I know, I know. Being a blogger is a little dépassé. Old hat.
All the cool boys and girls are now on Tiktok - they were formerly on instagram before switching. A couple of days ago someone wanted to quote this blog for a study they were writing and referred to it by the acronym my "old" blog had (2007-2017) and then onwards on this link on this one (2017- Present). Combined they hold (including this post) 5207 posts and more than 2.5 million viewers combined (I know so because the numbers are there being tracked by the all-mighty Google).
And all this without being paid for one ad, while incurring the wrath of ad agencies, while not agreeing to sell my posts or my readership or what not. You know what? The results are not bad at all. Was it possible to get more reach? Of course. Was it possible for me to still be out there with a different audience a la Charles Hayek (Please check Heritage And Roots) for whom I have incredible respect (and was one of the earliest people to follow and speak with privately before he went on to stardom)?
Of course yes! But to each his own. I have told this story before but it bears repeating. I was working as a correspondent for an international magazine for a long time and I happened to be in Italy for a business trip and passed by their offices - the editor who never laid out his eyes on me and as a first comment said "but you're short!"... Before profusely apologizing.
Please note. I am short! The issue was he meant to say "for someone who writes with so must gust, you are not the tall impressive man I thought you were". I immediately placated his fears and told him I understood what he meant.
Look, I know I am not getting my point easily. Going to my usual convoluted route. The point is? Yesterday I saw a joke by the very funny Michelle Wolf that goes "blogs are conversations no one wanted to have with you". Now did anyone (client/agency) really wanted my rather unflattering and unfiltered opinion about their ad? I suspect not. Did anyone really care to read about the dismal state of the advertising market when everyone wanted to delude themselves and the market with false hopes? I am inclined to say no.
But here's the thing - as they say in English - "you can't keep a good man down" and heaven knows everyone has tried, as in totally and completely tried. You might not want to have these conversations with me, but hey, this is why they invented monologues!
After being laughed at for so long, ignored for a longer time, hated in the combined time, guess who is still preaching in the wilderness? Short, non-impressive moi. And turns out my monologues draw audiences.
In the immortal words of Mrs. Slocombe in Are You Being Served... "I am unanimous in that".
So perhaps I have been having a conversation with myself all along after all...