One quick note. For those of you who are interested, I had the privilege of doing an interview with Harrison McLeod of Men with Pens on his view of gaming and the new creative writing RPG project over at Escaping Reality. Check it out over at my gaming blog.
The Internet is an odd place; the blogosphere even more so. We have our own language, our own technology, and even our own little games. At times, it can even seem as thought we have this strange community, isolated from “normal” folks.
One of the distinguishing marks of the blogosphere, in particular, is the idea of the meme. By “meme,” I’m not talking about a trope, like LeRoy Jenkins or Niebu. Rather, I’m talking about the “Pass this around” meme, where one blogger writes about something, tags a bunch of other bloggers who write about that same thing, and then those bloggers tag new folks. And so on, and so forth, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.
Here is the question I face, however: If your blog is an extension of your business, can a meme affect your credibility? I’ve heard arguments on both sides of this question. I’ve seen some fairly high-profile bloggers whose blog is an extension of their business do memes. I’ve also seen some of those types of folks swear off doing memes.
I’ve never done a meme on this blog, although I’ve done them on my hobby and personal blogs.
But, I’m curious what you all think? Do you meme? Do you worry that it affects your credibility when you do?
I’ll give you my answer tomorrow, but let’s discuss it today, shall we?
* For your enjoyment: LeRoy Jenkins, courtesy of YouTube:
10 comments ↓
It depends what the meme is. Sometimes it’s worth it, to demonstrate a skill we have. Sometimes it’s fun and worth it, such as in the case of 7 weird things – our clients found it pretty neat.
Sometimes it’s just stupid, and in that case, we let it go. Selective memeing.
James Chartrand – Men with Penss last blog post..Writing the Farewell Symphony
Definitely a selective meme bearer, but I don’t blog about them. That’s what twitter is for.
Jamie Grove – How Not To Writes last blog post..How to Write a Book and Why I Write About Writing
I used to meme, but I don’t anymore. I’m not all that interesting, and does anyone really need to know that my first pet was a cat named Casper? And does knowing that I had a cat named Casper matter to anyone? I think not
Colleen Vanderlindens last blog post..It’s Cabbage Worm Season
It all depends who sends it to me. In all honesty though, I’m not particularly fond of memes because I don’t like talking about myself…but I gues “When in Rome…”
Chriss last blog post..Drive-Thru Kids: Hold The Tantrum Please
I faced this recently when a blogger “tagged” me with a meme for The Office Diet. The meme was a fairly personal one (”Four jobs you’ve had”, “Four ways you stay motivated to exercise” type thing) and I really didn’t feel it would suit the style of The Office Diet.
In the end, I posted responses on my personal blog, and emailed the gal who’d tagged me to explain that I don’t do memes on The Office Diet. By no means do I think memes are “beneath” me, it’s just that they do suit some blogs more than others!
Ali from The Office Diets last blog post..May on The Office Diet
I think it depends on the topic and how it aligns with your blog’s focus and audience. I personally prefer the writing challenges as you are choosing to participate rather than being tagged.
Karen Swims last blog post..I Am an SOB!
I used to meme, but I rarely do it any more.
Usually, memes have nothing whatsoever to do with my blog and sometimes I’m not even interested in the meme topic. I really doubt my readers are interested in some of the personal questions (and if they are, like Jamie said, there’s Twitter).
Selective memer here too.
Laura Spencers last blog post..Of Note: How Not To Write
I find meme postings interesting and insightful. I learn more about the person behind them. But I rarely subscribe to memes in my own blog — more so in the Bionic Ear blog because it’s a personal blog.
I just don’t think it has a place in my main blog that has a business focus. I’ve done a couple in my main blog’s lifetime — I’m selective.
Meryl K. Evanss last blog post..Write Funny: 3 Timeless Rules of Comedy That Every Writer Should Learn
Thanks, all, for your thoughts. I love reading what other bloggers think about all of the blogging conventions.
Been a busy week, I’m bummed I don’t have time to respond to them all. I’ll catch everyone on the next go-round, OK?
I personally do not meme, but I agree with meryl in that I will always read them and find them humorous and interesting.
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