I would like to say that this is borne of some great realization about life and how I don't need readers to feel validated in my writing and such, but the vain truth is I love you guys and I love reading your comments, and love reading what you write on your own blogs.
Truthfully I'm feeling a little bogged down in the blogging rigamarole (yes, I'm 70 years old). I feel like I'm commenting just for the sake of commenting and I feel like I'm following blogs that I just plain don't enjoy anymore. Kaelah once referred to it as a "blogging circle jerk"; pardon the lewd phrase but I think it's the best way to describe it.
This is probably a douchey thing to admit, but sometimes I feel the need to read "bigger" blogs just because they have a lot of followers but not because I enjoy their content, if that makes sense. Does anyone else do that? I really hope I don't offend anyone here. I also don't want to pass judgement on people who do decide to sponsor blog or maintain sponsorship programs. It's an awesome aspect of blogging, it's just not for me right now.
I don't mean to make a comment on anyone's blog specifically--I think my tastes and what I want are changing slightly and as a result I've taken a good hard look at my blog reader to determine what blogs and blog posts I most enjoy.
This is probably a douchey thing to admit, but sometimes I feel the need to read "bigger" blogs just because they have a lot of followers but not because I enjoy their content, if that makes sense. Does anyone else do that? I really hope I don't offend anyone here. I also don't want to pass judgement on people who do decide to sponsor blog or maintain sponsorship programs. It's an awesome aspect of blogging, it's just not for me right now.
I don't mean to make a comment on anyone's blog specifically--I think my tastes and what I want are changing slightly and as a result I've taken a good hard look at my blog reader to determine what blogs and blog posts I most enjoy.
I'm still going to write, and I will keep current sponsorships up through November. I want to just get back to writing and immersing myself in the community. I think I became too immersed in the logistics and it kept me from enjoying what is really awesome about blogging.
So, no more sponsorships (minus the ones I've paid ahead for) for the next month or couple of months. I hope you all still read because I love getting to know you.
Have a great weekend, friends!
right on, girl :)
ReplyDeletei feel the same way!
xox eden
I totally agree and I DO find myself reading bigger blogs once in a while and then deciding I don't actually like that much, even if everyone else does. I just read a post the other day in which the author said she doesn't want people to follow her blog just to follow it, but to follow it because they genuinely care about what she has to say. Can't help but love her for it. I don't really think I'll ever be offended by someone choosing not to follow my blog (unless they happen to be a butt-face to me in other aspects of life =P)
ReplyDeleteIt really does seem to be a big old circle-jerk. It seems like every day I get at least one comment saying something about the very first sentence I wrote and then 'hey you should follow me' it's pretty depressing. Good call taking a step back just for a little bit.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for doing what you need to do with your blog! I think it's really important to stay true to yourself and I definitely respect you for doing so. :]
ReplyDeleteI completely get what you are saying. Sometimes the whole networking aspect of blogging can really bog you down. There are blogs I used to love and now find myself skipping through on my reader because all they post about now are give-aways. Sometimes I have to take a step back and just read what I enjoy, comment on the posts that really moved me, and forget about the rest. There's just not enough time to do otherwise. Good for you for doing some soul searching, I understand 100%!
ReplyDeleteI just did a massive cleanup earlier today then I read this post and it made me smile. There are certain blogs (not yours) I kind of dread opening; why am I following them? Well, I'm not anymore. I think it's good to do a purge every couple of months to get rid of the blogs that just don't click with you anymore. Good luck finding a good balance of blogs you love regardless of their readership. :)
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I haven't heard the term 'circle jerk' in quite some time. Although I am not sure when it would ever come up in convo. Anyways.... I agree with you. I am new to blogging and have a very small blog following but I am happy with the few peeps that pop by to share their thoughts. I am never sure how to respond to mundane comments like 'cute pic' 'nice post'. I have started only following blogs that I enjoy (unless I want to win a good giveaway - but that's different) and I would hope people would only follow me because they enjoy what I have to say, how I say it, whenever I want to say it. OK - so this is a novel to get to the point that heck lady - I agree with you. Take a break and enjoy blogging for you.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. No need to follow a blog if you don't care about its content, it defeats the purpose of following something.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Caitlin! This is YOUR journey, after all.
ReplyDeleteI became a lot happier with my blog when I decided it didn't have to be anything I wasn't; Now I am really proud of my blog, even if I don't have ten-billion readers.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first and only blog I have sponsored, and when I thought about sponsoring other blogs I felt like it was kind of a popularity contest-- so Kudos to you for keeping it real, this is why I like you!
Ryan @ Thismustbetheplaceryan
Good for you!
ReplyDeleteI'm your new follower. :)
I know exactly how you feel. Especially getting back to school in September I realized that my Google Reader was becoming a full-time job and I just couldn't handle it anymore. I was trying to read certain blogs just BECAUSE... not because I WANTED to. I cut down my reader in half (at least) and I add blogs every once in a while, and see if I get a feel for them. I think it's easier to read blogs of people you can relate to, rather than blogs of people who are more *blog famous*. It really helped me get back to what I really love about the blog world, and you should 100% not read something that you don't relate to. There's just no point!
ReplyDeleteI hope you're able to get back to the things you love about blogging ASAP as well! :)
Thanks for posting this! It's always sad when I see some bloggers get really wrapped up in that stuff; their content often goes downhill, getting buried beneath sponsorships/giveaways/guest posts. None of those things are bad on their own, but sometimes they practically take over a blog, which isn't pretty. I also sometimes see bloggers who seem to be emulating other bloggers--again, their voice, the reason I started reading in the first place--gets buried. The best way to go is to blog in a way that makes you happy!
ReplyDeleteI think it's way too easy to get caught up in the popularity contest aspect of Blogger. I promise, you are not alone. I definitely follow a couple handfuls of "famous" bloggers, but my favorite blogs are the personal, sincere, real ones. I think that you do a great job of keeping it real and I'll continue to follow you because I like you as a person. I like your blog and I like that you're real. I wish that the amount of followers didn't matter, but I'm sure some people don't even give my blog a second glance because of the measly amount of followers i have. But it makes me appreciate the few I do have because I know that they're following me because they like me and not because I'm going to help make them more popular.
ReplyDeletei completely understand! kinda why i lost the sponsorship thing. stay true to yourself and blog for YOU ;)
ReplyDelete♥
tee hee, circle jerk.
ReplyDeleteI too love that you referred to kaelah's honest to blog~and I also love YOUR transparency and authenticity. so refreshing. i am all for getting back to the essence of things. right on. and by reading these comments too it seems we a bunch of us feel the same about reading and doing whatcha like and lettin the other snizz slide.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I stopped doing All Dressed Up. Because it felt like a chore that I had to do so people could like up. I found my personal posts were disappearing in exchange for posts I thought people would read. I started blogging as an outlet and frankly, that's all it will likely ever be and that's okay. I get fewer comments now a days because I don't comment so much on other blogs, but I suppose that's a sign that people were doing it merely as a courtesy and not because they liked what I was putting out there. It's easy to get sucked in to the competitiveness of it all, but when you do your blog is not yours anymore.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree girl. I have basically quit reading 95% percent of the blogs in my reader and only frequent the handful I truly enjoy.
ReplyDeleteoh girl, I went through the same thing many moons ago. I think it's a natural progression as a blogger if that makes any sense. I used to shell out big bucks to have my button on some bigger blogs and it didn't help me acheive any of the things I was hoping for. then I was scared not to sponsor them because I worried they would take it as a personal attack. I finally had to come ot certain realizations and see sponsorship for what it really is - supporting a blogger that you really enjoy. if and when I sponsor someone now I don't look at it as an opportunity to gain new readers or make new sales - it's just to say I'm here and I like this blogger. I hope this all makes sense. I'm a bit jacked up on nausea medicine to know for certain. anyhow I think you're making the choice that is right for you at this moment. I don't think anyone can take offense to that. :)
ReplyDelete(ps there are a lot of spelling errors in that biotch. sorry.)
this is so good. i actually feel the same way as you and i refuse to pay for advertising anywhere. i know that probably sounds hypocritical of me since i accept people's money for advertising (but i have my reasons - one income family and stuff). i hate this competitiveness in blogging. i'm guilty of reading the "big blogs" too. but mostly because i just want to seethe with hate because of how successful they are. i mean, really! who fucking cares!? i feel like i'm just a petty woman sometimes.
ReplyDeleteAmen. I haven't stepped into sponsoring yet. I have buttons on my blog of other blogs I enjoy reading, but I'm not ready to jump into sponsorship, per se. In many ways it's helpful to readers to find other blogs they might enjoy, but I feel like doing it for money is disingenuous to them in some way. I'm totally not judging other people because for many this is their job and a big part of their life. For me it's a creative outlet.
ReplyDeletehttp://oliveobserver.blogspot.com
I felt much of the same way in the past few months, even though I don't have a sponsorship program. I felt like I was doing this mad rush to comment on everyone's posts every single day, whether or not I really had anything valuable to add to the content, or whether I even enjoyed reading the content to begin with. It's been nice to take a step back and take it easy. But I've noticed in doing so that there are several bloggers I've missed, and blogging has brought people into my life that I want to keep there. Like You!
ReplyDeleteAmen. I'm finding that networking is a full-time job, and dude -- I already have two of those. I would like to make some money from doing what I love, I just don't know if it's feasible and/or worth the additional effort I put forth.
ReplyDeleteAnd I only read blogs I love. Stop reading those kill-joys immediately!
yes and yes.
ReplyDelete