The introvert's guide to getting noticed

I had the same first reaction; being an intense introvert. To that part of me – the part that has dealt with depression my whole life – it sounded just like the advice I think all people who deal with clinical depression get: "Just be happy! Problem solved!" "Sad? Cheer up! Thats what I do!"

However, on the opposite side, sometimes you do just have to grit your teeth and get started.

Anecdotally, a few years ago I was in a outdoor shopping center and noticed a boxing gym tucked away behind some other store-fronts. And in that moment, I said "fuck it, I'm going to learn to box". I wasn't particularly in shape, nor is "fighting" really in my social demeanor; I'm kinda of a pacifist. It was awkward, difficult, and at times painful. But it was also intensely rewarding, and I ended up training for the next 3 years and even competed in some amateur events.

Sometimes, it does help to just take a dive.

But I think there is a subtle difference that a lot of people overlook when it comes to introversion. Some people are introverted because they fear failure and lack confidence. Other people are introverted, not because of social incompetence, but because they just don't enjoy superficial - and i don't mean that in a condescending way, but to highlight the difference between 'acquaintance' and 'friend' - connections with other human beings and such interactions are inherently draining, not invigorating.

This is probably good advice for the former, not so much for the latter.

All that said, I honestly do wish the OP the best of luck in their 52 week challenge, and I hope that it helps them improve whatever they feel they need to personally improve. More power to you!

Prepare to be disappointed, especially by the meetups. The meeters-up may not be a bunch of "greasy salespeople", but that doesn't make them (the meetups) awesome by default.

In my experience most meetups, unless they are specifically culled, super narrow (language, stack, hardware, industry specific etc...) or invite-only are typically made up of "wantrepreneurs," people who want you to sign an NDA to talk to them, grease-ball recruiters, a few rare independent people and the token public sector person trying to do tech-transfer or some other hare-brained initiative that is only good for the city/state/federal government.

Not necessarily related to introverts per-se, but I see it a lot in the geeky stereotype.

Try getting good clothes. Go to a good store and let the people do their thing. (Or otherwise find some fashion advice).

I did this as an experiment a few years back. Just walked into a place, gave em some cash and said make me look less of a dork. (I usually just wore slacks and a plain tshirt, mostly dark colors, nothing worth noting other than it's lameness and banality.)

The difference was immediate. Night and day. People just noticed and responded better to me, everywhere. It was like this secret power, just putting on a Wardrobe of Charisma +5. It was bizarre.

I haven't kept it up at all, mainly due to lack of need of charisma in general. I've known that dressing up, like wearing a good suit, can be effective in social engineering situations, but I wasn't aware of how powerful just dressing "nice" versus "usable" had just walking around.

I'm sure this is all well-known to most people and you might be shaking your head at the basics of life I am so amazed by, but perhaps someone will find this an interesting anecdote.

Edit: I'd also note that I did what he suggested, too. I look back at my blog and cringe. But I got a fair amount of contacts, book deals (which I never followed through on properly), even respect from strangers on a few occasions, on account of me being active publicly. And back then people linked a lot to random blog posts (maybe they still do) and without any effort, I had a PR6 site which was sorta cool. As a bad career move, I got embarrassed about things and decided I wasn't as good as I thought I was and stopped writing and self-promoting. Traffic and PR went down accordingly.

Hello troll. I knew you'd show up. In case you missed it in the article...

"Understand trolls will always try and bring you down.

It's easier said than done. The reality is, it stings. You'll question your work. You'll start seeing their point. You just have to realize they are wrong. Chances are, they are an insecure douche and have nothing better to do with their time than belittle other people. They are faceless."