13 comments

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  Acai Berry

  9 months ago

  It’s the American Dream written in PHP.
  
  great comment
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  Havi Brooks (and duck)

  9 months ago

  Wow, there's nothing better than reading a thoughtful, insightful take on something that everyone is talking *around*, but not meeting directly.
  
  This is a sweet, touching piece, and the most beautiful thing about it is its sincerity of heart where it could have totally gone to sarcasm and bitterness, where a lot of us might have taken it.
  
  You're describing something complex and not always pretty, but you're talking about it with love. Which makes you one of those human faces that internet people talks about while plotting ways to "seem" more "authentic" and "transparent".
  
  It seems as though someone who couldn't sense a true sincerity of heart behind this piece would have to be someone for whom sincerity has no value, or someone who has spent too much time avoiding this quality to recognize it.
  
  So far "internet fame" (whatever that is) has brought me more awe and wonder as well, but who knows, maybe some day I'll be less inclined to marvel and more to think that everyone's just working the system.
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  sbspalding

  9 months ago

  Thanks for leaving a comment Havi.
  
  Thanks much more than that for liking the post. I might have mentioned this somewhere but this series is the first blogging "thing" I have been excited about in months. I think I reached a point where I just wanted to say all the things that I have recognized but didn't ever put words to because bloggers never really do.
  
  There are all sorts of walls we construct around our "useful" information because we're so busy building up our personas (which are super human and infallible) and I needed, for my sanities sake, something that at least touched upon those topics.
  
  I am sincerely glad that you liked it Havi, and I don't really have much more to say past that.
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  George Angell

  9 months ago

  great post, it's true that the internet is the last egalitarian outlet where anyone can gain fame or fortune whether it be micro celebrity or more. Also I think this is what separates Bloggers from affiliate marketers, I think Bloggers have much more pressure to deliver engaging and meaningful content to build a readership and brand that can then be monetized, as opposed to Aff marketers who just focus on selling.
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  sbspalding

  9 months ago

  I agree, Affiliate Marketers get to separate themselves from the sale in many cases. It most, in fact, it is probably better to do so (I've heard some, erm, interesting, stories from Aff Marketers about their tactics). As a blogger, your "sale" is yourself -- you're tied to it and you almost have to be.
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  Heidi Fischbach

  9 months ago

  Love your blog and thanks to Havi for linking to it.
  
  Here's my link... don't know about "best" but it's something I wrote and loved recently: http://babayagasplace.squarespace.com/heidi-mus...
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  sbspalding

  9 months ago

  I really love the parallel structure of the piece. I always think seeing "first, second, third" etc . . . really helps to drive the concept home. I also like it because it's personal without drowning me in it. Great stuff overall and thanks for sharing.
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  GirlPie

  9 months ago

  Swell post supporting my main reason to occasionally use Twitter: I found your blog because someone I find interesting (Havi) twittered your link. The culture of fame in the blogosphere is a lot like Hollywood, or Jr. High: popularity rules, the loudest are heard, cliques are small, and jockeying for position is constant. But it's compressed into a MUCH shorter time frame on the web.
  
  It's all a part of socializing, making community where we can, and getting what we need (from new POVs and real contacts to press, fame or fans.) Thanks for your clear point, your smart word-smithing, and your gentle tone.
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  sbspalding

  9 months ago

  I really like the point about how accelerated it all is. In High Schools across the country there are all the same structures that exist on the Internet, but they are more deliberate. They move more slowly and thus are easier to deal with. The web is like a High School class that changes daily, but maintains the same levels of insecurities.
  
  Thank you for reading. and Havi is awesome, one of my favorite Twitter follows.
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  Bijou Argent Tibetain

  9 months ago

  A very interesting article Steve.
  I am reading your article from a cafe in France. There you go, one more drop of fame in your ocean. I like how people from all over the world can now come togethere and share each other's thoughts. May be this would help us break more barriers and understand each other better for a better world.
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  Bijou Argent Tibetain

  9 months ago

  Forget about wanting to be famous or known for whatever reason.
  Ever wondered why we even have the need to be with someone in our life?
  Why can't we live alone? Why do we need a partnet?
  Is it because we have a need to be known to someone, need to be felt important to someone, or just a need to be acknowledged about our own existence so that each morning when we wake up, we can turn around and look at the person next to us, and think, "well he/she knows that I am alive"?
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  sbspalding

  9 months ago

  Interesting question, I think we just need some kind of external validation. Someone ("Somemany") out there that understand us and what we stand for.
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  Acai Capsules

  5 months ago

  LOL, the funny thing is the title made me read it :)
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