Buy me a beer

Since I’ve started blogging, I’ve increasingly seen more and more bloggers installing and using the “Buy me a Beer” plugin for Wordpress. I’ve probably also read an equal number of articles from bloggers who regard the plugin as a form of “panhandling” on the web. I sat on the fence for a while on this issue, so I could ponder whether it mattered that much to me one way or the other.

When this blog was brand new, I’ll admit that I happily installed the “Buy me a Coffee” version of the plugin, since I’m not much of a beer drinker. Of course, I’m not much of a coffee drinker either, and I’ve been trying to stay healthy this summer. So, for lack of a “Buy me a Protein Shake” plugin, I grudgingly deactivated the plugin when I upgraded my theme in early August. It just felt insincere, since it was unlikely that any moneys generated would be used for either coffee or beer.

So until “Buy me a Protein Shake” debuts, or I start writing content that’s worth seven and a half bucks, you may not see too many options to buy me anything here at Chris Bloczynski dot Com.

However, here’s what I like about the plugin itself. It’s a terrific way to endear yourself to another blogger that you admire. Want to get someone’s attention? Entrepreneurs know that when it comes to networking, a small gift can go a long way when you’re building a relationship with a potential partner or collaborator. In the real world, there are all sorts of mixers and cocktail hours where business people are pressing palms, exchanging business cards, and otherwise greasing the wheel, hoping to expand their personal networks. In these sorts of situations, sometimes a well placed martini or microbrew is exactly what it takes to start the process of establishing a valuable connection.

In the blogging world, one can view the internet in the same way… like one big business mixer. We’re all here, grinding away at what we do. We all have varying degrees of success. And we crave and need networking opportunities for our various projects, just like in the real world. In this fashion, you can visualize the “Buy me a beer” plugin less and less like internet panhandling, and think of it more as creating a networking opportunity for someone who admires your skill or ambition. When I had the plugin installed and activated, I wasn’t deluded into thinking that I was going to be swimming in beer and coffee… but you can imagine the impact it would make if someone was thoughtful enough to send over a short email that simply said, “Thanks for your post on such and such. I loved your ideas on the topic, and I bought you a pitcher. Let’s connect and see if it makes sense for us to team up on something down the road. Talk to you soon!”

This week, why not think about buying your favorite blogger something to drink as a way to explore a potential interview, guest authoring opportunity, or link exchange? Who can say that it won’t help tip the scale in your favor and lead you to more traffic and a solid networking connection?