I have 147 blogs listed on my blog role. Many of them have been abandoned by their authors but they have not been removed from Blogger so I can sometimes go back and see what they used to write. I sometimes wonder if the Library of Congress will archive some of these like they do the letters of pioneers and soldiers. In other cases the authors have passed on for some of these idle blogs and they are, perhaps, blogging to his/her heart's content in some other part of the vast universe. Their blog remains as a memorial and an example of how brave we can be when we fight that last great battle.
I add some new blogs every once in a while to my blog roll. I do not go trolling for new blogs to read---who has the time? But something catches my eye on a comment they have made to a blogger I read and thus I go read a few of their entries and then add them to my list because I find I am interested in what they have to say or the way they say it. (I must admit that I have been thinking of trolling for Irish blogs as no Irish bloggers are on my list. Smile.)
But what this could mean is I can lose my life (such as an old lady's life is) to reading blogs and living others' lives with too many demanding my attention and then I end up reading each of my well-known bloggers only intermittently. I started thinking about this because a nice Blogger pinned one of my photos to Pinterest, which I have never used, but I was certainly flattered since he gave credit! We grow whether we expect it or not. How many lurkers read your blog but never comment?
Do any of you think about this? Does Blogging add balance to your time or do you find it sometimes takes up too much of your time? How many folks on your blog list? How many do you "follow." How often?
Following blog friends like you fills many hours, yes.
ReplyDeleteI too hope our blogs will be available to sociologists and others as historical documents, yes.
ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
=^..^= . <3 . >< } } (°>
I follow about 100 and I read each one. From "Feedjit" I can sometimes see readers that I know never comment. There are a few that visit every single day without fail and I have no idea who they are...
ReplyDeleteBased on the number of hits in a day, there are many who read but do not comment. I try to read all on my list, now up to nearly 80, but it does take some time to do so. If I am in a particular hurry, then I seek out specific ones for comments. But I think it's nice to get a thoughtful comment, so try to leave one as well...like yours, for example.
ReplyDeleteI follow 40 something blogs and I'm pretty sure it's why at nearly 9am I've had neither coffee nor breakfast. I'm dressed though, but that's because it was 20° and more clothing was required immediately especially those lovely wool socks.
ReplyDeleteA few of those bloggers only comment a few times a year. Most are more regular and I look forward reading what's up in their worlds. I get a few visitors regularly that never comment.
According to Bloggers stats, I have 500 viewers a day. According to blogger view, I have 20 to 30 ten of which leave notes. I must honestly tell you, I don't understand how it works at all.
ReplyDeleteTaking time? I keep the American Cancer Society Discovery shop Facebook page updated every day. I do Great Curves too. I think they take more time. :)
Blog Roll....nope I get to everybody a couple of times a week, and I get to the shiproll every day. Yes, if they announce they are quitting writing or someone says they have died, I delete them after a year. There are one or two personal friends still on my list. When Open Diary vanished, I only linked to about 15 of those writers on new sites. Friends are important....
Hugs....
Yes, it takes up a ridiculous amount of time which is why I sometimes have these long blogging lulls.. posting and/or reading.
ReplyDeleteI read via Feedly. I have 324 blogs listed there but like you, many are now obsolete, abandoned, orphaned. In reality, there are probably about 40-50 new posts a day which pop up on the reader. That's overwhelming if I miss a day or three. And yes, my list grows by a few per month. The blogs I feel more connected to are listed on my sidebar.
I get some visitors who never miss a post. Some who come around at least once every couple of weeks. And some who show up a few times a year. And similarly, I'll visit others with that varying schedule.
Google stats tells me that I have an average of about 275 page visits on a non-posting day and that climbs by about 100 when I do post. Each post garners anywhere from 30-something to 50-something comments. I post about twice a week.
Yup.. time to go for a walk!
I visit all the blogs on my blogroll at least once a week and sometimes twice. Some of them have gone inactive, which is a pity. I keep hoping these interesting but silent bloggers will spring back to life but may delete them after the holidays. I do follow a couple of blogs not on my blogroll but have deleted them from my blogroll for personal reasons or because the content is mostly aggressive, stupid or banal.
ReplyDeleteI take blogging very seriously, and I suspect that others are not using the medium as they could, to discuss a range of issues, even (gasp) politics. It helps to have Type Pad, which is a powerful tool. I pay for it and get way better service than I would get on a free service.
And where else can a writer be completely in charge of content? That's what I love about blogs!
I have similar thoughts to what you express here. My blogging activity waxes and wanes these days. Sometimes it's good to read new blogs; it gets me out of my rut. Mostly people come to Ed and Reub bc they google into the "My dog on Prozac" post from 3 years ago, and mostly they do not comment. I really value readers who visit more than once and who leave a comment. Those are the folks I tend to take an interest in.As for bloggers who have died...I sometimes revisit what they wrote, like rereading a favorite book.It is a little eerie, right? I've also wondered what will happen to all of their words, if they'll be saved.
ReplyDeleteI made up my mind when it began to follow nobody. I also don't list followers on my blog. My blog list is all current but I admit I only read a few of them. I never though read as many as others. I think off and on about quitting. Currently I am writing more often in my Rant but that goes in spurts. I think social media can consume way too much time. At least I never got into games. As for those who comment, I think it's neat for the ones who get a lot of commenters but I never have. When I had more visitors, I still only got a very few comments. I have wondered if I don't say it right to get other opinions.
ReplyDeleteI once had 150 blogs on my list but now I'm down to around 75. I admit it's hard keeping up with them. I often wonder who these hundreds of visitors are listed on my STAT page; they never leave comments.
ReplyDeleteIf i could, i would read all day, and respond. As it is, i try to keep it to what i can reasonably read and still get my work done.
ReplyDeleteI have maybe thirty that I follow closely, and it's a relief that most do not post every day, because I like to be a faithful follower and comment on what i read.
ReplyDeleteSince returning from our three week trip, I fell behind and am not even trying to catch up completely. I'm just trying to keep up. I am using my blog to create my trip photo album now and it is very time consuming.
I had 55 on a list, most of those have stopped - but only a dozen or so post regular.
ReplyDeleteI have not looked at my stats in ages.
I don't do the normal blog list, and I don't really know how many blogs are on it.
ReplyDeleteBlogging has served different purposes for me at different times. I am kind of searching for a present purpose ... if any.
I sometimes sit down with the intention of catching up, but then it is so easy to get distracted. There are blogs I read faithfully, and some on my list that I just glance at. I resolve to spend less time on the computer, but then it creeps right back up there. I have to say, I have learned a lot from blogs though. Couldn't give it up entirely.
ReplyDeleteI do have occasional days that are glutted with blog activity and then try to swear off for a while. It can become addicting. It's also difficult to explain to non-readers of blogs the fascination.
ReplyDeleteBut the insights we gain into other parts of our world have value - they'll sometimes set me off into a train of thought I might not have had.
Lately, I have begun to read fewer posts and spend less time commenting. Posting is getting shoved aside too. There just isn’t enough time.
ReplyDeleteBlogging used to take up an hour or two every day, now there are many days when I don’t look at posts or comments at all. I don’t want to give it up but I am simply not as keen as I was.
Periodically I check which bloggers have given up and I delete them from my very long roll.
I don’t know who reads my posts apart from the ones who comment. I see numbers but how do I find out which others visit?
I enjoyed reading the stats when I first started blogging and wouldn't miss responding to a blog I was following. Now, I get to the computer a couple of hours a week, and drop in on those people I have not seen in a while...
ReplyDeleteLike any social medium, blogging too is beginning to lose its luster...
I counted 76 but I only keep up with about 40 who publish anywhere from every day to maybe several times a month. if they all published every day there is no way I could keep up...just too much of a time suck. I should go through a delete the ones who have stopping or ones who still publish but I skip over. like you, I will still add a new one once in a blue moon. checking my stats, I see that I can get anywhere from 60 - 200 or more page views per post but the most comments I ever get hovers around 15, usually less so I assume I have quite a few readers out there even though my 'followers' come in at a paltry 234 and I've been at this for almost 6 years. I started my blog as a journal for whatever descendents I may have eventually. My sister does genealogy work and while we know ancestors names and dates of birth and death and maybe if they served in some army but nothing about their daily lives. My plan is to eventually print it out and have it bound.
ReplyDeleteThere, I amswered your questions. Thought provoking topic if you dig into the stats. No I will go read your notes.
ReplyDeleteAnd really interesting responses. I counted and find I keep a blog list of 96 sites not all read daily. I also note that many bloggers think of blogging as social media not journaling. My response is on Postcards.
ReplyDeleteShe says waving....
I've been blogging almost 6 years, yet still a novice with readers, stats, etc. I've loaded Bloglovin', but find that I hardly use it. Instead, I just go to my Reader List in Blogger and start at the top... or middle... or bottom. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm too inconsistent with writing and reading to have any sort of big following. Sometimes, I get busy and feel that I should stay away from blogging, but then I open a post and I'm in love all over again. It's worth our time if it's fulfilling.
Hi Tabor,
ReplyDeleteI've seen you around and don't know why I didn't check on your blog earlier. Lovely blog. I'll be back. Dianne
I wonder what will become of these blogs too and if I ever clean out the blog list closet. I would like more blog friends but (like put pen pals) but good ones are hard to find. I'm old fashioned now because I still operate from a computer (and even carry a mouse with my portable net book) and not the phone.
ReplyDelete