Blogging · Me myself and I · Thoughts

Go viral? Thanks, but no thanks!

Cyranny

 

As bloggers, we seek attention. Not all in the same extent, of course. And we don’t all work as hard to pull the spotlight on us, but we all share this need to be known. If you are thinking “I don’t need attention” right now, tell me… Honestly, why do you publish your ideas and art pieces online, if you don’t?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that we’re all just a bunch of narcissists, seeking some kind of Internet fame. Some of us are artists, sharing our work and hoping for feedback, to build our confidence. Some of us are trying to help others by sharing our life experiences, and inspiring people in need. Some of us want to be part of a community and interact with different people around the world.

No matter the reason, we want people to stumble upon and visit our blog.

But The Internets can be tricky sometimes…

I thought a couple of times, about how I’d feel if I woke up one morning, to find out that one of my posts had gone viral overnight. If my number of readers exploded, and the views skyrocketed unexpectedly…

It can seem appealing at first. Many people’s careers started because of a video, a picture or a story that suddenly went viral. Some men and women became successful influencers because of a twist of fate that would have left them totally unknown, if it hadn’t happened.

But there is an ugly side to going viral.

Slowly building a network of readers takes patience, but it brings people to your blog for good reasons. In general, people who visit, do so because they were looking for the type of content you are offering.

Going viral means getting waves of Internet users just curious about the new thing going on. People who don’t necessarely share your point of view or your interests. One post can be taken out of the context of your whole blog, and things can easily go wrong. And fast…

When The Internets go bad, a misinterpreted post can get re-blogged around the world in a matter of hours. And then, you can’t undo it. You can’t make haters go away, or stop people from making fun of you.

It has broken lives.

Some people were turned to ridicule. They were made fun of, relentlessly and for no reason. Some people were threatened. Online bashing is so easy, since haters are facing a screen, and not an actual person.

An innocent tweet, a clumsy Facebook comment, a simple video on YouTube… I don’t have the numbers, but I would bet that a lot more people regret publishing that “turning point post” than the ones that benefited from instant “fame”…

We don’t get to choose what will go viral, and what will fall into oblivion. Who knows? Maybe someday, I might hit the “publish” button, and tickle The Internets enough to get my nickname known all over the planet. You might too. I just hope I’ll be on the good side of “viral” if it ever happens.

Until then, if I can choose… Going viral? Thanks, but no thanks!

How about you? Would you take the chance, if you had the choice?

 

 

 

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75 thoughts on “Go viral? Thanks, but no thanks!”

    1. It is just normal to seek some attention. But I believe in the tale of the tortoise and the hare 😉

      Instant “fame” would scare me off, and I much prefer building a network with great people, than getting a huge crowd of strangers overnight!

      Strangers come and go…. People you build bonds with tend to stay much longer 🙂

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    1. Me too… It makes me think about my favorite writer, Amelie Nothomb.

      She didn’t go viral, per say, but she did make it big in little time. But she truly cares about her readers, and she is very genuinely thankful for people who care about her writing…

      When I met her, during a signing session, she took the time to chat with every reader, and I had given her a short letter, knowing I’d probably be speechless in front of her.. She wrote back to me within a week!

      Like her, people who get interested in what I do really matter, and I wonder how I could handle that much attention all at once, knowing I can’t give back the same to everybody…

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      1. Yeah exactly. If someone writes to me, I would like to get back to them. I would not want people to think that I’m blinded by the fame that I don’t reply back to them. The love people give me, I’d want them to know that I received and would return it too.

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    1. Yeah… the $$ side is always appealing! But when it looks too good to be true…

      I wish you success, enough to pay the bills and be happy, and not to the point it becomes a problem, Gorgeous 🙂 xx

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      2. Aww, Sandra… I’m sorry you felt that way! Don’t worry! I just got up around 9, and wanted to write my post (I don’t have much quiet time at home these days, so I take advantage of any moment I can sit back and write a little – it helps keeping me sane LOL) and answer last night’s messages before I got too caught up in unanswered comments, before doing a follow up on my emails…

        I’m not upset at all 🙂 *big hugs*

        Liked by 2 people

  5. It could potentially sell a ton of novels, but it raises expectations and one no longer enjoys privacy (which I value hugely). Then again, it saves me the hard work of doing real marketing (which Ioathe). ‘Tis a toughie …

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    1. I think it is an easier question to answer, for people like me, who don’t have anything to sell online! If I had a book to sell, or pictures, or art pieces, I’d probably be more willing to take a chance…

      I think it is absolutely normal. After working so hard on writing novels, it is just natural to hope they will sell… And one of them going viral can be the difference between making a living out of your gift or not 🙂

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  6. no way..no how..nope..never…NO! I am completely happy with my little group. I had a friend whose post went viral and after all the negative attention became too much she ended up legally changing her name, moving to a different state, getting a completely different job than what she had before. It caused her much pain and a few stalkers…real ones.

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    1. Yeah, I know a couple of horror stories like that too, and it is the reason I wrote this post…

      I have very little fear that anything in The Cove might go viral someday. I don’t post provoking thoughts, so I feel pretty safe 😉

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  7. I wouldn’t want it and feel sorry for all those who suddenly have to deal with it. No matter if they suffer or love it. It’s not easy being in the spotlight. Not that it’ll ever happen to me: I change my blogs too often 😁

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    1. All you need is one post that catches the eye of someone who has a looooot of followers. Hehehehe so you are not completely safe LOL

      I’ve been lucky so far, I’ve never come across haters, and never had to deal with a troll. I can’t imagine having many people hating me even if they don’t know me at all… I think I would deal very poorly with cyber-hate…

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      1. You are just too nice for cyber hate and I hope for you the Netfairies will always protect you 😚 A couple of idiots tried it with me on twitter but I never react and block them directly. I had an ex-boyfriend stalking me. Not pleasant at all but the police dealt with it. Blogwise I am fine so far.

        Liked by 3 people

    2. well, this is frustrating…I clicked on your name and the picture thingy (forgot what it is called) and both time wp says you do’t exist. I know you exist cause I am answering your post to Cyranny! dang it..I wanted to check out your blog! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

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  9. I’d have to agree with you Cyranny. I wouldn’t want to suddenly go viral either. I think it’s fine to have people who are genuinely interested in your blog, but you are so right that so many people misuse social media and other places such as blogs.

    It’s terrible what people say to be mean, or because what they say cannot or will not, result in them being held accountable for their words. They make a habit of writing things that are unfiltered, without thought for kindness etc.

    I think too, beyond not having to be ‘nice’ or ‘kind’ many people have not been educated or taught how to give proper helpful criticism, not for the sake of meanness, but to help others improve. Often helpful criticism can comes across as ‘trolling’ too if a person does not know how to word or suggest changes w/o being offensive.

    Also differences in ethics and values are often apparent. If someone is just out for themselves, this comes across pretty clearly. So again,no going viral for me either. Have a wonderful day 🙂

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  10. Nope. I have no interest in going viral. I have enough jobs as it is. I just like taking pictures and creating posts lets me look through my archives. This is a fun distraction for me, not a means to fame. 😃

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    1. For some reason, I expected this answer from you 😉 As I said earlier, I think it is easier for us, who don’t have anything to sell online, not to be seduced by the possibility of cyber-fame 🙂

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    1. Mouahahahaha! I totally disagree… I think there should be more of you! I’d vote to have you cloned… An army of yous would be awesome, and so dang funny! Some people might not get you, but once you’ve outnumbered them, you win anyway!! 🙂

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      2. Do you have a preference… I’d like to give you Sweden, so when I get Denmark, we’d be neighbours 😉 If you accept, I promise to never try to invade your land… LOL

        Liked by 1 person

      7. Doll heads might be there…very sorry. Don’t forget you will now be part of Viking legacy..violence, blood, dolls… but the rest is pure love.

        Liked by 2 people

  12. I totally agree with you. I am happy with the number of readers I have and being able to interact with them. Do I want to continue to grow, yes of course for I feel if I grow then I must be doing something right. 🙂 But I do I want it to go crazy where I can’t interact anymore because there are so many and that I have to worry about rude remarks, etc. In your words, ” NO thanks!” 🙂

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      1. Absolutely. After all, you’re the one who shamed me into adding a contact page to my blog, a contact page that not one person has used to contact me since I added it to my blog last month. 🤨

        Liked by 2 people

  14. I agree – don’t want anything to do with viral! I’d much rather have a few email notices from my friendship blogger/readers than to suddenly have thousands of strangers putting the spotlight on something silly I wrote (I don’t do youtube). I like blogging to be slow and easy…and fun! Thanks for putting this on here to think about. 🙂

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    1. I think so too… and since I already get overwhelmed easily these days… LOL That would probably make me close my tablet and hide in feotal position under my Dannebrog bed cover! LOL

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  16. Ever since I first thought I wanted to be a writer (back in the Mesozoic Era), I have thought that I would like to be “anonymously famous”. That is, I’d love my stuff to reach a wide audience and for it to be generally well-known and (hopefully) liked, but I’ve never wanted to deal with the trappings of fame. I get nervous in crowds of 2 or 3 people. I can only imagine how poorly I’d deal with throngs of people. Luckily, I will never have to deal with fame, anonymous or otherwise. I have become too old to appeal to our modern, popular culture. 🙂

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    1. We are definately related, Bifffffffffff bifbifbifbifbif! Even as a teen, I knew I’d have to have a pen name, if I ever tried to get to get something published… I would really like my words to be liked by many many people… but in 2018 I wonder if you can hide behind a pen name anymore. I doubt it.

      Hmmm….

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  17. I wouldn’t want it. It could be overwhelming. Also in the past year I have witnessed a serious case of appalling abuse by one site on several of Canada’s top dressage riders. After protest from the horse community advertisers withdrew their ads from the persons site. But a lot of damage has been done and it seems that there are sad sick people out there who thrive on hatred and abuse. So I would rather have less followers and know they were people who were part of my “tribe”.

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    1. And I know you have a wonderful, supportive tribe 🙂

      I think there can be haters in every community, and that’s a sad thing. I don’t get how people can get pleasure acting that way… I keep my fingers crossed, I haven’t seen any of this aggressivity on WordPress so far….

      And I agree with you, I prefer my little pack of great people to a large crowd of strangers 🙂 xx

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  18. I don’t need to go viral….That’s not why I’m here. As you said I’m here to be part of a community and connect with people. When something goes viral they may be interested in your content but not in you as a person. That being said I wouldn’t be upset if something went viral. I’m willing to risk ridicule from small minded people. Of course I might feel differently if one of those were my ex…. Something to think about.

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    1. I think getting ridiculed by masses of people who don’t even know me would eventually get to me…. But what I’d mostly be scared of is the flood of haters. People who decide to hate you pointlessly and threaten you… That would really shake me!

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  20. No, I don’t think I’d like to go viral! I love my blog, I love interactions and follows likes comments, but I dunno, it seems like it would bring a lot of extra stress if my posts went viral! xxx

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