The Other Side of Life 24/7: The Cynical Girl: Blog Partnerships, Community and Affiliation

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Cynical Girl: Blog Partnerships, Community and Affiliation

Blog Partnerships, Community and Affiliation

Posted: 25 Jun 2012 06:45 AM PDT

I spoke at BlogPaws, last week, and took a moment to highlight one of the most important blogging (and business) tips that I have in my arsenal.

Create a community rooted in partnerships and affiliation — not competition.

I am not Mitt Romney but I do believe that a rising tide lifts all boats. Life is one big competition — but it doesn’t mean that we have to bring one another down. In fact, you inspire me when you do your best work. I want to do my best work. Then I want to do better than my best. I want to learn, grow and knock it out of the motherflippin’ park.

Then I want you to do better than I just did.

When we do great work as bloggers, we bring credibility to our niche communities. When we have credibility, we can raise prices. Charge more for our work. Earn more money. It’s capitalism at its finest!

Whether it is the pet blogging community or the HR/career advice blogging community, the rules are still the same. Behave. Be positive. Be kind. Praise in public. Criticize in private. When you act like a baby and try to cut your colleagues down — and when you try to shame people into thinking that you’re somehow better than they are — you bring everyone down. When you are snarky and petty, you make all bloggers look stupid and immature. And when you revert to your old corporate behaviors, you ruin it for the rest of us.

Thanks a lot, chump.

So it’s simple, really. Knock it off. Grow up. And trust that there are some of us out there who are looking out for you even when you can’t find it in your heart to do the same for us.

Hm. You ought to thank other bloggers for having your back. They made you. You are awesome. And when you do good work, you make us.

See how that works?

Blog partnerships. Strong blog communities. Professional blog affiliations. Friendships. Yes, it’s really possible.