High School Musical – A (Blogging) Tragedy in Three Parts

by Kris Berg

Realtor, Associate Broker

Author website

This little diary entry of mine has been suspended in my draft folder for awhile. I think it may be time to pull it from the shelf and dust it off.

The One Room Schoolhouse

(The year is 2006. As the curtain rises, a nation races to their keyboard to find the definition of “blog”. “Rain City Guide” is returned in the search results. The bell rings, and the students rush in to make new friends and receive the day’s lessons).

Call me naive, unassuming or even childlike in my perception of the world around me, but I have always held the belief that another person’s success does not diminish my own. Admittedly, maybe this is not a childlike belief at all, given that children (mine being no exception) tend to measure their worth through the eyes of their peers; acceptance of those they admire being their validation.

Almost a year ago now when I first began blogging, it felt like the one room school house. It was easy to make friends. We were small in number, the atmosphere was one of support, comradery and mutual respect. We were all there to learn and to share. Some of us were stronger in the “sciences” while others seemed to have better communicative skills, but we all came to class with the common goal of success.

When it was time for the school play, everyone got had a role. Not all of us could be the Lead, as some were more experienced or simply more talented, but we all got parts, and we packed the house. Life was so simple.

Mid-terms and the “New” Kid

(The schoolhouse has added a second classroom, as more students are now in attendance. As the house lights go up, the new kid is seen sitting in the cafeteria at a table by himself. He eyes the room in anticipation, hoping that someone will notice him and be his friend).

Arriving as the new kid well into the year can be at once frightening and exhilarating. There is a playground full of possibilities, and a little personality and tenacity are often all that are needed to gain acceptance in the small community. Just by virtue of being a new novelty, one can make friends quickly. Commonalities are recognized, friendships are forged, and bonds established.

During my first months of blogging, I found myself alone at the lunch table, but only for a short time. Like any new kid, I will always be grateful for those who befriended me and who took the time to show me to my classes. Dustin, Ardell, Lar, Christine, Jeff, and of course Greg were generous with their comments, acknowledgment, advice and time. There were many, many more. They didn’t have to invite me to their table, but they did, and I have always tried to pay it forward.

There was much talk about blogging to establish a “social network“. Blogging was widely regarded by the trailblazers as a valuable method of establishing business “partners” and, well, additional business. Bloggers were participating for a variety of reasons, and whether the attraction was the resulting exchange of ideas, the opportunity to market skills and potentially enhance the business bottom line, or as recreational outlet, blogging was generally considered an ensemble production. An outstanding performance by one served to strengthen the applause for the entire cast.

Clicks and Cliques: The Over-enrollment of the Student Body

(Thousands of people enter, stage left. The atmosphere is stifling).

So, 2007 is being touted as the Year of the Blog. With the student population spilling into the halls, I feel sorry for the new kid. I already see the social lines being drawn in the sand. No longer are we seemingly in this together, but clubs and cliques are forming and there are unwritten rules for admittance into their inner circles.

I am beginning to see a shift in the undercurrent of the social networking dynamics. Talk is moving away from healthy discourse of industry issue, whether it be on a local or broader level, and toward the subject of competition. Our cut-throat real estate office has relocated on-line. “Competing blogs”, “rival blogs” – These are phrases you will see written sadly too often. “You do not want to comment on your competitor’s blog” and “painting graffiti on your rival blog” are things we now read about. “My blog is bigger” and “my blog gets more traffic” are becoming school yard taunts. Snippy posts and snippier comments are becoming more commonplace among classmates. It is just an undercurrent, and it is still, thankfully, low tide, but it is there.

From our school days, most of us will relate to the social caste system. There is the popular crowd (my daughters speak of the “nice” and the “mean” popular crowds), there are the bullies, the geeks, the brainiacs, the bad kids and the “floaters”. As the enrollment grows, I suppose the natural inclination is toward segregation. It is important to pick your friends wisely. Some, perhaps due to insecurity or driven by a need for acceptance and attention, will fawn over the popular kids just in the off chance they will be permitted to stand in their large shadows. This kind of attention can be fleeting.

Our school is now too big for a single production. We have our dramas, our comedies, our documentaries and even our tragedies all being played out at once. And, many do not care in which theater they are cast, so long as their name is in lights and the talent scouts are in attendance.

Many in our school will achieve great things, but the failure rate will be enormous. My best advice to the new kids to blogging is to remember why you came, be happy with your initial role in the chorus, find your voice, and sing like no one is listening. If you have talent, your efforts will be acknowledged and rewarded.

I, for one, always enjoyed the role of the floater. Oh, and faced with a cafeteria serving weenies and Cheez Whiz, I highly recommend the sack lunch.