My Triond Experiment

by Glynis Smy, Nov 5, 2008

This is the result of a little experiment of mine.

Just recently I have received messages such as ' Read my latest work' (you know who you are), there was no, how are you and I have read your poem/article and left a comment, just a cold call. It was followed by several beautiful messages from Triond friends, they enquired after my health and family, they left comments on my work in the correct box and generally lifted my spirits. I returned to their work and selected work that caught my eye and did likewise. I got messages from new fans and we became friends.

I then started to get more 'cold calls' and was ready to hit the block button ( I may still do so).

After a few weeks of this I made a decision, anyone who cold calls gets ignored, I do not return the friendship, anyone who is a true Triond friend, those who support my work will get it, as always, returned. Those of you who know me well enough, know I am a supporter, giver and never call upon you to read my work, I leave you to find it at your leisure.

I then took it a step further, I stopped writing on Triond, I have well over 100 pieces of work here and with various other writing projects and family wedding commitments I felt there was enough for folk to view.

My findings:

a) My friends never left me

b) My friends read my original work and still took time out for me

c) My friends are the true back bone of Triond

d) The cold calling continued

e) I still gained fans but no message or introduction either through a comment or message

f) I gained fans through messages

g) I gained fans through comments

h) I had time to view more work of new writers

I) I had time to view more work of undiscovered writers and of my friends older works

j) some writers/ fans appear to only look at the new work that appears in the new feed, old work is ignored

k) My Triond earnings were the same!!!

Yes I earned no less than before.

The result of my findings:

a) I have loyal friends

b) I dislike cold callers and will remove them from my friends list very soon, unless I see their name in my message box or comments box...

Okay, you newbies will say, but I hit the 'I like' button as I whizzed by, please answer this, how do I know?

Old friends will do this and I have no worries about that, this is because at least once or twice along the way they remember me, or they take time for a selection of friends over a period of time or they introduced themselves at the very beginning of our supportive Triond relationship. Time as we know is precious, but just think, if you make an effort then you gain a friend and remember this, that friend has friends too, they could become fans if you take time and make the effort. Don't forget my friends have been writing on here for a long time, some of their older works are interesting and deserve a viewing, don't just rely on the daily news feed for your Triond fix. Happy Scribblings!

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Never Stop Writing on Triond | Proverbs for the Successful Writing Business on Triond

Comments (41)

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#1 by

CHAN LEE PENG, Nov 5, 2008

Thanks for sharing, take care!

#2 by

Christine Ramsay, Nov 5, 2008

I have really enjoyed this piece Glynis. I haven't had any cold callers but my friends group is slowly growing. A good experiment. I look forward to more of your articles

Take care
Christine

#3 by

lanne, Nov 5, 2008

I have been scribbling for weeks now trying to come up with an article just like this. I am glad that you beat me to it though, because yours is a little softer than mine was looking. But you are right, you get to know who your friends are. Nice work :)

#4 by

Anne Lyken Garner, Nov 5, 2008

This is something we all face. I'm glad you said it and not me. I get tonnes of 'cold calls' and sometimes point out that you have to read BEFORE you get read if you're new.

About reading old stuff. I doubt Triond writers would do that. All my old stuff gets read from people on the internet, looking for them, and NEVER by Triond writers.

We just have to spend so much time, researching and writing, plus working (other jobs) and spending time with children and family, (plus reading friends' work). I can understand why this is so.

Good luck with the wedding.

#5 by

PR Mace, Nov 5, 2008

Wow, what a great article. I agree 100% with you. I to have gotten cold calls. I try to be a good friend and hit all my friends work. When I make a new friend I try to go back and check out some of their older works. I know we are all busy. I too live a busy life, but if you are going to play the Triond game play fair and be a good friend. It should not, but it does hurt my feeling to take my time to read your works and view your photos and yet my friends do not read or view mine. I know the one who are my true Triond friends and I love you guys, your the best. Comments make us all feel better. I look forward to them. Even if it is only a brief one I know you cared enough to write it. Looks like you opened a can of worms for me and I got to let out my feeling. Thanks,Glynis, your the top , your a number one friend. Looking forward to seeing more from you. My best to you and your family.
Pam

#6 by

PR Mace, Nov 5, 2008

Sorry, I have one more thing to say. Being a good friend takes work. When I check my dashboard some of my friends have lots of new works. I worry that I might miss some. I check their profiles for anything I may have missed and I find I usually have missed something. I can then go back and hit it. I try to check daily but sometime working 12 hour shifts I can't so I may miss several days of new posting. So please if you are going to be a good friend remember to check out profiles from time to time. You may have missed a great story, article or photo. Just my thoughts on the subject.

#7 by

eddiego65, Nov 5, 2008

Thanks for sharing! I believe most, if not all, writers can identify with what you wrote here! Great article!

#8 by

Glynis Smy, Nov 5, 2008

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives, you ARE my Triond friends.

#9 by

Louie Jerome, Nov 5, 2008

I know exactly what you are talking about here. I have had 'cold calls' in the same way and some even asking how I market my work and where I get my ideas. I am always willing to help anyone who asks but it would have been polite, if nothing else, to read some of my articles and leave comments to say they had been there. Yes, I find my Triond friends supportive too.

#10 by

Christy Tuller, Nov 5, 2008

Well said Glynis! Even as a relative newbie to Triond I have seen what you are talking about. I am not a regular writer but I still try to stop in and check out the wonderful works of fellow writers. It is always appreciated when someone takes the time to say "good job!" or even just hello.

#11 by papaleng, Nov 5, 2008

i truly agree with your sentiments, this could be an eye-opener to newbies in triond and a great rebuke for those concern parties.
Thanks for sharing this one.

#12 by

Mark Gordon Brown, Nov 5, 2008

My wife and I (she also writes for Triond) have at numerous times received the exact same messages in Triond "I have read some of your posts again. I really had fun on most of them. I just want to thank you for the wonderful ideas in your posts, which gave me new insights and ideas for new topics." and similiar messages from people. This shows a lack of respect for people, because I begin to think they just cut and pasted the same message to everyone of us and probably didnt read one single link.
I know I cannot keep up with reading friends submissions, I have a farm to run, a job off the farm, and we have dial up, plus my wife generally is on the computer too. I feel bad for this, but at least I am honest about things and never did the "cold call" on anyone.

#13 by

Jackie Stroud Painter, Nov 5, 2008

I would never do that to you. You are the reason why my book is possible because you helped me and I always want to know how you are doing. You check up on me. I got that same message. I hope that you are doing well. You did another good message.

#14 by

B Nelson, Nov 5, 2008

ditto what Mark Said above.
good points Glnis. Of course you are preaching to the choir, but still, good points!

#15 by goodselfme, Nov 5, 2008

For the last 5 days, I have just been to the library to view and let my friends know I had computer trouble. Now, I can comment and sure can tell you I agree with this. At times people do not think about the impact that they can have on a gentle soul. Stay strong!

#16 by

Kim Buck, Nov 5, 2008

I have gotten several "cold callers" recently. I guess in short we are the writers's MySpace. My fan pages are full - and the people who have marked themselves as a fan for me aren't reading my work. That confuses me just a bit. If I choose you as a friend, and I give a lot of forethought before doing so because of the comittment it brings. I want to be a loyal reader just as I want loyal readers. I try to read every piece that shows up in my community "news feed". It may take a little while, but I will eventually give your item the attention it deserves.

#17 by

Glynis Smy, Nov 5, 2008

You never let me down my friends! I know this is going out to those who are loyal and supportive but it made me feel better writing it.

#18 by thestickman, Nov 5, 2008

There should be a "No Cold Callers" list to sign-up on, eh? That, and the personal mails I sometimes gets (usually right after a article I write shows in Top-10 list) of "i like u work, -i want 2 b frindz wif u" and ya know what chatty cathy, -ya just pissed-off
-thestickman :-p

#19 by

R J Grant, Nov 5, 2008

You are a smart Lady.

Grant

#20 by

Liane Schmidt, Nov 5, 2008

Very good article - keep up the nice work!

Blessings.

Sincerely,

-Liane Schmidt.

#21 by Carolyn Ann Aish, Nov 5, 2008

With one true friend, one is very rich --- wow, you're a millionaire!!! Best wishes, Carolyn Ann

#22 by

Ruby Hawk, Nov 5, 2008

I think we all get cold calls and we never see a comment from those people. We soon learn who our true friends are but thank you for saying it. I for one appreciate all of my friends more than I can say. I do have to say cold callers don't bother me at all. I check them out and if I don't see them anymore, I ignore them. Take care, Ruby

#23 by richard hamilton, Nov 5, 2008

wow, what a little girl you need to stop crying about introductions and accept all positive feedback that you get!

best wishes,
Richard Hamilton
(p.s. hows the wife??)

#24 by

Glynis Smy, Nov 6, 2008

Thanks for all your comments...I am not crying and am far from a little girl. I am not fussed by the cold calls just wanted to sort out my friends list, those who cannot be bothered get removed very soon. For those who sent me private messages,thanks,my experiment worked and I can clear my 'friends' list to spend more time reading their excellent work. There is a section that Triond catagorised as Community, they was us to support each other,I am just trying to promote that side of this writing group.

#25 by Allison Jae, Nov 6, 2008

Thanks for the article.

#26 by

R J Evans, Nov 6, 2008

I do wonder what Richard Hamilton means...? A little punctuation sometimes goes a long way. Grrr! Plus the feedback he talks about may be positive but it is often made with demands to "read my work", "take a look and comment on this", "could you tell me what you think". So, it is not feedback but a request - and something in my mind 99% related to SPAM!

Quite often these people have not, as Glynis points out, read *any* of your own work or made any comment on them. I often get messages from people similar to the above and, when there is no revelatory material in their message (about who they are and so on) I then look at their profile. Again, usually there is nothing written there. DO they get any comments back from me? Rarely if ever!

Then there are the people who ask about where one gets the ideas from without taking a look around themselves and realising that you can write about anything you want! One of the first things I did when joining Triond was to take a lot of time out to read the instructions that Triond supply for newbies. The second thing I did was to find, locate, read and digest what "older" users had submitted as articles on the same subject (I remember reading Nelson Doyle's work a lot at that time - it was very useful).

The absolute worst thing for me? What really aggravates me,is when people I do not know *at all* ask me how much I earn on Triond. Often the request for my earnings is the sole content of the message. I recently had one request for my earnings, which I politely declined (but did write back about their other questions) only to receive a new mail asking for a *ball park range* instead. *Sigh*

Quite what their parents were doing when it came to "E is for Etiquette" I have no idea! :-))

Oh - and does anyone ever repeatedly get the nummber one and the letter ell confused in the code box in comments? I do - all the time!

#27 by

Glynis Smy, Nov 6, 2008

l I do ;))))!! sorry couldn't resist. Oh and thanks for using the word Spam, I was going to but thought it might be misread as lunchtime reading LOL LOL

#28 by

Michelle Murphy, Nov 6, 2008

I have always thought that if you take the time to read someone's postings than you should at least let them know what you think about it good or bad.

I am glad you have a loyal following of friends and fans. Your work deserves it. I am happy to be counted among them.

A very well done post.

#29 by

PR Mace, Nov 8, 2008

Just checking your story again. I wanted to read all the new comments. As I said before you opened a can of worms that needed to be opened. I think this has opened a lot of eyes. After I read this the first time, I took a good long look at my friends list and did some deleting myself. I think I made the right decision. I remember once someone telling me I needed to make long comments that they didn't believe I really read their story. Sometimes with my busy schedule I only have 30 min or so to check out my friends so at least short comments wiil show you I cared. As you can see today I have a little more time. Again thanks for a great article. Pam PS. I too have problems with the number one and the letter L.

#30 by Joanna Maharis, Nov 9, 2008

Great article, in that you've made some good points.

Take Care,

Joanna Maharis

#31 by

Lucas Dié, Nov 10, 2008

That was time well spent - by you for writing that article, by me for reading it, and the comments. And I agree with R J to the fullest, including and pointing out again the E ;)

#32 by

Glynis Smy, Nov 10, 2008

Oh I agree Lucas with the 'E' issue. Thanks for your comments folks. The l and 1 - I think I got it sussed! Look closely- the l is first it is a little straighter on the top, the 1 is slanted, so far it is working for me.
Happy Scribbling Folks

#33 by

Lisa Clayton Williams, Nov 10, 2008

Love this!

#34 by

Lauren Axelrod, Nov 12, 2008

I completely agree with you on this subject. Recently, I started deleting every user that doesn't comment on my work. I discovered many of them had stopped writing and I wonder why. Many of them were frantically coming in, adding friends and expecting magic to happen.

They should have done their research because if you don't support one another on Triond, you will fall right off the radar.

Great piece

#35 by

leannehume, Nov 13, 2008

You are absolutely right! I am part of the Triond community basically cos i love to write but mainly to be heard too so it would be a shame for people not to see my earler work. I love to read through the work of others, it allows me to see the type of people I am befriending. I love your work. It is trully great.

#36 by

joystick7, Nov 16, 2008

I liked this one!

#37 by

Patrick Bernauw, Nov 24, 2008

I've got only recently seriously (yes, now and then, I turn into a Serial Rhymer) involved with the whole Triond Business & Idea... wasn't sure of the "community" in the beginning, but now... one of the things I'm sure of: yeah, the "community" exists... and it gives you great opportunities, and you can find wonderful friends here from all over the world and... well, I just love it!

Made it here by a comment you made, Glynis... and I'm going to check out you work soon!

#38 by

C Jordan, Nov 25, 2008

Excellent. The "cold calling" is irritating and gets little response from me. Loved the comment about putting up a sign saying "No cold callers" Yes to RJ the 1 and l can mean going back to resend a comment.

#39 by

Glynis Smy, Nov 25, 2008

Thanks for your comments, they mean a lot.

#40 by

Chris Stonecipher, Nov 25, 2008

Hi Glynis,
Lauren Axelrod turned me on to your works. I have been writing here on Triond seriously for the last three months. I have experienced the same thing by recieving friend request when they have 0 articles for me to view. Some want to be friends when they have little interest in my work. I thank you for writing this article and bringing this to our attention. Some veteran writers also need to take your advice.
Blessings always
Chris

#41 by

Debra Mann, Dec 2, 2008

Very well put, Glynis.I have just received my first ones a couple of days ago and twice I responded to the articles and not even a hello or thank you. Triond is a community that supports each other.So now I have just decided to ignore the offender. Besides, manners in a person can go a long way. God bless!

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My Triond Experiment

This is the result of a little experiment of mine.

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