So Saturday, I was doing what I do and tweeting helpful links. I came across an article about writing inflammatory content and intentionally being a jerk. That’s not my writing style, but it obviously works for some folks. With that in mind, I said the following:
@slimjackson For those trying to write inflammatory content to get a following: You Need to Be (Better Than) a Jerk: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2011/08/27/you-need-to-be-better-than-a-jerk/
Within seconds, a couple of Twitter goons were on me looking for an opportunity to correct my spelling and word usage.
RT @eleven8 inflammatory? RT @slimjackson For those trying to write inflammatory content 2 get a following: U Need to Be Better Than a Jerk
I responded with a retweet and some words:
RT @eleven8 inflammatory? RT @slimjackson For those trying to write inflammatory content 2 get a following: U Need to Be Better Than a Jerk
@mschantebaby @eleven8 there’s a link missing from that RT to a good read.
(Tweets from Chante are missing. I know.)
@mschantebaby @eleven8 it was about ppl who write purposely to get a reaction, cause anger, etc.
I went back to get the follow up tweets just now and they were deleted (rightfully so). But basically, these 2 got at me for using the word the wrong way. They said it meant “to swell,” which it does. However, they were so busy seizing the opportunity to clown me that they forgot about the other meaning. I also received a message saying that was the least of my problems to worry about as a writer.
Normally, I don’t respond to that type of foolery. But when you get at me as a writer, that’s like disrespecting my mother. So I said:
@mschantebaby @eleven8 actually, i’m not worried. and you can just go ahead and take that somewhere else. *end transmission* moving along.
Being somewhat salty, I continued:
@slimjackson The twitter police are out today. Make me a suspect and I’ll respond in kind.
So I went to dictionary.com to confirm what I thought and it read the following:
(adjective) tending to arouse anger, hostility, passion, etc.:
Given that my saltiness was high and after a couple tweets, I then chimed in with:
Hey yall, @mschantebaby and @eleven8 don’t know inflammatory means more than “to swell.” Apparently, they don’t have google.
A few tweets after that I said:
The only time them chicks seen inflammation was at the doc’s. There’s medicine for that.
You can say I shouldn’t be posting this and I gave them too much thought, but I think this is a valuable lesson. There are a lot of people out there trying to make a name for themselves or create entertainment for their following. In the process of doing that, folks deliver a lot of criticism. Some of it is warranted. But for me, I try to be conscious of everything I say online to avoid that. Sometimes there are typos. Sometimes there aren’t.
Basically, if you’re gonna criticize someone then make sure you do your homework.Twitter personalities and celebrities are real people. Sometimes we forget that and need to take a step back. If someone calls me out for doing something that they perceive as wrong, I’ll take that into consideration. I may not agree, but I’ll respond letting them know why I did what I did. For me, reputation is everything. My goal with writing is to make people’s day better and share some things that may have the ability to impact lives. If people don’t understand that, then cool. Just know that I exist beyond the keyboard.
Have a great day and let me know if you have any thoughts in the comments.
Putting folks on blast for the greater good,
Well I guess class is in session! Each one teach one and ish
I think that people get bored and they want to reek havoc: idle hands, devil’s workshop… all that jazz. It’s hard to restrain yourself. I feel the same way, when you insult my writing I feel as though you’ve evaluated me at the base of my core and found me wanting. That’s real emo, but it’s so true. It’s as if you say I don’t have a barest wit to string along two sentences. Um, hello? Don’t discredit my intelligence because you lack home training.
I would say, it’s ok to respond!
If blogging was supposed to be PC it wouldn’t be as interesting and entertaining as it is. I’m glad you shed light on the blogger police. I hope, rather I know they are feeling somewhat salty about their blunder. I’m also sure their cursing your name as they are certainly reading this post this morning. Maybe next time they’ll be a little more careful before calling someone out. Cheers to dat!
How did they not know the alternate meaning of inflammatory? Have they never read a newspaper or watched TV?
I asked myself the same question.
@zeezaleez I was thinking the same thing!
It is unfortunate when anyone tries to “Check” somebody and they are blatantly wrong. Maybe next time they will refer to Merriam Webster first!
There have been times when I have read something online and thought, that doesn’t sound right. Then I take a moment to re-read it. Sometimes we are in such a hurry that we don’t let the brain fully absorb what is being said. Folks need to stop being so knee-jerk all the damn time.
“The only time them chicks seen inflammation was at the doc’s. There’s medicine for that.”
I’m out. The Jerk post is so relevant to them but damn. Get your grammer and vocab up womens.( <– on purpose) But wow… People fail to realize how real sh!t gets off the keyboard. You definitely gave em too much power by acknowledging them BUT you gotta let em know and put it on the table. Some people need it broken down to them a lot more than others do. You're okay.
have people NOT learned that you shouldn’t mess with a Pisces??!!!
I agree that you should watch who you clown. However, you have to let the haters hate. I think the grammar comments about tweets (unless in jest, which this clearly was not) are obonoxious….it’s twitter not an English paper! Chill out and make sure you’re work product is written well and leave people’s twitter alone. This are just four the hater’s! LOL
lol i bet that was really embarrassing for the ladies. I get that a lot especially because I mix in the queen’s english with my words sometimes..lesson to all: make use of google before correcting someone’s grammar or spelling.
People are funny and many by nature are world class haters. As an English teacher I always tell the kiddies: know your stuff and habe an argument to stand on. The people trying to play you were standing on bubble wrap and you popped that ish without using a vast amount of intellectual ability. Love you for that
You know blogging puts us in this new world of- why do you do that? Why are you telling all of your business and other blah, blah. Be proud you have a vast vocabulary(even though inflammatory doesn’t prove that except when you are dealing with haters). Gotta love it!!!!
-.- If you gonna goon online, goon right. #RGS
I’ll echo the sentiments of another commenter that it’s twitter/blogs and people looking for correct grammar need to chill. I’m a copywriter and the first thing I was taught with digital media rules are there are no rules. lol I’m labeled “grammar girl” at my job yet I’ll use their/they’re incorrectly when writing a comment in haste. It’s just not that serious. I do like how you respond to the e-thugs. I specifically remember you telling me to ignore the haters that “people are watching” but it’s hard to ignore when it’s blatant and your name is dropped. If people wanna attack, they should expect the person will respond. That’s real life.
Yeah. Every now and then someone tempts me into making an example out of ‘em. This one was so easy that I couldn’t resist. People need to learn that everything they do has a result or consequence. Imagine if I were a real big name blogger with 8K followers on Twitter? The hounds would’ve been all over them after this post.