D'you know Gary Vaynerchuk? If not, you should. Gary V. is the host of Wine Library TV, although he came to my attention through his personal website, garyvaynerchuk.com, and Twitter. Gary's been waxing poetic about the Web 2.0 community, a place where your name is your brand and the product is you. And he does that in the mos successful way possible - he's genuine, he's likable, he's energetic without being over-the-top. And he's also what I consider to be the best part of the Internet - accessible.
Anyway, Gary got it into his head to create an Internet Holiday - Good People Day - singing the praises of those who make this community a community. I wanted to participate, but my concern is that this can come off as an awards speech, where it's not so much about the people you name but those who are inevitably left off.
Then Jodi went off and gave me a Excellent Blogger Award, so I took it as a sign that today I had to participate. I know it's a made-up holiday, like National Delurking Week or my husband's birthday. But lately I've spent a lot of time on this side of the screen feeling depressed, cynical, or down-out desperate. So it's time to take a step back and say thank you.
But I'm still not going to name names. Because I don't know everyone's name. Because today I want to single out you, the people reading this. The audience. (My audience?) Some of you I've had drinks with; some of you I've exchanged emails with; some of you I know only from a the uptick on my stat counter to tell me that you've been here. You have helped forge my identity. You have given me my voice. You have reminded me that I have something to say. You have provided job leads. You have given me a shoulder to cry on and a kick in the pants. You cheered me on when I met my husband. You have erased the line betwixt "Real Life Friends" and "Internet Friends."
Today, Good People of the Internet, it's my turn to say thank you.
Thank you.
