I've been thinking about the way certain writers on OS build and maintain a following, and it seems a bit different friom how it happens in the wider world of writing and publishing. In that world, there are some writers known mainly for one thing-- think of Stephen King or John Grisham. But even King has work that doesn't fall into the horror pigeonhole. And there are plenty of other writers with distinctive voices who work on a great range of topics, fictional and otherwise, and no one is really taken aback. Here, the dynamic seems closer to the way we perceive celebrities: we all think we know Tyra Banks, Tom Cruise, Mike Tyson and Britney Spears are, even if we don't.
With writers, we expect it to be different. Sure, we all probably have in our heads an image of Salman Rushdie or Noam Chomsky or Umberto Eco, but that persona is always subordinate to the work. Hemingway's readers (and detractors) might respond as much to his imagined life as his work, but how many decades did it take for that persona to grow? Here on OS, much faster than in the hard copy world, the work shapes the creator a mask in matter of months or weeks.
No one expects Freaky Troll to post about the decline of the Indian textile industry under British rule, or Saturn Smith to post a detailed and borderline-pornographic account of her first sexual experience, or Skip Williamson to share his favorite holiday Jell-O recipes, or the Squirrel to offer a heart-rending story of how his grandmother survived Auschwitz. Not only that, if they did post these things, we wouldn't know how to respond. Is this genuine, or an elaborate put-on? Will I look like an idiot if I respond sincerely to this--or if I don't? It'd be like Paul Reubens playing King Lear, or Laurence Olivier as Pee Wee Herman. I'm not saying that either of these fine performers couldn't pull it off (I'd actually rather see Reubens as Iago), but the mere fact of the weirdness of their trying would overshadow whatever merit the actual performance might have.
I wonder if this sort of branding --wacky loon, snarky know-it-all, benevolent mom, crotchety pundit, world-weary curmudgeon--is actually a function of success here, if success is measured in terms of readers and comments. When I think of the most popular blogs here, in most cases there is, more than just a voice, a very clear persona involved. Is it really necessary to know the writer from the writing? And is that a good or bad thing? Or is it just the way of the the web?
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Julie Tarp
C.K. Dexter Haven
john blumenthal
Robin Sneed
moveovermommy
nanatehay
Salon.com
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(Saturn Smith is a woman)
Gender change made!
I think with the Web, folks can wear any masks they want. It's much easier to be whatever online than in Realworld, because well, I can be a serious prick online and be laughing my butt off. Can't really do that in realworld, people see you rolling on the floor laughing easier!! :)
On Open, I've gained quite a few friends all around the place, some of them would even let me in their house for coffee and not even think of spritzing me in the face with mace(Hi Natalie!!! :) ) unlike some of my friends here in Reality!!
Excellent post. Highly rated.
Having a blog enables me, at least, to focus on one or two of those "Evas" at a time, even though they're all always alive in me, as I write any individual post. To the extent that I have regular readers (and I know I have a fair number, even though I'm not an OS Star) I guess it's because they find at least some part of my multiplicity interesting.
The people who write entirely within a persona (the squirrel, Jocelyn Testes-Harder, etc.) have my utmost respect for having the discipline to stick with it. It CAN'T be easy. Saturn is amazing as a political pundit, but I know she has other things to say as well. (There's a video interview with her, by Kerry, that you might want to check out.)
Your post is very thought provoking! I gues I ALWAYS have some sort of persona, so OS, and online in general, are the same mixture of projection, emotion and attitude. Thanks for making me think about it, BTD.
Measure of success could be this curiosity the writer rouses in you. though, JKRowling never affected me that way, but yes, I often dreamt of knowing what really Conan Doyle was like or Robert Browning... comment-rating is only superficial. if you find yourself going back to someone's blog, thinking of and wondering about what might be on his/her mind, it is likely that person or voice or persona hda touched you deeper than the surface level somewhere is the way I see it.
as for the persona, sometimes it frees some kind of people in certain situations. but for me, I cannot manage it. the real person breaks through - it takes considerable talent and resourcefulness and tenacity to hold on to personas. cannot be everybody's cup of tea. those who do it are doing a commendable job I shd think.
hope you are better now.
I want to know that there is a real person behind any blog to which I lend my attention; I care little WHO he or she may be, and not at all what mask has been adopted, just so that the voice be authentic – and the blogger maintains a certain consistency of persona.
In an egregious counter-example, a particular member on here, quite prolific and possessed of strikingly poor grammar, got my attention despite garnering very few ratings and no ‘Editor’s Picks’. With his off-beat and thoughtful opinions, he won my favor: I made him a Favorite and would frequently ‘rate’ his posts, as I felt was warranted. His seemed an idiosyncratic, bold and at times transgressive voice, challenging of trite and easy canons. My esteem wore away when I came to suspect he was ‘putting one over’ on us all… He never posted any kind of profile image, responded rarely if at all to the posts of others, and the poverty of his grammar began to seem inconsistent with the sophistication of many of his offerings (some of which required a fine grasp of the nuances of English)… A niggling intuition came upon me that this OSer was a fraud, not someone merely wearing a mask, but a poseur… there is a subtle but meaningful difference. He is no longer a Favorite of mine, nor do I read his posts anymore.
That aside, it is my opinion that many OSers (not all) are preoccupied with Ratings and EPs. These ephemeral measures, I have found, are little reflective of the quality of thought or artistry to be found on OS. Ratings and EPs are not entirely meaningless, however they are decidedly peripheral, even more so than are the masks in evidence here.
Finally, I’d like to quote (as a dialog in prose) that fine poem, ‘The Mask’ – written by one of my bardic role models, William Butler Yeats. As befits any poem worthy to be so called, it is riddled with ambiguity and is conceptually textured; it speaks to my mask, and to yours…
“PUT off that mask of burning gold/ with emerald eyes.”
“O no, my dear, you make so bold/ to find if hearts be wild and wise,/ and yet not cold.”
“I would but find what's there to find,/ love or deceit.”
“It was the mask engaged your mind,/ and after set your heart to beat,/ not what's behind.”
“But lest you are my enemy,/ I must enquire.”
“O no, my dear, let all that be;/ what matter, so there is but fire/ in you, in me?”
It is like the study that sent out resumes, some with a "black" name and some with a "white" name. The "white" resume got almost three times the call backs even though it was the same resume in all cases. The same thing happened when the study was conducted along gender lines.
Internal bias. Pernicious. Foolish. Dishonest.
monkey fingered.
If I discovered that Tom Clancy was the real author of "Pride and Prejudice", I would obviously be quite shocked. But would I think less of it?
Hmmm... Food for thought.
I'm betting Skip could do an awesome blog on Jello.
Great post, very thought provoking.
And actually, I think the "real" me, in all its variations, comes out more here in many ways than it does to my "real" friends. Here I feel safe to tell (almost) all and not be judged as much by conventional rules. I think writing bares you more than almost anything, especially over a long period. And there is such exhilaration and freedom in that.
Bill--I agree.
Mission--yes, as natalie said, it is a community. I think that accounts for a lot of the expectations. We don't want the postman to show up one morning wearing nothing but mose antlers.
Tink--Yes, on the web it's easy to wear maskes. That's why I sometimes wonder why I've never tried. I just post whatvever occurs to me next.
Cart__Yes, I think that, if I met soem of my favorites in person, my impressions would be validated, in a good way. Intelligence and sensitivity are hard to fake for long.
Pandraig--I wnder how many!
C.K.--I guess I don't tweak as much as you because anything that required that much fussiness wouldn't be OS material for me-- not an issue of quality, but of attitude.
Eva--I'm with you on this. I think several sides of who I am show up here, and I'd have a hard time repressing any of them.
Trudge--No worse than most of the TV & newspaper pundits!
aim--It's those people who make me wonder. It would take discipline to always be in a persona. Hmm... maybe my Pee Wee Herman reference above was more on target than I thought. Poor Pee Wee....
Myriad--Yep.
Rolling--I can't manage it either. Thanks, I'm much better now!
MotMista--Yeats also wrote, "How can we know the dancer from the dance?"
BBE--"Should".... indeed.
Bob--Of course, "Tonto" is just another mask.
Kelly--Same here.
Stellaa--I love the term "mono blog."
Norwonk--Foolishness! that book was written long before he was born! Clancy actually wrote "The Naked Civil Servant."
Dorinda--Skip would be great with any dessert product, as long is was was poured over Debbie Harry on acid.
Sweet--I probably do have diferent personae for different groups in real life, but I'd rather not think about that or I might not be able to sleep tonight.
HB--I chose not to write under my own name here because I write other, publicly available things under my own name. Maybe this will change one day.
Lea--I know what you mean. I my case, most of my real-life aren't patient, pedantic, or masochistic enough to listen to me spout off. Hooray for OS!
Nice post, benjamin. I think that what Norwonk says is true, that a persona springs out of what a writer writes, whether it's accurate or not. We inevitably form a picture in our minds of who a writer is, and it would be hard not to do this. (I think it's a basic function of human thinking, tied to our imaginative and empathetic abilities. So it's neither good nor bad; just human.) Who isn't just a little bit tempted to answer the question, "If you could invite five writers to dinner, who would they be?" It's the rare person who would say, "I don't want to talk with my favorite writers; I just want to read their books."
Here's a funny thing, though: I'll occasionally discover that there are serious mismatches between the persona I have on OS as perceived by other people and as perceived by myself. "That's how I come across? Really? Weird."
I do think OS is one of the most powerful and intimate online communities I've ever had the honor of inhabiting. The level on which I know many people here - and which they know me - is sometimes eerily deep.
With that said, I think you CAN break out of your "norm" here and its accepted. Perhaps because of that closeness. If you want to shift gears, this group is fine with joining right along.
When I see someone like iamsurly, with her cool avatar and fun name and clever titles, I know what to expect. She's branding herself to some extent and that's smart.
It's ironic though because although I'm not one of the widely read front pagers you mention; I DO have coffee with Freaky whenever I'm in Seattle and just the other day we were discussing the decline of the Indian textile industry under British rule. Pour a few mocha javas into that little vamp and she'll talk your ear off!
Mostly I just like specific voices, no matter what they write. I'm the same way with writers that I pay for. I get emotionally attached to the voice (or characters) not the content (or plot).
Even though they certainly wouldn't be speaking for me, I guess I think it just a little sad, that they might be shamed from even having a voice on OS. Is that really what we want? Maybe I am too new -- perhaps they have posted, and I just haven't seen. I like a comprehensive diet. I like to look at issues from all points of view -- with an open mind. Unfortunately, I often feel like I am missing a course here... The tenor seems to be so anti-conservative (we're not all gun-toting, anti-abortionist, evangelicals - some of us are just fiscal conservatives) that I sometimes feel I'm in an alternative universe.... where only one view reigns...
both!!
there is another interesting site that makes a juxtaposition-- www.chronicle.com .. paid bloggers. however, they always post on the same subject. which is better? the future will sort it out....
as for writer "voice", it is indeed a big part of the equation. but notice how all the authors you cite were filtered through the lens of EDITORS which aint part of the equation here. maybe theres your answer.
Rob--I frequently have that experience even in real life. "They think I'm a WHAT? But... I don't even speak Swedish!""
Beth--"Eerily" is a good word. I've had the same experience.
Chicago--I KNEW it!
Procopius--Good point. I do think many even of the more polished of our posters let themselves go a bit more in the comments.
Julie--I don't know... I find biting into a pickle and finding it's filled with chocolate to be exciting. But then, I'm perverse.
A-mom--This IS a left-leaning place... but consider that it's FAR more open and inclusive than the sites where the right-wingers hang out.
Michael--Interesting. My geographical isolation hasn't given me the opportunity to meet anyone from here face-to-face. If get a chance to meet the Squirrel, I'll bring nits.
Robin--Thanks for the Atwood quote-- I like that.
Lisa-- I agree.
O'Really-- My wife has one of those. She soemtimes scares our chilren with it when they've been bad.
Wind--Very true, but I think the web accellerates and magnifies.
Conservative OSers who regularly write about politics include DJohn, Randy Smith (Philos777), Gordon Osmond (GordonO), McGarrett50, Blackflon, TS, and Snob. Their views are unpopular here, but I don't think they're treated unfairly. There are others who fly beneath the radar, either mostly writing about other stuff or not being all-around conservatives.
I've not been here long but have wondered about this, too. Am checking to see if, by writing in a certain style or about certain topics, I'm pigeon-holing myself. Once people expect certain things from me, will they read if I launch into an unexpected subject? And do I care? I write because I like to, but I'd be lying if I said it would be as enjoyable if no one read it. Just musings...
Great post. Thought-provoking, obviously.
Just for myself, I'd love to see a post from any of those people about any of those things, except I want no one's grandmother to have suffered. I don't read things because they are comfortingly the same. I read them because they are good to read.
I like that you posted this. It's a good discussion.
Thought provoking post, thanks for your thoughts on this. Face value is good enough for me here on OS for most purposes.
Just wanted to say I like what you say and have thought of it myself, that a name here usually means a niche of some sort. I think it's true in real life, as well, actually. That presents a problem of sorts for those of us who are jacks of all trades, not only here but in life. I've had many jobs--paid and unpaid--and have gathered enormous experience in many disciplines. Rather than make me an admired "Renaissance Person" in the eyes of others, it has rendered me someone who lacks credentials and expertise in any given area. It frustrates me.
Good or bad, write your voice into every post.
We are all mixed bag. Like someone once said (who?): People aren't one thing OR the other. They are one thing AND the other.
I don't post on politics, although I am quite political and hard lined in my views. Here, on OS, gracielou leaves that up to Saturn and the other talented pundits.
So? Yes, I do, in some ways wear an OS mask.
So it is with Open Salon as well. There are some who feel the need to show one aspect of themselves. I assume this is because that is the one persona they feel needs to have some light shown on it, perhaps as a break from their daily existence or perhaps it is to help them become that persona. Others allow OS to reflect a broader range of themselves.
vzn--Yes, paid bloggers have the constraint of a salary... but we here are free... of external constraints, at least.
Ardee & Femme--This is a danger I see: getting locked into a too-successful formula.
Bikelizrd--Regarding factuality, depends on the kind of post! On certain ground you're more than right.
Odette--I'd love to see those posts too! (Especially the one from Saturn.) I'd hope the Squirrel/Auschwitz one would be fiction, though.
bbd--Face value for me too, or as close as I can come to whatever that is.
Lainey--Your life sounds like mine. It's said that specialization killed off ancient Greek culture, which exalted the gifted amateur.
Duane--Voice, certainly, but there's a difference between voice and persona. Skip Williamson has a distinctive voice, but I'm pretty sure that it's not far from the man I'd meet, if we met.
"Is it really necessary to know the writer from the writing? And is that a good or bad thing? Or is it just the way of the the web?"
The answer of course is, no, sometimes, and I'm not sure really. One thing I know is there are a lot of great writers on OS, some who I know well and consider to be friends and others I stumble upon by sheer chance. Personality plays a role in determining who I get to know well, but it has little or nothing to do with my appreciation (or lack thereof) of what people have written.
"I'm not a man of too many faces
The mask I wear is one ..."
-Sting "Shape of My Heart"
But I believe that if some random OSer kicked out the next sonnet comparable to Shakespeare it would be recognized for the writing on its own, even if the body of their previous work included nothing but silly cat pics from a cellphone.
The question of personality branding and genre branding are good questions for those who build an audience. Consider the sources of some of our great writing and art, often originating from someone behind a Nome de plume. Great writers have often hosted different names to fit the personalty of their work, a move that also allows readers to approach the writing without any pretense.
Yet blogging is somehow inherently more about the persona, because there is not just the writing, there is the interaction. Sometimes the persona comes into play more in the comments than the writing itself. But that does get to be important over time.
Hmm, maybe I'll go put my mask on and blog about it, under a pseudonym of course.
I wouldn't say it's a successful formula for getting readers. I see it more as a ploy to get people to like me. :)
There are real people here who have the gift and generosity to write as if it paid real money. There are good people here who have become friends.
Do we ever really know the people who are around us in the virtual world? Surprises are happening every day in big boy and big girl world. Here, we can be honest and express how we really are doing with this tragicomedy called life.
Thanks for a mind opening post.
Jeanette--Maybe Starbucks would be a better analogy! Myself, I like being surprised.
Freedomisgreen--Thanks for the ideas.
Zuma--Thanks. Nice hair!
Ardee--I find it better to assume people won't like me no matter what I do. That way I'm freer, and, if they do, pleasantly surprised.
Freaky Troll has taken up the challenge! Go check out her foray into economic history!
Older/Exasperated
Asta--I agree about voice, though persona is soemthing else (though related, of course). I agree with all you said about OS.
older--Yes. That's why I'm here.
Ben--Sort of, kind of, sometimes.
I've wondered, too, whether posts that come outside of a writer's regular vein would be as well-read or successful. In my case, at least, I keep to one genre in part because (as you point out) there's a certain expectation among readers. I've built (I hope) a little credibility within the area of political commentary; I don't think I could expect to have the same credibility in another topic if I made a sudden switch, and I don't think it'd be completely fair of me to expect those who come to my blog to extend me any credit on topics I'm not so well-established in. Some days, though, I am sorely tempted to write screeds about movies and coffeeshop etiquette and, oh, bears. I always have something to say about bears. :)
Anyway...it is me, folks. When I expand the tropes, it is still me. I am all this, and more. As are youse.