About bloggers: our bark is worse than our bite

Earlier this week, a friend tweeted from the Marketing2Moms conference in Chicago that one of the panelists had commented that marketers needed to be careful with bloggers because they might bite.

I thought about this. Thought about it some more.

And the more I did, the more the concept irked me. Because it’s not true. Bloggers don’t bite. Not really. We  bark. Sometimes very loudly.

But — for the most part —  it’s not about hurting you. It’s about being heard.

Now, before I take this analogy any further — and I am going to — let me be clear. I am not saying bloggers are bitches or dogs. They might be… but not generically or collectively. That’s something you have to decide on a case by case basis 🙂

I do however find some interesting parallels in canine behavior and figured, let’s have a little fun on a Friday night.

I realize however that not everyone finds such comparisons apt. I remember a former co-worker who took umbrage when I described  her hair color, which I thought was lovely, as brindle. Like a Scottish Terrier coat. To me, it was a compliment. To her, not so much.

So, if this sort of parallel bothers you, read no further. Perhaps pop over to Snapshot Chronicles and see the election videos I posted earlier today.

Still with me? Okay, let’s go.

Why did this comment about bloggers biting irritate me so much? In part because it sounds like scare tactics designed to make the assembled marketers so worried about engaging with bloggers that they will hire the consultant who made the comment. Now, perhaps they should hire a consultant with experience reaching out to bloggers but fear creates the wrong atmosphere for authentic engagement.

But what irritated me the most was that it is not true. Most bloggers bark, not bite. Just like most dogs.

Sure, there’s the occasional ranter who goes off on anything and everything with no warning. Just like the dog years and years ago that jumped up and bit me on the upper arm for absolutely no reason and with no warning while I was speaking quietly to the owner during a canvassing effort for NARAL.

But if you pay attention, bloggers tell you what’s important to them. What they care about. How to engage with them. Just like dogs bark to go out, bark when they want dinner, and bark like crazy when the UPS driver pulls up or they sense stranger danger. They warn you off and they defend their territory.

Just like bloggers.

Now, if you don’t listen, maybe you will get bit. But it is rarely without warning. Rarely unavoidable. And quite simply rare. Dogs don’t bite as a matter of course, and neither do bloggers.

There’s no reason to be scared. Approach slowly. Look for the clues. Pay attention. Get to know the other party. Reach out carefully.

And you might just make a friend for life.