Have you ever compared book with movie ratings?
People rate higher books than movies.
There’s a simple reason for this: books demand more time and energy.
After watching a bad movie, is common to say “This was a complete waste of time”.
After reading a book? Not so much.
Because we force ourselves to like it. Even if we don’t, we defend more a crappy book than a crappy movie. All that work can’t have been in vain.
But what if it is?
The interesting part is that this can apply to almost anything.
The more time they dedicate to you, the more they will defend you.
Not because you are great, you don’t have to be. They just don’t want to look stupid regretting it.
Bottom Line: It doesn’t matter what your audience spends time on, as long as they do it.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice theory about your captive audience… once they invest a little time, you’ll have them eating out of the palm of your hand.
I actually have seen several big blogs where I believe this is the case. No matter what the bloggers write, the audience “loves” it… or claims to, because they’ve been there so long. Interesting phenomenon that leads us to stay in a relationship because of the time we’ve invested in it.
I couldn’t read what you said, I’m just too thankful for your post
Just kidding, that’s exactly right Lisis. I actually believe that the thing that makes Godin and Brogan so worshiped is the fact that they have been there for long. People are too connected to let go.
For me the problem is I know and interact with a lot of the authors I read. I don’t care about the big mainstream movie companies. I’ve been reluctant to review anyone on Scribnia because if I was honest I’d give my own content a 6 and a lot of people that have ALL 9’s a 5 or so. That will hurt their feelings, so I just refrain. If I know someone, and I know they’ll personally read my review it’s tough to give them a substandard review. Is that bad? Eh, maybe. I’ll usually position it and extract things I really liked, give it a 4 out of 5, but be explicit about what didn’t work for me. If people ignore the “stars” and read the comments they’ll still get a good sense of what I thought about the book.
R
Great point man. Never thought about it as a connection with the author, but when it comes to blogging, I think you’re right.
It’d be awesome if people would actually read the comments (and care), but we all just watch the stars. Numbers rule, always.
Hi Carlos – Dropped in via Lisis. I like your thought provoking posts! I try to disconnect from time invested in something being involved in whether or not I like it. Actually I disconnect from time a LOT!
Thanks suzen, nice of you to stop by
Glad to have you here!
Hi Carlos, found you via Lisis & Alison’s Q4B post about you. I see what they mean…you do say a lot without using many words. I was able to scan your last 5 or so posts, see that you are worth reading regularly and added you to my Reader. Can’t wait to see what’s coming up next…
Suzanne, I’m thrilled that you liked it! Feel free to connect whenever you want.
Books allow us to be self-absorbed and selfish, movies take that away.
How many times have you watched a movie after reading a book and thought “I never pictured him/her when I read that” or “that totally wasn’t the way it was in the book.” Books are suggestive. They tell you a story and you picture how it plays out in your head. Everything looks the way YOU want it to. Once it is put onto a screen your ability to create things yourself are removed.
Because of this its much easier to criticize or disagree with other people’s interpretations. Much more difficult to do that to your own.
I agree. Books allow a personal connection and kind of mental contribution to the work which makes them much harder to dismiss as a waste of time. This kind of connection makes movies based on books you’ve read even easier to dismiss
Also, although that lack of personal connection to movies makes them easier to dismiss, movies based on books do have a hit-or-miss kind of quality. Either the movie can fall under the category of “not the way I pictured it in the book,” or as a unique visualization of the book that, as a reader, you can appreciate.
I also find that-and this may only apply to informative, personal development books- when I read a book, it will either give me something I already know, or that “Aha” paradigm shifting moment. I never really feel that it’s a waste of time. Even with the books that don’t give me anything new, they give my mind repetition of an idea, one that may have not sunk in deeply enough yet, which is the reason I’m probably still reading books in that category. They cause me to maybe give an idea a second thought, like when someone keeps telling you something and depending on how closed-minded you are, you finally start to consider it after awhile. Repetition, in this case, is helpful. Great post.