Yesterday, Chipmunks, I could have struck bloggy gold.
My department held another all-day staff meeting. This meant not one, not two, but three “ice-breakers.”
The “Minute to Win It” team-building exercise back in May was such a smash hit, they put a Part 2 on the books.
For those of you not still losing sleep over the story, let me refresh your memory:
So, you see, I had to ask myself a very important question: Would attending the meeting be worth the follow-up post potential?
It didn’t take long to answer that question.
I Would Do Anything For BLog Love (But I Won’t Do That)
- Engage in any sort of therapy-inducing torture, including, but not limited to: team-building exercises, Bikram a.k.a. hot yoga (sorry, JM),
Magic MikeCitizen Kane viewings, and sober anything. - Accept guest posts from advertisers. I will, however, continue to hope that the makers of Pipe Palz, glass smoking pipes with mustaches, follow through on their offer.
- Review reading glasses for a free sample. (Contact me again in another two years when my eyesight is completely shot from checking my blog Stats page every seven seconds.)
- Remember to pass along the blogging awards that readers so kindly bestow upon me. I am genuinely thankful. Will you please accept my apology and this picture of Uncle Jesse as a token of my affection?
- Plug the living shiz out of my own contest. Just kidding. I will totally do that. COME ON, GUYS! It’s the best thing I’VE EVER DONE. And
it’s for a good causeyou might get to make-out with The Byronic Man.
Bloggers: Where do you draw the line? Blog Readers / All: What really turns you off about a blog?
Go Jules Go 
People who complain about there sucky life,,over and over and never do anything to make it better. I don’t want to be pulled down with their sinking ship of a negative attitude.
Amen, Nikki! There’s a certain amount of humor in negativity and self-deprecation, but it’s a slippery slope (and some folks just whine… methinks they live not near a liquor store).
So true. I will read those blogs for a while, but they get tiring.
I really think it’s harder to be positive and funny than negative and funny.
Having said that, Lewis Black is one of my favorite comedians.
SOOOO true. But brilliance can defy positive or negative (meaning you don’t even notice) and just be funny!
“FOUR STARBUCKS!”
God stuff. I don’t mind people being a little spiritual or referring to the man upstairs, but I think it gets a bit silly when they write in a manner which implies that the heavenly father is actually reading blog posts (when he should be ending plagues and keeping small children away from electrical outlets).
Also making sure [insert sports team here] wins.
Last week’s episode of Survivor had one band of players praying for God to help them get rid of a competitor. I tend to root for the pagans – they always have the coolest mascots.
This time of year, I pray to John Denver and The Muppets.
…Is that wrong?
It’s wrong, but you make it stylishly so.
And that, boys and girls, is alllll that matters.
I stay away from writing or commenting on political or religious posts. I don’t want to offend anyone. What I always ask myself before blogging, (and I say this out loud) is, “Will anyone give a shit?” Sorry! I think that is the first time I have written out that word but that’s what I say Every Time! Hahaha! If I think it has gone too far down the Who Cares? road, then I edit. 🙂
*gasp* Susie! I don’t even recognize you! Well. I hope Santa didn’t see that!
I HEAR YOU (on all counts). I think that’s why I tend to write shorter posts. Even this one – I had an intro that was twice as long and I was like, “Really? Do I need that just to say THIS?” But it’s tempting, oh so tempting, just to hear ourselves talk sometimes, isn’t it??
Yap! I mean yep. I think sometimes that I write like I talk -with lots of extra words to convey my enthusiasm!
Your minute-to-win-it story is the stuff of nightmares. I’m all about whispering snarky things to my coworkers during staff meetings, but the minute I have to address the whole group, I began to sweat and my face turns beet red and I likely look like the crazy reverend in Poltergeist II. It’s magical.
Seriously. I almost cried.
Do you think if they let us drink during any sort of public speaking/demonstration, it would help? Or make it worse?
I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to find out.
I hate the damn letters from people telling me how great my blog is and asking if they can post an article about SOMETHING COMPLETELY STUPID on my blog. I don’t know. Do those people pay? If so, maybe I should reconsider. But seriously. And I saw those reading glasses. Those were BUTT-UGLY. Good call to stay away. Did you tell them you would consider it — if they could be retrofit to hold a plastic mustache? 😉
Also, I hate when people talk about their stats. Yeah yeah yeah. You have 10,000 followers. Go suck an egg. I mean: Good for you!
Oh yeah, some of them definitely pay – one I turned down was for a British online gambling site. I didn’t want to take any BETS on that, HAR HAR!
And yes. Yes, I would consider it if they added a plastic mustache to those reading glasses.
P.S. – Have I told you about my Stats today? They…well. They suck. But I…I blog for LOVE! Yes.
I get those requests too. Almost always gambling sites. I used to feel special . . . now I’m not so naive!
I was previously unaware of the “making out” component. Well, whatever it takes…
What happens that makes people enter management and think, “Team building exercises! Those were great!”?
Someday I will make you love Citizen Kane. You will love it so much, you’ll call it “Cit-K” in familiarity.
Challenge accepted. If you can make me love Citizen Kane, I will make out with anything.
Since my blog name references food and wine, yet I’ve about music, tv, and shoes I guess I’d blog about anything. I guess I wouldn’t do anything that’ll get me fired or in trouble with Boom Boom Not that she reads the blog anyway. I did get asked to promote something for some money. I was open to it, but it was sooo off topic I couldn’t figure out how to do it. So i got drunk instead.
Another thing I wouldnt do us blog from my iPhone. As u can tell from the abov, it’d be hell to read
YES. I can’t do ANY blogging on my phone – NOT WORTH IT. Even answering comments on my phone is torture.
Your story ends like every story in my life. “And then it didn’t happen. So I got drunk instead.” Is this why we get along so well?
I draw the line at revealing too much about my trials and tribulations–we’ve all got ’em. What I do not like from other bloggers is anything that smacks of exploitation, being critically mean as opposed to funny, or any kind of prejudice. If a blogger wants me to unfollow, all they have to do is put someone down or act smarter than I am. (they may be, but I do not need to be reminded)
Those are fantastic ‘deal-breakers’! Condescension is without a doubt my least favorite trait, and anything mean-spirited – forget it. Don’t get me started on exploitation! (Except, heh heh, when it comes to certain sheet giveaway contests…)
Blogs that have no voice. Like when you’re reading it it sounds like Ben Stein in your head. Woooow.
Ooh! That reminds me – I really like blogs/bloggers who know how to make fabulous analogies. 😉
Saweet!! Do you know any?
Bloggers that start their post with “This is what I’m wearing today . . . skinny jeans, Hunter boots, and a must-have cardi.” I can’t get into a post that documents WHAT and WHO a person is wearing. Does nothing for me. Even more peculiar, is HOW they get that head to toe picture of themselves?
I think “must-have cardi” is right up there with “panties” as far as clothing words I never, ever need to hear.
Bloggers that don’t put enough chipmunks on their blogs really tick me off. I’m like, “What the hell? Where are the chipmunks?!?”
*Disclosure: I have never put a chipmunk on my blog. Now I hate myseeeelf
*snort* Oh Hannah. It’s never too late.
On my blog… I pretty much draw the line at posting nude pictures of myself… anything else is fair game! 🙂 Seriously though I won’t write about politics or religion or anything controversial. I prefer writing useless drivel that makes people smile or laugh or maybe relate a bit. As far as what I read, there’s not much that turns me off. Blogs without much variety get old pretty quickly. And I would agree with some of the others that the depressing, downer blogs aren’t worth following for very long. But basically if it’s interesting, funny, unique… great!
Shucks. THAT’S where you have to draw the line??
I see your “useless drivel” and raise you “ridiculous nonsense.”
Ha! Oops – it’s clear I was talking about MY writing with that nonsense comment, right?
C’mon, Jules. Get it together.
Yeah I knew what you meant, although ridiculous nonsense is definitely in my skill set too.
I will never ever post pics of elves doing unspeakable things to other stuffed animals……oh wait. Shoot!
I won’t post pics of myself or my family, or talk about specific details of my life. I also won’t talk smack about my hubs (again), cuz he wasn’t a fan of that last time….. Oops.
Ha! I’ve walked a fine line on that front, too, Misty (then again, he does always let me refer to him as my ‘first’ husband without balking…).
I’ve generally never gotten into the political or religious blogs either. Or fashion. But I don’t have an interest in those – so reading blogs about them definitely wouldn’t interest me! And agreeing with others above, blogs where people self-pity all the time. I love being comforting and supportive to other bloggers, but you can’t be that supportive when it starts being every single post, ya know?
Ah, what a good point! Yes! I think there is such a thing as being, dare I say it, overly earnest. You need a little levity just to make the serious stuff mean something. Same goes for if every post is about blogging/other bloggers.
If there’s an absence of sexy, I can’t hang.
Preeeeach.
I’m trying to think of blogs I recently stopped reading (because I had to cut a bunch since I just don’t have the time between university and full time work) and I can’t really put my finger on one particular thing. Some just stopped being interesting mysteriously, others were posting way too frequently about nothing, and others seemed like they had a really clear focus at the time I started following them and then they just shifted to something completely different that I am not interested in (ex. they were a food blog and now they are making 3 posts a week about some tv show I don’t watch, what is that?). I know my blog is all over the place and isn’t even updated weekly (something I maybe need to work towards – it’s more of a monthly blog with bonus posts some months, lol!) but I’m not forcing anyone to read it 😉 as for hot yoga, I hate that too! I practice yoga myself, a few different styles on a regular basis but hot yoga is just irritating. The minute you mention you do yoga people say “Hot yoga?!” all excitedly – and when you say “no” they look all dejected – it’s so on trend right now it’s annoying, and seriously, we sweat enough at Vinyasa and Ashtanga practice, I wouldn’t want them to turn up the heat
so I am behind you on NOT doing hot yoga 😉 !
I hate it when a blog doesn’t talk about me enough. Speaking of, you and I need to have a talk…
Nice.
Many things irk me about certain blog types (icky pet ones, icky couple blogs, the ones obsessed with living an authentic vintage life, etc.) so I wouldn’t torture my readers by posting about any of that crap. That said I’ve no shortage of embarrassing, dignity-defying incidents I regularly regale them with so hopefully I shouldn’t have to do anything deliberately humiliating just to scrape a post together 🙂
Well , I love you too! Approve of everything you wrote and am ready to endorse your blog……..Right?
HH
I’ve done bikram yoga but have never blogged about it because the sights are too horrifying even for comedic effect.
Oh gosh, that reminded me… Last week I went to yoga and this guy in his 50’s kept moaning. And then we all did shoulder stands and he ended up doing a splits while his legs were in the air and hovered his old, old foot a few inches above my face. The horror!
These comments are gold. PURE effing gold. {the post didn’t suck either} No idea how I found you but here to stay.
Hiya, Dee! Thank you so much for the follow and kind words – it’s nice to ‘meet’ ya! I’ve gotta agree with you, I get the best flippin’ comments ever. I can’t believe anyone besides my mom reads my blog.