Maureen O'Connor Likes to Blog

Photo

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:55:49 -0400

What hate-blogging looked like in 1922, in Photoplay magazine....

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:11:47 -0400

What hate-blogging looked like in 1922, in Photoplay magazine. Here is a book chapter about why Dick Dorgan hated silent film star Valentino so much.

I somehow missed this amazing Wendi Murdoch...

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:27:00 -0400

I somehow missed this amazing Wendi Murdoch outfit/accessory/manicure look until now. SHE IS AN ICON.

15 years of Bynes, in pictures.

Fri, 03 May 2013 16:49:56 -0400

15 years of Bynes, in pictures.

annfriedman: In my ongoing quest for the perfect framework for...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:16:58 -0400

annfriedman:

In my ongoing quest for the perfect framework for understanding haters, I created The Disapproval Matrix**. (With a deep bow to its inspiration.) This is one way to separate haterade from productive feedback. Here’s how the quadrants break down:

Critics: These are smart people who know something about your field. They are taking a hard look at your work and are not loving it. You’ll probably want to listen to what they have to say, and make some adjustments to your work based on their thoughtful comments.

Lovers: These people are invested in you and are also giving you negative but rational feedback because they want you to improve. Listen to them, too.

Frenemies: Ooooh, this quadrant is tricky. These people really know how to hurt you, because they know you personally or know your work pretty well. But at the end of the day, their criticism is not actually about your work—it’s about you personally. And they aren’t actually interested in a productive conversation that will result in you becoming better at what you do. They just wanna undermine you. Dishonorable mention goes to The Hater Within, aka the irrational voice inside you that says you suck, which usually falls into this quadrant. Tell all of these fools to sit down and shut up.

Haters: This is your garden-variety, often anonymous troll who wants to tear down everything about you for no rational reason. Folks in this quadrant are easy to write off because they’re counterproductive and you don’t even know them. Ignore! Engaging won’t make you any better at what you do. And then rest easy, because having haters is proof your work is finding a wide audience and is sparking conversation. Own it.

The general rule of thumb? When you receive negative feedback that falls into one of the top two quadrants—from experts or people who care about you who are engaging with and rationally critiquing your work—you should probably take their comments to heart. When you receive negative feedback that falls into the bottom two quadrants, you should just let it roll off your back and just keep doin’ you. If you need to amp yourself up about it, may I suggest this #BYEHATER playlist on Spotify? You’re welcome.

** I presented The Disapproval Matrix to the fine folks at MoxieCon in Chicago yesterday, and they seemed to find it useful, so I figured I’d share with the class. It was originally inspired by a question my friend Channing Kennedy submitted to my #Realtalk column at the Columbia Journalism Review.

Personally, I take great joy in frenemies, but this matrix is still dazzlingly accurate. LOW-BROW BRILLIANT.

Jimmy Choo’s most-requested shoes over the years, by heel...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:52:58 -0400

Jimmy Choo’s most-requested shoes over the years, by heel height.

I analyzed why we hate the 20 most-hated celebrities.

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:48:26 -0400

I analyzed why we hate the 20 most-hated celebrities.

Lil Bub worked the red carpet last night. In times of chaos, we...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:34:00 -0400

Lil Bub worked the red carpet last night. In times of chaos, we will always have famous cats.

I feel like waxwork artists have something in common with...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:58:47 -0400

I feel like waxwork artists have something in common with undertakers.

TIL steroidal rats are pretty cute.

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:55:09 -0400

TIL steroidal rats are pretty cute.

Joe Jonas totally checks out this guy’s butt @ 0:08.

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 19:01:17 -0400

Joe Jonas totally checks out this guy’s butt @ 0:08.

16C French lady pregnant with “twenty” babies,...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:34:00 -0400

16C French lady pregnant with “twenty” babies, supporting her belly with a hula-hoop.

Tragedy of the heart-shaped uterus: “Uterus didelphis or...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:31:19 -0400

Tragedy of the heart-shaped uterus: “Uterus didelphis or bicornate uterus. The heart-shaped uterus is a uterine malformation where two horns form at the upper part of the uterus. Pregnancies in a bicornate uterus are usually considered high-risk.”

Porn sets without porn occurring on them.

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:42:59 -0400

Porn sets without porn occurring on them.

The 40 images in the baby photo cache Perez Hilton is offering the world “free of...

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:08:39 -0400

The 40 images in the baby photo cache Perez Hilton is offering the world “free of charge” are COMPLETELY INSANE. I almost can’t bear to witness them, and yet, I cannot look away.

Blondes in red dresses, per Naomi Watts’ claim that they...

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:38:22 -0400

Blondes in red dresses, per Naomi Watts’ claim that they look “a little bit porno” in that color. Suddenly, I want to be blonde.

AP photographer finger, notes Emily.

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:19:00 -0400

AP photographer finger, notes Emily.

Portrait of the Teen Heartthrob as Liam Hemsworth. Miley is the...

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:29:00 -0400

Portrait of the Teen Heartthrob as Liam Hemsworth. Miley is the chick with the top knot behind his left shoulder.

cordjefferson: Original rap blog comments section.

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:33:36 -0400

cordjefferson:

Original rap blog comments section.

Photo discovered while working on this blasphemous blog post:...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:09:03 -0400

Photo discovered while working on this blasphemous blog post: Pope Paul VI watching the lunar landing.