I want someone to write some analysis of this particular... voice, or style of writing, being used here.
"I'm a web guy. I’m not a farmer."
I already knew that, because in just a couple paragraphs, I was already recognizing the style of writing as... SEO, "influencer", I don't know what to call it?
It's a personal first-person voice, which right off the start tries to establish that the author is a human being writing about their life -- but also that they are an expert in what they are going to tell you about, and very successful too.
The text includes many one or two sentence paragraphs, and has aggressively styled pull quotes and/or callouts. Short sentences too. Not entirely complete sentences. Interspersed.
It makes sure to open up with some kind of very short story that is only tangentially related to the content but is folksy and cute. (Smuggled vidalia's onto cruise ship).
The information is very cleverly structured to keep you reading, by dropping just enough of the actual info, page to page, to pique your attention and make you think there's an interesting story here, but not enough that you can leave having actually learned anything before you've read a pretty big chunk. And is written artfully for this purpose, it works, and keeps you reading. Sometimes at the end you feel rewarded, other times you feel like it was a shaggy dog story. The best authors leave you happy, of course.
It's got information to convey, but the goal is not to convey the information as effectively as possible, but to keep you reading as long as possible -- and, usually, to sell you something.
I don't know if I have a value judgement on it exactly -- okay, I'll admit it annoys me, perhaps because it all sounds the same while trying to convince you it's a folksy authentic voice. But either way, it's a thing, a genre even, that I'm not sure I've seen anyone comment on.
It's: "Content Marketing Voice".
(Also selling people onions on the internet is "purpose over profit", really? What the world needs now is frictionless access to vidalia onions shipped directly to your home?)
I think it's possible to be using a genre voice unconsciously, or doing it consciously but for your own purpose. Just because the genre is X, doesn't mean we can assume the purpose.
I think you missed the point about "purpose over profit", it really gave this guy a feeling of that. And him telling that personal story is valid. It's interesting to think about why you seem to have deliberately side-stepped the point of the story.
Actually, analyzing and thinking about the way you wrote this comment, it seems you're just bitter that someone found something they really liked, that gave them a sense of purpose, and now you're trying to find some way to diminish that to yourself, to make yourself feel better, without actually taking the responsibility to do something to make your life better. Which tells us that you wished you had that purpose, but you feel you don't.
Some free advice: go about making that purpose for yourself, rather than making yourself feel better by trying to diminish the achievements of others that trigger you right in the feels. Another way to say it is, instead of making it all about this guy, when you get triggered, stop and think about "why do I feel that way?" and go deep into that. It's not about other people. What you feel is about you. Learn from that. Don't project, don't take it out, don't blame others, just learn from that uncomfortable emotion you're writing this thing to avoid.
Don't get me wrong, this is more than advice. I've seen that attitude cause a lot of unnecessary hurt and conflict in the world and in relationships, and I want people to stop it.
It's a pattern I've see a lot. Definitely has it's own genre voice as well.
> I think it's possible to be using a genre voice unconsciously, or doing it consciously but for your own purpose. Just because the genre is X, doesn't mean we can assume the purpose.
Certainly. It is still interesting to analyze as a genre, this is how we make sense of the written world. Perhaps you are doing that same assumption of purpose with my writing.
> I think you missed the point about "purpose over profit", it really gave this guy a feeling of that.
Is the point of "purpose over profit" to engender a feeling of purpose in the people who think they are doing it? Is that the "purpose"?
I think everyone should endeavor to treat their customers, suppliers, and coworkers with respect as human beings, instead of trying to take them for all they are worth. I agree doing so will make you happier. Which can perhaps be surprising to someone who tries it and has never done it before, how much it improves their own life. This is called being a decent human being, and there's no reason for everyone in every job not to do it. There's nothing wrong and a lot right with trying to behave like a decent human being in whatever business you are in, it's commendable, but it's not "purpose over profit."
I think it's disingenuous to elevate the idea of "treating people like humans instead of just instruments for my own profit, while at my profit-focused endeavor" to "purpose over profit", and disrespectful to people who really do make significant material sacrifices for a non-profit-oriented purpose.
What do you think his "purpose" was here, and in what ways were any profits sacrificed for it?
> Actually, analyzing and thinking about the way you wrote this comment, it seems you're just bitter that someone found something they really liked, that gave them a sense of purpose, and now you're trying to find some way to diminish that to yourself, to make yourself feel better, without actually taking the responsibility to do something to make your life better. Which tells us that you wished you had that purpose, but you feel you don't.
Wow. You sure read a lot into someone's analysis of a writing style. One that I think accurately described the details of the piece of writing. I'm trying to summarize my feelings on your post without actually being hostile, but I can't help but find your entire comment to be really low value, even if it was meant well.
"I'm a web guy. I’m not a farmer."
I already knew that, because in just a couple paragraphs, I was already recognizing the style of writing as... SEO, "influencer", I don't know what to call it?
It's a personal first-person voice, which right off the start tries to establish that the author is a human being writing about their life -- but also that they are an expert in what they are going to tell you about, and very successful too.
The text includes many one or two sentence paragraphs, and has aggressively styled pull quotes and/or callouts. Short sentences too. Not entirely complete sentences. Interspersed.
It makes sure to open up with some kind of very short story that is only tangentially related to the content but is folksy and cute. (Smuggled vidalia's onto cruise ship).
The information is very cleverly structured to keep you reading, by dropping just enough of the actual info, page to page, to pique your attention and make you think there's an interesting story here, but not enough that you can leave having actually learned anything before you've read a pretty big chunk. And is written artfully for this purpose, it works, and keeps you reading. Sometimes at the end you feel rewarded, other times you feel like it was a shaggy dog story. The best authors leave you happy, of course.
It's got information to convey, but the goal is not to convey the information as effectively as possible, but to keep you reading as long as possible -- and, usually, to sell you something.
I don't know if I have a value judgement on it exactly -- okay, I'll admit it annoys me, perhaps because it all sounds the same while trying to convince you it's a folksy authentic voice. But either way, it's a thing, a genre even, that I'm not sure I've seen anyone comment on.
It's: "Content Marketing Voice".
(Also selling people onions on the internet is "purpose over profit", really? What the world needs now is frictionless access to vidalia onions shipped directly to your home?)