This post is part of the Lessons on Blogging meme created by Ben Cook of The Blogging Experiment.
While the primary point of movies is to entertain us, there is a lot to be learned from film, and TV as well. Lessons that you can apply to your job, your hobbies, or your everyday life. There’s a post series on the Blogging Experiment called Lessons on Blogging (that I participated in a couple of months ago) that examines the lessons your favorite TV shows can teach you about blogging.
When Ben invited me to join in the Lessons on Blogging meme, I immediately thought of Cloverfield. There was one huge lesson standing out for me from the whole Cloverfield experience, and it has nothing to do with the plot, the characters, or even the monster.
Listen to your feedback
As a blogger, or anyone really, it can be difficult to listen to feedback and learn from it. Constructive criticism is still criticism, and some don’t handle it well. The Cloverfield crew had no problem with that. When bloggers, including Chris at Movie Marketing Madness, pointed out the potential harm in changing the name from the codename “Cloverfield” to an actual title, they took it to heart.
Whether the decision was made based on the opinions of the internet community, or some clever in-house SEO expert explaining how detrimental the change would be to the internet buzz, the Cloverfield people got the picture and made adjustments to the film so they could keep the name, and the internet goodwill.
The same goes for your blog, or your 9-5 or your everyday life - when someone gives you feedback, listen to it. You don’t have to accept it every time or use it to change a fundamental part of who you are, but most times the feedback can help you improve. As a blogger, that feedback can be in the form of a comment on a post, an email from a reader, or even your traffic logs. Listen to what your readers are telling you and use it to improve.
In non-blogging professions this lesson is just as important. If someone takes the time to give you feedback, it’s most likely because they believe that what they’re telling you can truly help you to improve.
I know there are other lessons to be learned from Cloverfield (how about “Put down the camera and run”?). Want to share one? Have a lesson from your favorite TV show or movie to share? Join the meme! I’d like to tag a few fellow movie bloggers to join in the fun, but everyone’s welcome.
Marina from RowThree.com
Josh from Best Play Ever
Fletch from Blog Cabins
Dan from Popcorn, Soda, and Goobers
Matt from Obsessed with Film
Release Date 12/5/2008 
