Ordinary Gal blog - "Popularizing a Meme and a Blog"

It's been a while since my last post - my apologies to anyone who checks in regularly. I've been involved in several writing projects, which, to the detriment of this blog, have been a priority for me. I'm amazed at people who find time to update their blogs on a daily basis. I wish I were able to do this; alas, I'm finding it increasingly difficult the busier I get with other writing assignments. Plus, I don't want to just write about fluff; after all, do people really care about the boring minutiae of my life? Probably not. That's why I want to try (try being the operative word here) to only post things that might be of real interest to readers. So please don't abandon me yet.

In this installment, I wanted to republish a couple how-to pieces that I recently read about in Wired magazine. This post is for all you meme-o-maniacs and die-hard bloggers out there. The August issue of Wired is chalk full of great how-to tips on just about everything - I recommend you pick up a copy (though I don't subscribe to Wired, I randomly started receiving issues in the mail).

Here's what the mag has to say (verbatim) about populartizing a meme:

1. Find a phenomenon. The trend you identify should be nascent, a little ineffable, yet somehow undeniably part of the culutre.

2. Come up with a catchy name. Ideally, it should be a portmanteau - a combination of two existing words.

3. Give it a homepage. Your name needs a place to do business. Throw up a shingle, start a blog, and update daily.

4. Generate buzz. Write comments on other people's blogs and name-drop your meme. Sing your meme to acoustic guitar accompaniment and post it on You Tube. A press stunt involving base jumping and/or nudity can't hurt.

5. Plug it. You're s spokesperson now, and a spokesperson is never too busy to talk. Answer every email and accept every request to speak on a panel. If the New York Times rings, answer all their qiuestions. Ditto The Des Moines Register and Peoria Linux Monthly.

6. Pretend you've never read steps 4 and 5. Affect an air of great reluctance when talking to reporters and on the speaker circuit. Rephrase: "I'm not looking for publicity on this, but..."

Here's what they have to say (verbatim) about "getting a boost in the blogosphere:"

1. Be first. Your odds of getting props plunge in direct proportion to how late you enter the conversation.

2. Humor is an effective weapon. "Being a smart-ass will get you further than being smart," says Slashdot founder Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda, with perhaps a trace of sadness.

3. A clever turn of phrase, confined to a single sentence, is most admired. Bonus points, of course, if you can work in a Simpsons or Idiocracy reference.

4. Witty Innuendo? Yes. Outright puerilty? Negative. Digg and Slashdot readers fancy themselves more sophisticated than the meatheads who tormented them in high school.

5. Understand the audience. On Slashdot, you'll get no love for trashing Macs, Linux, or the Nintendo Wii, no matter how clever your argument. On Digg, slag medical marijuana and defend the Bush adminsitation at your peril.

6. Provide vital info if a cited article lacks it (and link to your source). Everyone appreciates a commenter who can point out the foibles of the mainstream media (like how they're always reducing complicated issues to short, bullet-pointed lists).

Both lists taken from Wired Magazine, August issue, 2007.