Am I mean or am I just a beacon of truth

As one of my friends put it on a Facebook post, "you've had quite a week". It didn't surprise me that I caught tons of flack for my last post. I have come to expect it in the Manilow world. Descenting opinions are always looked upon with hateful vengeance and passive/aggressive behavior. I would much rather they just leave a negative comment than go around Facebook and Twitter posting veiled statements about how mean I am and how it's not nice to attack people. At least I could confront them one on one instead of hearing from friends that "so and so is not happy with you" or "so and so is really upset with your post".

Here's my advice: start your own blog. Convince me I'm wrong. Leave a comment and let's debate the topic. I'm open to discussion.

The problem is, I know that won't happen. Because as I said on a Facebook post, "No matter how hard you try to make people see the light, they just won't get it until it suddenly becomes dark." I don't care so much that they are upset with me. I have grown some thick skin being a part of this crazy Manilow fandom. I learned a long time ago that my opinion is my opinion and if I feel like it's important to write about it, I will.

If you are so convinced I am wrong, then why spend so much of your time defending your position? I don't waste my time arguing with anyone who isn't open to a different opinion and you shouldn't waste your time combating mine.

Here's some more advice. If you don't like what I have to say, don't read it. Don't waste your time here or anywhere else reading anything I say. If you believe I'm mean, or hateful, or cruel, then don't bother with me. Trust me, I won't lose any sleep over not convincing you otherwise.

And when the darkness falls and you finally see the light, I'll still be here speaking the truth and willing to become friends.

Delete the bookmark. Don't come here anymore. Don't read my tweets or Facebook posts. You'll be happier. I won't notice. And you can go on living in your own little dream world of unreality.

See you when the light comes on,
Texas Fan

Crazy Manilow fans on Facebook

Yes, it's been awhile since I've posted here. What can I say? Life, work, children, a grandchild and other activities consume most of my free time these days. I keep loose track of the goings on in the Manilow world still, mostly via Facebook and Twitter. I rarely, if ever, sign on to the Manilow Network or the Barrynet any more.

Today, instead of focusing on the album, his show (will he won't he stay in Vegas) and his song journals on YouTube (which I LOVE), or his recent decision to become a spokesperson for AFib (commendable), it's time for another rant. What can I say, I'm in a rant kind of a mood today.

The topic? What else...crazy fans. Specifically crazy fans on Facebook. I actually think they all moved over there once Barry started writing notes on his Facebook page. It's like bees to honey, buzzards hovering over a kill, or college students showing up anywhere beer is served. Wherever he goes, they will follow. And here's the even more annoying fact...not only do they follow him, they latch on to his friends, collaborators and the people that work for him; "friending" away in hopes that one day he will notice them. Or make a connection with someone in his "inner circle" that might get them in there too.

What got me started today? A fan posted on Suzanne Somer's wall on a comment she made about having dinner with Barry last night. I knew when I saw that, the crazies would be there--and of course, they were. One "well intentioned fan" proceeded to tell her about a procedure that a relative had done for Afib, where it was done, and how successful it was and asked if she could pass the information along to Barry. Ok...I'm sure it was well intentioned. But come on people. When are we going to let the guy live his own life?

While I'm at it, why do these same fans have conversations with each other on his post feeds? Isn't that what private messaging is for or even personal wall posts? Why do they find it necessary to go back and forth on one of his "notes" to one another as if they were having a one-on-one conversation?

This whole fan world continues to make me shake my head in complete unbelief. You would think that after almost five years I would accept the fact that it defies all sense of human reason, but the rational person in me can't seem to understand it or come to terms with its craziness.

Barry says he likes Ron Paul (well, not really), but let's all jump on the Ron Paul bandwagon. Barry likes dogs, let's all go out and get a dog (a Beagle or a Lab). Barry likes jazz, let's all become jazz fans. Barry eats at Mon Ami Gambi, let's all make that our favorite restaurant. Barry has an iPhone, let's run out and get one. Barry makes a "boob" comment in a show, let's all wear low cut dresses to the shows and wear inappropriate clothing for our ages. You get the picture.

Here's a cold hard fact: Barry has a life and he could care less about what you and I do while we are living ours. "Friending" his friends, posting on their walls, or cozying up to them in Vegas isn't going to get you into his life. What did he tell a recent interviewer, "you only become a part of my private life if I invite you in." These tactics are NOT going to get you an invitation.

Rant over,

Texas Fan

Barry was rapping??

This little back and forth conversation is the BEST. I'm LOVING this 15 Minutes promotion.

Texas Fan

Why I'm a Manilow Fan

I've been involved in the Manilow fan world in depth since 2006. My first encounter with fandom came at my first show in Las Vegas on my birthday 5 years ago. It was a positive experience. So much so, that I'm still close with that fan today (even though she's my daughter's age). Since that first encounter, I've had many other ones. Some good, some not so good, and some absolutely horrible. I've made some good friends, made some enemies, had enemies turn into friends, and choose to ignore the rest. I've been disillusioned and discouraged by fan behavior in the past and vented here on my blog numerous times.
Every now and then, after being away from the fan world, it happens. My faith in the "nice" factor is restored and I realize that not all fans are jealous, petty and vindictive. Tonight was one of those nights. Two fans (whom I've never met in person, by the way) took time out of their festivities tonight in Vegas to meet my daughter who was there for the weekend. She has heard me talk so much about the fan world, and one of these ladies actually took time out of her busy life to mail my daughter's wedding cake top to her two years ago (again, without us ever having met).

Barry has said often that his fans are unique. I've said that the friendships I've made over the last five years are priceless. But tonight, I also learned that there really is something special and unique about Manilow fans. When you meet these type of fans, it makes you proud to say that Barry actually brought us together.

Thanks Fran and Susan for welcoming Jillian into your world tonight. I hope some day to meet you in person, but for now, I treasure your friendship.

Tipping my hat to Barry (for bringing us all together),

Texas Fan

Postscript:
Sadly I never got to meet Fran in person. She passed away this past week. But although we only communicated through social media and email we shared many laughs, baseball stories, Manilow stories and I was with her during her son's college process. She was a proud mother, a loving wife and an amazing friend. I pray that God will give her family comfort during this time and that we all never miss another opportunity to tell our loved ones how much they mean to us.

How can we get Barry trending on Twitter?

@Franaway was so kind to pass this article along to me about Trending topics:

How Twitter Trending Topics Work and How to Influence Them

Take some time and read it, but here are the key points:

EVEN THOUGH THE VOLUME OF TWEETS DOESN’T MATTER WHEN TRENDING TOPICS ARE CONCERNED THE NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE TWEETING ABOUT A SUBJECT DOES MATTER

Put simply it’s far better to have 100 people tweet the same hashtag consistently over a longer period of time then to have 10 people constantly tweet the same hashtag. There is a simple reason why this is true and why it happens which is because it gives a better over view of what the world is talking about, not what a few are interested in.

THIRDLY CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY!

Strong trending topics are created by lots of people talking about the same thing consistently over a long period of time, seems simple doesn’t it? Of course it does but most importantly it’s a very natural way to register what the world is really talking about.

AND LASTLY TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Major events and popular TV shows monopolizes the trending topics and for good reason, these are talking points that unite and divide people and encourage conversation, they also meet every single criteria set out above as they promote consistently large amounts of tweets from a large volume of people over a prolonged period.

Looks like we're meeting ALL the criteria. Pass the word along and get as many people joining in as you can.

See you Tuesday,

Texas Fan

What is a #Manilow Chat on Twitter?

Think of a Twitter chat as an online flash mob where a group of people convene at a certain time and engage in a form of choreographed mass communication before a group of unsuspecting bystanders. It's exciting, interesting, and captivating. At times, you don't know where to look! You can either choose to stand by and watch or, in the case of a Twitter chat, join the insanity. Chats typically last one hour.

The easiest way to join or follow a chat is to use a Twitter tool to track the tweets by the chat's designated hashtag (ex: #Manilow). The most important thing to remember to do is to use the chat's hashtag when you want to join the dance - contribute to the conversation.

To make things simple, here is what you do:

TweetChat 


Use TweetChat to stream tweets by the designated hashtag for a particular chat. For example, to join #Manilow, go to TweetChat.com, sign up with your Twitter account id, enter the name of the hashtag to follow (Manilow) and converse in real time. All of the related tweets will appear in a TweetChat Room on your screen. When you submit a post/tweet, TweetChat will automatically append the chat's hashtag so you don't have to remember to do so.

What's the number one mistake a newbie makes during a Twitter online chat? Forgetting to add the hashtag to the post. But if you use TweetChat, you won’t have to worry about it!

Thanks to Kelly Queijo of Smart College Visit and the creator of #CampusChat for this simple explanation of a Twitter Chat. She’s going to join us next Tuesday so introduce yourself and welcome her into the Manilow world!

Here are some of my tips:

• Don’t worry about keeping up with every single post. Respond to the ones that interest you.
• Don’t forget to RT (retweet) often to help with the trending and to let others in your feed see the conversation.
• If it goes too fast for you, don’t be too concerned. Just read, RT and enjoy the conversations. You don’t have to converse with everyone and you can even make your own statements related to the topic (Barry’s new CD).
• Follow the lead of the co-hosts (myself and Patti) and comment on any questions we ask or comments we make.

That about covers it. If you have questions, simply ask during the chat, and someone will answer and help you.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

Tuesday, July 19, 5PM and 9PM ET

#Manilow Twitter Chat

Our Goal: Talk about the new album and get #Manilow to trend on Twitter, thus creating a buzz about 15 Minutes.

See you there,

Texas Fan

Can we get a WOOT for Manilow!

That's right--a big fat Texas WOOT and HOOT AND HOLLER for the one and only BARRY MANILOW and his chart topping success-15 MINUTES.

Ousting David Cook from the #1 spot last week, positioning his album ahead of (wait....) Beyonce, Adele and YES, even Lady Gaga. If you ever wondered it would be possible, you don't know this guy's music. And for those of us that do...and knew all along...let's GIVE A HIGH FIVE to Barry and his fabulous lyricist Enoch Anderson for showing the world that good music NEVER goes unnoticed. Oh yah...and a BIG FAT RASBERRY to Clive Davis!

Pumped,

Texas Fan

Shameless promotion for 15 minutes

I love this guy but he's SUCH a geek (in a good way of course).

Texas Fan

Billboard Top 200-Great News!

According to a press release today:

For Immediate Release

Barry's new album debuted at #7 in the Billboard Top 200 and was #2 on the Independent album chart.

Three words: WAY TO GO!

This is fabulous news for the fans (and for Barry and his team!)

Texas Fan

The "question" controversy

It happened. An interviewer, Gayle King, asked the dreaded question: Are you in love? And Barry, true to form, answered, "I am in love...with my music." But Gayle wouldn't let that go. She said, "I mean with a two-legged person." Here it comes. The answer all fans have been wanting to hear (even though they would never admit it), "Yes I am."

You would have thought the fan world would be all abuzz about the admission. Especially those fans who "knew he loved them" or were convinced that "one day he would fall in love with them." But nope. The uproar over the interview was that she had the audacity to even ask the question. How dare her? And once again, the defenders of things Manilow jumped on the bandwagon and began their attack.

Sadly, they missed the best highlights of that interview:

1. He is happy. You could tell when he answered the question, he smiled. And when he talked about his album, you could tell how proud he is of his work.


2. He answered the question. He didn't have to answer it. He's dodged it before. But he chose at this point to answer the question.


3. He put her in her place. He told her that he doesn't allow just anyone into his private life and only if he chooses to let them in are they privy to his personal information. Basically, "any other information is none of your business."


4. He turned the interview back to the album. He's a pro and he knows how to answer questions. He's perfectly capable of handling himself in any uncomfortable situation, especially from the media.

I agree with YBA's comment on the subject. These interviews would make great clips filtered together to make a promo for his album about fame. Gather them together, put the music from the album as the background, and post it on YouTube. It would go viral in a heartbeat!

Can't we just let him enjoy the ride?

Texas Fan