When we chatted about connection, and I shared how one motion helped me reframe my days, I was surprised many people both “got it” and needed it.
It’s not I surmise I’m a special snowflake (as our little friend used to call me) it’s as we bumble through life & see what others choose to share it’s easy to think I’m the only one who ___.
Whatever your ___ might be.
You commented. You emailed. You messaged.
And, most movingly, the Child’s teacher grabbed me yesterday at drop-off and said.
Thank you so much. You made my day.
(Confession. I’m going 80 mph in the mornings. Depositing Child at her portable. Watching to be certain The Chairman isn’t depositing. It took me a bit to realize what she referred to.)
“Some of the teachers don’t grasp why I do that with the kids. Your writing captured why. I showed your blog to those teachers and we talked. Thank you.”
C(onnection).
This conversation caused me to rethink my post about blogging (<—note the lowercase) as a dying form.
The bonds born from my connection post is, for me, precisely what blogging should be.
It’s what the inimitable Seth Godin refers to as horizontal connection.
He, to paraphrase, defines vertical connection as (mainly brand) blogs where information flows one way.
Horizontal connection is personal. It’s back and forth.
People caring about people.
This is why What You Can When You Can is less a stand alone book and more a movement to create a Tribe.
People connecting with each other.
I’ve talked about how I’m a crowd pleaser.
I make an effort (and am disappointed when it doesn’t “take”) to get horizontal, connect reader-to-reader, and free you to talk amongst yourselves.
On some posts you chat about how you agree with my thoughts and hadn’t framed yours that way before.
On others you discuss how off-base and overly sensitive I am & disagree with my musings.
People connecting with each other.
It dawned on me yesterday what I miss is the horizontal of blogging.
Person to person.
Reader to reader.
- Can you sense when blogs flow in only one direction (vertical)?
- Does the abundance of blogs make horizontal connection impossible?
The post Lets get HORIZONTAL! appeared first on Carla Birnberg.
SOURCE: Carla Birnberg – Read entire story here.
