Dear thepublicblogger, why did you follow my blog?

  Posted on by Kendall Fredrick Person

  1,009 Comments

Dear thepublicblogger, why did you follow my blog?

dear thepublicblogger

Dear thepublicblogger: First I want to thank you for following my blog. I could be cynical and say maybe you just did it, so that I would follow yours, but hopefully that is not the case. I am one to always believe the best about people first so I’m going to remain optimistic (although, I am glad to follow yours, because I am enjoying it quite a bit). –  cynical optimist

Dear cynical optimist:  I do not think you are being cynical in the least by inquiring the reasons for my joining your community. Cynicism would come into play if you did not ask. ‘Following’ is a common term used throughout social media, but here, we are neighbors. The cynic would be partially correct, but, in this case, a real cynic would not have obtained a season pass. The cynic would have judged my performance at the door, and never read a single post.  Several neighbors and visitors alike have inquired as to why I would follow them, and one very talented blogger, The Curse of Future Tom (2013 mid-season nominee Best Comedy Post/Blog) even wrote a hilarious piece (I hope he was being funny) ‘There’s Some Kind of Blogsphere in Here‘ wondering if I was up to something by following him. A very valid question and you are not alone in being a curious mind.

With a population of 65,000,000, if WordPress were a country, it would be the 22nd largest in the world, wedged right between  the United Kingdom (63,700,000) and France (65,700,000). It is a fascinating, international community, that enables all to build a platform to showcase their talents and/or to have a voice. I enjoy my trips around the WordPress world. The sites, sounds, stories, rants and raves I encounter from my desktop our priceless.

It is my vision that The Neighborhood become an international destination for entertainment, for discussion, for discovery, for intrigue and most importantly, for peace. Developing, designing and building the type of all-inclusive atmosphere, takes planning, promoting, imagination, intensity and sincerity.  But all of those things become moot, without  people to share in this journey, that unveils itself a little each day.

I learn of new communities, by visiting my neighbors’ communities. WordPress is brilliant in its simplicity of meeting new friends. Simply ‘Liking’ a post or ‘commenting’ on a platform, or ‘following’ another blogger, your Gravatar  or Hovercard serves as your ‘I was here signature’ linking back, from wherever you are, to your blog, making meeting new friends as easy as a ‘touch or click’. Freshly Pressed is an in-house promotional device, if you will, where ever changing categories of blogs and posts, appear, running the gamut from ‘Drawing’ to ‘Inspiration’ from ‘Startups’ to ‘Blogging’ with hundreds of stops in between. And the prominence of WordPress bloggers can be felt throughout the world wide web, as it is not uncommon  to read a headline at another online community or media source, clicking the link to follow the story, and finding it has led you to a WordPress blog.

Cyberspace, where billions have established homes, is made up of hundreds of micro communities.  Many people establish residence at one location and maintain ties to several more. WordPress is my home location, but with so many friends, family members, and early supporters at Facebook, I maintain smaller accommodations there, as well as SoundCloud, Twitter and GooglePlus, which are still  relatively new communities to me. I try to demonstrate respect by contributing to the atmosphere at each location, in a give and take. I fall short, but my intentions are good. Many times, I am outfoxed by the number of hours in a day. But at WordPress, my home base, my online resident location, being a good neighbor does not just solve fair, it is the very foundation, in which The Neighborhood is built.

I have visited, read, listened to and commented on thousands of posts from thousands of WordPress bloggers. I cross share works from different communities, and during the blogger awards season, dedicate myself to finding, visiting and reviewing hundreds of new blogs, as well as, blogs that I have bookmarked. In an effort to expand the consideration pool for the 2014 Thepublicblogger Awards,  judging criteria was established, including opening up the process to bloggers outside of WordPress, and international judging panels, and a popular vote via online poll, were installed. Utilizing this platform, the neighborhood has supported causes such as stopping bullying (BULLY) and supporting homeless Veterans and those suffering from ptsd (The Hypocrisy of War), and I am proud to do so, and humbled that my voice can be heard.

Why do I follow you? And you? And you? at WordPress, at Twitter and SoundCloud? Why do I find  ‘Friends’  at Facebook and Goodreads? Why do I make ‘Connections’ at LinkedIn, add ‘Acquaintances’ at GooglePlus, feed to Bloglovin and Tumblr and post at Reddit?

As a marketer, (the cynic will say I told you so) following is a tool used in promotions and attracting new visitors, as well as, introducing thepublicblogger.com to potential new neighbors and friends, Similar to most (if not all) performance artists, I revel in producing a sold-out show. As an author, blogger & writer, It allows me to introduce readers to my novels, series and other works I post.  As a volunteer promoter, it provides a larger audience for the incredible talent  I discover and share within a post. As a purveyor of peace, it brings the world together in a discussion of civility and respect. And as a visionary, I can see The Neighborhood as a destination, bustling with visitors, bursting with neighbors, teeming with life. But the number of followers is a false indicator for reaching set goals, and while a tool, it serves no purpose if the production falls below par and respect for community takes a nosedive. Smoke and mirrors may serve as an initial attraction, but it is beauty, and heart, and soul, and sharing, and caring, and believing, and understanding, and honesty and integrity and creativity and doubt and prayer and you that enables The Neighborhood to grow.

As of August 20, 2013, The Neighborhood has a population of 18,218 {updated: April 24, 2016: 84,678} and I am honored and proud to welcome everyone one of you. But there are so many you out there, that we have yet to meet.

No worries, we know you are there. And on July 4, eleven players will begin a quest to find you. And a voting audience, will eliminate those that don’t (big smile)

 

We know you are out there 

 Category: society, think      Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

1,009 Comments on “Dear thepublicblogger, why did you follow my blog?”

  2. Really liked this post — especially the line “Many times, I am outfoxed by the number of hours in a day.” That’s so true – so many blogs and so little time!!

    Thanks for following me, and now I’m following you.

    Like

  4. Wow…I’m speechless! What an honor to be part of The Neighborhood. And what a beautiful and inspiring vision, especially for struggling writers who feel lost in a sea of blogs. You spotted me among the clamoring throngs and threw me a life preserver! You have tied me to a raft of peace-seeking individuals in search of a better world. (Guess I wasn’t speechless after all…)

    Bendithion, fy ffrind! (Blessings, my friend!)
    /|\

    Like

  5. Thank you so much for the follow! I truly enjoyed reading this post! It is an inspiring notion that we as bloggers are neighbors and part of a global cyber community (its easy to feel alone)! I just began my blog and your follow is my first! Thank you for the encouraging role you play in the neighborhood!

    Like

  7. As a newcomer to the WordPress community and to blogging in general, it feels very uplifting to have someone follow your work. I’ve been browsing your posts and am very happy to see that we share some very similar views. Many thanks from the bottom of my heart. 🙂

    Like

  9. Another thank you from me – like many others, I have no idea how you found me or why you might be interested in this little corner of the world, beautiful though it is, but I’m glad you did. I hope that I can keep your interest. I’m still in my first month of blogging and feeling my way around the blogosphere so any new followers are a mystery to me!

    Like

  10. Pingback: Press Release & VIP/Public/Arts & Education Community Invite: The Neighborhood’s Innovative Collaborations Simply Dazzle | Backstage @ thepublicblogger

  12. thank you’ve been following my blog, I feel very honored.
    well, my english is bad, so it does not matter if this comment is considered bad. and make you dizzie~
    once again thank you

    Like

  13. Thank you for following my blog, too. I am wondering how you even found me! I have had my blog up for only a few weeks and already have been followed by 5 or 6 other authors whom I don’t know. How did you know I was an author? With WP having a population of a European country, how did you ever even come across my blog? However it happened, I’m glad you did.

    Like

  14. I must say that I am inspired by this post, especially on the issue of meeting over 65,000,000 people from across seas and oceans. That I can maximise the over 1800 community I have for a good cause to better our world.
    God bless you for this push to do more in speaking life through words.

    Like

  15. that’s one hell of a welcome Kendall. Perfect intro to the neighbour…i’d love to read your novel sometime soon and probably give an honest review of it on my book review blog i.e. if you don’t mind…good to know you did stop by.

    Like

  16. Wonderful! I have not used WP much and just starting to find my way around. This post is an incredibly warm introduction to the broader online community and what is good about it. Warmest wishes to you.

    Like

  18. Reblogged this on Mama Shauna and commented:
    In another “first” for me, I am reblogging this article. Not because I feel the exact same way or because I follow this blogger, but because I like the idea and the thoughts presented in this one post. I might go and read some further posts of his or hers and decide I don’t want to be connected. Then I can just go back and delete, right?

    Like

  19. Hey, Kendall. Thanks for following my blog. I never knew that anyone would. To be honest, the reason I started blogging was because my school teacher forced everyone to do it. And I thought that no one was ever going to look at my blog except for him so I didn’t find any point in blogging at all. But when I received an email that you just followed me, I was truly glad:) I don’t know how you’ve found mine among all those hundred thousand blogs but anyways thanks!

    Like

  20. As a Newbie to blogging I really liked your perspective, I had not thought of it as a neighborhood but that’s a great view. Thanks

    Like

  21. Hello Kendall, I must say your explanation for following a blog was well thought out and articulated. Have a wonderful, safe holiday. 🙂

    Like

  22. Well thanks for following me 😉 As a new blogger it makes me feel loved, despite some of the cynical assertions in your blog.

    Like

      • Simply that you do use your blog, your following of other blogs, “likes” etc as a marketing tool (in part). I’m not saying this is bad. If this was the purpose of my blog, I would be doing the same thing. Different strokes for different folks and different audiences for different blogs.

        Like

  23. actually I always wondered why you were following me; why are you following me?

    Like

  26. Hey, Kendall! I really appreciated this post since I’ve been asking myself that question not just of you but also the ten or so people who have started to follow me since I began to post regularly just last week. I haven’t expected anyone to notice me on here since, as I explained in my most recent post, this is only a pit stop for me on the way to selfhosting. It was nice to hear an explanation from someone!

    Natalie

    Like

  28. Hi, Kendall, I’m new to all of this. Having read your open-hearted and touching response to the question posed by a blogger, I feel blessed that you found me. And, I feel truly welcomed to a community that simply didn’t occur to me I might be a part of. Suddenly, instead of feeling that I am sending out my thoughts and hopes into darkness, I feel the light of a community which, to me, has you as the welcoming committee – appearing at my blog door with your plate of cookies to entice me out of my new and unfamiliar home into the warmth of the companionship of seekers. Please! Come in with those cookies! Let me make some coffee! Thank you, Kendall. Your newest friend and follower, Jan (as in Harrell, PhD, as in SeekingSomethingMore … See? I’m so new I don’t even know what’s going to show up when I hit ‘enter!’ I just want to make sure you know it’s me!

    Like

    • Dr. Harrell – I have passed through Ashland, Oregon several times, always to stop, figuring a place that pays tribute to William Shakespeare had to be filled with interesting people with a love a literature. Your warm, kind and sincere greeting have proven my theory correct. Thank you for adding your voice and welcome to The Neighborhood.

      Like

      • Oh, Kendall, We’re already going to have our first fight! (What a tumultuous relationship this promises to be…). For you, kind, generous and wonderful you, never Dr. Harrell. Always your dearest friend, Jan.

        Like

  29. Well well well, how convenient that the question (why) is so elegantly answered in a blog so it’s the first of your blogs I read (but not the last..) It still does leave me with one question though… How are you able to read my blog since I write in Dutch?

    Kind regards,
    @Raspoetin69

    Like

    • Thank you for the kind words and the good question. I just returned from another visit in your community and this time left a message. Your blog translates to a language I can read. So glad you enjoyed the post and I welcome you with open arms into The Neighborhood.

      Like

  30. Hi Kendall, thanks for following my blog a few weeks ago. Much appreciated. You certainly have some interesting topics here and a passion for writing that is refreshing. Perhaps you will help to inspire me to get on with creative writing (I am a business writer, but always have creative writing in the back of my mind.) I look forward to checking in here to see what you’re up to. All the best.

    Like

    • Rhonda – Start with the familiar. Write a poem or look out a window and describe what you see. Or start writing in a journal or diary type fashion. There is a gap between business and creative writing but writing is their common bond. Thank you for your kind words and welcome to The Neighborhood. So glad you are here.

      Like

  31. Kendall,

    Thank you for the visit, and for welcoming me to the neighborhood through this post. Your views on blogging, the digital community, and what those things can become are basically the exact reason why I started the Ronin Gamer. As a new blogger, the digital community has been a lonely place so far. It is good to know I’m not invisible.

    Thanks again, Neighbor!

    I’ll be stopping in often!
    -Matt

    Like

  32. I cannot help but wonder how you found my blog among the myriad posters out there. So glad you did though, it’s gratifying to be sharing my insights with intelligent people like yourself. Good stuff in your blog. Keep up the good work. I’ll keep looking for you latest posts.

    Like

  33. Hi Kendall it is so nice to meet you! I am so happy that you followed me because if you had not then I would not have found your Amazing home! You have such a refreshing voice and the honesty that comes through in your words….what can I say, except don’t ever stop.

    Like

  34. After reading this piece I am more than happy to follow you, too, as this was a very well stated explanation. Thanks for the welcome to the neighborhood and I hope to be a “good neighbor” with no fences necessary!

    Like

  35. ” responses are based in academia, life experiences, learned via an ongoing pursuit of knowledge. and through trial & error from the school of hard knocks.
    non-judgmental, all-inclusive, meaningful and perhaps wise.”

    Wise words! I wish I would have/could have written them. Thanks for following my blog!

    Like

  37. So happy to be a part of the neighborhood. Thanks for including me and for visiting my blog.

    Like

  38. Thanks for the vote of confidence (no cynic here) in being my first follower, Mr. Person. Hopefully I do not disappoint. I look forward to gaining some inspiration from your work and becoming a useful member of the Neighborhood.

    Like

  39. Intriguing…i’d love to read your novel sometime soon. Just wondering, do you find time to sit with cup of coffee with your neighbour or just say hi and bye? whichever it is, nice to know you did stop by.

    Like

    • There are a few communities that I visit on a regular bases. Most I visit as much as I can, but I am always outwitted by the number of hours in a day. Thank you for adding your voice and welcome to The Neighborhood.

      Like

  40. Thank you for visiting me. I love your description of why you blog. You sound like a true “human” being. More later when I get the time, just didn’t want to pass you up.
    World love to you.

    Like

  41. Creative, witty, interesting, diverse, wisdom, knowledge, uplifting, and friendly. I am happy to be a part of the neighborhood! As we all are diverse individuals in your neighborhood as well as our neighborhoods. I am also one of those diverse people who see things in so many different and colorful ways. Great page and nice to meet a neighbor!

    Like

  42. Hi Kendall! Thanks for following FUEL – we share the same vision, yours for pulling a community together, ours for helping its members learn to live long, healthy, happy, active lives. Looking forward to hearing more from you! -Jack

    Like

  43. Well, that’s certainly visionary. Personally I use WordPress as a desk drawer that’s publically available to all of my… 16 followers. Nevertheless, thanks for following Café Chernobyl! I get a nice fuzzy feeling inside whenever that happens.

    Like

      • I’m not all that concerned with traffic, frankly, at least not enough to do tactical things. The ‘blog’ is a place to dump the drawings and occasional short stories I produce during my free time. It’s encouraging when the occasional stranger stumbles upon and enjoys my work, but I have no intention to make a living on it. Thanks, though! 🙂

        Like

  44. Thanks for following our grand endeavor at 4Scribe.com! The above explanation is fantastic…but we’re just going to go on believing that you followed us because we’re awesome! – J. Paul

    Like

  45. Pingback: the knowledge bowl: Dear thepublicblogger, why did you follow my blog? | abner325's Blog

  46. Hi Kendal! Thanks for the follow. I love the neighbourhood you have envisioned and am enjoying your posts. Here’s to a diverse community of thought and expression to broaden our horizons and break the irons of inequity in all spheres of life.

    Like

  47. You just started following my new blog, CREATIVE EXPANSIONS, and I was wondering why. This post explains it all (and so eloquently). Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I just moved into the neighborhood, so I am finding my way around. I may drop by to borrow a cup of sugar soon. (hahaha)

    Like

  48. I love the sentiment you express here – I want to build our neighbourhood too. How wonderful it is to receive such lovely surprises when out and about in the neighbourhood!
    So thank you for following our community building blog and I will be checking out more from you. cheers x

    Like

  49. Reblogged this on Jess Hubbard's Blog and commented:
    This. Is. So. Beautiful.

    And so well-said. The message and the wording. Wow. I am 100% on board! Btw I’m a writer. About to sign my first ghost-writing contract. If you have any ideas, or need anything at all in that vein (though it sure doesn’t seem like you need help WRITING), please contact me.

    Jess

    jesshubbard14@me.com

    Like

    • You are so kind. Congratulations on your first ghost-writing contract. Should be quite an experience. And thank you so much for your willingness to be an active participant in The Neighborhood. You are appreciated. Welcome. The pleasure is mine.

      Like

  50. Thank you for adding me to your neighborhood. I welcome you to mine too. I think it is going to be a lovely day in the neighborhood!
    Peace and love is my goal.
    Jan

    Like

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