National Poetry Month Etiquette

Greetings Fellow Poets,

In the last few years I have moved from sharing my NPM/NapoWrimo/Poem A Day poems on Blogger and Myspace accounts to Facebook. The problem with sharing on FB during the 30/30 challenge is that every one seems to lose their minds in an ecstatic attack of tagging. I tried in vain to keep up with the many poems and to leave responses, but at some point my strength failed me, and honestly there were quite a few people who tagged me, that I was deeply uninterested in reading. The creative rigors and demands of National Poetry Month are already exhausting with out the added irritant of a "tag attack."

You and I can't possibly write a poem everyday AND be expected to respond to the hundreds of other poets posts too. Therefore I propose The National Poetry Month Etiquette. This year for the sake of your sanity and mine, and please feel free to pass this along to other poets, here are a few rules of thumb to manage and survive NPM 2011 on Facebook:


1. An-tag-onization

With 30 days and 30 poems at your disposal don't feel the need to tag people daily. Every poem does not need to be tagged. Instead of drawing attention to your piece and attracting responders you are actually annoying and repelling them with excessive tagging. Show a little restraint, and you will make Facebook and your friends happier during NPM 2011.

2. Tag with caution

While we may think every last one of our pieces are epic masterpieces in the making, let me assure you they are NOT. If you must tag, then be choosy. Pick your best piece to share and tag those whose feedback and opinion you value. It's not very likely that you will get a response from a random FB friend that you ignore the other 11 months of the year. Be kind and considerate to your fellow FB writers by rotating tag detail. Tag one set on select pieces, and then tag other friends on other pieces, that way everyone get's a chance to partake of your creative offerings.

3. It's called Read a Poem, Write a Poem for a reason

No one likes a tag attention whore. Share the love by reading and responding to other people's poems before hitting them with a barrage of your own. Take some time to check out new writers besides your standard favorites. You might be pleasantly surprised and come across some finger snapping dopeness or receive inspiration from an unexpected source. One of the great pleasures of NPM is the awesome outpouring of diverse writings from different people. People are more inclined to respond to your work if they see you have taken the time to read theirs.

4. Shallow responders need not reply

"That's deep" and "Dope" are typical and banal replies. You're a poet, I know we can do better than this. No one expects you to write a testament or critical analysis in response to their piece, but more invested responses are appreciated. Try to give fellow writers respect by offering constructive criticism, genuine praise, or props for a well written poem. If you don't have time for extended replies, that's cool, but leave a little love after reading. It means a lot to me and your fellow posters.

5. Tag Reaction Time

Just because you tag a person, does not obligate them to read or respond to your piece. With news feeds racing at a million miles per second on FB, your post might just get missed. Don't take it personal. Give people some time to make it over to your post. If you don't get a billion responses consider quality replies over quantity. And if you don't get any at all don't let it break your brilliant streak. On to the next one. You have 30 days and 30 poems to write someone's socks off so be patient.

That being said be creative and have fun! I look forward to reading many great poems!

PS. This is the most excessively tagged post you will receive from me this month. Promise! LOL!