tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post5777450794442479615..comments2022-10-17T10:40:39.665-04:00Comments on Curiously Crafted Creations: Some Thoughts on Reciprocal FollowingUnforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-91093011598316771022010-12-04T18:46:26.214-05:002010-12-04T18:46:26.214-05:00Rambling is fine - in a blog setting, it's the...Rambling is fine - in a blog setting, it's the only real way to get to know another person. :) Though I'll admit, my reply to most of what you said is simply a "yes, I completely agree" with one exception - I actually grew to like winter in the Southern Tier (except for the icy roads and sidewalks!) but it's the only place I've ever lived that I didn't like spring that much, because everything flooded so bad around Binghamton...<br /><br />E-mail sounds good - use unforth AT yahoo dot com. :)Unforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-78706749239511801172010-12-04T15:00:16.246-05:002010-12-04T15:00:16.246-05:00Oh so true - one of the greatest gifts of humankin...Oh so true - one of the greatest gifts of humankind is the ability to discuss, sharing ideas (akin or opposing). Even when I disagree with an idea or concept I find I learn and widen the depth of perception about a topic seen thru a different point of view. Filtered (oft times) by experiences, history, needs & priorities different than I hold myself. So holding no topic taboo (in the arena of calm controlled discussion) is an amazing possibility and perhaps actually a profound opportunity. Everyone can walk away with something of value in relation to insight. Agreement isn't the point - nice - but not essential!<br /><br />Thank you (re: paper hopes blog entry). It was one of the most unexpected seminal moments I've bumped into (or has bumped into me?) in a very long time. W-mart. Of all places. Couldn't have seen that one coming with the Hubble telescope, lol... <br /><br />Hey I'm not too far as the bird flies, crow walks, road winds :-) from your old haunt. It is beautiful in this part of the country. With the possible exception of this season of frozen reality. Pretty tho winter may be. Not my favorite - the other three seasons are the magic that holds me here.<br /><br />Geeze..I'm rambling(yet)again! <br />Closing for now & will get an email to you so we can chat more seamlessly.<br /><br />TTFN!Fayehttp://mymusemutters.blogspot.com/2010/12/paper-hopes.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-39240594972284415232010-12-03T19:27:21.951-05:002010-12-03T19:27:21.951-05:00I was really worried about offending people...I me...I was really worried about offending people...I mean, all of these opinions were formed by reading the blogs and following the tweets of people I know, people who are in the communities where my blog gets syndicated. I think that's why it gets to be a taboo subject, but I just can't stand when there are things that just *can't* be talked about, the more so because I know that none of our fellow crafters WANT to be the pain-in-the-butt-tweeter or any of these other things, so if we don't talk about it, how can any figure out what appropriate behavior is?<br /><br />Anyway, I went over to your blog! First: Paper Hopes - wow, that was a great post. Absolutely beautiful. Second: where in the Southern Tier are you? I went to college at SUNY B and have done a bit of traveling up around the Finger Lakes. It's so beautiful up there. I keep hoping I'll get the time to go back for a longer visit. (I'm from and currently live in NYC).Unforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-11218344796007863392010-12-03T17:53:28.109-05:002010-12-03T17:53:28.109-05:00Hi Claire! Thanks for your kind words re: my work ...Hi Claire! Thanks for your kind words re: my work in glass. I'm a second generation glassworker having apprenticed with my father to learn the art. When it comes to subject matter I, like you (as you can see from my work) find endless fascination and inspiration in fantasy creatures. :-) <br /><br />I'm pleased to hear your article has/is garnering wide spread attention - it should. It's well written, is built on layers of sound logical content and goes the additional step of outlining pro and con aspects. You also (IMO) struck the delicate, elusive balance of stating your opinion while still acknowledging alternate views and points. I log a tremendous number of hours researching information for my glass students/classes and I can say without doubt your article will continue to 'ring true' with future researchers & readers.<br /><br />I see I'm rambling (something I should try to curb, lol) PS www.mymusemutters.blogspot.com & I'll email you the Etsy link (thanks for inquiring)PSS I deleted previous comment d/t a 'how did I miss that' typo (you're rather than your - good grief! Must need coffee! lol)Fayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10164077232264246170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-17196337928036679802010-12-03T15:17:40.726-05:002010-12-03T15:17:40.726-05:00Thanks for stopping by! I love the glass work...th...Thanks for stopping by! I love the glass work...that unicorn is lovely, as is the dragon on the main page (I've always had a soft spot for a fantasy glass menagerie). :) Do you have a blog or an etsy? Or a FB? I find these are the ways I most effectively follow folks whose work interests me...<br /><br />I'm glad that you found my post useful! I'm still really wrestling with where the line falls for using social media sites effectively, but I've been coming to think that this reciprocal following thing is relatively counterproductive. I've been really surprised at the response this post has gotten (on another site it gets syndicated to it immediately jumped to become my most read blog post ever!) - I didn't realize just how many of my fellow crafters are wrestling with these exact same issues! :)Unforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-19015676250703551562010-12-03T07:52:55.064-05:002010-12-03T07:52:55.064-05:00This is an excellent post on the pro/con/emotional...This is an excellent post on the pro/con/emotional-complexity of social media. <br />I came across your insights as I was researching<br />the emotional & social aspects of 'following'.<br /><br />It's a fascinating topic from both the business and personal points of view ~ especially in relation to expectations (both social and marketing).<br /><br />Thanks again for your insightful writing.<br />(and your creative work). I'll be returning<br />to enjoy ongoing iterations of both. But need I say (lol) I'm coming back because I want to, not for a 'recip follow'!Fayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10164077232264246170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-46912402218975327762010-12-03T07:52:30.541-05:002010-12-03T07:52:30.541-05:00It was really twitter that started it, because it ...It was really twitter that started it, because it got SO out of control so quickly. I did EXACTLY what you did - I went on there, and I started following crafters and crocheters just because a lot of them were followed by others I knew, and within a few days it was completely unmanageable. I finally decided about a week ago to start cleaning house there, and it's helped a lot - I just removed EVERYONE who posted constantly (unless they were actually a friend) and then I tackled the rest. It's almost usable now...I think I'll have to do one more sweep.<br /><br />Ditto on the FB - there's nothing you can do to "clean out" the non-interested likers, but you certainly could try to get rid of the things in your stream that are of no interest to you. I've been feeling bad doing it, but I realized that the alternative is I get annoyed (for example, "why is this thing I don't care about in my stream so much??" and since that helps no one, I just went for it!<br /><br />I hope that you are able to think of solutions that help you. I think, as our businesses grow, all of us are going to really have to think about how we handle things like this, cause it seems to come up a lot.Unforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-9903865128145556912010-12-02T21:18:17.184-05:002010-12-02T21:18:17.184-05:00I've been thinking of a lot of the same things...I've been thinking of a lot of the same things you have. I hardly ever go on Twitter anymore, because I just can't keep up with it all. For a week or two, I was constantly following everyone I could find interested in fiber crafts or plush in the hopes that they'd follow me back, but now there is just too many to keep up with.<br /><br />I feel the same way as you about my FB page. I did a lot of promoting to get people to follow my page and was happy that I could finally get over 100 followers, but like you said, it's not really a valid number, because the majority of them don't comment on posts, and I don't even think they know how to knit or crochet or have any desire to learn, so following my page is kind of pointless, because they can't use my patterns unless they plan to give them as a gift. I followed a lot of other pages to get them to follow mine too, and most of them frankly just don't interest me and I just kind of scroll past them on my feed without reading, so that's of no use to them either. <br /><br />So basically, that's just a long way for me to say that I'm kind of torn about it all too.wrchilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01117935090937352862noreply@blogger.com