Clap.

Dear All,

I don't often write as I worry I can't be as eloquent as some of the other blog writers out there, but I've been wanting to get this off my chest for a while.

Please comment. Please like. Please RT.

It takes two seconds to do and you have no idea how much it means to the person who's putting themselves out there. As a blogger (and who isn't a blogger these days) many of us are giving away a part of ourselves - be it writing, food, photography, art, music, whatever we're blogging about, the chances are that it's our passion. We want to help others, we want to show a new perspective, we want to give back, we want to offer something of ourselves. Blogging is hard work, and with little recompense except the 'thank-yous' or the 'likes', the 'RTs' and the interactions - it's all 'Social Media' isn't it?

I've said this before, but I'm so sick of being ignored. I work hard to put stuff out there, to interact with people, to RT interesting things, or to help others I admire - and occasionally people say thank you, but other times I've seen them thank others and just ignore me. Am I really the only one? Maybe it's me.

A while ago I posted a picture on Instagram of something I'd cooked, and linked it to Twitter. I then got attacked by a fairly prominent food photographer, who basically told me that I was shit, that my composition was awful, that it looked like I'd just taken a picture with my phone (which I of course had), and a good few of his tweets after that were of pictures he'd taken which weren't "taken with a fucking phone" and clearly had much more worth than anything I had to offer.
I felt, as I do most days, like quitting. Nothing constructive. Just hatred.
That picture continues to be one of my most 'liked' pictures on Instagram, and it's for that very reason that I persevere.
Initially, this photographer's outburst was rude, obnoxious, and hurtful - but in retrospect at least he made the effort to comment. He interacted, and from that I took experience. I still blocked him from my Twitter.

I started this blog with a post very similar to this, and it prompted some interesting discussion. Someone I admire warned me that it may not be 'good for business' to have a moan, and so I took the post down.
I regret that. I feel this is an important point, and one that may ring true for a number of you? There seems to be very little 'social' about 'Social Media'.

I've been a professional musician for the last 15 years - if I ever did a gig where no-one clapped at the end, I'd quit.

If you don't like something, fine - but if you do, clap.

Is that ok? Am I being unreasonable?

Perhaps I am, perhaps it is just me - maybe I'm just shit.

Anyhoo, if you've made it through this you're probably hovering over the 'unfollow' button as we speak, but at least I've put it out there.

I can be ignored in all the following places:

http://thetobykennedy.co.uk
http://instacanv.as/thetobykennedy/
http://twitter.com/thetobykennedy
https://vimeo.com/thetobykennedy
http://www.youtube.com/user/thetobykennedyesq
http://soundcloud.com/peewees-funk-salad
http://pinterest.com/thetobykennedy/
http://500px.com/thetobykennedy
http://www.facebook.com/toby.kennedy

Love & kisses, Toby. xxx