Wednesday, January 14, 2009

RB: Julia, Jan 14, 5:58pm

We can't keep our Trio of Banality down with our negativity and our criticism and calls for "honesty"! The injustice of it all! But don't fret, bunnies, NS has its fervent supporters:

Reader Email: "you can't be everything to everyone"


From: [redacted]
Date: January 14, 2009 5:41:09 PM EST
To: julia@nonsociety.com, hi@nonsociety.com
Subject: Re: Please keep in mind

Julia,

After reading your recent post, that appears to be a response to readers who have been giving you and the girls some slack about your postings, a thought came to mind that I wanted to share with you. Knowing not that you might not ever read this given your 5,312 (now 313) emails, I am also extremely bored at work so I welcome the distraction.

Being in the advertising industry, I have come to learn a lot about all the things you’re spending 90% of your time on. I probably know way too much about impressions, click throughs and media kits for my own good, not to mention the excruciating number of decks ‘ve had to compile over the years. What I’m saying is, I feel your pain, and I give you tons of credit for your ambition and determination, and I have no doubt it will pay off in the long run.

However, what I think is important to note is why many people, namely myself, even read NonSociety in the first place. For me, it’s about entertainment. It’s about a 5 minute break from work when I can’t seem to focus, and it’s about learning about someone’s else life rather than reflecting on my own. While all may not feel the same - you girls live fun lives that are interesting to hear about. I’m not reading your blog to get the latest updates on CES - I go to Engadget for that. And I don’t rely on you to give me minute by minute front row fashion week updates - Fashionista is my go-to. However, what I can’t get from those sites are a group of girls that often remind me of me and my friends that make me laugh and sometimes, make me actually think about life and love and friendship in ways I haven’t before. What I’m trying to say is, you can’t be everything to everyone. And I know you’re not trying to do that, but this latest post made it seem like you had to make it up to your readers who expect you to blog every second of your life - and thats really fair to anyone. (And there’s a little part of me that might be annoyed that you’re blogging that much, b/c then how am I supposed to keep up! )

Again, I doubt you’ll read this and I’m sure you know all this already, but I did want you to hear it from a reader, a devoted one at that, just in case you needed a little reassurance.

I did read it (I read every single email - I just don’t reply to every single email), and I absolutely appreciated it.

This site is supposed to be light entertainment. Maybe it’s break in your day, maybe it makes you think or smile or laugh or feel less alone, or maybe it’s just your [cliche alert] “guilty pleasure” - I don’t care why you read it, to be honest, as long as it makes you feel good. And if it doesn’t? If you don’t like our content or you feel it should be different? Then - and stay with me here, because this is complicated - don’t. visit. this. website.

For those of you who do, we’re happy to have you here. We think of you as our extended network of girl friends. I’d talk to you the same way at a party, or if we were having coffee together (god, I could use some of that right now), or if we were stuffing our faces with cupcakes.

Okay, I’m done. My apartment looks like an angry closet tornado hit it, and Charlsie (our new intern) is coming over at 8 pm to work, so I have to frantically clean it up.

xoxo

9 comments:

  1. Nice try Julia. We know you wrote this.

    And I WISH all your hate fans would stop reading. Your precious pageviews would go down the toilet.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "I’d talk to you the same way at a party, or if we were having coffee together (god, I could use some of that right now), or if we were stuffing our faces with cupcakes."

    VOMIT. Cliche after cliche.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Don't. Visit. This. Website. That. Way. We. Won't. Ever. Lose. That. Addictive. Rush. Of. Self. Esteem.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Girlfriend can't decide whether she wants to be taken seriously or as light entertainment. It's a puzzle. Can haz bof?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Odd. Five thousand e-mails but she manages to take time to read this one.

    Also -- I am a night owl myself. If any negative comment goes up at 3 a.m., say, it's nuked immediately. Negative comments that go up before noon, however, often sit there for hours.

    So once again, the liar is lying when she says she doesn't read the QOD. She reads, she deletes frantically, and while she's sleeping, the comments mysteriously remain.

    Christ, if she's going to be such a treacherous, dishonest headcase, you'd think she could be less obvious about it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. jacy, I agree. She has 5,000 unreads but she sure got to this one dated today REALLY quick. lol.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You know, Julia Allison and I used to exchange emails last year when she was still tolerable. When she came to Austin for SXSW, I told her we should go grab coffee and gave her my number. She ended up texting me asking me not to post a video of her...? I guess she thought I was someone else. Needless to say, we never met up for coffee. She would never sit down and have coffee with a reader, are you kidding me? You can't name-drop a reader!

    ReplyDelete
  8. "However, what I can’t get from those sites are a group of girls that often remind me of me and my friends that make me laugh and sometimes, make me actually think about life and love and friendship in ways I haven’t before."

    Wow, what an awesome thought! Almost like... gee, almost like a "positioning statement" from a pathologically marketing-minded person trying to force a pathetic spin on a real crapfest.

    But seriously - nice letter, Jules. You really know how to lay on the charm...to yourself. About yourself.

    ReplyDelete