Please
A Plea For Reciprocity
Introduction
This is a not completely positive poem which is unusual for me about the number of times I am asked to support people in various ways such as following pages or reading articles, which I often do, but when I ask for reciprocity it’s absolute tumbleweed time. Very often I will buy things and not even get an automated thank you. Then I get more from them and this time I just don’t respond.
I am unusually going to use a biblical quote which roughly goes:
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”
The good thing is there are people who do reciprocate, I have someone who goes through my work with a fine tooth comb and sends me a direct message with all my mistakes. I will not name them because there will be others who say why don’t they do that for them? They know who they are and know how grateful I am.
At the end of this is a piece by Judey Kalchik on reciprocity and a piece on my modus operandi.
I was going to do it as a villanelle but any strict format would make what I want to say impossible.
So here it is:
Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎
Please Like My Page
That Is Fine
I Liked It
Will You Like Mine
Silence
Ж֎
Please Like My New Page
I Ignore
Please Like My New Page
Ignored
Please Like My New Page
No
Ж֎
Please Give Me Feedback
Here Are My Thoughts
Silence
Will You Give Me Feedback?
Silence
I Have A New Article
Please Give Me Feedback
My Silence
Why Are You Ignoring Me?
My Silence
Ж֎
Do Unto Others
As You Would Have Them Do Unto You
Then You Will Find
Something Close To Perfection
When We Work Together
We Can Build A Brilliant Future
Reciprocate
And You Will Be Appreciated
Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎Ж֎
A Conclusion
I am sorry for the free form of this but I could not fit this into any formal framework.
Here is Judey's piece on reciprocity and my modus operandi.
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Comments (8)
I always give everyone 3 chances to reciprocate by reading my work. If they ignore it all the 3 times, then I ignore all their work after that. It's just so frustrating when there's no reciprocity!
Well said, my friend!!!💕
Great article Mike. As you know I have pulled way back on my online presence. I wouldn't dream of asking anyone to do something for me that I wasn't willing to do in return. I'm so sorry this is happening to you. Hugs!
Nailed it. I’ve felt this way as well and you expressed those feelings. Good to know I’m not alone feeling this way. Good job!
I am retired, working part-time that sometimes is full-time. I use subscriptions to read and comment or heart on vocal. However, sometimes I feel like I am the only one reading subscriptions as until I post on Facebook Vocal groups, I see no reads! It is like night and day the reads on Vocal vs Medium. And you can tell people are reading as they highlight and comment (have a conversation sometimes) and clap. You can see who looked and who read. And how many of your fans read. I waffle about leaving vocal. I think the 232. I withdrew is about the extent of my value here. It will take me a year to get to 20. for my next withdrawal. Tips are nice but at a dollar or two a tip it will take me a long time to get any value from that. Especially when I want to turn around a tip right back😂 I have told myself it is an insult to give a tip right back. So, because I get more attention on Medium, I read more and spend more time there. It is only fare. It is about reciprocity. I decided for me it is not about the money. It is rather about learning to write. I have been reading for a very long time. About 63 years. I think I started to read at age 5. Some of the people who helped me initially on Vocal have moved to Medium and I continue to follow them there. I write both places and repost on the other site. Vocal used to take longer the Medium to publish but now they go right through on Vocal and take a bit longer on Medium. Still within a couple days. Thinking out loud here. Ignore it all if it isn't a fit.
This is frustrating. I understand that people get busy, but everyone should make an effort to reciprocate to the best of their ability. There are people whose work I skip over when I see it posted because I have read their stories and left thoughtful comments in the past, but the author couldn’t be bothered to even like the comment I left.
I hear ya.
I hear you Mike. It’s a real struggle :-(