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Screw Community
Community is a word you’ll hear all over the internet. You’re part of a community on Twitter. Blog networks are a community. Your blog’s comment section is a community. The whole blogosphere is a community.
You’ll also hear that you should be part of these communities. You should be contributing. You should be giving others a leg up. Do your part! Join in! Show that community spirit!
But I’ve been wondering lately – exactly what is this community everyone’s talking about? Who is in this community? What does being a community mean? What are we all supposed to be working towards? Who started this community in the first place?
And how did I suddenly become obligated to it?
I bet a lot of you have that blank look on your faces right now. “Well… uh… Community. You know. The good of all. And… Well, we’re working towards… umm… building a community, James… You know.”
No. I don’t know. Someone explain it to me. I’d be much obliged.
What is the Blogging Community?
No one has been able to give me a satisfactory answer to this question yet. They sure can tell me when I’m not being an active member of the blogging community, though. I have people every day asking me for donations, free support, cut rates, volunteer work, blog posts written for no pay.
Free copy. Free design. Free marketing. Free promotion. For the community.
And if I don’t accept these requests – many of which come from people I have never even heard of before they came to me with their hand out – I’m suddenly accused of not “contributing to the community.”
What the hell?
When did I become the bad guy just because I won’t give a complete stranger free stuff? What did I do to deserve a guilt trip?
Many of these people have a self-assured attitude, too. They really think they have the right to ask for free goods. They feel they deserve it. They’re shocked when I decline. They’re hurt and dismayed. They’re disappointed.
How could you, James? How could you betray the community?
Look. I think that what we have here is a definition breakdown. Betrayal is turning your back on something you promised to uphold. If I ever made a promise to uphold the blogging community’s needs, I’d like to see the transcript of that press conference.
Screw community, I say.
Communities That Are Worth Contribution
Now, I’m not saying that all communities aren’t worth the effort. Don’t get up in arms, there. I’ve had great experiences contributing to my local community, for instance. Right now, it’s desperately trying to get better playground equipment for its parks.
I know what’s at stake – X dollars gets X equipment and if I contribute, my kid gets a great place to play and I get a great place to read a book on a bench in the sun. Awesome.
My local community doesn’t make me feel guilty if I don’t contribute. No one comes to ask for my money or my time, either. They put an ad in the paper. Contribute or not, if you like the cause. I don’t have an obligation to fork out because I live in this town. I could ignore the whole idea completely, if I wanted.
And I’d still be seen as a fine, upstanding member of the community.
Of course, I’d feel bad if I used the park anyway when I could have helped out. They just gave me something for free. I feel like I should give back to those guys. We’ll help each other out. It’ll be great.
So what does the blogging community give back?
Selflessness is Not a Business Proposition.
I’ve had people shocked – shocked! – that I wouldn’t lose my time, lose billable hours, lose money, take focus away from my business and give away my work for the community.
Note: not “for a reciprocal pat on the back.”
I’d be cool if they wanted to trade a free blog post for some ad space on their site, for example. If they want to make an argument that I’ll get new readers if I help them out, I’d love to hear about it. Tell me the marketing plans, the predicted growth, the risk investment stats.
I am all about “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” We need not bring money into this.
But I do need to get something out of it. Sorry.
Now, if you ask these people what they’re giving, they’ll say that contributing to the community is its own reward. That’s my benefit. I gave to the community. They got free stuff. Warm fuzzies all around.
Screw community.
People who toss the C-word around never seem to have anything of value to give back for the value they want to receive. They want my time and effort, they want me to build their success for them, but they have absolutely nothing to offer me in return.
They are – and there’s no beating around the bush here – deadbeats.
Community Deadbeats
A deadbeat, for those of you who have never had someone camp out on your sofa, is the guy who wants you to give him money for his great idea.
Now, this idea may never quite get off the ground, but in the meantime, this guy believes you should support him while he tries. He tells you a sob story, gets money off you, sleeps under your roof, eats your food, and buys lots of unnecessary stuff without making any real steps towards achieving his great idea.
Deadbeats have taken this brilliant concept to the internet.
They just started a blog, or a new site, or some membership program. They don’t want to put in the time and effort it takes to build a legitimate readership from scratch. They have no money. Just a great idea. They want other people to invest instead. They want someone else to put in the time and effort on their behalf.
They want to ride on someone else’s success.
They say things like, “We want to build this for the community. And your contribution will go a long way towards helping us get there.”
Let’s translate that, shall we?
“Hi. I have no money, I have no skills. I have no readers. I have no traffic. There’s no guarantee my venture will work. It may never work. But if you work for free for me, you can enjoy a sense of personal fulfillment because you helped build something great for the community.”
Wow. What a concept. When I started three years ago, I had to build my business through blood, sweat and tears. You mean we can get free businesses these days? Just for being part of the community?
Screw That. I Want My Own Community.
Hey, everyone! I just formed a community! It’s awesome. You’d like it. We’re full of sunshine and sweetness. There are heaps of warm fuzzies. We even do group hugs on Tuesdays. We could have a mascot, too. Maybe a cuddly panda bear on a pile of jelly beans. Awww!
Aren’t you glad you’re part of this community?
Okay, now that the fuzzy bit’s out of the way, let me see here . . .
I need 5 bloggers, 4 copywriters, 3 coders, 2 designers, a bookkeeper, a financial consultant and two market research pros. Oh, and an SEO guy. You can all start today, too! There’s no money in it, but I’ll give you a link on my as-yet-not-built-unknown-brand-new site.
Wooo. A link. Exciting, huh? I know!
Since it doesn’t currently have any traffic or readers besides the ones you’ll be sending me, you won’t get anything out of it for at least six months or so. Maybe even a year. Wait, though! You have the chance to promote the hell out of my site and make all your own readership go somewhere else to read your posts, but whatever!
Aren’t you glad you’re part of this community? You didn’t even have to join!
This is a brilliant plan.
I’m Not a Complete Ass
I get that it’s nice to help other people when you can. I do my share – I offer this blog right here, full of all sorts of excellent expertise, knowledge and advice that millions of people can use to their own personal and financial benefit.
This blog is free. It is also time-consuming. It is demanding. It loses me money every time I write a post. I do it because it helps you guys out.
Off the blogosphere, I help the needy. I donate to Kiva and the Alzheimer’s Society and the SPCA. Even the War Amps (they really do send your keys back in the mail). In return, I feel like I help make the world a better place for me, my kids, my family and my friends. That’s what I get back from those contributions.
So far as I can tell, helping your brand new post aggregator or marketing blog or copywriter website hit the top ranking page of Google does absolutely JACK to improve anyone’s world but yours.
Let’s not bullshit, here. When you ask me to give you free stuff to make your website or blog or whatever get more readers or business, it’s not for the community.
It’s for YOUR profit and success.
That is not community, to me. “Community”, last I checked, involved more than one person. Unless you can convince me that more people than YOU benefit from my hard work and help, screw off.
Now, if I’m wrong about this ‘community’ crap, then set me straight. Show me the noble goals of the blogging community. Get me a member roster and a statement of purpose.
Then I’ll decide if it’s worth it for me to contribute.
Screw the blogging community. I’m gonna go take my kid to the park.
Help spread the word!
Welcome to our community. Kick back, put your feet up and join the discussion.
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lolol Welcome to our world. Okay maybe not everyone is an ass or self proclaimed entitled jerk. But I have to tell you from what I have seen there are more bad guys than good. You are one of the few writers I know that can “bitch” eloquently. Maybe bitch is a harsh word but it’s too bloody early in the morning for me and I can barely speak let alone write. But I had to share my kudos for this post!
Gabriella´s last blog ..The Cost of Optimization – Time Equals Money
Fabulous piece! I shall be sharing it all around “the community” free of charge. Cos I’m that kinda generous, I am.
One thing though, I don’t feel you need to justify to anyone what you do for helping the needy. If anyone asks you to, tell them that it’s none of their damn business!
Kath´s last blog ..In My Place
Yes, yes and one more yes!
It seems that people are equating community with communes, and I don’t live or work or participate in communes. Nor did I start my business to ‘volunteer’ my skills.
If you want what I have then you will pay for it. If you don’t, fine, learn it on your own. I buy what I need – product or service – and expect you to do the same.
Like Barbara, I respond to many statements about how information on the internet is free with the following: “yes, finding the information is free…are you sure you found the right information? are you sure you looked everywhere possible? are you familiar with the 100+ search engines currently available for use when searching the internet – and how to use each one?”
I have similar statements for those wanting/needing/asking about copywriting service for print or website, primary research techniques, etc.
I so totally agree. I never understoond this “community” that we’re supposed to be “obligated to”.
Since when do I have to answer to people I’ve never met and who I haven’t agreed to provide a service?
I think we need to ask ourselves this: If we don’t post every so often, or we don’t “contribute”, what’s the worst thing that’s gonna happen?
Is someone going to yell at us? Or spank us?
Will this go on our Permanent Blogging Record?
Will we get shunned by the Blogging Elders, and bansihed to some remote Social Media Outland?
Chances are: No. No. No. And NO.
People need to lighten up.
Does it count when people contact you and want to post on your blogs for “free?”
I get contacted often by folks volunteering to “guest post” for me (and I use the term loosely), but if I read their so-called post it is nothing but an advertisement and has little to do with the subject of my blog. A similar ploy is those who send me “press releases” and scold when I don’t publish them.
(This does not apply to those few legitimate guest posters that I’ve used on my blog, most of whom were invited to guest post and all of whom I knew of well in advance of the guest post.)
Laura Spencer´s last blog ..10 Ways To Make Your Freelance Business Fail
Hear hear!
People’s sense of entitlement are really getting blown out of proportion these days.
Kenji Crosland´s last blog ..Sep 10, How to Write a Review
@ Kenji – The anonymity and facelessness of the Internet may make people feel less awkward about asking? I doubt any of the people would approach me as a stranger on the street to ask the same thing.
@ Laura – I have one of those hounding me as we speak – it’s been weeks of “No, thank you, that’s not a good fit for our blog,” and repeated attempts to push me into a yes.
She met the wrong gringo for that
@ Friar – Believe it or not, taking a vacation reminded me of the fact that Bad Things will not happen if we say no. And I’m saying no way more often these days.
Time to think of James, a little more.
@ Charlene – That’s a point in the right direction. I am where I am and in demand and successful because I bothered to put in years of hard work and learning. It irks me that some 20-some living in his parent’s basement comes along out of the blue thinking that my life goal is to help him get rich so he can buy a new stereo.
@ Kath – Haha, good point! I know too many people who justify themselves to death, out of fear they’ll be seen as bad people. Thing is, simply saying no without justifying anything actually tends to increase perception of value and offers more respect!
@ Gabriella – Make no mistake. I can bitch eloquently. But I sure ain’t anyone’s eloquent bitch
@ The Other James – How about marketing at its worst?
@ Chris – Check your email!
@ Bill –
Exactly. Well said.
@ Deb with Needles – Well, we could all start a commune for our community…
@ Deb with Knives – Aye. I know full well you’re one of the people getting the brunt of these requests, just like I am. I’m glad to see the post on your site today. You go, girl.
@ Robin – No one told me about setting boundaries! I had to learn! (Works well, though. Good point!)
@ Mik – We like to prepare you well.
@ Rich – Well, I’m not so concerned about falling traffic and more concerned about people’s sense of entitlement that encroaches on my personal time, but maybe you’re right – maybe Facebook will take over! (Or maybe not…)
@ Barbara and Milan – Great posts, and comments on each of them for you!
@ Steve – Dude! Where the hell have you been? Glad to have you back. And if we’re joining the Uncommunity for the Non-Community Minded, I think we should have a theme song. One sung by munchkins. Mmhm.
Yeah, well I think this speaks to the whole “information wants to be free” ethos of the Internet as we know it. Makes it easy to exploit those who create that information.
Maria Schneider´s last blog ..When Self Publishing Makes Sense
For me, this idea of entitlement extends beyond the idea of community and goes right into the online business model.
Supposedly we’re bad business people if we don’t offer five bonuses with whatever we’re offering.
I try to imagine someone going into IKEA and saying “Okay, I want to buy a bed, but I’ll go across the street to another store unless you also offer me the mattress, pillows and 50% off bedding for the rest of my life.”
The flip side of that, of course is the seller who tries to scare the buyer into investing in “the community” (ie buy their stuff) because it’s only available for a limited time and is going to be much more expensive next time the “community” opens up.
As if IKEA would sell beds that come and go in the store and get more expensive each time they come back in stock!
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog ..Relieving the Pressure by Living in the Present: Cath Duncan Interview
I really agree with a lot of what you are saying, though there are some great communities online that rely on contributions to keep going. I’ve been running Independent Fashion Bloggers (IFB) for 2 years, just to give bloggers a place to rant and ask questions/get answers. I don’t make any money from it, though we need to start getting some money together to develop a user-friendly platform so people can better find each other and ask questions, and also, so I can pay people to help me, because there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, and I’m at maximum capacity.
Anyway, with IFB there is no way I can come up with all the issues about blogging from my own experience, and there are A LOT of other people who are way more qualified than I to share with the ‘community’ their own experience, but all in all, what we try to do is stay informed and protect us bloggers from being taken advantage of.
That said, I’ve had up to *here* with people I’ve never heard of, who wouldn’t be doing something if THEY weren’t getting paid… asking me to do stuff for free, it’s not just posts, but information, contacts, consulting, even my design skills *heh* and my photographs just so they can make a profit from my work. That’s total bullshit.
jennine´s last blog ..When should you start charging money for your blogging experience?
@ Jennine – There are indeed great communities that use contributions to stay alive, and those have their place, purpose and time. They’re also often (if not always) mutually beneficial in some way, and they also work to benefit a wider group of people as well.
Good to see you here, btw!
@ Alex – Now that’s very, VERY interesting. I too can’t stand the “free, free, free”, and as you’ll note, the only free thing we do around here is blog – and we’d cut that back as well during the past year.
If people gave less away for free and started standing up for what they believe in a little more (like, that their time is worth a bit of money?) then maybe they wouldn’t have to ask for free handouts to stay alive.
@ Maria – Information wants to be free? Wow. I’ve never heard it say a word to me, so I must be in the dark on that. The guy who says he heard information said that *really* has to get in touch with me!
Thank you!
Ironically, someone just sent me an email asking to do a load of work finding influential bloggers and getting them to sign up for THEIR network… all for a badge in their report. Mmm…yummy badges in mysterious reports going to unknown people.
jennine´s last blog ..Links à la Mode : The IFB Weekly Roundup
@ Jennine – WHAT?! You didn’t LEAP on the fantastic offer of an ugly jpg whipped up in 15 minutes that you can post on your blog and use to drive all your traffic over THEIR way?!!
Insanity.
A community should support itself and not just be looking to one or two people to do all the work. It is amazing how people can ask for help without any thought into if what they asking benefits the other person in any way.
Great post and I am glad I just found your blog! So I am thinking you should write a guest post for my blog, what do you think?
@ Jim – Sure thing – I’ll guest, you pay $75. Sound like a plan?
Thank you for this.
“Many of these people have a self-assured attitude, too. They really think they have the right to ask for free goods. They feel they deserve it. They’re shocked when I decline. They’re hurt and dismayed. They’re disappointed.”
Unfortunately, the sense of entitlement (especially here in the US) seems to be growing all the time. It’s already at levels that sadden me, and it just seems to be increasing. I really hope that pendulum swings soon.
James – Great post!
I have a related situation in my IT consulting business. Pleas from prospects to lower fees because of all the referrals I’m going to get from said prospect. Don’t have any contact information or introductions…but nifty promises of incoming business just as soon as we work cheap and “do a great job” of making their business better.
Kathy Herrmann´s last blog ..Online Strategy Divas Talk Biz
So, I’m a bit behind in reading Men with Pens posts. Got to this one and FACE PALM! Wow, I can so relate to this – and I’m not even an uber successful writer…yet. I don’t mind pitching in for the greater good – when I’m part of the greater good. But when things turn ugly, that is, when people begin to take advantage or, heaven forbid, expect me to continue to do things for free or at low cost, they seem offended when I say “no.” This even has roots in my client base. After working with a company (as a freelancer) for over 3 years, they approached me with a request that I reduce my rates because “they didn’t want to pay so much and they could get someone to do the job at 1/4 of what I charge.” I not-so-subtly suggested that they go hire that other person – what a deal! They balked, I gave in a bit, and will now be letting them go as a client at the end of this year. (Don’t tell them, they don’t know yet.) Point is – I can be a sucker for the “greater good” or own up to the fact that I do, indeed, need to earn not only a living wage, but a fulfilling wage. Still working on that. Thanks for another great post and for making me think.
@ Lizbeth – Yeah, that’s another example of spongers – the clients that guilt trip you into lower rates. Sucks, that.
@ Kathy – Oh, now that’s an interesting application, eh? I’ve had a few of those, as well. They come off looking like joint venture kind of things and apparently the joints at work are all mine. Um, no.
@ Mr. Lich – Well, I think it’s more in the online world than the offline one. People wouldn’t walk up to you on the street and ask you, y’know? But yeah. It’s becoming prevalent throughout the ‘net.