If a tree falls in the forest when nobody is there, does it still make a sound?
I used to feel that way about this blog. Well, sometimes I still do.
My reasons for blogging aren't big or important. Mostly it is because I live far from family and old friends and felt it was a little presumptuous to send the constant stream of emails bragging on my kids with all the attendant photos. I figure of anyone wants to know what's up in our life, they can come here to find out and if they don't care, they don't have to keep getting my self-important emails.
I also like to write. Sometimes I wish I actually had something important to say.
It's not that I expect hoards of readers, or anything in the way of spirited discussion.
But, for the longest time, I sort of felt like it was throwing a party where nobody came. I guess I expected more people to post comments or something. I mean, Dooce gets like 900 comments a day on her blog, I usually get ZERO. But, I'm thinking that those 900 comments really translate into, oh, I dunno, maybe a bazillion readers or something, because the last week or two, I've heard a lot of this:
Girl Scout Mommy: "I read your post about evolution, and I thought to myself, 'I have to get to know Pam better!'" Wow- and I was actually worried about offending people with that one!
Baseball Coach: "I hope you don't mind, but I clicked on that 'my blog' link at the bottom of your email. Is it OK that I read that stuff?" Of course! That's why it's there!
Neighbor at a cocktail party: "I must confess, I feel like a voyeur when I read your blog, but I can SO relate to it, your post about Bridget's singing was JUST LIKE what happened with my 20-year old 10 years ago..." Which sparked a lovely discussion from which I learned a lot about how to support Bridget in this potentially new activity which I'd never before considered.
So, to my bazillion anonymous readers out there in the bloggosphere: yes you are allowed to be here, and most importantly thanks for coming. Enjoy!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
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3 comments:
I LOVED THIS.
I have felt the same way. I used to get quite a few more comments then I do now on my personal blog. But I will tell you the secret to that is WORK...commenting on other people's blogs, etc. I found it was about 4 to 1. You would get a comment on your blog for every 4 you put out there. I soon ran out of time to write because I was so busy commenting on other people's writing. Then I stepped back to what I loved about blogging. Writing stuff that makes me giggle and then leisurely reading what I want to on other blogs...no pressure. My comments have decreased, but overall I am much more satisfied. And the people that do comment do so because they want to not because I stalked them into it.
I also like that I write things I would never say in real life so my friends and family have gotten to know me better. I love that comment about the evolution post.
Holly
I feel the same way! Funny thing is, I just got a comment from my writer cousin Leslie, asking me why I haven't blogged in awhile. It's nice to know there's "someone" out there just the littlest bit interested in what I have to say. I do think there are more people reading than you think. Do you have a Analytics account set up so you can see how many people go to the site and when and from where?
I know what you mean. For a year or so I got very few comments. It was okay with me because the reason for the blog was to be a journal of my life, one that I could share with anyone interested. But as time has passed, I have been surprised at how many people are actually reading what I write. They may not visit every day, but they certainly come by regularly. Adding the Followers button helped me realize that I have some faithful readers and using Statcounter (or Google Analytics or other counter) helps me see how many people come by each day, and how they are getting to my blog.Commenting on others is good too, it's like manners, you know, but it does take time and most of us have a limited amount of that. I try to stop at my favorite blogs at least weekly to let them know I'm still reding them.
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