Celebrities
The Infectious Viral Disease aka The Internet
Leave it to moi to stir things up. That’s my job, no? Thanks go to one of my readers, whose honest comments here are so appreciated. She made a comment on one of my posts, “The Battle of the Fashionistas“, which inspired me to blog about this interactive & social networking business.
Her comment was discussing certain individuals and how they are the “pioneers of fashion styling in Nigeria. They get the top jobs and are quite busy working and not commenting on blogs and giving interviews.” The last sentence got my attention.
Does commenting on blogs, granting internet interviews, blogging, connecting with fans, and networking on FB or other social networking sites conclude that you are jobless? No. Not unless you are abusing it and surfing the net at a corporate job when you need to be working.
But if you had asked me this several months ago, I would have said yes. I remember when WeWe started, Greg, being the social and interactive media guru, used to encourage me to blog and comment on other fashion / arts / entertainment blogs. We used to go back and forth and I’d say, “Baby, I have a lot of work to do…and commenting on blogs or writing articles certainly isn’t part of it.”
His response was always, “You know hon, there might not be anything more important for you to do.” But still, he let me figure it out myself.
Well, let’s take a second to talk about the recession and how it has affected majority of the companies in our industry. Many of the big name fashion brands, magazines, newspapers, agencies are closing shop. Some magazines are going entirely viral. Paperless. And some stores are closing down to operate online stores only. People are turning more and more to online shopping to avoid the skyrocketed gas prices, limited parking spaces at malls, lines or whatever reasons you may have. In fact, these days, you can find better deals online than at stores.
A majority of us turn to the internet to get our daily scoop on what’s going on in our industry. It’s convenient. It’s readily available and we don’t need to pay for anything. I seriously don’t remember the last time I went to a newsstand (which carries the added benefit of reduced clutter, as I’m not constantly collecting books and magazines).
The truth of the matter is that the internet is taking over. Face it. Celebrities are blogging, fashion designers are blogging, Fashion magazines are blogging, Department stores are blogging. Everyone is in on it. Whether these folks are individually writing their blogs is a totally different argument, but this is how most connect with fans, readers, market products and turn ideas into sales. Most relying on internet advertising.
And as far as celebs, fashion designers, stylists or anyone in that industry goes, your fans want to hear from you. They really do. Celebs like Kanye West, Pete Wentz, Lindsay Lohan, Rachel Zoe, and Ashlee Simpson (to name a few) all turn to their blogs to either set the record straight on a rumor, express themselves, or to let fans in on what’s going on in their lives and work.
I didn’t understand it until I started working for myself. People are curious and they want to connect with you. Can you blame them? You extend your services, they buy your products, they want to find out more. They are spending their money, and letting them in a bit helps them feel more comfortable and connected. You are selling something, whether you are an actor, artist, designer, agency, etc. It comes with the territory.
Of course there is a fine line, and you have to know when to draw it.
Yes, you are entitled to privacy, and this is where it gets tricky. You become your own PR, your own manager and you choose what you want to share, and what should be kept to you and your family.
I can’t stress it enough, the amount of connections and exposure I have made since taking to the internet. It is essential to one’s business. You have to create time to connect with your clients, fans and colleagues. Block a certain number of hours during the day to devote. Because I have a packed schedule during the day, I set my alarm to wake me up in the middle of the night to respond to emails, blog, etc.
But the good thing about blogging is that you can write up several posts in one sitting and schedule them to post on certain days / time, so it doesn’t need to be a big time hog.
Did I also mention that some people get paid to this? Blog? As in this is their main source of income…
There’s also the crack-berry that we are all addicted to. Everyone seems to have one these days. They come in handy. I remember reading an article about President-elect Obama’s addiction to his CrackBerry and how he may be saying goodbye to his constant companion. I won’t dive into the artcle, but that just made me realize how viral our world has become.
So, dear readers, no, it’s not a waste of time connecting on the internet. If anything, it’s the opposite. It helps your business and there are so many things to learn from others in your field. The internet is filled with ridiculous resources…right there at the tip of your fingers. If you are a business owner, invloved in the fashion/arts/health/beauty/media/advertising industry, make the internet your companion. If you work in Corporate, you may not want to spend working hours on the net - I have seen people get fired over this.
One of my favorite bloggers, Heather B. Armstrong of http://www.dooce.com is a perfect example. She is a brilliant writer. Well, a few years ago, she got fired from her 9 to 5 job for not only blogging, but blogging about co-workers. Granted, she came out on top as she now does what she loves to do best. Write for a living! She’s so successful she makes enough money to support her entire family. Yes, her husband quit his day job, and they both comfortably work from home. If you’re familiar with Alexa rankings (Alexa has a great little Firefox extension called Sparky, that shows you rankings for the websites you’re viewing), her website is ranked really high up there. She commands somewhere in the range of 100-150k unique visitors to her site monthly.
She is obviously a one in a hundred success, but take her lead and dive in with both feet. There’s a wider audience for you just waiting to be discovered…you just need to go raise your flag and let them know that you’ve joined the game.
Good luck!
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Tags: Alexa, Alexa rankings, Ashlee Simpson, blackberry, blackberry addiction, Blogging, department stores, dooce, Facebook, fashion agencies, Fashion blogs, Fashion brands, fashion newspapers, fashion pr, fashion reporters, folake kuye, Greg Huntoon, heather b. armstrong, Internet advertising, internet marketing, Kanye West, Lindsay Lohan, media guru, online shopping, Pete Wentz, Rachel Zoe, viral marketing 
folake don’t get me wrong blogging and the internet is the the way forward but i was talking about the people that focus on their internet presence and popularity rather than actually doing the job. when you said you were discussing stylist in nigeria you missed the top stylists because they don’t have an facebook or internet presence{for whatever reason} because if you was based in nigeria you would be aware of their work. i believe people should first do the work then look for publicity not the other way around. folake you have done the work you have been designing and styling for years before this blog i am not talking about people that have put in the work. so pls don’t get me wrong
folake don’t get me wrong i beleive blogging and the internent is the way forward. i made that comment because you were talking about stylists in nigeria the fact that you didn’t name the top stylists made me think that you didn’t know them because they did not have a presence on the internet or facebook{for whatever reason}. because if you were in nigeria you would be aware of their presence. i believe you should first do the work before looking for publicity or gaining internet presence. folake you have been designing and styling for years before this blog you have put in the work. and the blog is an extension to connect with you customers etc. trust me there alot of people on face book etc. that deserve the exposure but there are others that are internent celebrities
Kemi, look, I didn’t take offense to your comment. If anything, I appreciated it because it inspired this blog. I got it the first time, and I totally understood where the comment came from. Your comment just opened a different topic/direction/argument/avenue. It’s the creativity in me. So, thank you. You are an awesome reader, and I always appreciate your insight. We need more like you…
Folake you go wit yo bad self!..very informative article.Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Okay, ofcourse when I started reading this article, I was immediately hooked . Loved the style. You broke it down. I mean , its a win-win situation to connect with your fans. I mean honestly , that’s one of the reasons I love Kanye West. He writes, he is human.
“There’s a wider audience for you just waiting to be discovered…you just need to go raise your flag and let them know that you’ve joined the game.”
Thanks I personally needed to hear that..
I started my blog new years day…hoping to use it has a outlet/marketing tool
@ Adanma, thank you. Appreciate it. In re Kanye, yes, he WRITES! He vents
@ Tosin, I wish you the best. Do send us a link to your blog.
Well, DUH Folake! Just kidding. Not everyone knows how to take advantage of this resource - if it weren’t for the Digital Media infiltration over society, I would be asking you to feed me leftover jelof rice from Sidney’s plate. I’m taking full advantage and glad you are as well. Re: blogging - why yes, I do. Almost unintentionally. So much awareness is shared through it. I don’t feel like a loser for being consumed and crackberried-out. In fact, it has increased my productivity, marketability and strengthened/revived relationships. As far as the internet’s impact on advertising, well here goes…DUH! I also agree with the rapid pace and the future trend. My dad uses SKYPE and my mom shops online for groceries. And they aren’t losers. (Thank GOD I didn’t get fired from my 9-5 for blogging, but I did actually show my old boss a blog I wrote on how disgruntled I was with the parking situation at my loft - and the wide response it generated opened doors). thx4sharing, Sommer
Well said Folake, the internet is the way of the new age. Most people in our industry blog, I just started blogging like Tosin. Its actually fun, I also find it therapeutic!
So proud of you, baby! You’re doing a great job and start such wonderful conversations.
And to all of you readers…it’s so cool to see your fantastic comments and watch you all heal and deal together.
Much love!
Oh, you know I’m definitely all in for blogging. Same thing for Facebook even. I have [virtually] met so many people thru blogging. The internet connects you to the world - not just to your state or country, but to the world, so the possibilities are VIRTUALLY endless.