not created or intended to knock the contestants, and that it was actually designed to motivate the power's that be. And I also deeply appreciate that you have chosen to not just sit "idol-ly" by but, rather, have stepped up to the plate to try to get things in some semblance of order. But, I also know, as one of the contestants that my reaction was not to see this as a call to action, but rather as a call to arms. I really did feel that defending myself was needed.

So I don't see that connecting the judges of the event to the participants in the event is presumptive and false. I see the connection since we are all in this together.

I shall continue to beat the same old drum that I picked up early on, what is needed here, in my opinion, is not harsher judges, but rather, a consistent and unilateral application of the criteria used to evaluate the works. Then and only then would the judging be fair and the contest aspect of the experience be evenhanded.

Thank you for your contributions not only here, but to the event and the community as well. All are valued and appreciated.

Take care, help lots of people and have a wonderful day!

Tisza

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