Lately I have been questioning the reasons I go on with this blog. It seems like the 'old gang' of friendly bloggers just doesn't hang together any more.
I have a beautiful new blog all set up and ready to go for GODSPEED should the interest in my still having a blog be there. Of course I would post about the book there, not about my life, as I primarily have here.
I find myself more on Twitter and even flirting with the idea of Pinterist ONLY because it seems where everybody is heading and I don't want to get left behind (again). Though I'd only pin my own stuff and even then, the idea just worries me.
It really feels more and more like blogs are going the way of the Dodo. There are just so many writers, writing about writing. Writing about their own books, though there are a few kind souls writing about other people's books (something I did a LOT when I had more strength a couple years back and still plan to do when I can.)
Still.
Why blog? Do you even care, honestly, about reading other people's blogs anymore or do they seem a burden, another thing on your 'to do' list?
I keep hearing people say they 'haven't recovered from April' and that makes me sad. It seems like a lot of the blogging community is suffering from burn-out and I don't see them turning around as quick as usual this time.
I miss the people who used to visit here, I try to still visit as many blogs as I can by the people who have come to be real friends to me. But I'm curious, if you're reading this what do you think?
Is it time to prepare to say goodbye to the blog- this blog in particular, and move on to the next, new thing?
Walt Disney said "Keep moving forward.," and lately I just feel like blogging is going in reverse.
I'm curious to know what you think- and how you feel, about your own blog, this one, and just blogs in general. Do you prefer Twitter (as I find I do now) FB or another social media outlet?
Curiously,
bru
PS Don't forget to look in the post below this one, at the end, to read about my Reader Appreciation Contest in which I am giving away three copies of GODSPEED in print and also a unique piece of artwork. The only catch to enter? You have to have read, and enjoyed, the book. Contest closes June 1 so hurry!
I think blogging can work for some people, but that it's not for everyone. I do experience burn out from time to time. Still, I'm not to the point where I'm ready to throw in the towel. It's nice to have a writing space that I can call my own.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on that, Angela it's why I haven't taken it down just yet. If I keep it though it will be back to more of a personal journal type space than talking about writing any more, so we'll see...mulling it all over. Thank you for coming by and weighing in! xoxo
DeleteThis week I'm not blogging much, and I've blocked FB and Twitter for all but 20 minutes each day. It's proving interesting...and I'm getting a lot more done! But I wanted to comment here because I want to share my thoughts. I think blogging, at least for me and a few people I know, is going back to what it was supposed to be - a journal, a more personal place instead of a networking place. I disabled comments on my blog because of this reason. If I'm going to mention other books, it will primarily be in my newsletter where I recommend books I've enjoyed or books I'm giving away. For the past six months, I've really felt my blog has gotten back to a place where I'm comfortable. It's what I've always wanted it to be now, and it's a wonderful place I can look back on and see my writing journey chronicled.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, those are my thoughts and why I blog now. I think everyone has to figure out what works best for them and why they blog. In my opinion, blogging is becoming less of a social network and more of a personal corner, and personal corners can be wonderful, wonderful things. :) I certainly enjoy yours. :)
Thank you so much Michelle, for sharing where you are at and what you are seeing in other bloggers. See, you've hit the nail on just what I miss in blogs these days- I miss those more personal spaces, where people talk about their lives and their art and not so much network. That's what is missing for me- and what I would also very much like to get back to.
DeleteI have also thought a lot about how you disabled comments and have been seriously thinking about doing that for a long time, because I just can't keep up with them. If someone wants to email then that's different but coming back here and checking and all that is so taxing on my eyes- which you know I have to preserve.
So much to think about-- your remarks really helped today, thank you for making time in your schedule to post that, I really appreciate it and you <3 xoxo bru
Thanks, Bru. :) I put a post today with a link to this post. You inspired me to talk about this! :)
DeleteAwesome post Michelle, I left a remark on FB! <3
DeleteI agree with Angela. It's a platform that works better for some than others. I think it depends a lot on temperament. I don't feel as comfortable with the noise of feed-oriented platforms (like Twitter), in part because I like to ruminate. My fast thinking always comes out stupid. But that's just me.
ReplyDeleteI did notice a huge drop off in readers in April and early May, but my readers seem to have returned lately. I think blogging goes through cycles, and one has to decide whether to weather them.
I have been weathering them a long time, I originally started blogging in2005 I think it was outside the writing arena. I think if I am to continue then getting back to that journal type thing Michelle was speaking of is the way to go. Thanks for weighing in!
DeleteI started blogging in 2004, a while before it was a fad, although I admit I came later to the game than some. And I'll keep blogging for as long as I have my own web space. I self host so... that's probably forever.
ReplyDeleteI've never liked bloggers that blog about things. Like writing, reading, cooking, homesteading, whatever. There's nothing wrong with that; it's just not my favorite. I see a blog as a personal journal that everyone can read. I blog about anything and everything I'm interested in, and those are my favorite blogs to read. I enjoy Twitter, but it hasn't replaced the intimacy of blogging, of thinking with unlimited space.
Found you through Michelle. :)
Hi Jaimie, thank you so much for visiting! As a longtime blogger I really appreciate what you are saying, and it sounds like your blog would be very interesting I will have to check it out! I have never been good at sticking to just talking about writing here and maybe trying to do that more is what is getting to me. So much to think about, thank you!
DeleteI don't think blogging is dying, but I do think it's changing. Over the last year, I've seen my comments go down but my hits go up. I think commenting had become too time consuming for most, especially if people are reading posts on their phones or through a reader. I also think that we get this little "crew" when we first start blogging. We all comment on each other's blogs and this community is built. But as time goes on, many of those former "newbies" start getting bigger followings or getting book deals and get busier. So now we're doing blog tours and promoting books and on every social network known to man, so we don't have time to check and comment on all those friends' blogs like we used to even if we want to.
ReplyDeleteI bet if you go out and look at brand new writers, they are doing what we did, building their community. So they probably still have active comment sections and such because they are at the beginning of the journey.
That's my theory at least, lol. Regardless, I enjoy blogging and don't plan on stopping. But like Michelle above, I've stopped putting so much focus on the number of comments or the follower counts and all that. As long as I can see people are still showing up (hits wise), I'm fine.
I miss the friends I met when I first started blogging, because it seems like a lot of them don't post any more. Or don't post as much. Personally, I blog because I enjoy it, but I will admit my time could probably be better spent. I don't get as much writing done as I used to before I started blogging, but the writing I do get done - I think it's better.
ReplyDeletei'm not giving up my blog just like i'm not giving up my paperback books. there's too much of me on my blog, and although i'm sure not all the people who follow me read what i post all the time, a few do. i've met some really good friends through blogging. i'm meeting more new friends as i look for art journaling blogs. it wouldn't be the same if they were on facebook and twitter, or pinterest. if a blog author lets their heart come through, it's a little more personal. the internet has become too impersonal and too "fast."
ReplyDeletei know that not all blog friendships are real, buti think they're a little more real than all the facebooking and twitter-ness. i know not all of us can slow down and get to know people. i know that some people blog for a platform or to sell their books, or whatever they want to sell. some of us blog for therapy or to keep our sanity or to have a place to write and be heard. some of us have decided to slow down and not get involved in the craziness, which, btw, i think is a choice. i know i'm rambling, but i had something to say and i said it.
To me, blogging is less about quantity these days than about quality. During April, I met a few new bloggers I really enjoyed and pretty much stuck with them.
ReplyDeleteIn order to keep blogging fun, I've decided to reinvent what I do with my blog. I'm going to start two new weekly posts in June that won't be a burden, but will be fun to me. Honestly, the same people visit me, and I'm all right with that. In fact, I prefer it. Twitter, for me, is only a place to post articles I find interesting. I'm not much about joining the 140-character conversation.
I think you need to do what feels right for you, Bru. I suggest you make it fun for yourself if you want to continue.
Great comments everyone, and I apologize I have a medical appt. I have to get to but I will return to reply to comments soon as I can. xoxo bru
ReplyDeleteMaybe I haven't been blogging long enough to have a sense of this. I still feel like my blog is growing, and I enjoy posting. People do go away, but, you know, people go away everywhere. People often get sucked into things for a time and then lose interest. That's just the way of it with most people.
ReplyDeleteI'm not much like that, though.
I think, if anything, it's like a tide, and you have to figure out how to ride the ebb and flow.
And I'm just -not- getting involved in twitter. Not gonna do it.
I think blogging goes in trends. And some people are regulars, but then stop blogging. Or they blog, but stop commenting. I have my regulars and another set that comes for a while and then goes. Since I'm not on Twitter or Pinrest, I'll keep going. I think nothing beats the connection. With Twitter and Facebook you can have more contact, but less substantial. Everything serves its purpose.
ReplyDeleteI burn out from time to time too. Blogging has connected me with amazing people, which is why I blog. But it also takes time out of my day that is valuable to me. So it's hard to balance everything. I may have to check out pinterest and see how other writers are doing it.
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion here and everyone has such great remarks, thank you one and all! I'm sorry I didn't make it back to answer them all individually yesterday (and won't get to do so today) I'm having another adverse medication reaction and dealing with the fall-out and it's really knocked the wind out of me- my apologies.
ReplyDeleteI did read all the comments though and thank you all for adding to the conversation (and making it so interesting!)
xoxo
bru
My interest in my blog comes and goes. I'm not really into it all that much anymore. I'm finding I need to take breaks more and more for longer periods of time. I've lost the niche I had built, like Roni said, we all made our own friends, and like Matthew said, most of them are gone now.
ReplyDeleteI know I'm coming on a big break over the summer, moving, vacation and new school for the Monster, so I'm wondering if I'll come back in September. I'm finding like you, a new interest in Twitter.
Btw, the painting you did on your sidebar, with the lovely angel out on a limb would make a fabulous blog header or background. It's the first thing that popped into my mind when I viewed it. "Angel out on a Limb" or simply "Out on a Limb" would be perfect!! It speaks to me, as if saying, "Hey! Little ole' me has a lot to give to this big, scary world. So, I'm going out on a limb here..."
ReplyDeleteBlogging has an ebb & flow effect on me. Some weeks I'm exhausted from the blog hop I go on that I don't have time to even look at my own. There are times when I have nothing to blog about, and instead of blogging about nothing, I skip the week and focus on others' blogs, giving them support.
I check a ton on my phone while sitting in car line, waiting for the school bell to ring. It's an idle, quiet set of minutes in my hectic day to just read. But, I normally don't comment on the blogs visited when I'm on my phone, because, well, it's too much work on an itty-bitty screen. LOL! (Not to mention the fat-thumb syndrome!)
I try to jot down the ones I'd like to comment on, but going back to them later rarely happens. Life happens instead.
Blogs and bloggers I relate to are the ones that I try to check by with. If it resonates, I try and let the blogger know how they've affected me and my day. Such as yours today. :) Thanks for your insightful post, Bru.
But, I feel it's important to keep in mind, that while it's easy to be hurt by lack of traffic and comments on my blog, if I happen to receive ONE comment to let me know I've touched someone's life, that's really all that matters to me in the end. It took me a while to get to this point.
The busier and busier that people become, it just gets harder. Ya know?
Ebb & flow.
My writing blog, as I like to think of it, is a field full of wildflowers, a quiet, green pasture with an ancient Live Oak tree for me to lie under, and just put my thoughts out there. If folks take a moment of their precious time to comment, I'm elated. :) But, if not, I mentally shove myself forward. It's what I have to do to keep from giving up. Because I know that giving up would be the ultimate death of my soul.
My newest blog endeavor is for my reading audience (which I'd love to promote with children's librarians once my Texas lore & legend series is finished.). I hope to gain teen readers, as well as other adults who love to read upper Middle Grade - YA stories. My strategy for finding those peeps is still in the works. :)) The blog is out there, and I'm blogging, but it's still a huge work in progress.
Well, I've taken up enough of your day. Lol! Keep up the great work, Bru. Hope you feel better soone!
Be true to your craft(s) and yourself. Because in the end, being true to yourself, your core being, is what ultimately matters.
~Candi
I like blogging and cahtting with people on other blogs. It's a good way to spread info and build connections/relationships.
ReplyDeleteIt does fluctuate though. Sometimes I just can't keep up.
Candilynn has a point: if blogging is hurting your writing, cut back a bit on your blog.
ReplyDeleteAT&T severed my outside phone lines and took a whole month of May to repair it! It put me in Virtual Exile in both senses of the term!
I wasn't able to comment on my friends' blogs so they thought I was ignoring them. And my job as a rare blood courier has been more demanding of late.
So I've lost comments and followers. But some devastating news has just left me wondering, like you, if I should continue blogging or even writing.
My last book is appropriately titled, END OF DAYS. How's that for irony for you?
Candilynn is also right about your artwork making a great header for you, Roland
I'm back! I forgot to say something yesterday (as if I could babble anymore. Yes, I can!). My own critique partner and one of my best friends reads every single blog post I've ever written, and has commented only twice since I started two year ago. She's just shy like that.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the back up, Roland. :)
To the both of you, don't give up!
hi miss bru! for me sometime i blog and sometime i dont and it just depends on whats happening in my life. schools more hard now and it got me off blogging for a while. todays the last day of school!!!! yippee. now i just did a new post on my blog from yesterday cause i got more time. but i wanna do lots this summer so maybe im not gonna blog so much. yikes! i dont know if im blogging or not blogging. ha ha. sorry bout that medicine giving you trouble. i hope you could feel better real soon.
ReplyDelete...hugs from lenny
I still love the blogging community and find it so much better a place to share our real selves--there is just a lot more room to do a little analyzing or give some explanation--share some experiences. I don't really LIKE Twitter--it is too ADHD for me and I just can't get my bearings. I like Facebook to PLAY, and for conversations, but I don't think it has the same depth.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. I personally find that I still love blogging, though I no longer force myself to read all the posts on my reader list (in fact, I don't even check it anymore) as it was just consuming my life. Now I just go to my favourite blogs when I have the time, or perhaps read a post from a new blog. I don't usually comment as I can rarely think of anything interesting to add, but I am trying harder to try and comment as I know I love it when people comment on my blog.
ReplyDelete