What Type of Attention Do You Seek?

Are you looking for negative attention? Many of us enjoy attention from our family and friends, but do we want to seek out attention from people we do not know? If you are an online writer, then you are probably looking for one type of attention or another, but what kind of attention are you seeking? I have come to acknowledge I myself would not be blogging if I did not want people to read my writing, and I think the majority of people are looking to make a positive impact. People do not knowingly seek a certain type of attention, but occasionally their comments can result in one type or the other. Everyone writing is seeking one type of attention or another, and it is up to the individual to determine whether this is good attention or bad attention. Some people open threads or write hubs to discuss others by name - in not so positive ways - and to me that is a form of negative attention seeking behavior. I love the hubs and threads where people are supporting their fellow bloggers, but I think we can all do without the less than positive ones.

Recently I have also seen forum posts where people discuss others, and label others "weird". Honestly, I just do not think it is kosher to open forum to mention someone by name, well not unless you have something positive to say. To me is screams of I want attention because I think I am doing something better than such and such a person, but others may not agree. What is the point of that type of attention? In high school people pass around notes trashing students they do not like, which is almost the exact same thing when you have to do it on a forum. Is it positive energy? Not really, or at least not in my book. Of course I am more of a sensitive type of person, but I wish to continue to stay that way in a cyberspace world where poking fun of others or going on a superiority trip is the modus operandi for a few. I think the majority of bloggers are not that way, but opening a thread or creating a hub to discuss someone in public in a negative way is less than kind.

It is not the best type of attention one can seek either. Also, creating a blog post and naming someone just in the hope to get traffic to a website that you have a vested interest in comes across as overly promotional. So what type of attention is the positive kind, and what kind can we live without?

Is Wanting Attention Bad?

It is not bad to want attention, but it would be more conducive to be a bit more mature about it. For instance, do not simply complain on Twitter about your life. Why not tweet a few posts that you find interesting, instead. If you enjoy reading books then help out a new author by posting a review of the book. Not only are you helping others this way, but people will pay a bit more attention to what you have to say because they will not consider you to be completely self-centered. Of course you can tweet about your successes and blog posts, but just remember to share the limelight with others. When we connect with people who are passionate about the same topics as we are, then we will automatically increase our audience overnight. Wanting attention is not a bad thing, but you need to be a bit more diplomatic and thoughtful about how you go about attaining this for yourself.