Why are you here?

Several people have recently voiced their disappointment at not being noticed on Invisible Poets poetry group. 

This is quite ironic. We are Invisible Poets and we can be invisible. Most poets usually are! When I originally named this group I did so because it has become a universal rite of passage for just about every poet I have ever known. You start off in obscurity and continue that way until either someone with some clout notices you, or you begin to gain some acknowledgement from your peers. And for many, that never happens. You remain invisible. 

So we all have to ask ourselves the question: why are we here? Why do we join poetry groups, and why do we share our poems on Facebook groups, if very few people ever acknowledge, like or comment on our work? To answer that question, perhaps we should all ask ourselves an even more fundamental question: why do we write poetry?

Your answer to that question will be different to mine. We are all unique individuals and our motivation will be just as varied as our personalities. But deep down inside, I think that most of us write poetry because it is an outlet for our ability to infuse words with emotion and meaning. I know that when I write poetry, it is often because I have an idea or a thought that I want to crystallise in words. Sharing it with others is a secondary thing. I have many poets that not even my closest friends or family have ever seen. Perhaps they never will. Such poems are from the deepest recesses of my heart and mind, and perhaps it's better that they were never seen or read by anyone else. 

But when I share a poem (and many of my best ones are never shared!) on a Facebook group, my anticipation is that I will get some feedback from my peers, even if it is a simple 'like'. When this doesn't happen, it can be soul destroying, especially for those individuals who might be a little fragile at the time. Does feedback really matter? For many it really does. 

Perhaps feedback, acknowledgement, recognition is vital for you. So, when it doesn't happen for whatever reason, how do you cope? What is your strategy?  Do you go off into a dark corner and curse, weep and moan? Or do you pick yourself up and go and write a better poem? 

If you're simply posting poetry because you want to express yourself and aren't too bothered whether others read your work or not, then stop reading now.

For those who crave a little more attention for their poetry, here's something to ponder: 

On Facebook one of the main reasons people may not notice your poetry is because they haven't see it. It doesn't appear on their timeline as they scroll through posts. This is usually because you haven't engaged much with other people's posts. Facebook algorithms are designed to encourage social interaction. The more you comment and like other people's poetry, the more likely they are to see you posts coming up in their timelines. 

So next time you feel ignored on a Facebook poetry group, think about commenting on, and liking a few other people's posts. If you regularly do this and build up connections with others in the group, you'll soon begin to see them offering you comments and likes on your posts too.

Steve Wheeler

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