5 good mutuals
Jacq's Low Traffic Blogging, or Please Don't Make My Posts Go Viral has me thinking about this tweet thread from Visa, which starts off like this:
I prefer to get 1 good reply from a thoughtful person than 1000 RTs with no meaningful engagement.
All you may need is receiving those big wins consistently enough. When have you received that grace? When have you given it to others?
Those experiences along with filters, peers, and mentors make managing your relationships and success possible. Yet, these boons aren't merely bestowed upon you. Rather, they are accrued through execution over time. The earlier you go viral, the more likely your supportive context is less strong than you need it to be. In Three aphorisms for Thursday, Prasatt shared an aphorism that complements that sentiment nicely:
Failure is good preparation for success, which comes as a pleasant surprise, but success is poor preparation for failure. – Sarah Manguso
That said, the effect virality has on people may differ based on factors like their character, environment, and otherwise. Some may meet someone with a big following sharing something of theirs with open arms. Others may crumple. How well you convert troublemakers into treasure chests informs your longevity. What doesn't serve you can remain beyond your attention.
Cultivating resonant relationships with your mutuals, instead of randoms or just your mutuals' posts, defends against imploding from virality. Achieve that interactivity via finding your chosen few from the many participants, group chats, scenes, and other resources available to you. Visa's tweet comes to mind:
if you have 5 good mutuals to riff and jam with, you’re better off than some legacy celebs with 1m followers- oceans of water and not a drop to drink
Who are your 5 good mutuals to riff and jam with? Who are they here, there, or everywhere?