The following is a true story of the sad ways I earn dates with dudes.
Not long ago I embarked on a mini campaign to help me find love. The problem that stood in the way of me going out to see this guy I had a crush on was that I was completely out of money.
I really wanted to see this guy do his stand up routine.
So I turned to what I know best.
I have a small following on my blog and Twitter. I posted to them that I would create a handmade gift for a donation of any size toward my quest for love. The idea was to collect at LEAST 20 dollars for the ticket to the show and one drink so as not to look pathetic and thirsty sitting there by myself.
A quick aside…
I’ll just go ahead and admit that freelance work is tough sometimes.
Some weeks you have tons of money and other weeks you’re scraping by finding nothing but shame under the couch cushions. Oddly enough, those are the times when you can’t pay your cell phone bill but you can afford a six pack of beer.
Anyway…
It Works
Suddenly, I start receiving Paypal notifications right and left.
$5, $10, $15, booya!
As these donations came in, I realized two things:
- Wow, I was gonna have to make a lot of handmade gifts!
- Wow, having a following is really effective! Must use it wisely!
I know it might not sound like a big deal to you. But it told me I was on the right track and at least I must be doing something right as far as “marketing” my writing services is concerned.
I was completely surprised by the different people who sent me money and their reasons for doing so.
A few did it because they found the whole situation hilarious. I got paid for being entertaining!
Others did it because they said they were impressed that I would be brave enough to attend a show by myself. I guess some folks would shy away from a chance to see if sparks would fly with someone they want to meet.
For the most part, I’m pretty fearless. I don’t get too hung up on what people will say about me and how harshly I will be judged for the things I share about my life. But that doesn’t mean that I will share every single blush-inducing detail of what I encounter as a single female.
What I’ve created online is a personality that is approachable and entertaining.
I am aware of my audience and I know that if I go too far, I may lose a few followers, but that’s just a risk you have to be willing to take.
Perhaps you have a personal blog or a business blog. Whichever one it is, you’re presented with the opportunity to either attract people or turn a few off.
The thing to remember always is to…
be yourself, whoever you think that may be.
For me, it’s just being honest about my interests and my opinions. When I’m genuine about what I like, what I don’t like, I build a relationship with my readers that is true and lasting. And I know that it can be so tough to sit and write to maintain that relationship, but sometimes you just have to.
I try to give people topics they can relate to…Like that sorry ass mission to meet a guy at a comedy show.
I was reasonably honest about it but I also wanted people to know that it’s ok to feel good about even the most failed efforts at anything in life.
What about you? What’s your personal style when you’re updating your blog and trying to connect to your readers?
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24 Responses to My Social Media Friends Paid ME to Find Love!
Hey Marianna,
Cute article. Very interesting and I learned a lot about you just reading it. I agree that you have to be yourself.
With my writing I also try to be myself. Sometimes that's my quirky weird self, my poetic self, my funny self, or even my inspirational and motivational speaker self.
Ken and I like to write together so we tend to get two perspectives on things. I personally think that makes it even more entertaining and fun. Sometimes we tell stories, talk about inspirational quotes and even preach to the choir LOL. Anyway, we do our best to be approachable and entertaining.
I am sure most will love your advice.
Be blessed!
Melisa
Hey Marianna,
Cute article. Very interesting and I learned a lot about you just reading it. I agree that you have to be yourself.
With my writing I also try to be myself. Sometimes that's my quirky weird self, my poetic self, my funny self, or even my inspirational and motivational speaker self.
Ken and I like to write together so we tend to get two perspectives on things. I personally think that makes it even more entertaining and fun. Sometimes we tell stories, talk about inspirational quotes and even preach to the choir LOL. Anyway, we do our best to be approachable and entertaining.
I am sure most will love your advice.
Be blessed!
Melisa
Marianna,
Love your message. It's always best to be yourself, in good times, in bad times, and all the time. Failed efforts are only learning experiences that we must endure to achieve greater things. That's the way I like to look at it. It's God's way of getting us ready for something bigger and better. To deny that is to ignore the valuable lesson.
I love to be honest, quirky, entertaining, creative and funny. Sometimes I have to tone it up to get a point across, but that's just the analytical side of me coming out in my writing. And just as Melisa already commented, we do typically write together, as we feel it adds another dimension as well. Some people find it strange, but it just works for us, and it's who we are. Like it or lump it – LOL!!!
Enjoyed your post.
Ken
Ken and Melisa, i'm totally with you there. Marianna reminded me a few days ago something i said to her once. whenever i read her blog, i found that her blog was like a personal diary…but open to th e world to see. So i said to her, “Marianna, i wish that on my blog i could be as open as you are on yours!”
it's often very difficult to be THAT honest with strangers….but it's what makes famous bloggers…famous!
And I'm well on my way. But sometimes it's hard to find the right way around famous town. I get lost a few times.
And in case anyone wants to know what happened, well, it didn't end up working out with him but hey, onto the next!
Marianna,
Love your message. It's always best to be yourself, in good times, in bad times, and all the time. Failed efforts are only learning experiences that we must endure to achieve greater things. That's the way I like to look at it. It's God's way of getting us ready for something bigger and better. To deny that is to ignore the valuable lesson.
I love to be honest, quirky, entertaining, creative and funny. Sometimes I have to tone it up to get a point across, but that's just the analytical side of me coming out in my writing. And just as Melisa already commented, we do typically write together, as we feel it adds another dimension as well. Some people find it strange, but it just works for us, and it's who we are. Like it or lump it – LOL!!!
Enjoyed your post.
Ken
Ken and Melisa, i'm totally with you there. Marianna reminded me a few days ago something i said to her once. whenever i read her blog, i found that her blog was like a personal diary…but open to th e world to see. So i said to her, "Marianna, i wish that on my blog i could be as open as you are on yours!"
it's often very difficult to be THAT honest with strangers….but it's what makes famous bloggers…famous!
And I'm well on my way. But sometimes it's hard to find the right way around famous town. I get lost a few times.
And in case anyone wants to know what happened, well, it didn't end up working out with him but hey, onto the next!
Hmm. If I had followers. I can never think of anything clever to write. My life is pretty boring.
i go through the same stuff too. just write what you're thinking about. and make commentary about anything around you. someone on Tv maybe? i dunno. Marianna's real good at this stuff, so i'll let her chime in
I don't have the most exciting life, but I do know exciting people. So if I'm not actually doing anything (like chasing down comedians I want to date), I look at what others are doing and try to share that story with my own take on it.
and it doesn't always have to be funny. It can just be honest, because the more honest you are, the more likely you are to connect to your audience.
Hmm. If I had followers. I can never think of anything clever to write. My life is pretty boring.
i go through the same stuff too. just write what you're thinking about. and make commentary about anything around you. someone on Tv maybe? i dunno. Marianna's real good at this stuff, so i'll let her chime in
I don't have the most exciting life, but I do know exciting people. So if I'm not actually doing anything (like chasing down comedians I want to date), I look at what others are doing and try to share that story with my own take on it.
and it doesn't always have to be funny. It can just be honest, because the more honest you are, the more likely you are to connect to your audience.
Thanks for the tips on what to write on my blog. I am too cautious in this virtual world of connecting with strangers.
that's the thing of it. A lot of people trying to run a business online are too scared to get even the least bit personal, but that's the sort of thing that will attract people to you and you can even create a loyal following from them. the more they know about you, the closer they feel to you and the more they will trust you. At least that's what's happened with me.
well the media makes you get scared to expose yourself online, ya know identity theft and what not. but thing abotu doing business on the internet is that it's a risk you have to take. people dont wanna just give their money to a computer. they need a human touch to make them feel better about spending. but NOT the wolves. their time is nearly over. you watch
Thanks for the tips on what to write on my blog. I am too cautious in this virtual world of connecting with strangers.
that's the thing of it. A lot of people trying to run a business online are too scared to get even the least bit personal, but that's the sort of thing that will attract people to you and you can even create a loyal following from them. the more they know about you, the closer they feel to you and the more they will trust you. At least that's what's happened with me.
well the media makes you get scared to expose yourself online, ya know identity theft and what not. but thing abotu doing business on the internet is that it's a risk you have to take. people dont wanna just give their money to a computer. they need a human touch to make them feel better about spending. but NOT the wolves. their time is nearly over. you watch
Hey nice article Marianna.
Brings me to the core of my mixed feelings about exposing yourself online. And why I have not created much online during the 2 years I studied interment marketing for example.
But its a simple choice, yet again, either one way or the other, either you want to be famous/exposed or not. Some who ARE famous handle it well, others don't.
THEN once you have set your own thoughts, you can face others in order to strengthen or weaken your initial opinions. Getting a LITTLE off topic as I want to talk about genuinity (I do mean to spell correctly
But this would be making a longer comment
Genuinity in this particular story obviously worked. You have great friends/supporters
Thats great and Im happy for you, for seeming to be at peace with yourself at large, even if it would only be about honesty, what do I know about you really 
Good stuff, thanks! 
But so far so good from my side anyway!
Hey nice article Marianna.
Brings me to the core of my mixed feelings about exposing yourself online. And why I have not created much online during the 2 years I studied interment marketing for example.
But its a simple choice, yet again, either one way or the other, either you want to be famous/exposed or not. Some who ARE famous handle it well, others don't.
THEN once you have set your own thoughts, you can face others in order to strengthen or weaken your initial opinions. Getting a LITTLE off topic as I want to talk about genuinity (I do mean to spell correctly
But this would be making a longer comment
Genuinity in this particular story obviously worked. You have great friends/supporters
Thats great and Im happy for you, for seeming to be at peace with yourself at large, even if it would only be about honesty, what do I know about you really 
Good stuff, thanks! 
But so far so good from my side anyway!
This is certainly empowering because sometimes we don't see what is really right in front of us the whole time. Just taking off the mask once in a while doesn't hurt at all. Pretty cool you had some people assist you on your adventure.
This is certainly empowering because sometimes we don't see what is really right in front of us the whole time. Just taking off the mask once in a while doesn't hurt at all. Pretty cool you had some people assist you on your adventure.