Lessons I Learned from my First Viral Post

I started blogging four years ago, and I take it as a privilege to step into cyberspace and share my practice, pedagogy and professional growth.  It has taken me a while to find my voice, but I think in the last year, I truly have. I never experienced everything that goes with a viral post before, but now that I have, here are my reflections.

1. You will not get a warning.

I have written a bunch of posts in the last year, and some of them trended well...some just kinda flopped.  I looked at the #FERPA page on Class Dojo and worked on my post for about five hours. I had a soft launch of it on my blog, and it was well received by my regular blog readers.  My comments had questions and reflections that were largely positive.  When the representative from Dojo found my post not too long after it went live...that should have been my first indication that when the water pulls away from the shore...you should head for higher ground. #tsunamiwarning

2. Facebook is fickle.

Social media readership is interesting. Each of the different social media platforms has a different style of reader.  Did you know that on average people log into Facebook 14 times a day? Facebook has algorithms that carry posts to some readers, not to others.  Some people are subscribed to so many things that the post you WANTED them to see gets buried in their feed by all the other people seeking their attention.  Facebook changes that algorithm all the time, depending on people's reading preferences.  It's all pretty scientific. Readers on Facebook typically snag small bits of information in short bursts...and then act on it with a click, a like, a comment, or even a share.  It's quick.  Facebook even frowns on promoting ads with lots of text...probably because they KNOW that their readership isn't looking to hang out and have a cup of coffee while they read posts....they just want a quick bite of something.  So, if it's controversial, Facebook will most assuredly assist it in going viral.

3. The right image is everything.

Unknowingly at the time, my image had all the makings of a salaciously controversial read.

Red and yellow font.

The ominous folder with a lock on it representing security.

The use of an ambiguous law, the mention of a beloved app, and the implication that it wasn't so loveable anymore.

Over the next several days, I learned it would strike a chord with readers in a way that I didn't intend.

4. Frustrated readers may look like spammers--let them vent.

So, when the post went live on Facebook, I wasn't awake, but by the time I did get up two hours later, there was already a lot of commentary. It was a bit jarring to have so many people commenting on something that I'd written.  The first fifteen to twenty were probably people who normally read my blog.  They framed things in the form of a question, or challenged my thinking with a carefully worded push back.  There were people that I recognized on both sides of the argument. And then about 20 minutes later...there was the biggest flurry of activity on my page I'd ever seen.  People were commenting a few a minute.  Many of them were posting the same exact link...over and over again.  Even saying the same things...almost like they were 'coached' to do it in just that way.  I thought, "SPAMMERS!"  Oh no! I even wrote to Class Dojo to 'reprimand' them for sending spammers to me.  *I was righteously indignant.  I'll admit it* I thought, They are going to squash people who want to have dialog!  So...I deleted comments. *hangs head*  Yeah...I know.  Not my smoothest move.  I just freaked out, friends.  I really did.  It was crazy. :(  I wouldn't EVER do that again, unless people were being mean to each other on a thread...but at the time...I was so overwhelmed and heartbroken at being misunderstood and misrepresented...I reacted.  It was wrong.  And I apologize.  It will not happen again.  

5. Hold on to your truth.

Last year when I started to write more about what I feel like I'm equipped to write about, I wasn't sure if people would respond.  Now that I'm writing more about the topics that I enjoy researching and writing about, I am so much happier.  Even if that was misunderstood for a few hours on that day, I think it was still worth it to say what I felt like was important about considering privacy concerns.

Although the journey originally started to contemplate privacy, it ended up being about much more.  I am now reflecting greatly on the style of management that I think would work best for kids, and for me, I think it will move away from methods that reward children for what they DO, as opposed to celebrating them for who they ARE.

I learned a TON this time around.  I am thankful for the opportunity to share my story on a blog and that people respond to it. I never thought that from my corner of cyberspace there would be such a flurry of activity...and now I go forward remembering the gravity of my role as a teacher-blogger.  Thank you for teaching ME!