First of all, thank you so much for your feedback, whether you left a comment or sent an email, I really do appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts with me. Let me just say first of all that I doubt I will ever quit blogging. Don't worry about that! Yes, there are moments of angst and moments of rethinking how I blog, but I am just enough of an extrovert that I need to keep blogging. But the hard part about being an extrovert who blogs is that extroverts don't just like to talk in a vacuum. It really is the give and take of the conversation that we thrive on, not just the talking. In fact, most people I know who love to just talk and talk and talk without really looking for feedback lean more to the introverted side. Not all introverts, just some.
One of the biggest things I've noticed about the change in blogging is that there are significantly less people commenting and that's across the board. Big blogs, small blogs, professional blogs. A friend pointed out that some very famous, big name bloggers who used to get hundreds of comments per post have dropped to less than a hundred on a regular post (hundreds only if it's a giveaway). I think there are a combination of factors that have contributed to this. Cell phone readers, the duplicity of places to comment (Instagram, FB, Twitter, etc…), and the natural changes in family life are all contributing factors. While I do believe that blogs are not dead, the heyday of blogging has come and gone and bloggers need to accept that.
Change is inevitable in all things, including the blog world. When I mentioned "changes in family life" one of the things I meant was the way my family has grown. I will frequently walk by the family computer and see my kids reading my blog. So, I definitely consider them too when I blog now in a way that I didn't before. Three of them are now teenagers so respecting their privacy is a huge consideration.
I can't complain too much because I know that my personal commenting has changed. When I first started blogging, bloggers were also readers and commenters, not just bloggers. I made a commitment this week to try to increase my commenting but even then, I didn't get a chance to comment as much as I would have liked. Regarding the specific book club question I asked, I think what I had decided on was pretty much confirmed. I am going to continue blogging the way I have and if anyone needs specific details, they can email me for more info.
So, thank you so much for helping me work through this moment of reflection. Now, it's crunch time for Christmas prep. You all have a wonderful weekend!
It's not just extroverts who don't like blogging in a vacuum. Even us introverts like feedback. I used to think if I didn't feel really strongly for or against a post I wouldn't comment. But ever since Jen at Epbot wrote about making an effort to put nice comments in people's com boxes, I've really been making an effort to comment on blogs I follow.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure what to say in feedback - I'm super chatty but also very self critical, so I alternate between commenting often to thinking "I really can't add anything to this." I like your blog just the way it is! I find that I'm mostly just reading you and Leila these days.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, I like feedback too. I don't allow comments on my blog right now, so I pay a lot of attention to my blog stats to see how many people have read my blog. When I post something and I have a lot of readers, I get excited. :)
ReplyDelete"Change in family life" is why I don't comment.....6 kids, 8yrs and under. :) So, a quick read and off I go.....at least I'm reading, right?!?! ha! And, like you said, I usually read on an old iPhone and commenting on it is just too frustrating. Sometimes I'll also get on my laptop and write out a nice semi-lengthy comment and then somehow the backspace gets pressed at the wrong time and the whole webpage goes back....taking my comment with it ( maybe I'm not used to this new laptop yet?). Sigh. I think, also, since I don't have a blog of my own, I'm one of those "anonymous" people to you, so what I would say has the potential of being taken the wrong way, etc. since you don't "know" me. At least with other bloggers, you can get a general feel of their personality/what they're like/understand their sense of humor and so on. Does that make any sense? ANYWAY, those are my "excuses" for not commenting. :) Please know that while I don't often comment, I do so enjoy reading what you have to say that I'll chime in with "don't change a thing." Oh, and speaking of not commenting I never did respond to YOUR RESPONSE about your Etsy shop. I don't have anything particular in mind, just was curious if you would (maybe at some point in the future?) take custom orders, that's all. I've enjoyed seeing your additions! Well, I've taken up enough of your time (and my brood would like to eat!) so I'm off! From my home to yours, I wish you very peaceful and joyous Christmas!! (oh, and can I just add that since I participated in Karen's Jesse Tree Swap, I LOVE having one of your Mary dolls in our home!! "Charlotte from 'Waltzing Matilda'?? Oh, yes, I know her....she's in my living room." ;) )
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about your request for feedback this week and thinking pondering about how blogging has changed. My thoughts brought me to thinking about other changes. I often feel that the homeschooling culture has changed quite a bit in the last few years. I know it's become more mainstream and more popular, but I sometimes feel it's past it's hey-day. I could be wrong and maybe I'm just feeling this way because I'm middle-aged and I finished teaching my last child to read (sniff, I packed away the Bob Books and moveable alphabet last week) and I've lost some of my enthusiasm. However, I think I do feel a difference in the larger community and it's not just me. Young Catholic moms (some who were homeschooled themselves) are opting not to. More are seeking out more organized ways of schooling - charter schools, co-ops and even founding Catholic schools. I've seen in my own group a disintegration of community and everyone going their own way especially with the proliferation of charter schools. It's so different from what I felt in the first 10 years of homeschooling and even with my childhood experience of Catholic parochial school (where almost everyone was a member of the parish). Maybe there is some negative zeitgeist that's effecting all forms of human community??
ReplyDeleteFor me, honestly, it is simply that there are more blogs now. I try to follow a lot of blogs, some for my own betterment and some just because I enjoy the authors and think of them as internet friends. I don’t want to stop following any of them, but there are a lot. I’m catching up this morning from being at least 5 days behind and still have 26 posts left to scan/read. I can’t comment on all of them but I try to comment when I do think something I say might contribute. So one big change might simply be the volume of blogs has increased but the number of hours in the day is the same. :)
ReplyDeleteTaking this all in - nodding in agreement regarding the changes in the blog world, difficulty of commenting on phones, the sheer number of blogs and homeschoolers, and simply not having anything else to add to a post with an already full com box. I agree that extrovert or introvert, it is only human to desire some meaningful connection when you put yourself out there online or in real life. I am just as guilty as the next when it comes to reading without commenting but would love to see a movement back to a community of readers who take the time to make connections.
ReplyDeleteYou are dead on about how so few people get comments on blogs, not that many people ever commented on mine to begin with. :) A big problem is there are just too many blogs out there, so we read, and flutter off to the next one, and the next, and the next. Sometimes, I feel my blog is more for me than anyone else. Other times, you feel like you reached one person and while that isn't a lot...it is too...especially if you were some small part in their conversion. Keep doing what you're doing! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not alone in questioning my blog and its existence. My kids read my blog now, too, and I think it stifles my writing. It is probably a good thing because the stories I told are their stories to tell.
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