a few people i known have referred to blogging as a grown up and online version of high school. you have all your stereotypical groupings…the cool kids, the nerds, the teacher’s pets, the testosterone-driven, and the moms.
(yes, the moms. i grew up in west texas and in high school, the moms had their own table. but i digress.)
based on the description of others, evidently i sit somewhere on the cool kids table. but since punctuality is not in my nature, i consider myself to still be standing in the lunch line, waiting on my rectangular pizza from a greasy lunch lady named helga.
(but again, i digress.)
i used to watch my stats and analyze them all the time. how did i stack up to others? will i ever break 100 subscribers? 500? 1000? will i ever break 100 authority on technorati? 300? 500? can i hit 10,000 pageviews a month, 30,000, 75,000?
let’s just say i became a little obsessed. especially since the giants of this blogging business are mainly men…i wanted to be the cool little sister who was able to follow closely behind.
to confess: jealousy was a commonly played tune in my head. all the cool kids went to all the cool conferences. they got free stuff. they met each other and it was all off the hook. i mainly sat behind my computer.
if only i could be one of them. if only…
and then i realized…
even if “if only” happened…would i really care?
don’t get me wrong. i love my blogging brethren. i have met many of my fellow bloggers in person and they are sharp, and they are amazing. they are impacting the church culture in so many ways.
but me? my heart and my passions are expressed in different ways. and that’s just peachyfine by me.
for example – i am not a conference-going kind of person. i am not uber-extroverted leader, and speaking to a billion other uber-extroverted leaders would probably make me curl up in a ball and suck on my thumb until jesus comes.
it took a while, but i finally realized that it’s not a large amount of influence that matters.
it’s the right kind of influence.
so, i look around.
kids living in poverty are being sponsored left and right because of the community on this blog. over 100 malaria nets were donated from the community on this blog. pastors who were broke and needed help were helped, mission trips were funded, people were prayed for, addictions were spoken about, and ultimately…god’s name has been glorified by this community BEING the church in relational and missional ways.
this blog isn’t about me. it is about us. a group of believers reflecting the love of christ to the world in a million different ways.
that’s the right kind of influence.
thank you for being a part.
Comments
42 responses to “the right kind of influence”
Oh, boy. Wow. This post ranks right up there with the boobies ones for me.
I recently had this whole scenario (if only I were one of the cool bloggers with thousands of fans…but is that what I REALLY want?…eek! no. Jesus, help me follow you…) playing through my head almost exactly like you described it. Yowzers.
I like you more with each passing day.
and thank you young lady for making it all so easy – may God continue to smile on you each and every day
You go Anne. I liked those greasy, rectangle shaped pizza’s. You are right on. God is using you to reach just who He desires. That’s perfect!
You forgot to mention the kids who don’t want to be mainstream and listen to alt-rock bands that never make it big.
you are welcome! and, thanks for facilitating this community!
lotsa ky love to ya…
Looks like in this post you finally found the CAPS key! yeah!!!
just recalled Jesus’ encounter with Peter in John 21: to Peter, He says, “Follow Me.”
how easily each of us can find ourselves subtly following someone else ALONG WITH Jesus…
been there.
Thank you for an amazingly influential blog. It doesn’t really matter what Technorati says, you’ve got the best one.
no thank YOU…
Thank you for being more concerned with influence than popularity. Some are called to reach thousands, while others are called to reach one. The one that won’t be reached along with the thousands.
Well, I’m new to ‘serious blogging’. I enjoy it and I’ve had to remind myself that no matter what, I need to continue to enjoy it! I started my blog as a testimony to Christ that others could relate to. I want it to stay that.
Thanx for sharing this. I needed to hear it.
my blog is far from a cool kids club. for one, i’ve never been cool in life.
the people i’ve been able to call up and pray with, the women who write me daily about their struggles with addiction, support for missions being raised… make my blog a place for people to be real and be loved for who they are. i blog because i love people. plain and simple.
This is hands-down my favorite blog…for reasons like you describe. I feel like i’m part of something here. Blogging for me, has been the thereputic and life changing. I gained an instant community. Thanks!
By not trying to be cool you’ve become cool. COOL! Never grow tired of doing good.
thanks once again for being transparent!!! great stuff…as always…
anne,
this post killed it today for me. the right kind of influence is such a relevant concept across all aspects of life. im glad you talked about it.
Great perspective, Anne! This is what I was wrestling with when I wrote my “I Can’t Find Me” post. Instead of trying to mimic what others are doing I have to be a steward of the area of influence that I do have. To ignore that and continue to strive for something else is poor stewardship on my part and I suspect grieves the heart of God.
This blog is great because you don’t overtly promote and talk about yourself. It seems like a place for relevant discussion and banter.
Thanks Anne
Anne – you know I love this blog and the main reason is because you step out of the box and focus on changing lives of children all over the world. I love the example you’ve set and have actually been thinking about how I could do something to reach out via blog. You’ve led many people out of their comfort zone and onto helping others! Thank you for being YOU!
You’re definitely one of the cool kids to me!
OK Anne, if you consider yourself still in the lunch line, I don’t think I’m even in the cafeteria yet. Thanks for addressing this…I had a very similar conversation with myself about it earlier this week.
I’m not a cool kid. I don’t go to conferences. I don’t work for a church. I’m not in leadership. I don’t even lead a small group. I’m just a mom who happens to knit. A lot.
Other than my two children, I’m not even sure who I influence. But I do know that because of your blog, I am now sponsoring a child through Compassion – and I hope that because of my blog, someone else will follow suit. I think you are right on with the value/importance of influence.
In the meantime, God please help me not to care about my blog stats, amen.
Well said,
But what is wrong with making a difference and being a cool kid?
Thanks, everyone.
Brian – nothing. It’s just not me. :)
I got pretty wrapped up in “ego surfing” last fall and got addicted to my stats. It became both distracting – and discouraging. I was wasting time trying to see how many people were visiting my blog and I was trying to drive up my ratings and counters. It was fun at first – then I realized how much time it was consuming – and it was all to boost my ego. And I knew that not matter what, I would never have a rating in technorati as high as Perry Noble or get as many comments as Anne Jackson. The more i tried – the more discouraged I got.
Paul warns us against comparing ourselves among ourselves. I honestly make a really crappy anne or perry too. Especially Anne! ;-) So I had to learn to be me – and stop trying to feed my ego and boost my ratings. I unplugged almost all my stats except what is already built in to typepad and gave up my addiction to them and my quest for more.
I am learning to be content with my content on the internet.
It gets fun to stat watch. But there is a line. Your site is fantastic. I love the way you think, Anne. I dig you, girl!! Seriously a lot and then some.
HR
I admire that you step out and follow your heart…we can’t all be top stats bloggers, but we can all have a huge impact. You definitely have done that!! Thanks!!
And that is why I lOVE this blog.
Oh, crap. That stupid jealously creep has hovering around my laptop this week in a big way. I need to chill.
I tell you what. You’ve brought many many smiles on my face and deep within my soul I feel so encouraged by daily reading your blog. God, through you, has lifted my spirit in so many ways. The Bible says “the truth shall set you free” and when I begin my day by soaking in what you have to say, it is refreshing! I care that you are ok each day and I love your generoous way of sharing and caring. Thank you so much, Anne!
Touche!!!
If blogs were stuck in highschool mode and my blog was a character from highschool it would probably be one of those guys form Better Off Dead…
Blogs, those with big numbers or those with small numbers, are in my opinion a way for us to express our love for God while adding a piece of personal life throw in. For some (not me) it is a vehicle that allows them to be spiritual leader, and influencer if you will, to others. It is a vehicle that allows us to give hope to someone who does not have it by passing along our personal message of struggles and successes. It is a vehicle that allows some to reach the world in a way that no one could have imagined 10-15 years ago.
As long as we drive it right, and for the right reasons, alot of people will benefit from the messages posted your blog and other blogs.
At 41, I’m still trying to be part of the cool people. I don’t think I’ll ever get there. But I do know Scott Hodge, so that helps ;) When I first started my own blog, I shut it down after a couple days wondering who was I to think anyone would be interested in my ramblings? I had a couple close friends ask where my blog was because they read it every day. So I restarted.
My only jealousy(only?) is that I wish I was brave enough to be as candid as you are. There are a bunch of “taboo” posts in my head that will have to come out eventually. I’ll let you know when I’ve arrived!! :)
Thanks! I appreciate your blogs!… Jesus dealt with people ONE-on-One… changing one life at a time!
I totally agree. Community is where its at. Plus, I’ll never be at the cool table. =)
I’ve changed my thinking from, “I want to have a cool blog” to “I want to be a part of a cool blogging community; where I can encourage and be encouraged… challenge and be challenged”
You rock, Anne.
humility speaks volumes.
and THIS speaks volumes.
Anne,
Once again you have managed to put into words something that hits home with where I am.
It is about community. And I thank you for creating an environment where all of those things you talked about could be talked about.
Thanks!
kudos, anne. way to make things interesting…
great thoughts. really powerful.
i’ve only been reading for a short time and you’ve already challenged me in ways you probably never intended to….by being, what seems to be…yourself.
(not that you didn’t intend to be yourself. never. mind. i hope/think you know what i’m saying)
Refreshing! I whole-heartedly agree! Having really just gotten started to blog seriously and more frequently, I’ve been thinking some of those same thoughts. Competition and comparison are some things that can really get me into trouble. I love the quality vs. quantity idea. Channeled influence is where it’s all at. Thanks Anne for being transparent and talking about the elephant in the blogosphere!
Good. Very good.