Comments on: it's nice to be nice to the nice

By: Electronic Cigarette

Electronic Cigarette — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:38:41 +0000

I’ve had good and bad experiences. Hubpages, for example, has a tight clique of members who ban together to exclude anyone they don’t agree with. Other sites welcome diversity with open arms and open minds.

By: Beth Kanter

Beth Kanter — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:55:02 +0000

Beth,

I agree with Len – this is really well said.

One thing, I think my updates on Twitter are protected — not because I don’t want to be transparent .. I do put myself out there. I’ve had some bad experiences and being on the public timeline initially creeped me out ..

So, how do balance the urge for transparency with cybersafey?

Waving at Connie ..

By: Beth Dunn

Beth Dunn — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:32:52 +0000

Thanks, Chris. You know, I do have some thoughts about how to scale one’s own very large Twitter feed – no idea how to build it, but I could draw it for somebody who did – but I also get that this isn’t about Twitter, per se.

I’m sorry that you feel you’re missing out on the sense of community that a smaller followers list can bring. It is tough to scale intimacy.

Also, I only mentioned where Jeremiah worked to give an idea of how hard he has to work in his day job, which is in *addition* to his blog, which is clearly an avocation. I’ve been reading Jeremiah since before he was at Forrester, and I’m mightily impressed with how his output hasn’t changed in either quality or quantity.

Part of why I think it’s valuable to keep the flood gates open is because you just never know who is going to “matter” on any given day, who is going to be able to answer that question, or say the words you need to hear. If we only ever listen to our own inner circle, we’re limiting our chances for innovation.

By: Chris Brogan...

Chris Brogan... — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 10:58:21 +0000

But here’s where it gets tricky: including everyone means that I can no longer focus as well on people who matter. Having a few thousand conversations means that I miss the sense of community that comes from a few dozen good conversations in a confined space. A few thousand friends means that I can’t scale very well.

So the conversation started from the idea that these guys do it quite differently from me, and that some of being nice means being less efficient. And is that okay?

I’m still keeping things going the way they are right now, but it’s interesting to see where folks went with the conversation.

Thanks for the post and further thoughts.

Oh, and Jeremiah would do that kind of writing if he worked for Burger King. : )

By: Tina Mammoser

Tina Mammoser — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 10:02:18 +0000

Thanks for that – I’m new to Twitter (and actually found you there so now read your blog), and not quite “getting it” when it comes to the social networking revolution. So I will take your advice. I think the “nice” idea is a great one, and embraces some social ideas that we don’t have as much offline anymore. Much to our detriment. I shall henceforth be nice!

By: BethDunn

BethDunn — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 03:44:03 +0000

It’s my pleasure, Jeremiah. Keep on keepin’ on.

By: Jeremiah Owyang

Jeremiah Owyang — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 03:25:32 +0000

Beth, thank you for noticing.

I’m not measured on my performance at my employer for my blog, although I’m encouraged to keep it up. So any effort I put into it is outside my paycheck.

Thanks for noticing, you made my day!

By: A very slow week

A very slow week — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 03:22:34 +0000

[...] really encourages me to spur on is great posts of appreciation from Beth Dunn, who recognizes the work that goes into sharing. Thanks [...]

By: Connie Bensen

Connie Bensen — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:45:41 +0000

Hi Beth,
Another Beth in the nonprofit sector. Beth Kanter introduced herself to me & we’ve been talking about networking.

Great review of Chris & friend’s discussion. I was tempted to leave a response to CC’s comment, but closed the window instead. Personally, I’m very thankful for these people who practice inclusion. It’s quite humbling to be a part of their networks. They have a gift for pushing us to learn & in turn we give back. So I think that these people with mega-networks (megabloggers?) receive back in return.

I had the good fortune of meeting Jeremiah in person. And he’s absolutely as authentic in real life as online. Watching him interact with people underlined the presence he’s established online.

By: BethDunn

BethDunn — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:20:50 +0000

True story, Len. There are definitely big parts of my life I have no intention of bringing to the internet, and that is certainly as it should be. I’m not advocating for full self-exposure (as it were) – just for a basic premise of openness and approachability in whatever aspects of our lives (I’m mostly talking professional here) we choose to engage in online.

I guess I’m talking more about being welcoming of others and their opinions than of being revealing of oneself.