One blogger I have followed sporadically since the days of the old AOL journals has decided that, since not many people are following his blog, he is going on hiatus.
If you use Google Reader to keep track of the blogs you read, it's possible to see how many people are following any of the blogs you enjoy. Compared to some of them, I have a HUGE following. Of course, compared to Pioneer Woman, I'm nothing more than a dot on the Internet.
I do notice when the hits on my blog are fewer.
However: I have cousins and children and longtime Internet friends who have put up with me for years, and I would continue this drivel even if they were the only ones reading it. A lot of you care about what happens to my daughter. I know this because I see how many of you click on her picture to see what's going on in her life as she battles cancer (she will win, just so you know).
If I only had one reader who REALLY CARED what I say here, that would be enough.
I wish all my blogger friends felt the same way.
Don't stop. Somebody is reading, and somebody cares.
This isn't a competition.
Amen and yes a thousand times. I write for me, but it is nice to hear from people and get comments. However, I think I would still write; it's a stress reliever!
ReplyDeleteI always read your daughter's blog but I very seldom comment (I don't know why). I also always read your blog. I'm going to miss Dana's journal.
ReplyDeleteI have fewer readers than I did when we were blogging at AOL. I joined Blogtrain, but that didn't increase my readership. I have to beg & bribe my relatives to read my blog. But, as you said, it's not a competition. I genuinely love writing and I have a lot to write about, so I suppose I'm hopelessly addicted.
I have always enjoyed your blog Donna, I love hearing about Cliff, your kids, the dogs etc.. Keep it coming!
ReplyDeleteOne more thing - Dana said that he wants more time for personal writing and I can strongly identify with that. Years ago, I was a published writer. Ever since I started blogging, I've been neglecting my serious writing.
ReplyDeleteThe one good thing about blogging, however, is that I can say exactly what I want. I don't have to worry about what the editor's think, and I don't have to slant my writing towards any particular readership.
(My comments are too long! Shoot me!)
Thank you Donna. I have rarely ever put light little ditties on my blog. My entries are the result of a mammoth amount of reading that I do. And I am following my own advice in that much of that reading is for my own self improvement.
ReplyDeleteJon has a good point about reading blogs, such as yours. I spend hours on a single Vagabond Journey entry, which includes a lot of reading and often some research. It's the major activity of my day. I almost never get the time to read other people's blogs or respond to their emails.
My own private writing has faded to a secondary place. I have 2 novels to market, but they still need editing and packaging, with letters to agentsw, publishers and such.
I have paintings sitting around here, some need to be finished, others to be framed. I recently sold one, I could sell more if I had the time to work at it.
As for writing I can still write about things that interest me. It so happens that I write extensively about some things. I think, for example, the fact that the space shuttle entered the Earth's atmosphere going 25 times the speed of sound deserves more than a "Huh !" And I just wrote a rather long piece about quantum mechanics for my Friends List which you are welcome to be on if you wish.
Then there are the time consuming problems of living for an older man who lives alone with pains and lack of conveniences, who must read with a magnifying glass, and who has no friends in the neighborhood to help him out.
Give up? I never give up. I may change my tactics, but the strategy is the same: do as much good for the world as I can.
Respectfully yours,
Dana Bate - The Vagabond
I agree. I hope you don't mind that I always call you Mosie instead of Donna. I like Mosie and I have too many Donnas and you are the only Mosie.
ReplyDeleteBlogs consume alot of time. Writing and reading them. I have so many things I need to do, but this always comes first. It's my passion. I LOVE your blog. Have since the day I found it. I do check in from time to time to read your daughter's too. I have read The Vagabond's blog once or twice and understand why you'll miss him. We all need a break, every now and then.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Donna, about everything you said, but especially the part about Rachel kicking cancer's butt ~
ReplyDeleteI agree with you there. Blogging is a part of my life it seems. I enjoy doing it and reading others. I have never had a great following but am thankful for the ones that do. I started as a means of keeping in touch with my family and I know that not many of them even read it. Still it's an outlet for my thoughts. Hope your Wednesday is a wonderful one.
ReplyDeleteIf we can get past the feeling of being obigated to read and write then it's what it's supposed to be. Just fun. Sometimes I'm active and sometimes I'm way too busy. Running 6 irrigation wells keeps me busy 5:30 to about 11:00 at night so It's hard to keep up but I'm not leaving.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I love your blog but I don't comment often. Sometimes I don't know what to say. But I enjoy your point of view and I cheer when good things happen in your life.
ReplyDeleteI blog because I want to, and I would do it even if I had no readers, I suspect. But the readers are nice. I like the interaction. And some of these folks have become friends. That's a good thing.
Thank you for this thought-provoking post!
I'm with everybody else... just wish I had joined the blogging world years ago.
ReplyDeleteDana, if you put that much effort and time into blogging, I can see why you would get discouraged. Obviously, I can turn out an entry in a half-hour or less. I'm not a very cerebral person.
ReplyDeleteExactly! I'm obviously not writing for an audience anymore considering how sporadic my posts are, but that doesn't mean I'd ever want to stop.
ReplyDeleteI know... I keep thinking about taking a break myself. And then people get pissed off at me. I'm getting less hits now but that's okay. I think I blogged for six months before anybody started reading it at all.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading your blog and many others too. I spend too much time on my computer I do think..ha! But I enjoy your pictures of your garden, and your motorcyle trips and I keep track of your daughter and pray for her as well. Take care and keep on blogging. Wendy
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading your blog. I don't have many commenters now because I very seldom put an entry in mine anymore. Since Ken is not killing bugs anymore and we have stopped fishing due to our health I don't have anything to blog about although I did put a video of a couple of young deer trying to talk back to my daughter from her yard on the last entry.
ReplyDeleteI like reading your blog! I just wish I had more time to devote to mine. I'm trying. lol
ReplyDeletePaula, I LOVE my Mosie nickname. I got it back in the AOL days in the chat room. People who loved me called me Mosie.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way. Readers or not, I will always blog. After all, it's cheaper than a therapist! LOL
ReplyDelete