Please disregard the sound of desperation in this blog post.
It has bothered me for quite some time now and I just simply have to get it off my chest. This is not the first time...click here But I will try a different approach. Although the demanding desperate plea for followers did land me two new followers which is 1/3 of my total following so what the hell. Here we go again. However, as I mentioned I will try a different approach. But first please allow me to complain.
I have been blogging for about 7 months. 7 months of pouring out my thoughts, feelings and opinions; which by the way I think are quite interesting. The problem is no one else does apparently. I went forever it seemed with one follower. Gradually I picked up a couple more but then nothing.
I decided my blog was blah, and it was. At that time I wasn't savy enough to design my own page, add pics, links, etc. I spent countless hours working on it and I must say it has improved drastically. But still no new followers. I can clearly see that my blog is visited quite often, I have many new people view it daily however, my returning visitiors number is around 2.
I have regular visitors that comment but do not follow but since they comment often I know that they are following, kinda, right? So if you are one of those people, could you please explain?
I really wanna know what is the deal with this. So I am gonna ask for comments or suggestions. Why is it that many do not return. Hell, if you just read this and plan on not returning leave me a comment and tell me what it is that put you off. I really wanna know. Does the content suck? Am I not expressive enough? Is it too vanilla? Do I appear too desperate? What is it? I gotta know. So please throw a dog a bone here and let me know your honest opinion. What am I missing here? Why did you choose not to follow? I gotta know.
I don't follow blogs, in fact, I chose not to even include followers gadget in my blog template design. Why? The follow option is kind of like using Reader - it gives you easy access to the blogs you read most frequently from your blogger dashboard. It's not very useful and quite redundant when you already subscribe via a Reader.
ReplyDeleteI also found that it "bothered" me when I lost a follower and I started being to fanatical with "Oh my God! What did I do??" and then trying to figure out who left me.
I figured it was better to just write and let the blog be the blog!
But then I don't do the Stat Counter thing either for the very same reasons!
I will say that I'm really bad about following blogs. Even blogs that I read every day! I guess I'm too focused on the content of the post to even pay attention to the side bar? I don't know...
ReplyDeleteBut I'm reading! That's the important part, right? ;)
I've also found that you have to comment a lot to get comments. I'm not saying that you don't, but that's just what I've noticed personally.
You are also going to have tons of people that read your blog that will never EVER leave a comment. It's just how it goes.
Chin up!
I use reader, so there is no point in me following blogs. It's all there in my reader. I love comments too, but first and foremost I blog as an outlet. Not to get more followers. If I did, I would probably be upset all the time and wonder why people didn't like me. It's like high school all over again. lol. If you have a stat counter and are happy with that number, then why focus so much on the following/commenting part?
ReplyDeleteDana- Good stuff, That clears up a lot for me. And yes you are right if someone left I would probably go insane trying to figure out who it was that dumped me. The Stat Counter thing I actually learned of by reading one of your blogs. You mentioned it in a blog about Blogger Etiquette so I looked it up to see what you were referring to and boy did I learn a lot.
ReplyDeleteCandice- I try not to comment if I do not have something relevant to say, which is often. I sometimes feel like people comment just to comment where I try to comment only if it is relevant to me. But I have learned that bloggers really love comments so I plan to work on that.
Carolyn-Do not get me wrong, I do blog as an outlet but I guess the more I visited other blogs and saw mass followings I began to wonder why not me?? You are correct...like high school.
Thanks you ladies for your feedback. It certainly clears up some things and it is much appreciated.
Not sure if this helps but I don't "follow" blogs either. I'm not really sure how it would benefit me or the blogger and don't understand it so I just leave it alone.
ReplyDeleteHowever, on MY blog I only add the blogs I check regularly onto my blog roll so really being on that list is much better than me just following you.
When it comes to commenting I always worry about OVER commenting for some reason. So I tend to comment sparingly and maybe it will have more impact, or something lol
Hope that helps!
I have found this most enlightening. I always wondered the same things as Raquel.
ReplyDeleteI just learned a boat load of how bloggers feel other than myself from your comments.
Thanks Raquel and all your commenters!
I DO follow a lot of blogs because it's easier for me to keep up from the Blogger Dashboard. I never remembered to check my reader, but I always check on my dashboard and know when someone posts something new. :-)
ReplyDeleteAll Click--Exactly how I feel about commenting, and when I do comment I find it hard not to carry on as if I chose the topic to begin with. I'm not really up on "reader" and the "blog roll" that is referenced here in the comments but my job is quite boring currently so I guess thats my next lesson.
ReplyDeletePeg- I swear we must have been seperated at birth...You rant about my issues, I ask your questions etc. etc. lol I too have learned a lot form these comments.
ETW- I follow the same path as you, except for the "reader part". Thanks again everyone for the comments
I don't follow either, and don't elicit others to follow me. And I don't go blog to blog in hopes of a return comment. I read maybe 6-10 blogs a day, a few more on my days off.
ReplyDeleteI don't use reader. I have a link list on my sidebar of people I read, and I just click from there. I don't add to it any longer.
Any new blogs that I come across and read, I simply add to my browser on the Favorites tab. (Like yours)
Just be yourself and write what what you feel. People will either like you or not. DO NOT fall into a quid pro quo blogging/comment habit.
And Candice is right...you have more readers than you think because many people for many reasons, never comment on blogs.
I've been doing this over 4 years. I have fewer comments than I did when I did the blog to blog to comment for comment thing, but...
I have more readers and hits today than I have ever had. I think it's because I am just writing what I feel and saying what I think.
Sorry to be so damn long winded. Have a wunnerful day.
Cheers Roc!!
Matt-Man- Great Tips! I think you have more readers b/c of the Wild Irish Thing. Lol...That's what caught my attention.
ReplyDeleteI followed :)
ReplyDeleteMAMA4REAL--Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI just noticed your following me. That's how much attention I pay. Here's the deal. Go to my blog post 1219. If you can get yourself between picture one and picture two I'll sign up too. Post a picture!!
ReplyDeleteAnd comment on other people's blogs.
I forgot to mention. You want to really get depressed about followers and comments? Go see Jay's last post http://cynicalbstd.blogspot.com/ .
ReplyDeleteOK I signed up although I'm not sure from where. I hit 'follow' (already logged onto blogger) and it asked me to log on. I used the google link which is somehow different than blogger but I can't remember why. I've got so many logon's I can't remember them all.
ReplyDeleteMike- Thanks either way. I will visit Jay's and also try to figure out what it is exactly you are asking me to do with the pic part :)
ReplyDeleteI was asking you to see if you could get your waist down to between 17" and 14". You could do it if you really really wanted to, really. Show us pictures too.
ReplyDeleteMike- No, I really couldn't unless you want me to pass out. I have an idea you do it first and then I'll try:)
ReplyDeleteHaha...I read this now! I hope you have more followers than when you posted this! Just a note, although I'm sure this is passed for you, but I don't use any sort of reader, and I don't follow bloggers, I'm kinda old-school and I just bookmark and check daily for my favorite blogs. There. A run on sentence for you!
ReplyDelete