Thursday, March 16, 2006

DC Blog Happy Hour

You can't turn around in this town without someone having a happy hour about it. It's inevitable that in a town with a thriving blog scene, someone would put together a happy hour for people who by their very definition spend too much time alone: bloggers. We need the interaction, but man, the gears might be a bit rusty.

It seemed like a really great idea to me -- a chance to meet people with the same obsessive hobby I have, a chance to learn about a lot of people's blogs and a chance to tell them about mine. Most times I feel like I'm writing in a vacuum, so the chance to tell some people that I'm out there and really into it seemed like a great chance to me.

Kathryn and I-66 put together this month's affair in a nice little Cuban joint on 18th Street. I dragged my friend Kenny out to check it out, and we had a pretty good time.

In what appears to be an established tradition, I will now list the names of all the people who I had an exceptionally good time talking to. This is a blog tradition not unlike "slam books" which fell out of vogue with fifth grade girls, oh, in the nineties, I'd guess. Now "slam books" are online, and nobody is too old or male to get in on the action.

It was great meeting the real people behind KassyK, KathrynOn, I-66, GhettoDev, RoarSavage, CountdownofV, DCCookie, Diet Coke of Evil, I'm a Girl, Not Yet a Wino, Land Shark, DCBachelor, Harmany Music, EJTakesLife, WonL, and No Pasa Nada.

However -- I took exceptional pleasure in speaking with Barbara of Looking2Live and Chris Abraham. Barbara, you are incredibly accessible, down-to-earth, and open-minded, and I suspect you have passed those traits on to your son through either his nature or your nurture.

I read a lot of gay blogs as part of my job, and Chris Abraham is a man who was able to sensitively zero in on the weaknesses and strengths of the gay blogosphere far better that I could have as a semi-outsider. He did this in like ten seconds, and left me and Kenny smiling, but open-mouthed.

In other, related news, I've created a stamp to promote this blog. Since I love a DIY art project, I (mostly) hand-made some business cards as well. A small and vocal minority of last night's attendees seem to have a problem with this. I would surmise that those people enjoy writing their hearts out to the sound of crickets and the laughter of people that already know them. These folks are probably not at all tired of fumbling for a cocktail napkin and a borrowed pen to scribble down their blog name for somebody.

Check 'em out:
Stamped

The last time I checked, self-promotion was what you did to direct attention to your hard work. What would KISS be without makeup? Or Muhammad Ali without mouth? These cards aren't meant to tell people that my blog is good. And I'm not saying that my blog is better than anyone else's. All I'm doing is giving someone a small piece of paper that lets them draw that conclusion on their own.

I'll see you sweethearts and shitbirds next month.

5 Comments:

At 11:11 PM, Blogger Barbara said...

WOW! Thanks for such a positive mention. I am still surprised at the welcome and attention I have received from DC Bloggers, despite the fact that I am nearly 20 years older than most of you! Writing a Blog has added a new dimension to my life and I really like the interaction with both people I now know and those I haven't met. I was so impressed by your Blogger cards that I may just have to come up with my own version!

 
At 12:06 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jeff, I thought your cards were the coolest. Are the complainers saying no one handed out their business card that night? In D.C.? Get real. You were ahead of the curve. They probably just wish that they had thought of it. Plus you made them by hand, which is even cooler.

 
At 1:14 PM, Blogger KassyK said...

Hey...was great to meet you. Always a pleasure to meet a fellow cult/zombie/horror/indie movie fan. Rarity these days to tell someone that and have them think its cool and not that you are a "weird" girl...I may look "normal" but its always great to find someone that can bring out the everpresent yet undercover weirdness.

Good luck with everyone and I'll def be in touch. :-)

 
At 10:53 AM, Blogger Jeff Simmermon said...

DCOE, I like they way you think...

 
At 3:57 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am pleased as punch that I get to be so super insightful about the gay blogosphere. Yay me.

 

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