El Gaffney

I’m Not Blogging to Make Friends

Actually that’s not true at all. But as an admitted reality TV addict, most of you know by now this type of compilation (can we call it a montage, Team America?) is right up my alley…

Quick shout-out to the Real World Hollywood crew for becoming friends even without being polite…and in the process putting on quite a show. (Yes, all 9 of you.) Half shout-out to Jesse (or as I like to call him, Travis from Clueless), who was able to make friends and win DeAnna’s hand in marriage on this season of The Bachelorette. Zero shout-out to Kristy for making friends but then deciding she didn’t like winning Tila’s heart.

That was therapeutic. Please be my friend.

Tags: blogging, realitytv

Wieden Your Blog Reading

See what I did there?! I could have said “expand” or “add to” but then you wouldn’t have started off your week with that nasty double entendre. Oh yeah, I’m on fire this Monday morning. Literally. I’m still sweating from the walk into work.

To the point. In the now half-year I’ve been working at W+K NY, I’ve met some amazing people (cue violins) and some of those people have blogs. Sure, amazing people does not always mean amazing blogs, but these two are top-notch on and off line. Thus, I’d highly recommend anyone interested in the Internet/Digital Life/Social Media check out:

The Gist of March: Greg March is media guru here with an uncommon understanding of the digital space. I use “uncommon” purposefully as he recently offered some insight into McCain and Obama’s friend situations on Facebook and Myspace. One of my favorite posts of his has to be What Wu-Tang Taught Me About Social Marketing.

Geeky is a way of life: Melissa Sconyers is a search guru here and digital native, passionate and expert. I, of course, have to give her some love for her term-coining abilities based on her Befoogled post (Befoogled = “Not having time to Google somebody before you meet them in real life.”) I was hooked from the first post that I ever read of hers about the work-life balance giving way to the work-life blend (cite: Adrian Ho).

So they’re both worth reading and meeting.

P.S. I am now realizing there’s very little chance that “Wieden” is a double entendre given it’s not a verb in the English dictionary. Racecar. That’s better. Palindromes usually do the trick.

P.P.S. Given I hit up the Tumblr party last night I thought I’d also give a shout-out to three things friends put me onto this morning. I “reblogged” cool things from Chet, Katie and Amit this morning.

Tags: blogging, Friends, tumblr

How Real Do You Keep It?

Yeah, yeah, yeah – I know I missed Do Day yesterday. I was in Chicago and Charlotte working focus group facility back rooms, so I was unable to get my interview on. Plannin’ ain’t easy. And research ain’t sh*t but M&M’s and Twix. I don’t actually believe that; however, it did flow off the keypad.

Speaking of stream of consciousness typing (or as the kids say, “straight off the dome”), I thought I’d hit you all with a solid piece of advice on blogging from Seth Godin that I copy/pasted back in the day:

Don’t let the words get in the way. If you’re writing online, forget everything you were tortured by in high school English class. You’re not trying to win any awards or get an A. You’re just trying to be real, to make a point, to write something worth reading.

So just say it.

In addition to prompting me to recite a line from Clueless (yes, again) and then an entire Chappelle’s Show skit, it made me want to profess the following:

I write crappy titles for my blog posts.
I rely way to heavily on my weekly features—”Inbox of Immaturity” and “Do Day”—to supply titles.
I am way to literal when I actually do have to write a title.

Ah, that felt good. Honestly though, it is something that has come up a few times lately—for example, when seeing titles like this that really pique my interest. It’s basically a cardinal rule for increasing blog traffic. But more importantly, as someone who prides himself on being creative (and loving those sassy one-liners and Sex in the City-esque puns – who’s getting excited for May 30th!!! ;)), there’s no excuse not to put in the extra few minutes to come up with a relevant and captivating title.

So this is me keeping it real and calling myself out on a Thursday. In addition to thinking more about my post titles, I’ll be going back and labeling my old posts so as to free myself even on Wednesdays and Fridays when you’ll be getting inspiration for doing and distractions for not doing, respectively.

F that, I don’t like people playing on my phone.

Tags: blogging, rant

Do Day: The Foggy Monocle

From TFM:

Greetings, Kind Sirs,

Have you ever blacked out on Irish Car Bombs? Been thrown out of a bar before the sun went down? Watched yourself get visibly fatter while taking down two Double Quarter Pounders at McDonald’s? Gotten scolded by a stewardess for being an intoxicated loudmouth? Indulged too heavily on a soiree’s delicious finger food and subsequently nuked the bathroom? Tried to drunkenly save face with a girl that rejected you by saying, “I don’t need any new friends?” Been too drunk and too broke to pay for your cab? Argued with your bank because surely they have your balance wrong? Spent the morning watching after-school HIV prevention films at a free AIDS clinic? Had your girlfriend’s niece ask you why your stomach is so much bigger than everyone else’s at a family function? Have you ever recounted one or all of these stories in lurid detail to your buddies over Instant Messenger?

If you answered “yes” or better yet “indeed,” then, you, sir, are a gentleman, and we, the dastardly webmasters at TheFoggyMonocle would like to salute you.

Interview with one of the founders (the one on your right) to come soon…now.

3:18 PM me: could i email you 3-5 questions about it
interview style – and i’ll post the answers
3:19 PM James: yeah totally
or we could do it as an IM interview to fit in with the theme
3:20 PM me: nice idea…how did you decide to create this site?
James: we always talked about having a blog together and the gentleman joke is recurring for us whenever we behave badly and i had a backlog of all these funny IMs/Emails recounting bad behavior
so i figured my friends would too
i hope it catches on
3:22 PM me: how did you decide to call it “the foggy monocle”?
3:24 PM James: All gentleman require a monocle — it’s old-timey and it also aids your eagle eye in spotting various opportunities. After a long night out full of much drinking and carrying on it often gets foggy, and so you IM and your email your buddies to get the full story on what went down the previous evening and hence de-fog (is that word?) your monocle.
3:26 PM me: if it’s not it can be soon. what must a gentleman never do?
and the converse, from what must he never abstain?
3:29 PM James: A gentleman never second guesses his decisions. He lives in the moment and goes head in to any situation, no matter how big of a dumbass he’ll inevitably make of himself or how much he’ll hurt in the morning.
3:32 PM me: where is the best place to get a monocle?
3:33 PM James: The monocle store. But be warned, lines are often long, so if you have an engagement planned with a lady, you might want to stop by well in advance so as not to arrive tardy.
3:36 PM me: ha. i had no idea how you’d respond. good stuff. and one final question: any night-spot recommendations for the monocle-wearing gentleman in nyc?
3:38 PM James: discussing with Dane
3:44 PM Erik: A gentleman will adapt to his surroundings and become comfortable wherever he is, given that there is appropriate amounts of liquor and women on the premises. Be it a club or a dive bar. Occasionally though, the best company is found in the later. But the most important part of the equation is the liquor. A true gentleman must first have half a dozen shooters before talking to a lady.

The end. Now go visit.

Tags: action, blogging, foggymonocle

I Found the Interestingness

Any non-RSS-readers may have noticed the comments in response to my “Where Has All The Interestingness Gone?” post last week. A few expressed how they’re tired with, uninspired by, and feel a bit slave to blogging. They echoed my praise of Tumblr. A revolution was suggested (is that even possible?) to desert our blizzies (what the cool people are calling blogs lately…or not), and I was almost a willing and able recruit. Almost.

Last night I hit up the pre-PSFK-conference drinks thought-up by Noah and Faris. I got to meet F-bomb for the first time (which was a treat), shoot the shit with Jason (which was a treat), chill with some other acquainfriences (I know I’m off my term-coining game) living here, and meet a handful of others. And lots of those introductions and friendships were made and over the past year and a half or so have been developed because of this site right here.

So it’s fair to say, last night I got a reminder that this blog is still a great catalyst for meaningful interactions. For me, the snippets of interestingness may happen over on Tumblr (for now), but the most interesting conversations are still happening in person and good, old-fashion blogging still works wonders for making those connections. Maybe it’s that the blog (unlike Tumblr) allows comments—even if not used, it says I’m open to hearing what you think. Or maybe it’s that bloggers share a mutual respect for the process (the ups and downs, freedom and captivity) that we all go through when writing a post, deciding to post…even deciding to keep posting somewhat regularly. I, for one, don’t necessarily apply “are you just creating more noise?” filter to my Tumbles (or Tweets) like I do here. (Sure, that’s debatable.) And though it may sound weird, I like that this platform is not as easy as it could be and not as conducive to my on-the-move lifestyle. That becomes the proof that I’m committed to it.

Wow, that last part felt like I was on a “Does Blogging Matter?” panel. Jealous that-I’m-not-over-at-the-conference much! Let’s go New York.

Tags: blogging, Friends, interesting, tumblr