Comments on: “The Cool Kids” (and why that’s a flawed idea)

By: SisterDiane

SisterDiane — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:18:17 +0000

Wow, thank you so much, Catherine! I'm a big fan of your work, so getting this comment from you is lovely!

By: Catherine Caine

Catherine Caine — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 04:19:48 +0000

What a wonderful article. Thanks for writing it. :)

By: Yarnia

Yarnia — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:37:43 +0000

Hey, ain't nothing wrong with spending 80% of the day in flannel pajama pants! :)

By: SisterDiane

SisterDiane — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:11:50 +0000

Thank you so much, Heather! And you're high on my list.

By: Heather

Heather — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:28:26 +0000

Someone sent me a tweet that used the phrase “cool kids” the other day, and I had a physical reaction to the phrase… didn't really put my finger on it but here you are writing a post about it!! So many true things. You're high on my list of cool people everyone should talk to!

By: Elizabeth Drouillard

Elizabeth Drouillard — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 03:09:24 +0000

You are welcome. :) And I agree about A-listers – most deserve the popularity – they daily work hard to put out great stuff. There is so much to learn from the business spheres that I didn't know from my non-profit and crafty worlds, but I find myself parting with them when they start being hierarchical. I am more interested in building community than empire.

By: SisterDiane

SisterDiane — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:14:54 +0000

Thank YOU, Sweet Ronit, for sharing your perspective here. Definitely, it can feel uncomfortable to reach out online. Try to remember – you're a cool person who has specific skills and abilities. You're unique in that, and regardless of how many readers anyone has, you have important things to offer. Try to comment from that place of strength, and the rest really will fall into place. I promise!

By: SisterDiane

SisterDiane — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:09:23 +0000

Hi, Scott – I had similar experiences back in my graphic design days. I think you're right about confidence. Perhaps our human response to confidence is to assume a high level of skill dwells behind it. To be fair, this is often true. But definitely, sometimes not.

By: Sweet Ronit

Sweet Ronit — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:42:38 +0000

This post really speaks to me – but it's so nice to know that I'm not the only one! As a (very) new blogger, I feel extremely intimidated putting my images out there and commenting on other blogs. It puts me back among the cliques I was trying (in vain!) to fit into in school. I'm actually hoping that blogging will give me a thicker skin in this regard!

Thank you again for putting all of this excellent info and food for thought out there!

By: Scott Bedford

Scott Bedford — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:41:59 +0000

Hi Diane, Having worked for many years in various parts of the advertising industry I have very personal experience of the 'cool kids' phenomenon. The thing that always bugged me the most, was that the 'cool kids' weren't always the 'most talented kids' – I wouldn't have minded if the one was linked to the other, but it seemed that being cool had more to do with popularity than ability. But, I guess we could all learn from this, because popularity often has a lot to do with confidence and this is usually something the 'not so cool kids' lack. Great thought-provoking article by the way!

By: SisterDiane

SisterDiane — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 00:05:33 +0000

Wow, thank you, Elizabeth. That observation means a lot to me, because I have to admit, I never enjoy that strategic mindset of “getting the A-listers in your back pocket” that I so often read on Copyblogger and other business-related blogs.

It's not that “A-listers” don't exist (or even, that they shouldn't exist). It's more that with every “A-lister” we anoint, we subtly take opportunities away from many deserving others, who may only lack the outgoing personality or the facility with words that draws a crowd.

I couldn't agree with you more – give me the craft community over just about any other online community, any day of the week.

By: Elizabeth Drouillard

Elizabeth Drouillard — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 10:25:12 +0000

The “we each create our own cool kids” is so spot on. I've been at different levels of the pile depending on the pond I'm swimming in and it really is quite silly how a lot of that is determined. I think I finally figured out why I didn't like that Copyblogger post the other day – it's basically about how to go about guest blogging on the top blogs in your niche, but the whole thing's set up in old-school business speak (glass ceiling) which is essentially the ridiculousness of high school. And you both make the same point about more popular people being busy and building relationships. But your post says, “Let's be cool together” and the other says, “How you can get the cool kids to notice you.” Yours wins. I don't know…the more I foray into other blogs and niches, the more I appreciate the general generosity of the crafty sphere. This is why I liked Kirsty's the other day, too.

By: SisterDiane

SisterDiane — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:10:32 +0000

Thank you, Kurt, for offering such a beautiful image through Creative Commons! I'm so glad you enjoyed the post.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:43:26 +0000

Hello Diane,

Interesting read. Thank you for sharing and for using my picture in this well written article. Good luck in the future.

Sincerely,

Ian Sane – (http://www.flickr.com/photos/31246066@N04/)

By: Dotproblem

Dotproblem — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:11:44 +0000

Thanks for this post. I never would have guessed this about you…
It's because of you that I (and I suspect many others) have followed a new, creative path, doing things I only dreamed of. Writing…crafting…geeking…
You are the ultimate in C*O*O*L.
xoxo