Make new friends, but keep the old
So today I’m attempting to “make a new Blog friend”. I found Bev Sykes at the suggestion of Bozoette. I immediately liked the style and candor of her writing. If nothing else, hers will be a great new read.
I’ve never been the greatest at making new friends, but unless I want this Blog to become basically a diary, I obviously need to invest some time in reaching out to the Blog world.
Has anyone else noticed a declining interest in Blogging, or is it just me? I have this feeling that some are moving on to Facebook and Twitter and other ways of social networking that so far have not appealed to me. Maybe others are recognizing it for the time sink it is and finding better ways to use the hours of the day.
I could end up being a Blogging dinosaur, talking to myself, some day. I still like the idea of writing whatever is on my mind every day and reading similar thoughts from like-minded people or even from those with really opposing views.
posted by Barbara at 12:10 PM
21 Comments:
I have an idea that it's not so much that no one is blogging anymore, but that there's a natural lifespan for a blog (2-5years) and we've "outlived" most of our peers. Thus, new people don't find us as easily because we've lost our links from our friends who stopped blogging. Yah?
Plus, there is a drain to FB and twitter. Still, I hardly think blogging is dead. It's just a matter of hunting up the newbies.
I do admire your output! I'm still hanging on, but I don't produce anything like the volume I did my first couple of years. (So, I'm now an irregular than a regular writer. Heh.)
I think there's a natural ebb and flow in the rhythms of communication. Also, in the music/performing world I'm a part of, there's definitely a "radar" phenomenon -- if you're not on it, you fall off it, potentially creating a negative feedback loop. I'd venture to guess there's a similar dynamic in blogland.
As one of those faithful readers without a blog of my own, let me again express my appreciation for your blog and for you! I'm glad you're there and still writing. After all, we have your blog to thank for our friendship, and I for one am very grateful!
F.
I`m still following you, Barbara, although I do not come as often as I wish. But whenever I do, I find something interesting here which makes me think.
Yes, maybe I am also writing less, and reading less, because of my real life keeping me, but as long as I still get nice comments and find good thoughts in blogland, I don`t think I`ll stop. And I`d miss you!
C'est la vie.
Oh Barbara, I read your blog every day, but seem to be racing through life these days and don't always take the time to stop and comment. But I am out here--usually nodding in agreement! It's a little like talking to my 2-yr-old granddaughter on the phone--I ask questions and she nods or shakes her head! I am on Facebook and I like it, but it has nowhere near the depth of a blog. In fact I was just telling my husband I think FB has turned us into a nation of smartasses--everyone is striving for the perfect one-liners.
PS--this is so strange--I was mentally composing a blog post about online friendships, as I was driving this morning. I haven't written it yet, but the title was going to be "Make new friends, but keep the old." Great minds! You must have been a Brownie too.
I notice a loss of some regular readers/comment-ers, too. My little counter says 42 followers but if I get a handful of comments I'm lucky. Still, I make the rounds of my favorites and try to comment. There's not always time. I come visit here every day - you've long been one of my favorites. There's still a few of us hanging around the playground :)
I'm still here! Been taking a little break, but I'm around!
I've seen declining readership too -- I think jamy is right, that the natural lifespan of blogs is driving down some of our longtime audience. I also just haven't had a whole lot to say lately, but I think I have to work a little harder at putting together daily entries, just to stay on my game. :)
I've never written every day, like you and Bev, but I've been doing this since 2002. I find new blog friends occasionally (like you!). I do think that some folks have moved from the blog form to FB and Twitter, simply because those "forms" are quicker and easier. But for me, my blog is part of me - I'll keep it going until it becomes too much like work!
Ya' know, Barbara, there is a certain charm in talking to oneself. Sometimes it's the only way you can get a good conversation.
My blog started as a way of thinking out-loud and I didn't care whether anybody read it or not. Sometimes, I still talk to myself on my blog - and it's ok: it's my journal. Hang in there.
Hey Barbara - I'm still writing, but I'm growing more and more positive I'm just talking to myself. I think I may have 2-3 readers at the most. But it feels good to write, and I figure eventually I'll print it all off and keep it for my memoirs...or something! I have 7-8 blogs (including yours) that I follow daily, though I may not comment on them hardly ever. Know that I'm reading yours though!!
Cheers.
M.
You are all so wise! One of the reasons I keep writing is to experience such a diverse audience.
I think Jamy may well be correct about the 2-5 year lifespan.
Although I hardly wrote this with the idea of getting my ego stroked, it really did my heart good to hear from so many people and to see my comments go into a rare double-digit!
My challenge to all of you is to break that 5-year ceiling and just keep me company as I continue to chronicle my life in words.
I am quite sure that many of the people who come here regularly to read but never ever leave comments would be very sad if they couldn't get their daily dose of you anymore. There's got to be a reason why they keep coming back - probably they enjoy reading what you have to say, perhaps?
I think that there is a huge variety of priorities amongst bloggers and blog readers and it may all balance out okay for everyone in the end.
I, for example, read many more blogs than I could possibly comment on, and I comment much more often than I write on my own blog. If I commented every time I visited a blog I wouldn't have as much time to read, which is my favorite thing. And since commenting takes less time away from my reading, I'm much more likely to do that than to write a post of my own.
Since my life is on the verge of becoming slightly less ridiculous, I may have more time to put some real thought into my posts the way you do, or I might entirely lose whatever "need" I've had to blog for the past several years. Who knows? All I know is that you set a good example for the rest of us and I hope you'll continue, even if you aren't able to tell for sure how many blogger friends you actually have. I'd bet that the number is much larger than you imagine.
Cyndy -- You do seem to get around to a bunch of Blogs. I would appreciate your recommendation of any you read that you think I might like to read. I know you are a regular visitor here -- usually in the middle of the night!
It does seem less prevalent than it was a few years ago or maybe I'm just a little more hesitant to reach out and make new blogging friends. I've seen people come and go. There've been dust ups and blow ups and big hot messes along the way as well as a few solid friendships, which I treasure.
I find myself super busy nowadays, with many things competing for my time, including work, endless marketing for my professional services (which includes Facebook and Twitter, where one can effectively mix business and pleasure if one is careful), and social activities. Something's gotta give, and in my case, it's been tv and blogging. It's a simple calculation of priorities and returns.
Barbara,
I'm one of your faithful readers who comments very rarely, but who enjoys your daily posts. There's often something that strikes a chord with me--I should tell you that more often!
Judy K.
What a delightful surprise to find myself in your blog entry! I agree with you about the changing nature of the blogging world, and moving to Facebook. I do this because I love doing it. I am happy to find new blogs to read (like yours). I also enjoy Facebook.
I guess that the internet is starting to mirror life...ever changing!
Thanks for the mention!
I would blog every day, but between the work, the move, the dissertation, the in-laws... things have gotten a bit hectic.
What I love about Blogging is that every one of you who commented here comes at Blogging from a slightly different angle. These comments collectively represent all those groups of readers that I mentioned in the post, including one or two I rarely hear from. I'm also delighted to have a new reader!
Hi Barbara,
You and your blog are both fantastic. I enjoy the fact that you share your thoughts on such a variety of topics from food to health to travel to pets to music to friendships and on and on. And I am heartily impressed that you can post every day! I will try to make sure that I comment more often as I sometimes pop over to read but am just not in the mood or too pressed for time to actually write anything in response.
I have found that facebook is taking up more of my time as well. Between blogging and facebook they cover different territory and I enjoy them both.
Keep coming to the playground. I'll be there too.
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