Spreading the Happy

Muhammed from Torrance Daily Breeze was in my home office on Friday night to interview me about the Temple of Fresh & Easy blog–you know, my store obsession blog.

Then came the questions about why I blog about a grocery store. Why especially would I give a business free publicity and get nothing in return? Do I feel like I was taken advantage of?
I know that it is his job to ask the questions and get to the bottom of why some random person would start blogging about a grocery store and expect nothing in return.

The fact that he asked me that question got me thinking.

Have we as a society become so jaded that we question people’s motive for saying nice things about others?

With Web 2.0, we as consumers can now raise our voices like we could never have done before. We can band together to cheer on for the restaurant we love. We can link our arms in verbal protests against a salon that wreck our hair and rape our wallet. We can rate the deodorant we bought yesterday so others may use our input to make a better decision before they buy.

As consumers, you are no longer alone in the dark. Many of us are out there with you.

Sure, floating out there are also people who are professional promoters and endorsers. I can see why some folks, including Muhammed, would question my motive.

I did tell Muhammed that I just like telling people about things that I love. There’s nothing in it for me. I don’t do it for the glory. I don’t do it for fame. I don’t even know if anybody else would drop by any of my blogs at all.

But just in case they do, now they would know about something good they can pick up or a product they shouldn’t try.

For those who know me in person or from this blog, they know that I’m just, well, too damn quirky to have a motive.

I am passionate about things that I love and hate. I will rave about things I love and rant about things I hate. Mediocre stuff just doesn’t really get the mention because, well, it’s not worth the time.

Look at my Yelp! reviews. It’s either love or hate. I don’t do in-betweens. When I love a restaurant, I get everyone to go there. When I hate a restaurant, I will tell anyone who’d listen. I have a coupon for places I love to shop, I pass it around too.

Heck, just last week, I hauled cupcakes from Charmed Cupcakes in Long Beach on the bus to my office Downtown because I love their cakes and want everyone to try them and experience the joy. I could have easily ordered the cupcakes from Silver Lake where we usually do. But we’ve done that. This LB place is new, and it’s good. I feel obligated to spread the word.

See? Here goes the link and the shout out. Haha. Can’t help myself.

Do I get free cake from the shop? No. Just the pleasure to know that now people will enjoy something yummy.

Is my desire to spread the joy I have experienced considered a motive?

Well, heck. I guess I do have a motive after all.

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