Virtual coffee talks are my jam: The shared space, often over caffeine and conversation, fosters connections. Something about the buzz of both the cup of joe and life talk just changes the dynamic. The convos often lead to bigger goals beyond catching up. Sometimes, they’re strategically just for that: Life-talking over coffee.
While I (virtually) coffee talk with folks I know, and/or those I meet virtually on LinkedIn, I’d like to ethically and sustainably expand my reach and the spaces I show up.
I’d love to create a back-and-forth communication channel. While comments on this website sometimes result in close connections, peer-to-peer, this is not the same thing as seemingly instantaneous feedback. This is due in part to my moderation of the site; each comment needs my approval (or in the rare case, denial).
Frankly, this is a values tension: I have strived to make safety here, but I support intellectual freedom. And that includes access and authorship of a variety of voices, without my interruption. Happily, 99.9% of this little corner of the Internet is composed of kind, collaborative folks (maybe because I’ve worked hard to make my target audience of fellow multi-passionates and creatives is known?). The other bit of this audience is trolls, usually in the form of bots.
Sharing these statements is vulnerable. Please keep this space safe. Together, we strive to abide by valuing kindness, bravery, and curiosity. Thank you.
I am debating new virtual spaces to make external conversations easier. Questions I am asking include: How can people truly share feedback here on the website when I have to moderate each comment? Is this something you, dear readers, want? Or do you appreciate my mediation? (Please send me an email or comment here, either way!) Therefore, a call to action (or introspection):
I am researching spaces for feedback beyond this website:
- Substack: Feedback here includes comments from a variety of users because content is accessed by tiers. For example, folks “subscribe” to different levels, such as paying for additional content/variants of published material, such as that good, vulnerable, behind the scenes stuff. Upon subscription, sponsored users (those who financially support the author/artist) typically get more content than those folks who do not upgrade to pay. All subscribers get reminders that another piece of content (or seven!) is available, and a copy is sent via email. Since it’s essentially another blog forum with the email marketing add-on, I subscribe to a handful of Substack authors, but don’t have a Substack of my own. Feedback here looks like landing in the inbox.
- Reddit: This is a virtual space to find specific niches of people, and so sharing discourse here looks like expanding my audience to known and unknown audiences. This is a huge virtual space for feedback, so safety is less likely, since there’s minimal moderation. Any content creator can create a community need to be verified. AKA the author needs to regularly post/be “active” on the platform for at least 30 days before getting the option to start a Sub-Reddit. I’m a lurker right now, so I’m not sure if I want to open this percolator o’ coffee and learn another platform.
- RSS Feeds: Readers subscribe to particular blogs. This is great since the item you’re reading right now is hosted on WordPress. Really Simple Syndication (RSS) consolidates a user’s subscribed sites, so each feed is unique to that individual. RSS alerts readers that new content exists. But that also means it’s on the individual to engage with the material or not. So, it still uses the comment functions you’re used to, but it is simply an alert. So, I could learn how to install an RSS feed, and then create a space for such feedback? That could look like a page/post dedicated for sharing comments. I can also continue what I have been doing, write every 10 days, and simply add an RSS option?
- Mixed Media: Video blogs or vlogs (and perhaps podcasting) foster feedback closer to real time, as they are hosted elsewhere. A mixed media artist, I often use words to carry my feelings, thoughts, and experiences. But my creativity and enthusiasm are often nurtured through collaboration with other artists. Therefore, another space for feedback is Womxn in Progress, either leaving as a blog or shifting its presentation into a podcast/vlog. Yet another consideration is expanding this campaign to highlight the broader creative community. Another idea for more feedback is fine-tuning a virtual space for Maker’s Marketing. Creative work is by its nature expressed, so celebrating and making space for a variety of authors and artists is essential for storytelling and truth-telling.
Do any of these media excite you? Frustrate you? Urge you to get off the screen and go create? I’d love to know: Do you use any of these platforms to share feedback with other creatives? Multi-passionate people? When you feel isolated or blocked, I hope you know you have a nurturing, thoughtful, and hopefully safe space here. Know you are not alone: I too am working to honor my lived experiences, even if it takes a long time to find the words to share, such as one of my latest pieces on empowerment here.
If you’re comfortable, share some feedback with a comment. Let me know how you feel about these platforms, or your thoughts on collaborative creativity. I’ll see you again on May 10th! Thanks for being here. Y’all rock my caffeinated heart.