This is what my blog feels like lately:
Image courtesy of Wikimedia
Within the past couple of months I have noticed a strange ripple in blogosphere, and specifically within the teeny-tiny space that my blog occupies.
First, I’ve encountered Ghost Bloggers. These “people” have a username but no site. That’s right, no site at all.
Second, are Frenemies. These are bloggers who have followed my blog, giving me that warm fuzzy feeling that I’ve made a new friend. So, I went to their site and found that, wow, this is not a person who posts about writing or life (pretty much all I post), so why are they following me? Regardless, I followed back because my mother taught me manners. I even thanked them for following and told them how pretty their blog looks on them. But I have never seen or heard from them again.
Next up are The Reader Stalkers. These are the bloggers who scroll through the reader every day and hit the “Like” button for every single post they see. They do not read these posts. Oh no, not The Reader Stalkers. They can’t actually read a post. They can only ‘like’ a post.
Probably the worst group are the MeMeMeMe Bloggers. These people only follow my blog because they have just self-pubbed and they want my attention on their new book. Okay, fine, I’ll check you out. I’ll follow back. I’ll read your posts and your “About Me” pages. I’ll comment once or twice a week. But I don’t get the same treatment in return. I can probably name 20 blogs right now who are supposed “followers” of mine who have never never made a single comment on my blog, even though I have left dozens of comments on their blogs.
Last, but not least, are the Pseudo Bloggers. They aren’t really bloggers at all, but use a WordPress blog to sell a product, and I don’t mean books. I mean sunscreen. Theatrical costumes. Music CDs. Are these spammers? I have no idea, but they’re getting through Akismet and following my blog. Damnable creatures.
Anyway, all of this is more of a nuisance than a legitimate problem–at least, for now. I am still able to find the humor. But I do sense a shift in blogosphere and I wonder where all of this is really headed.
How about you? What has been your strangest encounter in blogosphere?
I think the strangest are the ones that follow me but then I never hear from them again. Like you, I use to follow in return thinking it was polite, but then when I was inundated with posts about things I had no idea about I stopped doing that. If I don’t have something in common I no longer return the follow. There are only so many hours in the day and I can’t get to the blogs I love as much as I would like to.
Hi Kate,
I think I’m going to have to do that, too. Only follow if I have something in common with the blogger. Part of me felt guilty for doing that, but now that I see other bloggers who I respect do it, I don’t mind jumping on the bandwagon.
I was going to just ‘like’ this post and then leave but thought I’d better not
Yes, when managing our blogs, we also need to be super sleuths, don’t you think? It’s all very tiring *sigh*
Right from the beginning, I decided to only follow blogs I truly, truly wanted to read, otherwise, whether they followed me or not, liked my posts or not, I would not follow them. Maybe, if they have left a comment on mine, I will go to their’s and comment, and of course, thank them for popping over to see what I’m up to, but then leave it at that.
And there are enough ones I love to read without clogging up my feeder with posts I just delete anyway.
Ahhh, the life of a blogger, hey? Someone pass me another wine.
Hahaha. Actually, I thought about that and wondered if some bloggers might feel pressured to comment on this, but have no time, and decide to not do anything at all!
I don’t mind it when bloggers ‘like’ a post here and there when they’re commenting on other posts. I certainly don’t expect a comment on everything I post, because I know it’s humanly impossible.
You were smart to make a decision ahead of time over how you would handle the community. I was quite naive when I started blogging and was so desperate for someone to read my stuff that any ‘likes’ or hits or random comments sent my tail feathers fluttering.
No more, though. I’m getting burned out.
Skip the glass. I’ll pass you the bottle.
HAAAAAAAAAAA! Oh my god, this is gold!
I know those ‘likes’ and fell for them immediately when I first started blogging – I could probably say who they are, but I think we all know them
I’ve only had one ‘ghost blogger’ last week who left quite a strange comment (kinda nasty) on one of my blogs – I didn’t ‘approve’ but that was only because I couldn’t find their blog.
I’ve come to know the ‘MeMeMeMe Bloggers’ well and have bought (yes – paid for) their books only to find they want me to write a lovely review – which is really embarrassing when their story is (let’s just say) less than you’re good average novel. What do you do then? ‘Um – sorry I don’t do reviews?’
I’m not sure I have any Pseudo Bloggers – but who knows – I may have fallen for their trickery and not even realised!
Now I’m coming back to this tomorrow to see who has ‘liked’ and not left a comment
One of my ghost bloggers has a French profile. I got an email notification from WordPress but in French! Never before have I seen that. When I clicked on the information, WP told me no site could be found.
A fellow blogger posted a rather distressing article, and got three random ‘likes’ with no follow-up comments. Even she had to comment on her own post singling them out as WP spammers. I mean, you know when you’ve written a good or important article and you only get a like that the people didn’t actually read it.
As I was saying above, I don’t mind fellow bloggers who swing by and ‘like’ some of my posts when I know they’re commenting on other posts of mine. I don’t expect every single follower to comment on ALL of my posts. That would be ridiculous. But you quickly learn who the true followers are.
haha, yeah, I am curious to see how many bloggers will just randomly like this. Although I may have scared off other bloggers who really don’t have the time to sit and comment!
I think that French one got me the other day! LOL I only follow back if I have something in common or like the other bloggers posts. I can only spend so much time during a week actually working . . . I mean, reading the blogs I follow.
I thought you’d enjoy this update. See the little icon with the green gem that has ‘liked’ this post? Well, the username is Writing Jobs and here is a comment Writing Jobs has left for me:
Nice piece of writing today. Thanks for sharing. Here is a great writing opportunity I recommend to all writers. It was a great decision for me. Have a great day. Writing Jobs – Writers Wanted
This ‘person’ also just started following me today, so this comment is sitting in my queue begging to be approved. Hmm. I’m gonna have to have myself a think over that one.
I’ve seen that one before myself. It used to be the magical spam-shroom, but I guess he got tired of the jokes and changed the picture. Oh well. Same text, and I always delete that comment.
Oh yeah! I remember seeing that mushroom gravatar…it’s all coming together now.
No – don’t approve anything from the little green mushroom. I’ve had that before and I contacted the site admin who told me it’s spam and they’re trying to get rid of it. I’ve seen it on other blogs as well. Just ignore it and it won’t come back (it hasn’t for me).
Fantastic post!
Done. Comment is marked as spam and sent outta here!
I applaud you for being a good, polite, reciprocal blogger, Kate…because I can’t do the same.
I’m fairly good at spotting the spammers or Reader Stalkers, so no worries about follow-backs, there. (If a new blogger comments, I’ll at least check out their site, to see if it fits with my interests.) But a commenter (or blogger) has to impress me for me to actually subscribe. I’ve been able to find some great ones – insightful, inspiring, funny, full of talent – but even my relatively small number of subscriptions has felt overwhelming, at times.
I think this post hearkens back to the idea that statistics don’t matter. To some extent, your numbers (hits, subscribers, comments) are a sign of measurable weblog “success” … but what do they really mean, beyond the numbers? You’re creating a niche of cyberspace that’s for you, a place for you to share part of your life’s interests and passions, and that’s really what matters. Whenever I get to thinking about the value of those numbers, I always remind myself that I’d rather have a handful of readers be genuinely interested in my posts than a million who just click a button and leave.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!
Part of my upbringing was to always give back, so it seemed like a no-brainer to me. But as I have been struggling over how much time I’m putting into the blogging I started looking more closely at the interactions and that’s when I discovered very few of my followers actually, truly follow me.
I don’t so much care about the stats as I care about the fact that I’m putting genuine effort into building relationships. I don’t have 30+ hours to spare on blogging but that’s what I have been investing. When half of that time is on bloggers who don’t return the favor or worse–who don’t even reply to the comments I make on their blogs–then that’s a problem.
As I said above, I’m starting to get burned out with all of this blogging so I need to make major adjustments.
You enjoy your Sunday also!
Great resumee of the strange virtual world we bloggers inhabit – everything ultimately heads towards spam, self-advertisement and downright malicious. Somewhere in between are true blog friends and followers, – it’s like finding nuggets of gold in a dry river bed
Absolutely, there are more genuine blogging friends/followers than there are the wastoids. I am done with the wastoids. I am not giving them a chance anymore. They can go bug somebody else.
I get a few of the ghost bloggers—people with gravatars but no tie to any blog or real website that I can find. Some legitimate readers can look like this, though. Some of my family and friends follow my blog by email, and by logging in to WordPress with their email, they can comment. But they don’t have their own blogs.
Early on, I followed nearly everyone who followed me, too, even though their blogs weren’t really of interest to me. Now, I’m more selective. Some people are simply trying to inflate the number of followers, even if there’s no interaction with others by commenting/liking each others’s posts. I’ve decided some people may just like the idea of my WIPs and are curious to read about them and me before the publication. If that’s the case, maybe I’ve got a start on my future audience.
Are the reader stalkers the ones who like our posts but the daily views stat doesn’t go up when they do? (Yes, I’ve studied such things.
) I’d guess they’re trying to raise their numbers by getting the “likees” to visit their blogs in return….
And the memememe bloggers make me cringe. I understand we have to market ourselves, even with traditional print novels. But there are right ways to do it. Daily posts that beg “buy my book, buy my book” are not the right way.
I suppose everything has its downside, and the popularity of blogging has undoubtedly resulted in some people using it for their own less-than-polite/altruistic/informative/creative purposes. Like Mayumi above, my main interest is with those who truly enjoy reading the blog and interacting with each other.
That said, I know I have some people reading regularly who don’t leave comments and likes because they don’t think they have anything meaningful or interesting to add—or they just don’t comment.
There are days when I wish we could “approve” who follows our blogs….!
Yes, I know the visitors you’re talking about who are real people but don’t have a WP blog. Some are family members or even, they have a blog through Blogger or something. I was notified by WP in French that I have a new follower. Parlez-vous? So I clicked on the gravatar and the username but WP can’t locate the site. This is different than someone from Blogger or someone who has an email address that they’re using to follow me.
Yes, there are a lot of bloggers who don’t blog as regularly as I do and only make the rounds a few times a month rather than weekly. And I’m okay with that, because when they do comment, they go all out and so I know the effort they make is truly important to them.
I certainly don’t expect everyone to be jumping on all of my posts and commenting, that’s crazy. But why do people need to bother me for their own purposes? I don’t get it.
I did wonder about that, whether we could block someone from following if they’re not spam. I know they’re not causing great harm, they’re not being malicious, so I can deal, really. I’m just feeling grumpy, I guess. I’m burned out, overwhelmed, and needing to make a drastic change to my blogging habits.
I have bad blogging habits.
Well, WordPress may think they’re good—I leave my main internet pages (including you-know-what!) up and running all day. I must change that if I’m going to finish my WIPs in this lifetime.
So I’m soon going to switch to evenings only for the blog, except for my posting days. That’s my least creative time of day. The most productive times should be devoted to writing, when possible.
Yes! That’s exactly what I do, leave stuff running all day long. My excuse is that if I ever get 15 minutes, then I know I can jump on my blog or other blogs and get some comments in without wasting time for everything to load.
Very good idea. I was wondering how other bloggers schedule their time, and fitting blogging in during your least creative time is very wise indeed.
Hey there♫ I’m a hovering follower…just seeing what it takes to have a successful blog, not commenting, but using you as a mentor…I’m just new in the whole bloggersphere♪
Oh, you raise a good point I meant to add in my original comment.There are new bloggers (and people not yet blogging) who are looking for helpful hints and ideas from established sites. That’s an excellent point for us to remember.
Hello hovering follower
I really love your musical notes!
I appreciate you swinging by and saying hi! You’re smart to wade your way through various blogs to get some ideas on how to best get your own blog up and running.
As you can see, there are some do’s and don’ts
I think one of the most important things to remember when blogging is to reciprocate. If you want people to follow you, then visiting other blogs and joining in the conversations that you find interesting is the best way. Also, when people comment on your posts, reply to those comments so your visitors know that you care that they stopped by and took some time to engage in a conversation.
It will take some time to build your community. It won’t happen overnight. I started my blog in September-ish (or October? I can’t remember!) And I didn’t really get a steady following until around February. But I stuck it out and visited sites that posted topics that interested me the most: writing, life, family, environment/nature, etc.
Have you used the topic search in the Reader? You can find blogs via topics that interest you. Or one thing I did was to read blogs who were followers of a couple of blogs that I really liked. Kind of like climbing the branches of a tree.
Feel free to hover as long as you need to. Again thanks for introducing yourself, and good luck with your blog-building!
I love how you’ve categorized these strange creatures! I have experienced them all! I guess it all just goes with the territory. I do wonder, like you, where it’s all headed. When we choose to share our lives in the blogosphere, I think most of us just hope we can help others, entertain others or educate others.
I have definitely wondered if the numbers and stats mean anything at all.
Hi Anne,
I had to put names to the images to make it more interesting.
Yes, I suppose it is part of the territory and I’ll get over it.
In a way, I’m kind of happy that all of this has transpired as it is has propelled me to make some overdue changes with my blogging habits.
I would comment but as I am late reading its all been said
Haha! Okay–and I appreciate you reading.
I think you about summed up a chunk of the blogging world. I try not to follow many blogs because i know i can’t/won’t read all those posts. And if i follow you, it is with the intention of reading–at least most of the time. It’s hard though, when someone follows, and you feel obligated re quid pro quo. I eventually decided not to cave into the knee-jerk follow, because i don’t want to become one of those chronic “likers.”
You enjoy your Sunday, Kathryn
That is exactly what I have come to–being selective with who I follow back. And I don’t want to be a chronic liker either, because that’s not why I’m blogging in the first place. Eventually I will find my right balance.
Thanks! You have a wonderful Sunday, too.
I can relate. I try to follow most of the people who follow me. I’ve been disappointed many a time when I see that someone’s followed my blog, and when I go to check it out, it’s just a blog trying to sell something and has nothing to do with anything that I’m interested in. I’ve only had one or two that were just trying to sell their book, but it’s still kind of sad.
I loved this post. I’ve never really thought about breaking down the different types of bloggers, but this was just perfect.
Hey there! It is sad when we run into telemarketing blog-style. What would that be? Blogomarketing?
Thank you. I’m glad you got a kick out of it. I had to put a humorous spin on something that is otherwise rather aggravating.
Have a wonderful Sunday!
This is a great post. One that I think many of us have toyed with writing but didn’t know how to do so in a proper manner. But you covered it beautifully. And I’ve enjoyed reading through the comments and found myself frequently nodding.
In a perfect world with endless time, I could follow everyone who follows me and not care whether they ever comment on my site or not. In fact, there are a few blogs I follow where I comment and like their content, though they rarely, if ever, do the same with mine. And that’s fine. I keep going back because I like their content. But for the most part, I follow and interact with those who follow and interact with me. I see that less as a “well, if you don’t comment on my blog, I won’t comment on yours” and more of a necessity based on the reality of our busy lives.
It’s gotten to the point where I have to be very select with who I follow, which I guess is a good thing, but also frustrating at times, because there really are some wonderful bloggers out there who I know I’m missing out on.
Oh, and I meant to add, I’m so glad I found yours. Always good stuff over here.
First, thank you for your kind words
I love this community and am very grateful for all the blogging I get to exchange with everyone else. Thank goodness for you all because otherwise this would be a very lonely place!
I like that you mentioned commenting on blogs due to enjoyable content without caring if they return the favor. I think that’s really true, and a point I should have made in my rant.
There are a few blogs I read, comment, and return to read and comment again. Even if I don’t hear back from them, I’m okay with it too because that’s the way it goes sometimes.
We have to choose our battles.
And yes, I keep running into great blogs too and I have to really think about whether I can fit any of them in. A lot does depend on how often they post. More than twice a week might persuade me that I can’t keep up properly with it, and that I should just admire it from a distance.
I agree. Although I admire bloggers who can post daily or several times a week, I’m less inclined to follow, just because I really can’t keep up with it. Or, if I do follow them, I might only be able to stop by a couple times a week.
I admire those bloggers, too. I hope they realize for all their followers to comment on all of their posts is practically impossible and won’t mind our less frequent visits.
But why don’t you mention the wonderful group of readers/bloggers that just enjoy the linking of minds across the ether?
Paul, a huge oversight!
Actually, I really needed to get my ranting off my chest so that I can move on and focus on the blogs that really matter. Like yours. 
The unfortunate part to all of this is that a lot of my time was taken up by blogs that don’t reciprocate. I was making too much of an effort trying to build relationships with them when what I should have been doing is spending more time with bloggers who do care what I have to say.
Golly, thought it was about time I replied to your reply to mine and not only have 7 days gone by, your Post is clearly competing for the Guinness Book of Records 2012. (Maybe showing my age – is that still published?)
I’ve been banging on about this elsewhere but there’s something I sense happening in this new virtual world. That is the power of linking arms across cultures and continents; perhaps that should be better described as linking keyboards!
At many levels; political, economic, environmental, social, business this feels like the end of an era. Unlike earlier major societal changes this one carries the potential of the end of life as we know it. (Apologies for a plug but if anyone hasn’t seen David Roberts’ 15-minute video on where the biosphere could be heading, then do watch it http://learningfromdogs.com/2012/08/14/from-feeling-to-doing/ )
There are hundreds of thousands of good, ordinary folk, possibly even millions, who care and who worry. In earlier times those cares and worries would hardly have registered in any form of consciousness – may a grumble in one’s pint of beer down at the local pub at best!
Now the number of people writing, blogging, commenting, debating, listening to the thoughts of others, and much more, is truly enormous, beyond any other form of communication that has ever existed.
This IS the revolution that is taking place, a peaceful, sharing of minds revolution. It may just be the saving of us all!
Now what was the question again?
Hey Paul, I welcome the plug of your post–thanks for sharing it. Of course you’re right, there are far more people determined to do good as opposed to those who are indifferent or who want to be destructive in some way. This one post of mine has obviously struck a chord with a lot of people and I liked seeing the common ground we all share. For the most part, we see this glitch in cyberspace and have figured out a peaceful, non-destructive, even lighthearted way to handle it. Thanks for commenting again!
Love the post. I have so many of the same creatures. I find it amusing. My follower count has grown, up to almost 160 WP followers (not including ones it counts from other linked services) and I look at my actual hits… No, I don’t have anywhere near that many REAL followers. The numbers don’t match up at all. And then there’s the one that’s been mentioned above, the times where you get a Like, but no change in stats.
It’s not so much that I care about the stats. I just hate that icky feeling that someone is only pretending they give a crap.
Oh, and add me to the tally of those who won’t auto-follow back. I’m the same on Twitter. I won’t do it because I know there are many out there who are only interested in you as a tick on their tally sheet. Of course, by the same token, I don’t expect to BE followed back either.
Perfectly said: “It’s not so much that I care about the stats. I just hate that icky feeling that someone is only pretending they give a crap.” That’s my issue also. But it must work for these folk somewhere, otherwise they wouldn’t be doing it all over the place.
So, I won’t approve that comment that I mentioned above as it is obviously self-serving. And we’ll have to see what ‘he’ does next.
If my past experience is any indication, ‘he’ will do nothing. Probably won’t even notice, to tell you the truth. I think I have three or four incarnations of the magic spam-shroom in my followers list. Once I got him twice in one day, as writer jobs and again as easy writer jobs. Because, you know, I wasn’t interested if it wasn’t easy. :p
haha! Well, at least he is providing some good blog fodder, if nothing else.
Great post – I always feel a bit guilty about just swinging by and ‘liking’ stuff without leaving a comment – I’m intention-rich and time-poor – but sometimes the reading bit is all I can manage. I still consider myself a newbie to all this and fall foul of the established etiquette without realising.That said, when I get the opportunity to reciprocate I really enjoy it, just wish I could do more.
It is sooo difficult to keep up with all the blogs that interest us, isn’t it. When you factor in the time to read the post and compose a well-written reply (plus editing the reply because I’m OCD when it comes to editing) it’s no wonder it seems like we’re blogging constantly!
That’s me too, wishing I could do more. Hopefully as I reconstruct my blogging habits I’ll be able to do more on the blog that really interest me
Thanks for swinging by.
Yes, at first I reciprocated and followed back anyone who followed me, but it all gets too much, so I’ll tend to check them out and see first. If I don’t follow them back but they then start regularly commenting on my posts, then I may then go and have another look at theirs and a rethink.
I don’t necessarily mind those that follow but never like or comment because maybe some people just like to read different blogs, but not interact with them, that’s their choice.
I will quite often just like people’s posts and not comment, it’s just a way of showing that I’ve read it and like it, but perhaps haven’t got time to comment, or don’t have anything to say!
What bugs me most though is people who never reply to comments on their blog, or only reply to a few comments. I find that a bit rude. If someone has a huge following and receives hundreds of comments then fair enough, they don’t have time to respond to them all, but if they are only getting a few comments then I personally think they should disable the comments function on their site if they’re not going to reply.
Hi Vanessa,
I agree–if people follow but don’t want to comment that’s okay with me, too. No skin off my nose. But when they don’t respond to comments that I make on their blog? That’s very rude. It takes a lot of time to comment, esp. on longer, controversial pieces. They should disable comment feature, you’re right.
No, I don’t have time to comment on every single post that bloggers write. I told myself that for people I regularly engage with I would strive to comment on all of their posts. For bloggers who post more than twice a week however, I can’t keep up. So, I’ll do a couple of comments and then a couple of likes.
You raise a good point about the liking without commenting. There are lots of posts that don’t necessarily warrant a comment, or I can’t think of anything to say, so I’ll only like it. Where people get themselves into trouble (with me) is when they’re chronic likers and that is all they do.
Yes, I know what you mean, sometimes a ‘like’ will appear so quickly after posting that you think “hmmm, I’m not sure you’ve even had time to read that”, and it’s the same ones that do that regularly; you do feel they are just trying to entice you to their blog.
Yes, it can be disheartening. But as long as I’m not spending time and energy on their blogs then I’ll just ignore the chronic likers. If traffic is that important to them, then they need to go ‘like’ someone else.
There is a reason it is called “SOCIAL” media! Be social people!
When I give someone’s blog the “ol’ college try” and read, like, comment (if moved to do so) and NEVER hear anything back, I give up. There are too many people I want to interact with to waste time on those who don’t want to play nicely. Didn’t their mother’s teach them etiquette?
Your post goes hand-in-hand with my post yesterday on “false friends.”
Yes, this post was spurred by a need to change my blogging habits. I have spent too much time reading and commenting on blogs who don’t reciprocate, or at the very least don’t respond to comments I make on their posts. And I like the interactions–that’s the point of blogging.
I have to pare down the number of blogs I follow, and then only engage with the bloggers who care that I care.
I noticed that too. I was prepping this post when your post went live. I thought, now there’s a good one-two punch.
Okay I hope you’re ready this isn’t going to be a short one. I don’t know which I enjoyed more, your wonderfully colorful post! Or the comments that followed. I loved the labels. I actually bought a couple of the books from the me,me,me,bloggers. So far haven’t gotten overly excited about the read. the other one I know for a fact is out there is the reader stalkers. The piece I wrote for yesterday was unusually long. I published it the night before so I was sitting right there about 5 seconds later when the story was “liked” nothing else just an immediate like. That was not a short story, no one could have read that in 5 seconds. I’m fairly new to blogging. I wrote a couple this spring and a few the year before but it wasn’t until 2 months ago that I began to seriously blog. I love it, I enjoy writing and really enjoy the exchange, but I’m trying to figure out a system to make sure I get back to all the ones that I follow in a timely way. I haven’t figured that one out yet, So I’ll go to one and go “Oh no, I haven’t been here for awhile, and then I feel really guilty, because I want to be a “responsible blogger” and be there for the followers the way they are for me! So helpful hints would be welcome there. Oh did i mention I have a new book I’m getting ready to release….!
not really, thank you for an excellent post!
Oh Penny, you make me laugh. Of course I know the post you’re referring to, and you’re right. Anyone who ‘liked’ it within 5 seconds of it going live did not read it. That’s annoying.
I want to be a responsible blogger, too–which is why I was following everybody back and then reading their blogs, commenting, liking. Oh my head, it was too much. I found that I was spending 30+ hours a week just blogging. When much of that time is spent on blogs who don’t reciprocate it can get ver frustrating.
As far as figuring out a better system so that you’re responding in a timely way, I can tell you one thing I do that has helped a lot. I divide the email notification schedule according to how often these bloggers interact with me.
For instance, those bloggers who don’t generally comment on my blog but we follow each other because our main topics are about writing, I set the email notification to ‘weekly’, which means all of their posts are compiled each week, then emailed to me in one bundle. I can then go through their blog in one shot each week and comment on the posts that stand out to me.
Then for the bloggers who are regular commenters on my blog I make sure I get daily email notifications of their posts. This way I can keep up with them on a regular basis, several times a week as opposed to just once a week.
There are a very select few who I have rigged as ‘immediate’ notifications and these are bloggers I know above and beyond our little community (for instance, a beta reader, and then I have a friend who I met thru a writing conference, and the first 5 followers of my blog). But that’s a very small group indeed.
Divvying up the email notifications has helped me keep better track of the blogs that really matter to me, so they don’t get lost in the shuffle. It’s not a foolproof plan, but because I rely on email notifications as opposed to using the Reader or RSS feed, this system works better for my needs.
If you think that might help, give it a go for a few weeks and see what happens. Keep me posted because this is a work in progress and I would love to hear if you find a helpful trick, too.
It is interesting how bloggers approach things, I tend to have a core group who comment on mine and I comment on theirs and sometimes get a few extra ones if my post has struck a cord. But I have more followers than commenters and like you have stopped automatically following back unless their blog looks like something I’d enjoy. You end up with far too many to read otherwise! I like the interaction of blogging so tend to stick to those I interact with … like you!
Sounds like that seems to be what the majority of all the commenters do–follow back only if the blog content resonates with you. I was feeling guilty about doing that, but I feel more at ease knowing that really makes the most sense.
This post makes me laugh and it’s also very informative! I’m not exactly new to blogging but I guess I must be awfully naive because I only check out a few blogs a week, make a comment here and there, then go on my merry way blogging about this and that…
You’ve obviously put in a very concerted effort as I noticed your blog has really taken off – I’m envious over the amount of comments you get! I guess I need to read and comment more if I want others to do the same.
oh – I still need to figure out how to change my bizarre picture to the left there!
Hey Amy, well it did take a few months of putting myself out there and visiting other blogs before I got visitors back. I really think that’s the key. I knew that when I started blogging I wanted to build relationships and interact with people over topics of common interest. Some bloggers only care about views, in which case just a ‘like’ is good enough for them.
As far as your gravatar, you show up as a ‘monster’ because you don’t have a WordPress account. Anyone who doesn’t have a blog at all (they log in with only an email address) or if they have a blog through Blogger or something, come up with this gravatar. On my site, the gravatar default is the monster one. Other WP sites have different gravatar defaults.
I can’t believe you don’t like your monster gravatar. I think you’re quite cute.
I came to a similar conclusion a while ago and purged the blogs I had followed back out of courtesy that I thought were using the tactics you mention. I haven’t been blogging that long but I’m beginning to get a sense of the genuine followers…and those who are not!
Purged–good word! That’s exactly what I have to do. Purge! I think those not-so-genuine bloggers make themselves fairly obvious after a short while. So, I just have to take the bull by the horns and reconstruct my blogging habits.
Once I met this blogger called Kate. She seemed nice, but then I found out that she gets up at 4am, and I was a bit confused. She also had kids she looks after full time and is a writing coach AND is writing her own novel.
I’m pretty sure she’s a robot.
Haha, thanks Beth. There are days that I definitely feel like a robot.
hah
x
This comment of yours went to spam, too! Grr. What is going on?
* cries *
You’re so funny! Unfortunately, this one was spammed too. I hope it’s not my blog–do I need to do something on this end? Or would it help to contact someone on your behalf?
I’ve contacted Akismet and they say that apparently it’s sorted! Was I spammed again? x
Yay! This one went straight through! No more spamming. Woo hoo!
See and here I was envious that I can’t put one of those little like things at the end of my posts. I never thought about Reader Stalkers.
I think I have a crazy, anxiety prone imagination that painted the blogosphere as quite the scary place before I jumped in. I think I set the bar so high on all the bad stuff that if anything falls slightly below it I’m all like, well that isn’t so bad. I’m nuts, I know.:)
That is exactly what I should have done! And I’m actually surprised I didn’t, although I was petrified to put myself out there in such an exposed manner. I didn’t worry about getting the annoying kinds of “readers” as much as I worried about whether no one reads my stuff.
We’re all nuts. Welcome to the party.
Oh, I so feel ya, sister! I’ve often wondered the same thing (where is all this headed with all these “odd-sort” bloggers who ‘visit’?) Thankfully (so far), I’ve been blessed to have more “genuine” commenter/likers/commenters/followers (like lovely you!), and not those “other” sorts
Thank you for calling me ‘lovely’! You’re lovely too.
Yes, I think when all is said and done, I have more commenters/readers than I have indifferent followers. I can definitely deal with that kind of imbalance.
I’d be wary of following every blogger that follows you for all the aforementioned reasons you named. I always try to check out the bloggers that follow me and like you said, some are sales sites. ugh! Why are you following me?
Overall, as you keep blogging, I hope you find more good than absurd in your statistics and comments. Mostly, the blogosphere is a great community, especially the writers – love that bunch! We’re super feel good and supportive!
Cheers!
I agree–the writers in this community are some of the best bloggers I have had the pleasure of getting to know. I feel truly blessed.
I’m so glad I posted this rant, because now I realize how pervasive the craziness is–and that it’s okay if I screw the manners and simply ignore the bloggers who aren’t really following me for me.
Thanks for stopping by.
I like those category names! Frenemies is my favorite because I have a lot of those. Great thoughts — many of us seem to be having similar ones. It took some time, but I did come to terms with not having scores of followers and being happy with the small number of loyal followers that I do have — the core group, as Victoria-writes describes above. I love the conversation and learning that comes from the comments of blogger friends.
Strange encounters? Not a lot of them, but I’ve had several followers with blogs that have very dark, creepy topics and I can’t imagine why they’d want to follow me. I wouldn’t follow them back, and my mother taught me good manners, too.
One thing, though — I do make it a habit to read and comment on blogs of followers I don’t subscribe to, if they’ve been leaving meaningful comments on mine.
Happy purging, Kate! Oh, and what’s your favorite pizza topping?
Hey Darla,
Oh yes, the dark creepy sites do unnerve me a lot. I click out of those as quickly as I can.
Now that I have begun my purge, I’ll have time to visit the blogs of followers who comment on my blog, even if I don’t subscribe to them. That will be a great way to find and follow new blogs that matter to me.
Oh, my absolute favorite is bacon, ham, and pineapple–The Hawaiian! What’s your favorite topping?
Plain ol’ pepperoni, which I had for dinner tonight! Really, the only pizza I’ll deny is one covered with mushrooms. Cheese only, veggies, or loaded with meats — I’m happy.
Pepperoni is my mother’s fave too. I agree, I’m happy with pizza, period.
I totally agree. I just hate it when people follow me (either on here or on twitter) and then unsubscribe – because I don’t follow back.
I have to juggle my writing career with a job AND my offline life; and I simply don’t have the time to follow everyone – and every blog – under the sun. Instead I only follow people who I want to follow. And I think the best way to promote yourself is organically. So maybe my Twitter count is slowly increasing – but I’d rather have faithful readers than have people who just follow ‘just for the sake of it’.
Hi Juliette,
That happened to me before also, both here on my blog and Twitter. I especially don’t like it when I leave comments on blogs (whether I’m following them or not) and never get a response to them.
I like how you say that, ‘promote yourself organically’. It may be a slower process, but at least you know you’re engaging in genuine interactions.
Thanks for swinging by.
So, I started to reply to this a few days ago, but then I had to stop because… well, two small kids + grandma + post-op visits.
I also don’t follow just because somebody follows me. I wasn’t planning that, but when I was developing my site (as in, I’d had it all of 2 hours and it still said “hello world”) I got a follower. I thought it was really odd, so I went and checked that person’s site. It was just weird, and I could NOT make myself follow.
Since then, I have followed a few people who have left comments because one or two of the posts I found were good, even if most don’t work for me. However, I’m stopping that course of action – except as a trial-basis kinda thing – because there’s just too much out there.
I do sometimes “like” stuff without commenting. I don’t keep track of where I do this. There are a few people out there who I follow, “like” stuff on, but don’t exactly have much to say about other than “I liked that.” Once or twice I’ve left that in a comment. But, life is short and I’d rather get to my kids or another blog than put a comment for the sake of commenting.
In the last few months (esp. since summer started) I haven’t been reading other blogs as much as I would like. Keeping up my own has been about all I can handle. Whatever is on top when I got to read blogs is what gets read. I’ve missed some great stuff this way, but it’s like all the books out there – I can’t read them ALL. Since I (mostly) follow people I like, or think I’ll like, I don’t feel too badly because it’s just the time I’ve got available.
I *do* follow some blogs about things that aren’t writing. They are other things that interest me. I have wondered if these bloggers have looked at my site and gone, “why the heck is this person following me?” or wondered if it was just trolling for visits. I don’t expect them to follow me, or even comment/like. I have other interests than writing, and that’s ok.
That said, the weirdest thing I’ve found is when people leave a really good comment, I go to check their blog and it’s still at the defaults (with “hello world” and “this is a comment” sort of stuff up). I’ve gone back to check later, and found it still like that. Sometimes, there’s evidence that the blog was created months ago. I figure these are people who wanted to comment, and figured they’d just make an account. There’s probably another explanation, but I have plot problems that need my attention more than this
I should have made a plan about ‘how’ to blog before I just jumped in. I didn’t know about things like spam and ham and all the other traps to avoid. I simply thought it would be a great place to join a community of other writers.
Yes, I have to like without commenting if bloggers post more than twice a week. I feel like that’s fair though, as long as I’m commenting genuinely once or twice a week. Beyond that it is too much.
Now that summer is winding down I will have to revamp my routine again, and this will include how often I’m blogging. I discovered I spent about 30+ hours a week this spring/summer on blogging. This does include composing my posts, replyiing to comments on my blog, and commenting on other blogs. But a lot of that time was on blogs who either didn’t visit mine or who never replied to my comments on theirs (which is the rudest snub of all). I won’t do that anymore. if I’m going to spend 30 hours blogging, then I want it to be meaningful. However, 30 hours is too much anyway, and I need to figure out how to cut it by half if I expect to get any writing done.
I have seen those empty blogs too and wondered what they’re really fronts for
Well, good luck! You are far more organized than I am. BTW, any decision on that book?
Organized or desperate?
I have to put the book off for the moment. Something else came up with my novel that I’m querying…so I’m back to the book that won’t let me go. I’ll be posting about it soon…thanks for asking. I really appreciate that you remember I have that waiting in the wings.
Organized. I really am NOT. My husband is – we are opposite the stereotypes.
You’re welcome. How could I forget?
By waiting in the wings do you mean you are waiting to get to it, or waiting to decide?
I am waiting to get to it because I have some last minute changes to make to my other novel.
One of my conundrums is the bloggers who follow me, but blog in a foreign language I can’t read. Do I follow them back out of politeness? But I can’t read one word they wrote and for all I know I might be following a crazed religious cult or someone who enjoys photography.
Haha, yes! I have seen some of those. Also, I got a follower that WP emailed me about–but the notification by WP was in French. I have never seen such a thing, but I clicked on the blog just to see and it was a blank blog. Weird.
You are popular to have so many ghost bloggers, frenemies, and the others! And you are such a great, careful leaver-of-comments. It stinks that some people aren’t reciprocating. For the record (ahem), I know I haven’t been around as much but my baby has started sleeping more, so I’m not up reading online content in the middle of the night, and she has started rolling, so I can’t leave her on the floor, which means nothing is getting done, which means I have less computer time than ever. But I’m here, reading, even if I just hit like, and even if it’s not every post, and someday I’ll have more time to visit more often again.
I’ve been thinking a lot about online content and blogs-as-conversation, in terms of comments, and how that’s a much more interesting technology interaction to me than, say, texting. You are a great example of a conversation-holder. It’s blogging at its best–your posts and your comments on your own site and others’ sites.
Hey Laura! I hope you know that this post was singling out the bloggers who really aren’t blogging to engage in conversations/relationships. They are only blogging to drive traffic to their site.
As far as the “genuine” bloggers, I don’t have the same gripes. I have kids and a life outside of blogging and I for one can’t be around all the time.
I think it’s about the quality, not quantity of comments/replies. I don’t expect all of my followers to comment on all of my posts (we’re humans, not robots–plus not all of my posts may resonate with all of my followers).
However, when I see that a blogger only goes around ‘liking’ my posts without bothering to write a comment–ever–then I know they’re not reading my stuff. So then it becomes a question of whether I want to still bother with them. And it does depend on their content. There are a few bloggers I follow who are quite popular with thousands of followers. I don’t expect them to stop by and spend time on my little ol’ blog at all. And would they notice my comments on their blogs anyway?
I don’t want to be petty, exactly, but I don’t want to waste my time with someone who really isn’t interested in what I have to say (and that doesn’t mean they have to agree with me). I’d rather spend my time with people who want to interact.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I totally agree. I feel guilty, occasionally, for being so busy with other things right now and not getting around the blogosphere as much as before. I think, back to the conversation piece of things, blogging works best for both parties when they visit each other, comment and respond. Otherwise we’re just throwing more content out in the world, and other people are throwing more content back at us. The interactions make it meaningful.
Yes–cut your ties and avoid the serial like-ers! I only have one, and it took me a while to figure out what was happening. Just know when I pop by to like your post, I really did read it and my “like” is a quick hello and a thank you for writing something lovely.
Yes, I can pretty much figure out the bloggers who are genuine even if they don’t comment all the time. I think it’s because when they do comment, it’s well thought out? I don’t know, but there’s something that tells me ‘okay this person is the real deal’. You’re one of those.
So funny – thanks for the laugh! It also makes me laugh whenever a like comes through about a second after the post is published. There’s no way they know what they’re liking! I used to feel bad about not always being able to follow up on likes but now most of the time I can’t even think about it. There really hasn’t been enough time for posting, so I can’t spend that time on chasing likes down. It’s fun finding people like you on here though so I guess it’s all worth it!
Hi Sheila, I wondered about the quick ‘like’ also–this was way back when I was still a newbie and didn’t understand the concept of the Reader. Then I understood.
Gosh, no, posting takes up so much time doesn’t it? Well, for me I’m kind of fanatical about self-editing and making sure it’s grammatically correct and that my content is engaging and that it’s not too long, etc. I’m not a fast writer, so composing a post and editing it can take several hours. So, when I add visiting and commenting on blogs on top of that, I’m looking at a lot of hours involved. (I averaged about 30 hours a week.)This is why I posted about the blogs that are time suckers and whether it’s worth returning follows just to be nice.
You’re so sweet to say that. Thank you. I agree. When I find a great blog I get really excited, too.
Love this! I think the weirdest ones tend to be followers whose blogs are TOTALLY unrelated to mine. Double points to those in a foreign language.
Hi Annie,
Yes! The ones in a foreign language are head-scratchers, haha. I have a few of those, too. Thanks for swinging by
Hehehe thanks for the laughs! I’ve not encountered so many different types of bloggers yet as I’ve just started my blog a few months ago. I used to have Blogger accounts and they didn’t even have nice stars to ‘like’! It’s quite a different atmosphere out here in the WordPress community. But I can definitely identify with a few types you mentioned! You’re one of the nicest bloggers who actually liked AND left a comment for me. (I didn’t know this is the expected norm! Hehe so I’m guilty of happily chopping stars on all the blog posts I like without leaving comments, except for those which I super liked or which moved me in some way:). I haven’t had the privilege of making so many friends on the blogosphere either, (hmm… Now I suspect because of my unfriendly etiquette! Hehe!) My blog was started largely to keep my brain from stagnation and to assure myself that I DID do something every day…
So, my likes are bonus and your comments are cherries on top of the icing! Wish there were many more bloggers like you! Thank you for this post!:)
Hello ewehouse!
Well, first let me say I don’t know that liking and commenting is the expected norm. That was just my opinion based on what happens on my blog. I unwittingly invited the problem by automatically following back and visiting all the bloggers who followed me and commenting on their posts. I realized I was spending quality time reading and commenting only to never see them visit me or, worse, never respond to the comments I made on their blogs.
Because I am already stressed with time constraints I had to take a good, hard look at what was happening here. And I saw that many of these bloggers are only looking to drive traffic to their sites; they’re not interested in conversations/interactions. Well, I’m here because I want to build relationships, learn some new things, and share things that I have learned, etc.
I don’t expect all of my followers to comment on all of my posts–that’s ridiculous!–but I think we can all distinguish who is a genuine follower from a “reader stalker” based on the quality of comments made, even if they only comment a couple of times a month.
Don’t fret too much about few visits to your blog just yet. I started this blog last October-ish and I only started getting regular visits in February and even then I think the number of followers hovered around 20 for a month or so. It takes a lot of time to build your follower base, and the best way to do it is to visit other blogs and leave meaningful comments. Most bloggers will reciprocate if they find your blog interesting.
Good luck!
Thank you so much for your very helpful and encouraging reply! I didn’t expect to make friends through blogging, and from a faraway country too! So it’s really nice knowing you!:)
You’re welcome. I’m sure you’ll pick up a lot of tips from various bloggers as you learn the ‘trade’
And it’s nice knowing you too. Have fun blogging!
Wow — Look at that — ninety or so comments? Looks like you’ve hit a vein.
For me, I know I have several hundred people who follow but don’t really come to my blog.
There are always the regulars who “like” every day. Like you said, I’m not sure how many of them actually read.
Then there are the regulars who post a lot… some of whom I’ve become friends with.
I’ve actually thought of “unfollowing” people, but what would that accomplish? An unfollow back? That’s kind of grade-schooly.
For all the “drive by” people, there are plenty who stop by regulary. Some daily, and some once a month and catch up on everything. THat’s fine. I know the difference.
I just wish I had more time to actually coment on blogs (yours included) who I look at on my breaks at work, but I don’t necessarily comment because it’s so stinking hard to type on a phone, and I don’t want to be lame and just say”hi”
Where was I going with this? Oh yeah! Anyway… it’s the regulars that are sincerely interested tht make blogging fun. It also hits me it the pocketbook, because I make a point of supporting everyone who supports me… which leaves a lineup of published books to read waiting on my kindle
You also never know when you are going to make a cyber-friend. I have quite a few… and they are always there to help if I find myself in a writer-freak-out mode.
Great points, Jennifer. Yeah, to unfollow bloggers does kind of seem petty if you’re simply looking to get away from a useless contact. If you’re the type of person who can simply ignore it, then that might be your best route. I don’t even know if some of those bloggers would even notice, to be honest.
I know, finding the time to comment on all the blogs we want to is very difficult. I am still trying to come up with a better routine, because there are posts that I simply have to like without commenting, all because of time constraints. I will say that it’s impossible for me to comment on all the posts of a blogger if he/she posts more than 2x a week. In those cases, I do end up having to do ‘like’ without commenting but I make sure that I’m commenting at least once a week–twice if I’m lucky.
And you’re absolutely right, it is the regular readers who make it fun. I always look forward to making the rounds of the blogs I follow and seeing what’s on tap for the day. Seeing people coming to mine and reading, well, it’s a really great feeling.
Haha, writer-freak-out mode — definitely the time when our cyber friends are invaluable.
Thanks for swinging by!
Oh… you know what I hate? That writer advertising web site that posts a generic coment with a link to “writing jobs” or something like that. I try to block them, but they keep changing their name. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
I know exactly who you mean. He ‘liked’ this post, if you can believe it! His gravatar is the green gem up above. Now that’s a perfect example of a blogger (and I use that term loosely, because it’s not even a blogger) who doesn’t read the post and simply hits ‘like’.
This post has hit a vein hasn’t it. I’d never have the cheek to click like without visiting the site and reading the post. I don’t always think a like and comment have to go hand in hand. Sometimes I want to show support and have nothing more to add so the like is a handy way of doing that.
I tend to follow-back everyone who follows my blog, but you then get hundreds of emails a day with new blog posts. How does anyone cope with that I mean it’s not possible. I like the idea of being more selective and think I might adopt that approach in future.
The green mushroom has now followed and unfollowed my blog three times. I’ll never follow him back so why bother. Leave me alone!
I didn’t have any pizza so my thoughts will have to do
Hi Pete, right, the ‘like’ is a great way to show support for a post without having to go the extra mile to comment–which for me takes a long time because I’m a slow writer and I edit all of my comments, lol. I’m a little OCD that way.
I agree that to follow everyone who follows you can mean an overwhelming influx of emails. That was my problem, too, and one of the reasons I started rethinking all of this. I don’t want to lose track of the genuine bloggers in the mess.
Drat about the pizza. But I’ll take your thoughts! Thanks for stopping by.
You’re welcome. Next time I will bring pizza
Woo hoo!
Pingback: Blogging vs Writing « 4amWriter
I confess I hit the like button for photography posts without going to the actual site. What? I actually like the picture, and if that’s all there is to the post, why not? Words are different; they have to be consumed, whether in appreciative nibbles, or ravenous gulps. How do you like something you haven’t read?
Anyhoo, there I was, liking the post that linked me over to this one, and then “No! 4amWriter doesn’t think I’m a real person. They don’t think my like is genuine!” Atrocious, right? So I’m here to say I am too a real person, and my like was completely heartfelt. So, um, there! Now you know.
You’ve probably had more comments on this post than any before, at least from the real people. Guilt tripper. Also, you’re way more popular than I am (I can tell you’ve earned it), but I’ve noticed scam-bloggers and other nefarious blogger types down where I am, too. I never believed in zombies until I met the internet, but I bet scam-bloggers and their ilk feed on brains. At least, it feels as if all of the intellect is being sucked out of me.
Hey twisting,
your comment made me laugh. I’m relieved to know you’re a real person
I understand why you would only ‘like’ photography posts; that totally makes sense to me. There are lots of people who ‘like’ my posts without reading them–I know this because I would get the email notification that someone liked it 5 seconds after my post went live. There wasn’t enough time to read it. Those are the Reader Stalkers. It’s more amusing than anything else, and they didn’t bother me other than the fact that I had been spending time on their blogs, reading their stuff and commenting.
I haven’t been blogging quite a year, so I’m still in the learning phase. I want to blog efficiently, spend my time wisely. I didn’t know enough about spammers to doublecheck sites and likes before I followed back. And I think you’re right–we are being sucked dry. That’s the other reason I had to vent. Now that I have received all of these wonderful and enlightening comments, I’m feeling more grounded. I have a better grip on how to blog so that I’m making the most of the experience and still having fun.
I really appreciate your insight, and I’m glad my post got you to come and say hi.
Hi
Your blog post pleased me on so many levels. It’s great to see someone brave enough to say the things we all want to say. 
I will be unfollowing some of the blogs I currently follow as you’ve made me realise I’ve been following a few MeMeMeMe bloggers.
With the like button, I sometimes use it without leaving a comment because the blogger has already received like a gazillion comments and rather than repeating what other thoughtful commenters have said, at least the blogger will know I liked the post anyway. Other times I click like because I just can’t think of anything to say (commenter’s block). Sometimes I wish WordPress had never added the like feature, because it sort of stymies discussion, however it does let bloggers know people are reading their blog posts, but like you said, perhaps they’re not reading them at all.
I usually only follow bloggers who have meaningful things to say, things that make me think and things I’m interested in, like writing, and where I feel I have something to offer.
Some time ago, a person left a comment on my blog (which I didn’t approve) because they didn’t really address the topic of the post, they simply promoted their own site (It wasn’t like real spam though as the person lives in the same small city I live in). I wrote to them telling
them it was rude to do this and suggested they comment again, but this time stay on topic. Of course, they never returned. This person recently ‘liked’ a link on my facebook page too, obviously to promote their own site. I will have to look at ways of blocking them somehow.
By the way, I’ve clicked on your gravatar a number of times before because you leave interesting and thoughtful comments on various blogs and so I wanted to see your blog, but it never came up, there’s only a broken link to Limebird Writers, which leads to WordPress, and a message saying Limebird Writers doesn’t exist. This used to annoy me because I thought why is this person leaving a link to her blog if she’s not blogging anymore. But today I clicked your 4amwriter link (only because the gravatar didn’t work) and found your blog. Yay! So, I guess it’s possible other clumsy people, like me, have been clicking on your gravatar instead of your 4amwriter link only to be met with no site.
Hi Justin–first let me thank you so very much for alerting me to the gravatar issue. I had no idea, as I never click on my own gravatar. I guess I need to do that every once in a while. Anyway, I went into the gravatar department
and I fixed it so that the links for both 4amWriter and Limebird Writers are working correctly. That would annoy me too–I’m glad you persevered through the gravatar dilemma. 
Next, what a great, thoughtful comment this is. It’s funny that you announce you will be unfollowing some blogs. I admit that I have done that too, but I have read around on other blogs that some people hate to do it because it seems rude or petty. To me though, it’s about managing my blogging hours. My inbox used to be so crammed with email notifications from Mememe blogs it was ridiculous. Now that I have unfollowed those nuisances, I am a much happier, calmer blogger. I guess I look at it as starting fresher, wiser, and on the right foot this time ’round.
That’s a great point–it is hard to add a meaningful comment to a post when there are 76 other meaningful comments already–I can see where the like button is the best option there. And like you, I’m ambivilent about the Like button because it can stymie discussion, but then there is the flip side where we simply can’t comment on all the posts out there but we still want to show our support.
It’s a balancing act I’m not sure I figured out yet, but I know I have to try if I want to enjoy blogging. I think we all will find our own ways eventually. Thanks for swinging by!
Hello, I was relieved to read this post as I thought it was only me who thought that there was a lot of bad manners going on in the blogosphere. I, also have come across most of these and at some points it has made me think “what is the point?” However, when I get to that stage, a properly rounded blogger turns up and makes it all worthwhile again.
I have to say that sometimes I will just leave a like on a piece when I can’t decide what to say or what I want to say would take an essay to explain it. I also sometimes just leave a like if there have been lots of comments beforehand and I feel as if I am simply reiterating what everyone else has said. Anyway, this is a great post which I am going to bookmark and when all those types make me feel down, I will read your post again.
Hey loony,
Yes, the ‘like’ feature is a tricky one because it can be really beneficial, but it can also be frustrating. I do the same as you–hit ‘like’ if I’m late to the party and my comment will just be repetitive, or I’ll hit ‘like’ if a blogger posts more than once or twice a week–I simply can’t read all of the posts. But if I know I’m commenting regularly, then there is no harm to read the post and hit ‘like’ every once in a while.
For me, I started noticing the same bloggers would only like my stuff, and that’s what got me suspicious. Especially when they liked it two seconds after it went live. Then I knew they weren’t actually reading it and only are liking my material to get me to visit them.
Gee, thanks for bookmarking this. That is a really nice compliment.
I think this is such a wonderful post as the blogosphere does get to me at times when it seems full of certain types. I wondered if it was me being sensitive. The first time I noticed the like incident was when I had put a post on and within seconds it had a like. It simply was not enough time to read the post. I’ve a feeling that post of yours will be like my comfort blanket for the blog in future. Luckily, there are also lots of genuine folks out there blogging as well.
haha, I thought I was being sensitive too. Then I realized that there are manners that need to be heeded. Just because we’re conversing across cyberspace doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be courteous or kind. I think it’s easy for some bloggers to forget there are real people behind the typed words.
Oh you really, REALLY nailed it! What a good feeling to know I am not the only one who was getting so puzzled and confused….every single category you named….spot on! Its just such bad manners. I agree so much…what a relief to know others don’t feel too happy either!
Hi yepirategunn–I am so sorry that I overlooked your comment. I feel awful!
Posting about this helped me understand the system a little bit better as I read all the comments. I too am glad I’m not the only one who felt like I was being bombarded by bloggers who aren’t genuine.
It’s a nice feeling to be a part of a community where you can hold meaningful conversations with people who really care about what you have to say.
Thanks for swinging by!
THANKS! Time is a relative concept!..lovely to get your reply – which is wholeheartedly agreed to – by me!
Haha, you’re right! Time is a relative concept. Have a great day.
Great article. I love how you classified our blog community, and I totally agree. I try not to get too emotional about who or how many followers I have. I jus love to share, and write. I try not to follow alot of bloggers. I follow those that I genually love to read. Many of the bloggers that I follow have the same interests as me, so it’s fun to read whatever’s going on I their life. Thanks for keeping your blog thoughtful and interesting to read. I keep coming back.
Hi kgrafix,
You have a good strategy–don’t get too emotional over your followers. Once I realized that I don’t have to follow everyone who follows me, I felt better about blogging. Less stressed, less overwhelmed. And when we can find a community of bloggers who all share similar interests and concerns, then I feel less pressure to ‘perform’ so to speak.
I’m happy you’re enjoying the blog. I apologize for replying so late to your comment. Thanks for swinging by.