John K and The Unlikely Joys of Social Media

BY: NICK IANNITTI  |  General Rambling

Interesting success stories in the social media space are far from difficult to come by.  But every now and then a really unique example of the spontaneity of social channels comes through and manages to surprise even us hardened folks in the industry.

That’s why the re-emergence of a 12-year old letter from Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi is especially refreshing.  Yesterday, the folks at LettersofNote dug up an encouraging letter from John K to at-the-time aspiring child Amir Avni.  The simple and supportive nature of the letter, along with scans of John’s handwritten letter (which, in the age of computer fonts, brings a touching legitimacy) have been enough to skyrocket John K from his quietly steady blogging into a new stratosphere of social media excellence, with Twitter and blogs like Boing Boing waking up to the story in a big way.

The subsequent buzz at Reddit just sweetens the story, with John K himself hopping on the link-sharing site with a brief “IAmA” and diligently answering fan questions, right down to “what is your favorite sandwich?” (Salami, Bacon, Smoked Meat and onions, by the way)  At the time of this post, the discussion has garnered 1157 comments and 2341 votes up.  Oh, and did I mention Reddit changed their logo to honor the cartooning legend?

Perhaps it’s because in the age when so many social media campaigns are strategized and planned to the hilt, it’s nice to see online communities still continuing to still deliver these natural gems, in this case on a private letter written over a decade ago.