After a week of begging by friends, I finally saw the movie Julie & Julia. I knew little about the plot going into the movie except for the snarky text messages from a friend saying “You’ll love it. The power of the blog.”
And I did love it. If you haven’t seen the movie, I highly suggest it. It follows the cooking gourmand Julia Child in the mid-1900s in Paris and a young- woman-worker-turned-food-blogger in Queens in 2002. While the movie touches on the power of the blogging (prior to the social media channels that exist now), I think it also gives a clear message as well: patience is crucial.
Patience in Personal Life
In this world of fast food, fast cash, quick deadlines, and Internet penetration coupled with a here-and-now attitude, it can be difficult to take a step back to assess how to live patiently. Patience in my daily, personal life is something I am striving for more each day. With the world around us moving so quickly, it can be difficult to remember that building a project, relationship, or even who you are takes time and patience. While the Internet is often time-sensitive, I am realizing that the power of patience in our daily lives is crucial to our development.
At one point in the movie (don’t worry, no spoilers here), the modern Julie gets in a fight with her husband because of her obsession with creating food to showcase for her blog readers. We sometimes get lost in this world of here-and-now and constant self-reflection through our activities online.
Patience in Social Media
Patience also matters for brands that live in social media. And let’s face it, EVERY brand, product, or service lives in social media whether they choose to take part in the conversation or not. Patience in social media as a business is inherent in the process because relationship-building, community management, listening, and understanding the conversations take time.
On a personal level, our social media can make us feel that we are living our lives in a showcase, displaying our every thought and move to an anticipating public of strangers. We have created a world where everyone has the potential to reach cewebrity status.
Julie from Queens gained a following on her blog because she was consistent and honest. Julia Child gained a following by pursuing her passion and working on it everyday. So whether you are a student or a seasoned professional, think about the gift of patience in your daily activities for the long-term.
-Carla
Photo Credit: 88903556@N00
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment, showing us some social love or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.
tagged as blogging, community, cooking, julieandjulia, movies, passion, patience
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Great points about being patient, particularly in the social media landscape. All too often, both with myself and with clients/organizations that I have worked with, I see a “NOW, NOW, NOW!” attitude to social media that really only serves to dilute your central messages. Yes, you want to be at the forefront of what is going on within a particular community or relevant social media platform that you audience is engaging in, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't actively work on building a presence, an identity and a following over time.
That's why those “Gain 10,000 followers a week” scams on Twitter are so preposterous: It's the same thing IRL with your friends: You don't gain trust, acceptance or a true following by putting yourself out there to everyone within a 10-block radius (well, unless you're a baby-kissing politician, I guess). No, you do it over time, and in many cases, one-by-one, with each new friend helping you connect with a network of many other new friends, acquaintances, colleagues and influencers. It's the exact same with social media, no matter what some “experts” want to make it out to be. True trust building, acceptance and a following in social media requires time, patience, a true understanding of your audience and ultimately, the ability to connect with your audience in a way that makes a positive impact on their lives.
Keith Trivitt
@KeithTrivitt
Keith- I feel too often I stumble across the “gain followers” ebooks and programs. But what's the point? I'm hoping that this “gain followers” is a fad, and that the brands and services that really get it will be building something of value for the right community. Oh, and realize that yes, it does take time.
I had similar thoughts on blogging and patience when I saw this movie (which I just loved by the way!). Other thoughts I had included having a clear idea of where you want your blog to go from the beginning. That doesn't mean it can't change, grow or develop, it just means your blog has a clear direction as opposed to being a mishmash of random things.
Great comparison. Not only do businesses need to grasp this, but I even have to tell myself this all the time. The business ideals we're used to that focus so heavily on ROI are hard to use when you're active in social media. Sometimes the ROI will take months or years, or be in another form other than revenue. Thanks!
I had similar thoughts on blogging and patience when I saw this movie (which I just loved by the way!). Other thoughts I had included having a clear idea of where you want your blog to go from the beginning. That doesn't mean it can't change, grow or develop, it just means your blog has a clear direction as opposed to being a mishmash of random things.
Great comparison. Not only do businesses need to grasp this, but I even have to tell myself this all the time. The business ideals we're used to that focus so heavily on ROI are hard to use when you're active in social media. Sometimes the ROI will take months or years, or be in another form other than revenue. Thanks!
Great comparison. Not only do businesses need to grasp this, but I even have to tell myself this all the time. The business ideals we're used to that focus so heavily on ROI are hard to use when you're active in social media. Sometimes the ROI will take months or years, or be in another form other than revenue. Thanks!
I had similar thoughts on blogging and patience when I saw this movie (which I just loved by the way!). Other thoughts I had included having a clear idea of where you want your blog to go from the beginning. That doesn't mean it can't change, grow or develop, it just means your blog has a clear direction as opposed to being a mishmash of random things.
Great comparison. Not only do businesses need to grasp this, but I even have to tell myself this all the time. The business ideals we're used to that focus so heavily on ROI are hard to use when you're active in social media. Sometimes the ROI will take months or years, or be in another form other than revenue. Thanks!
I had similar thoughts on blogging and patience when I saw this movie (which I just loved by the way!). Other thoughts I had included having a clear idea of where you want your blog to go from the beginning. That doesn't mean it can't change, grow or develop, it just means your blog has a clear direction as opposed to being a mishmash of random things.
Great comparison. Not only do businesses need to grasp this, but I even have to tell myself this all the time. The business ideals we're used to that focus so heavily on ROI are hard to use when you're active in social media. Sometimes the ROI will take months or years, or be in another form other than revenue. Thanks!