Why do you blog? Some people have goals about how many blogs they will visit and comment on, how many link backs they will make every week, and how many how many how many.
I tried that. For about a month.
It was stressing me out, and making it hard for me to want to write here.
At the University of Florida (and I suspect it is similar in most colleges), there were two main plazas that most everyone walked through on their treks from the dorms/parking lots to their classes. The Hari Krishnas would serve yummy vegetarian glop for a dollar donation on Fridays. The "Redcoats" would stand up on buckets in their maroon suit coats and yell at the girls in short shorts that they were the whores of all the earth, and the boys were informed their fornication would lead to their everlasting damnation, etc. And usually Yoga Guy was out there on his mat, too.
It was a rare day where I wouldn't see someone that I knew as I walked through. The plazas were a place to hang out and relax, a place to listen to people argue, a place to lay under the trees and look at the clouds or just lean up against a tree and read.
Blogs are that same type of thing for me. I'm on my way to email, or renew my seriously overdue library books, but I take a few minutes to hang out with you guys on my way there.
That's what I'm going for on my blog. I haven't checked my new visitors vs. returning visits, duration of visit, how the person got here. I understand that such stats would be useful if this were a business. But it's not. This is where I hangout. Stay as long as you like. Come back when you can. I'm not worried about it.
I comment when I'm interested in the topic and have something to say. When I follow someone, it's not part of my master plan to have X number of followers by X date. I follow someone because they intrigue me in some way.
I understand the usefulness of branding and online presence. I think it's great for people who can think like that, but it freezes me up. The blog is fun. That's my motivation.
Why do you blog?
Thanks for reading and commenting. Getting your take on things is the best part!
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2 hours ago
Wonderful reasons to me! Sounds a way stressful to keep up with all that. It's hard enough to make my rounds on blogs I like to follow everyday. Couldn't imagine how much extra time it would take to focus on all that other stuff.
ReplyDeleteI started to blog to get a good internet following. It is, kind of, necessary as a writer to have a good base for later when you get to author status. (so I'm told)
But now it has turned into a nice place to get advice and pass on good information and meet wonderful people I enjoy hearing from!
Hey Colene- thanks for your comment. Is it really necessary to have an internet presence? That's what I'm wondering.
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest. I started blogging to find critique partners, and because I figured it couldn't hurt to have some online presence during an agent hunt - in other words, totally me-oriented. But the more I've blogged, the more I've realized it's all about what you give to your readers, not what you take.
ReplyDelete(Although I still managed to find some awesome critique partners... :) )
First of all, I love the reason you have your blog, Kelly, and I really like your description of a blog as a place to hang out. I think our blogs fit our personalities and give us a place to talk about the things we love most. I like your blog, because you have such a laid-back style and make even difficult subjects easy to read and discuss.
ReplyDeleteI know I had no idea what to blog about when I started. So I decided that I would make my blog like a weekly (or bi-weekly, depending on my mood) hang-out for writers to talk shop. I wanted to do author interviews and book reviews so I could meet other authors and learn from them.
And I'm like you, Kelly, I don't pop onto someone's blog and leave an inane "Great Post!" spammy kind of message just to get a link. I think that's tacky. I always comment after I've read the post and feel like I have something to share; otherwise, I write nothing.
If you're writing for publication, then an internet presence does help. Weronika did a wonderful post on the internet presence that helps an author with suggestions on how much do you need at what phase at Online platform + Web Presence. I hope the link comes through, but if it doesn't let me just cut and paste this in your browser: http://www.weronikajanczuk.com/2010/08/for-details-on-how-to-submit-questions.html
This is a super topic, Kelly, and I'm glad you brought it up!
I'm with you, Kelly. I'm not out with an agenda. I figure *someday* when I'm published, it will be nice to have a pre-existing online presence and friends. But that's what I want -- friends. And this is a nice, relaxed spot to be, when we don't have anything to offer except that we like to write and we like to hang out with other people of like-mind, and we like to share the experience ... it's a great time to find other kindred spirits who aren't out there to bump up their own numbers, but are really interested in making friends.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm with you on the comments thing, too. I don't write a comment unless I genuinely feel like I have something to say OR I feel like the blogger needs a little encouragement. :)
Amy
I blog for pretty much the same reason as everyone else- it's fun. I wanted to get started in the community, since I do love to write, and meeting others that feel the same way is really cool.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is fun to see how many "hits" you get, that isn't why I started. I do want to build an online presense so it'll be there when I get published. And it is just cool to see what other's have to say.
I do admit sometimes I'll reply to a blog and say "great post" but I swear it's not to just see-how-many-I-can-do-in-one-day type of thing. I genuinely think it's great writing and I don't have much else to say, excpet to acknowledge to the writer that I read it and really liked it.
Krista V.- It never occurred to me that blogging could lead to crit partners. I'd never even read blogs before, so I lurked around for a while, and finally decided to start my own. I separated family stuff from writing stuff, and now I have a family blog that I never update! Oh well.
ReplyDeleteTeresa- what a great link. Thanks. Weronika's approach is fantastic: It's about being accessible and real, and there are stages of development. I'm right where I should be, apparently! Thanks for hanging out;)
Amy- It has been really amazing to get to know so many wonderful people through their blogs- yourself included. I do consider you guys friends. Although, as far as I can tell, everyone wears the same clothes and styles their hair the same EVERY DAY. It's kindof gross. ;)
And Krista- I've met some great crit partners, too. Thanks for your careful edits. You rock!
ReplyDeleteAbby- Hi and thanks for stopping by. I think most people appreciate a "nice article" comment and there's nothing wrong with that. I believe you that you're not trolling! Have a great day!
I like that viewpoint. I like your blog, too. Right now I feel like blogging about the Jetsons.
ReplyDeleteOoops. Sometimes I do just leave a, "Good Job!" but it's not to get a link, it's because that is how I encourage. :) I blog because I have a never-ending need to constantly express myself. I am thinking I need to take this energy and turn it to a book... but as I blog, I am also learning and growing, so the interaction with others part becomes an invaluable component. I am like you, though, in that I do not at all care how many hits, visits, followers, or comments I have. I figure if I get any at all it's a bonus, but that's not the point of writing.... it's just my need to "get something out." ;) Thanks for making me think tonight! Enjoy your Friday.
ReplyDeleteHey JW- I didn't intend to make anyone feel bad about their linking/commenting habits! Thanks for reading and "getting that out" in your comment. Happy Friday to you, too!
ReplyDeleteI like hanging out at your blog.
ReplyDeleteSooo...I blog because A) I don't scrapbook B) Writing clears my head C) occasionally I think if I do x,y,z (online presence, links, followers) maybe I can stay home with the kids and make money! That is just the ideal in the sky that never happens. "wouldn't it be nice if..."
Then life rolls me over like a mack truck. Dishes, cooking, running around, blah blah...that the blog is just there to let it all out so I can move onto the next thing. I have reconnected with old friends, and love meeting new people...those are the buddies I like hanging with me in my digs.
Love you Kelly!
Amber- true about the scrapbooking. Although I have a few boxes of the stuff. Thanks for hanging out with me!
ReplyDelete