This made me laugh at myself. File it under: Make No Assumptions. Ever.
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Sometime last year I met a woman at a business function and we talked about social media. She knew that her job responsibilities were changing and that soon she’d be expected to contribute to her company’s blog and Twitter account.
She also knew that I had a blog so I gave her my blog’s card thinking that she might want to see what I do and how I do it. She seemed appreciative.
Or at least that is the way I chose to interpret her actions.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I happened to run into this woman again. She mentioned my blog and I thought: How wonderful! Someone who I met in real life is reading my sweet little bloggy.
But my assumption about this woman’s behavior could not have been any farther from the truth.
She happily admitted that she’d never read my blog. Then she went on to tell me that she could make my blog popular because she knew how to do that now.
According to her, what I wrote was not important because a blog’s popularity had nothing to do with content– and everything to do with salesmanship. Specifically, her salesmanship.
And with that she babbled onto another topic of conversation, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she’d insulted me.
This left me wondering: who is the fruit loop here? Is it her for being unaware and self-absorbed? Or [more likely] is it me for even listening to her to begin with?
All I know for sure is that there’s another fruit loop to add to the bowl. 😉
THE SPECTACLED BEAN 
And the bowl is pretty full, isn’t it? Consider yourself the soy milk of knowledge and wisdom that turns all the loops soggy. Admittedly, this all sounded better in my head.
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Z-D, lol. I’m the soy milk of wisdom?!! Love it. Never, ever have I thought of myself in such a way as that. Your mind is a fascinating place to visit.
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Never read it but knew how to improve it eh? I so love oblivious people. There is some truth to the salesmanship thing. There are some bloggers who really are all about selling themselves and some of them end up being really popular. But I vote for fruit loop as far as your oblivious friend goes.
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Zazzy, it was the funniest conversation from my point of view. Pleasant enough woman, but not really all that aware of what she really said to me. Fortunately, stuff like that makes me laugh. But I did have to wonder if I should have been listening to her to begin with!
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You’re a kind, trusting soul, and always try to see things from the other person’s perspective. That’s what I love about you. But this gal needs to go bye-bye!! She is definitely not worth your time:)
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Beth, you got me really laughing on that one! I only see this woman in a business capacity. She’s a very casual acquaintance and not unkind, but I don’t think there’s much in the way of a filter with her. Some ppl are like that, ‘ya know?
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Obviously she’s very confident in the interim training she received! Perhaps she can turn us all into great bloggers? Sometimes people who are oblivious to what they say are the funniest people of all.
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kate, this woman does not lack confidence in any area of her life. I’ll give her that. She’s not a malicious soul, so I really think that her comments to me can be attributed to obliviousness. But talk about making me chuckle…
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Now I find myself wanting a bowl of cereal. (Did I miss the point of this post?)
Actually, I have met that sort of person before. Brimming with confidence, full of answers, and unhindered by self-awareness. I remember one guy I worked with at a bookstore glibly telling a visiting author (who was quite successful, but had not had any of her books on the bestseller list at that point) that he was going to write a book, and when he did it would be a New York Times best-seller for sure. So charming.
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alejna, “brimming” and “unhindered” would describe this woman. I like her well enough and I realize that those attributes contribute to her success. But like your former co-worker, she is not the most self-aware. Oh well.
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Another example of why not to trust a salesperson. It’s never about selling you a good product or something you actually need, it’s about making a sale. Of course insulting a prospective customer is never a good idea so this person has two strikes against her- which definitely makes her the fruit loop.
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la p, well said. It was a weird conversation, but I suspect that she didn’t even realize how strange it seemed to me. Don’t know if I’ll run into her again, but if I do I can’t wait to hear what she’s going to do for me now.
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How bizarre! Good sales people really know their client, then their product and how they match up – long before trying to sell anything. Will be interested to hear what she “conquers” next….
She’s loopy all right!
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philmouse, I know what you mean. I can hardly wait to hear what she’s up to next, but then I remember that she’s a goof… so maybe not! 😉
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I think that people who believe that money and fame are the only goals for a blog (or really any endeavor) would NOT understand why we blog. I do so because I love to write and because it helps me process my life. If I had to blog for a living, it would totally ruin it.
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Margaret, I agree. This woman had no idea why I keep a blog. She’s only interested in getting attention, so the concept of processing life via words + relationships is beyond her. But she did cause me to laugh at myself for taking her seriously to begin with, so there’s that. Which was good.
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Wow. Talk about going through life with blinders on. Ditto what La Peregrina and Margaret said.
I think some people are incredibly intertwined with their Work. They are literally lost in it. It has insinuated itself into their being. As a result, they lose track a bit of any other way to interact with people, even friends and family. Everyone is an Opportunity. It’s the way they “process life”, as Margaret says, (and is a phrase I am going to blissfully steal forever with regard to a purpose for my blog, Thank You Margaret).
At any rate, I’m glad you are able to sort of roll with her pathology. We all have some Loopers in our lives. They’re good for perspective.
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nance, you said it. I’m sure that for this woman it is all about Work… Opportunities… Contacts…. Business. She’s in her own world, which having now seen up close, causes me to re-affirm how much I like my world better. Perspective is good. Loopiness, not so much.
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That’s really all writing is these days: nothing about quality and everything about salesmanship. The means of delivery doesn’t matter. And no, these people NEVER think they’re insulting.
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Andra, I fear that you are right about writing. I’m sure that this woman was clueless about how she came across to me– probably thought that she was helping me, the poor deluded writer, to get ahead. Funny, weird experience.
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