db
Posted by Ben Reubenstein Mon, 26 Sep 2005 18:24:00 GMT
Backstory
A while back I answered a request from drunkenbatman for RSVP's to his Evening at Adler. I have been interested in going to meet db since his orginal post about the event. Sounded like a great time to me:
"If there are 15 or so of you willing to show up in downtown Chicago on the third or fourth Wednesday in October, I'll show up too and do my dancing pony thing. Ten would actually be fine, but there's a flake-out rate with these things that needs to be accounted for, and do remember I have to let them know by Monday." link
Let me back up though to explain why I am interested in rubbing elbows with the now famous db. I started reading his blog mainly due to his content matter. I have been into Mac's since the release of OS X so the combination was chemical. If memory serves me I sent db a little note about this... Since then I have been an avid reader and if you google me, many of the results are my comments to his blog.
When db went after Maui X-Stream (which if you haven't googled for lately, you should) he sent out a call to his readers for mirrors to the evidence. I was one of those mirrors, Mirror 8 to be precise. That blog post was independent journalism at its finest. The attention to detail and the comprehensive presentation really impressed me. I was thrilled to have played a small part.
db also mentioned me in his "A smattering of cows" post. I had sent him a picture of my and my fiancee drinking white russians, prompted by his #1 ranking on google for the drink.
"Ben of Colorado sent this in awhile ago, and again there's no Cow involved, but there is a white russian, so I like it and wanted to throw it up. Also, after some really weird email lately, it's just comforting to know some of my readers actually get this close to a girl."
My fiancee also prepared some db icons.
RM: Count me out
So back to my RSVP. I had been planning on getting out Chicago to meet db. As the event blossomed, I decided it wasn't for me. I shot back a pretty quick email to db. I was reading through a flurry of posts, "Much ado about Google", "Rubbing Smart Crash Reports shiny", and "How Soon is Now?" when I realized the latest post, was based on my email. I guess I hit a nerve and was a good example of some of the items that db was getting in his inbox. Here is my email:
Hi db ~
I was planning on coming but it sounds like it is turning into a
convention. Best wishes on your new found fame.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ben R.
And the reaction:
Rubs Temples There are days when my inbox confounds me, and I wonder just what is going through people's heads when before they throw things my way...
At the end of the day I shouldn't really care if a reader thinks the site is too big for them now, as I'm doing whatever I think I can to keep that from happening, and its just not my problem. However, the fact that I got severely annoyed when I saw this (And others that have been similar) while chewing through the inbox probably means I do.
I'm sure there are others who have had to deal with this type of changing dynamic at some point, and it'd be interesting to know how they dealt with it. It's weird, because nothing has changed on my end, but obviously it's changing in some's heads and it'd be nice to know the how of it, so as to avoid it.
It was definitely not my intention to offend, and I after reading many of the comments sent back I think I have gained some new perspective. Blogging is a personal thing, and reading a blog is a personal experience. I think that Sandy's comment said it best:
You care about your subject matter and your readers, and it shows in the time you put into this place. Someone said, "a blog without readers is just a diary." (I think it was Joe at Evengelical Outpost. Yeah. I'm too lazy to link.)
So, there is good reason for you to care about the people that come here, but reality is that you're never going to please everyone, and few will appreciate what you've put into it.
The other is a sense of intimacy people get from blogs. While it's true that there are pieces of the real you in what you choose to post, reality is that the majority here, including myself, don't know the real DB in your day to day life and never will.
But, that impression of intimacy leads people to think that they do have some claim on your site or what you write, because they've invested themselves in reading it. Combine that with the anonymity of the internet, and viola, people feel free to bitch or tell you things you may not want to hear. (Did I mention my hard drive crashed Friday night? Waaaa! lol)
It's basic human nature which means you can't change it. Take what's good and leave the rest.
I was looking forward to meeting db in a small crowd with a chance to see what makes db tick. For over a year I have read the blog, and db has shared some real personal things and kept me reading. He has the unique ability to communicate with words very technical subjects so that they are availiable to many readers. The Evening at Adler will be one to remember. A team of talented individuals getting together to talk about our favorite topics.
~ db, thanks for all the work you put into the blog ~
