Do people still read blogs? My friend and talented writer, Vikki Reich, (whose excellent 
work I have shared on this blog before) asked that question this week on her site. She brought up so many good reasons about why she has found herself reading fewer blogs over time. I’ve written about the changing landscape of blogging, too, when I wrote a long post in June titled “What’s Next For Me as a Writer.” That post was about my “meh” feelings about where blogging seems to be headed, and I don’t just mean the blogging we do on our own sites. That “mehness” includes the topics and lists—oh, the lists—on all the other sites that many of us write for and frequently see on all the social media channels.
I’ve also watched blogging buddies and leaders like Alison Lee decide to stop blogging. I want to emphasize here that I agree with Vikki’s changing feelings about the blog world. And I fully understand and sometimes even envy Alison’s decision to stop writing on her site. (She is still the submissions editor at Bon Bon Break and a writer for them, too.)
And yet, despite my post from June and despite my full agreement with Vikki and almost-envy of Alison, I am still blogging and still reading blogs all the time with no plans to stop. Vikki’s post inspired a long comment from me, which I want to explore more here. You really have to read her post first though. Have you done that yet? I’ll wait.
One thing I noticed right away is that Vikki’s post inspired many comments from people, including me, who all agree with her assessment about what has gone a bit south in the world of blogging, but we were still all (mostly all) there with our blogs intact having stumbled on her post somehow whether through social media or in my case, a blog reader like Bloglovin. I think readers are still there, but they’re choosier about what they’ll click on and even choosier, rightfully so, about what they’ll take time to stop and comment on.
Many of us commenting at Vikki’s mentioned how much we were nodding vigorously with every one of her excellent and spot-on points, and yet I know that I, for one, may be part of the problem. I have also publicly bemoaned the takeover of the list post yet have written list posts. (Not often, by the way, because the loss of essays has bothered me. But still, yes, I have written lists posts like I did recently at Club Mid.) I have also stopped writing on my blog as often in favor of being paid to write elsewhere. And when you’re paid to write “elsewhere” (wherever that is), there is an expectation of promoting that work. It’s part of the deal. I think that I’m consistent in promoting others, too, and I have always been consistently and publicly against things like Tribrr that make it so a person is always promoting the same handful of people without even reading the posts. I think that auto-promotion of the same people adds to the disingenuous feeling that I personally feel is out there sometimes. Vikki mentions other reasons as well for the question of genuineness. Remember to read her post!
Do I know that promoting my work must be super annoying to readers? Yes. I try to be careful about not overdoing it. Am I one of the people who gets on other bloggers’ nerves? I hope not, but it’s certainly possible.
Do people still read blogs?
I want to answer Vikki’s main question, “Do people still read blogs?” I still read blogs all the time. I keep up on Bloglovin and I don’t see it as a burden. I really enjoy it, but I for sure do not feel that I “have to” read every post out there. I’ve always known that all of my stuff would never appeal to All the Readers, so I never had pressure on myself to read All of Things that everyone else writes. I think it’s the key to how I have kept up with the reading of other blogs if not constantly, at least consistently. I read blogs every day, just not always the same ones and not every post from every person. I have simply never felt the pressure to do so. Another reason for that is that I’ve rarely posted more than once a week, which helps me feel no pressure to read someone else’s work three times a week and so on.
And then to get more psychological about it, I sometimes click to Bloglovin (like I did this morning) when I am supposed to be writing. So the reading becomes a procrastination tool. And hey, this time it inspired an entire post.
But I know that blog reading is also down in the non-blogging world. At the beginning of the summer a close friend of mine told me that she doesn’t read any blogs anymore, including mine. It hurt my feelings for a minute, okay more like a month, but it was a good reminder that as a writer I must enjoy what I am doing first and foremost for ME. Readers come and go. That’s just the reality. If you don’t LOVE to write, then you will put too much focus on numbers and readers, etc. I do love to write, which is why I’m still here.
(Putting on my friendship columnist hat for a moment, I don’t think it’s necessary to tell writers directly that you don’t read their stuff anymore. I think a white lie like, “I haven’t read anything of yours in a while, but I’m looking forward to it” is significantly kinder and worth a touch of dishonesty in favor of helping someone else save a little face. I also think it’s more than enough to even just visit a good friend’s site a few times a year and click around for 10 minutes to see what she’s been up to. It may seem like nothing, but it probably means a lot to your friend, just like you might enjoy when your friend asks you details about how your work is going.)
Now where were we? The comments on Vikki’s post are great. Everyone provided different reasons for reading fewer blogs and all those reasons were relatable and sensible. But despite how much I agree, I’m still here writing and reading. My feeling is that until I’m ready to write a book (ever?) then the blog world is where my writing is going to be these days.
Thanks for reading if you got this far. Do you still read blogs? Why or why not?
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79 Responses
I liked Vicki’s post and it made me think, as does this one. I’ve been blogging for 9 years next month (OMG NINE) … wow. And yet while things have changed, I have no interest in stopping. I still read blogs daily. Personally blogging has changed my life and that’s not an overstatement. It’s my favorite kind of writing. I’m so glad to know you. xox
Same here but 9 years earlier this year (February).
Vikki recently posted..Do People Still Read Blogs?
So impressed with 9 years from both of you! And glad to know you both, which I would not have if not for blogging.
You and Vikki (and all the commenters) all have great points and justifications for blogging/reading blogs (or not, as the case may be). I get all of them. As I mentioned on Vikki’s site, I read about 5-10 blogs regularly, but rarely add new ones to the regular rotation mix (which I don’t feel good about and should probably change).
When it comes to my blog, I feel very lost about what the point of my blog is/was anymore after 4+ years, where my “other” writing fits into all of that, and the blogging community in general. This is a much longer conversation and maybe when I return to my blog after summer break is over, I will flesh this out (if only to figure out where my head is at on all of it). But one of the primary motivators for me (and all of us, I assume) is to get read (yes, also to get the creative itch out, preserve memories, etc. too). Yet it feels like many of the readers are only other bloggers. Also, in my experience, the very same things that I would put on my blog but decide to submit elsewhere, that stuff gets read. It gets covered in dust if just publish on my blog, you know? Without enough blog promotion (which I do not like to do, admittedly), I’ll never have a large readership through my blog. So now it makes me question whether a blog is the right platform/model for me. And yet…can’t seem to let it go.
Also, at some point, it seems inevitable that it drifts towards feeling personal when you’ve been reading/commenting/getting read for a few years (at least to me; I think of the show Friends when in its heyday viewers thought of those folks as their actual friends, with vested interest in outcomes). I struggle with that a little because when you’ve been reading about someone’s personal lives (and especially when they reciprocate) there’s sometimes this weird, white elephant in the room about next levels or unclear expectations–and it’s not always mutual. You’ve gone from reading a stranger’s good writing, to caring about them in some fashion. I think you once counseled against this expectation, but it is something that feels unique to blogging in my experience. It seems like the very essence of blogging (at least the blogs I tend to read); the connection feels more personal to the writer (over time) rather than the smattering of varied authors you see on big sites and randomly click on because of a good headline. You are deliberately going to that person’s site to hear more from them. While I love that, I also think it is why I’ve been preferring submitting to and reading other places to keep more of an arm’s length feeling about it all, like book writing or column writing tends to offer. I also want to reach beyond the writerly circle a bit now too. I’d like to intrigue that non-blogger, non-writer person who just loves to read and discuss/ponder things, you know? Like that guy on the train to work or that woman on her couch late at night. I might have not had enough coffee to explain myself!
Also: good advice about not telling someone you’ve stopped reading their blog. Yeesh. Sorry you had to hear that!
Kristen recently posted..Summer Break
My answer to Vikki was long, too. It’s great and adds so much to the conversation. You know, I think most of us are searching for those same mysterious “civilian readers” as Allison Tate once aptly named them. I 100% get that desire and have it, too. I think for many of us it is hit or miss (depending on topic, reach of the hosting site as you pointed out, etc.) and not necessarily something that can be attained by most bloggers. It’s sort of like the JK Rowlings and Stephen Kings are rare–the ones who sell millions of books no matter what simply because people seek out their books. I think even as a book buyer I am more likely to buy what interests me and not necessarily because it was written by a certain author. Would blogs be any different in the “civilian” world?
I do, however, as a blogger, feel those real connections with other bloggers and feel the desire to keep up with their work. I may have advised not expecting people to read you regularly, but that doesn’t mean I also always have good boundaries, etc. Relationships are real online and if they were to just fizzle away with no word that would sting as much as a non-virtual friendship. I think I more so cautioned against expecting non-blogging friends to stay interested in our blogs on a consistent basis.
Great thoughts here! I’m glad you wrote them and can’t wait to hear about your break.
OMG. I am so sorry that was so long! Yikes.
Kristen recently posted..Summer Break
You bring up a good point about getting paid for writing and that has certainly had am impact on what I write for my blog. Though the crazy thoughts in my head have always been a part of my blog and those are not something I would submit to another site. All good things to think about.
Vikki recently posted..Do People Still Read Blogs?
I like having this space here, too, for thoughts (like today’s) that belong nowhere else but here. It’s also nice to be able to press “publish” and be done with it. I’m drunk with power over here. 😉
I commented on Vikki’s post via Facebook and now your post as well. Do I get a prize? 😉
(As I said at Vikki’s, I read blogs ALL.THE.TIME. but don’t write on my own nearly as often anymore, nor do I get tons of readers when I do. But, it’s still not stopping me from sharing when I can.)
Cheryl at Busy Since Birth recently posted..Getting Over It: Losing a Friend and Finding My Voice Again
I really need to find a good prize!
Oh Nina – I’m not even sure what to write, because you know I’ve been struggling with this lately. But I do still read blogs, I think I always will. I have too many friends I want to keep up with. But, I am switching my blogging focus. I also applied for a another job today – writing – so fingers crossed. I’ll be promoting my stuff, but only the pieces I’m paid for. I’m done with the numbers game. As for promoting others, I’ll always do that – but only when it really moves me. Just too afraid of driving friends and family crazy.
Allie recently posted..A Currently Post that Includes Birthday Musings
I should have talked more about the numbers thing. I think I look at Google analytics like once every three months. It just does not mean a thing to me and most of the numbers are from a few barre posts I wrote 3 years ago so it’s especially meaningless. And when you write for other sites, you’re mostly not privy to the numbers other than what you can see on the FB and Twitter counters under a post. I don’t pay attention to those either. I’ll never be a big numbers person. I’ve never gone viral. I’m good with that. I’m glad you are, too!
Oh! And good luck on the job! I hope you get it!
Thank you! And my most pop0ular post is the one I wrote about my sister-in-law on her first birthday without my brother. Allison helped me figure out why – people Google “what to buy my sister in law for her birthday.” Too funny – high bounce rate, too.
Nina! Don’t envy me. Since I quit my blog, I rarely write, and I rarely read blogs. I miss the writing and the interaction. But with no obligation to post on my own site, I appear to have lost all gumption to do anything beyond my job at BonBon Break. I want to, but I seem to be stuck when it comes to my own writing. I don’t feel like I have any material and I don’t push myself to sit down and get it all out (though I really feel empty in terms of writing).
That said, I don’t regret quitting the blog. I feel freer (in every sense of the word), and it’s opened doors for me to say yes to things I wouldn’t have had time to otherwise. I just need to get back into the habit of writing, and finding a place for it.
I’m glad YOU are still writing. You always have such great ideas, and I love your opinions about blogging, social media, life.
Alison recently posted..Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
I can 100% imagine I’d feel the same– a mixture of relief and missing/wanting what was and still is for others.
If you’re ever really wanting to push yourself to write a big every day for a short time, I really recommend Jena Schwartz’s online groups. They are only 10 days and it really lights a fire under you and in your creative brain.
And thank you for always being so supportive of my social media musings!
At your prompting, I read Vicki’s post, and then finished reading yours. I won’t quit reading blogs, either. Yet I have definitely scaled back; when my Feedly gets out of control I panic and have to mark “read” on many posts I would like to read if I had the time or attention span.
Fortunately, many of the bloggers I follow are posting less often than they used to, and that makes it easier to keep up. I used to feel that if I didn’t post frequently, readers would leave. Now I don’t worry about it – I write when I want to write. When posting on my blog and reading other blogs becomes a chore, it’s time to back off. But as long as my favorites keep writing, I’ll keep reading.
Dana recently posted..Phases of reading
I’m the same with Bloglovin and marking things read that I just won’t get to. That’s what I love about using a feed like that. It gives me an overall sense of what’s out there this week and I really enjoy having the opportunity to look at the headlines and click on what interests me. I treat it like a daily magazine and choose a few to read a day. I agree that people are posting less, which does make it MUCH easier to keep up. When anyone does the blog every day thing for BlogHer it does tend to make me mark up that “read” option quickly.
I confess I haven’t read Vikki’s post yet, but it’s up on my screen! Perhaps I’ll come back after here.
I do still read blogs, write blogs and comment, but that has gone down. I have received less comments and I have commented less. Partly because of time and pettily because if someone is not going to visit me at all, well.. the interaction is gone. (petty, I know)
My blog is different and I’m sure I’ve lost a few readers that way. I can no longer afford to do my heavy personal posts three times a week so I do more like twice a week and two sponsored posts too. I’m still giving my all, though, and my heart is totally there.
Cool post, really.
Tamara recently posted..FROZEN Inspired Grape Pops.
That is not petty, it is reality. I am the same way and I think it’s only natural. Reminds me of how I once kept running into an acquaintance at the pool and more than once in the middle of our conversation she would answer a phone call and actually wander away from me without even the universal sign for “one minute I’ll be right back.” She’d just wander away. You can imagine that I avoided her after a few times of that treatment. I can feel the same online. And it’s often not personal, but that doesn’t mean you want to be the only one doing the visiting. Sometimes topics and styles aren’t a good match anymore. I see it as an opportunity to discover a new voice and make a new connection or focus deeper on the ones I already have.
I’m so glad that you wrote this and honestly don’t know how I feel about it. I read blogs less than I used to but that’s directly related to not writing on my blog as much as I used to. To the whole “WHY?” thing. To the whole “I should get paid for this” thing and then getting rejected and not rejected and being accepted seems to not matter that much anyway. Gah.
I’ve been having my own blog identity crisis. Most of my subscribers came from the special needs community. A few sites out there promoted some of my stuff, and it felt so so good. But now? I don’t want to write about my little boy any longer — and he’s not as little, having just turned six — and well, what now? Sometimes I think about just shutting it down, but then get an email from a special needs mom who needs help figuring something out… and did I say “GAH” yet? Yes, yes, I believe I have. Thanks for writing this.
Kristi Campbell recently posted..Graves, Writing, Life Lived, and Six Sentence Stories
I for sure go through that identity crisis about it all a few times a year. I had one in June and now I’m feeling good about it all again even though not one thing has changed. After I was done with my year at Brain, Child I stopped writing about my kids. I was able to push my focus elsewhere. You can do it if you want! I think most people come to your work for YOU as the constant, not as the topic as the constant. You’ve made so many great connections and you’ve been a real leader with the Finish Your Sentence Fridays and in other ways. Do not be afraid to keep the site as is but slightly shift the focus as you see fit. And it doesn’t have to be one particular focus— you can do a little bit of “this and that.” And have some fun, too!
Hi Nina, this is such an interesting topic and I read both Vickis post and yours. I think reading blogs is sort of like keeping up with a friendship. I mostly read the blogs that are great, just as I invest energy into worthwhile friendships. I admit that I skim or delete (or unsubscribe sometimes) to those that no longer stimulate me. But I still have a good 5-8 blogs that I read thoroughly and try to comment on consistently. I wonder if people who say they are reading less and less blogs are really just fine tuning who they read. As someone would maturely do with a friendship that is no longer working. I’ve been blogging for 3 years so in the beginning I was kind of clueless and would read more blogs than actually really helped me. Now I’m more selective but still very much actively reading blogs.
Miriam Hendeles recently posted..First Day of School Jitters (and how to deal)
I love this way of looking at it and I 100% agree!
Oh and I also want to add that there is another reason I keep up with blogs. You alluded to it as well: I feel like if someone is so kind and reads and comments on my blog, (even though I may feel -rightly or wrongly – that my blog is kind of “meh” (love that word!) compared to that persons blog), I like to pay the kindness forward. So I do stay in contact with blogs for that reason as well. But as I said above, If a blog is really not relevant at all to my life, I will skim it rather than read closely. So bottom line is I don’t agree that blog readers are a dying breed!
Miriam Hendeles recently posted..First Day of School Jitters (and how to deal)
I definitely still read blogs, but I am super picky about what I read. I don’t click on recipes unless the food sounds good, I don’t click on posts that are weekend recaps, unless I happen to know something super cool/different happened on that weekend.
I’m from a small town in Northern MN, and as I’ve moved to the cities this week I’ve had quite a few posts in August about what I loved about living up north, how excited I am to move, and those posts have done really well. I had one post get 900 views on my Facebook page (my average is 100) so I basically went “viral” for my little town. There was nothing special about the post, just a recap of what I’ve done in the last 3 years. And apparently a lot of people read it.
So I think there are more blog readers out there, but I agree that they are changing, and I think blogging is going to diverge into two paths, the promotions, and the general life updates.
Katie recently posted..New Job Check-In
I’m with you on all of that!
I’ve pretty much taken the summer off from the reading and writing of The Blogs…and part of me misses the interaction, and part of me feels comfortable doing other things that inspire me.
I have seen a huge shift of reading/sharing move to curated/large sites instead of our fabulous and adorable “little” blogs..and I do mourn that shift a bit. Maybe that’s why I’m still digging my heals in and not doing list posts…#idunno.
Also – I “blog” more on instagram lately and LOVE doing that.
Anyway, I still read you. xo
tracy recently posted..Sitting To Write
And I still read YOU!
I read very few blogs. My word of the year is FOCUS. Too many blogs distract me from doing the work I need to do. I know I would get way more traffic if I devoted more time to networking and making comments – I always see a jump when I’m doing it, but it really doesn’t make me feel very good about myself to use my time that way. And no, I definitely don’t think you need to tell your friend you don’t read her blog anymore 🙂 As you can see, I read this one! You offer value to me as a reader so it’s worth my time. I think this is why “finding your tribe” is so important and worthwhile.
SO true about the tribe. And it’s okay if the tribe shifts here and there as your focus changes. Great word by the way.
I think if a blogger (like me) commits to a weekly post, some posts are going to be better than others. Maybe the question is, “Why not write only the good ones?” Of course, that question makes me laugh, because writing “the good ones” is more gift than process. And yet, as any writer knows, the gifts come more frequently with practice, with setting down words, good and bad, as part of the work we love.
Donna, I agree, which is one reason I moved away from a regular obligation of blogging. I’ve blogged for four years now, have established my blog and voice, and don’t feel owned by my blog anymore. I blog when I am moved to say something which is when I feel purest in my writing. Thanks Nina for this very interesting topic!
I like that answer. And I have your newest earmarked for tomorrow. Looks extra GOOD.
YES! I like staying on a schedule of some kind because it has given me practice. And practice is everything. . . not for perfection, but for development.
I do still read blogs — and comment — but not with as much regularity as I used to. I also don’t write as many posts. I used to blog everyday (!!!!!) when I first started as an incentive to kick my writing into a higher pace (it worked!!) but I now often will go for a month (or more). I actually love blogging but my fall off is in part due to the general trend of questioning blogging and partly because the blogs I follow(ed) seem to be falling off in regularity….I miss that part almost as much as the writing of posts, I have to say, feeling a closer part of the blogging community. I’m glad you’re still blogging, Nina. You’re one of the first I read and inspired my own writing. I’m also happy that you visit my blog.
Julia Munroe Martin recently posted..Summer, How I’ve Grown to Love Thee
I know– I remember the every day days. I never did that because I had the little guys here and just couldn’t. But I admired those that had the discipline.
I think it makes sense as you’ve written more and more manuscripts (amazing!) that the blogging would fall off a bit. I’d say if your goal is write books, then that is a sensible development!
I do still read blogs, but not everyday. Though this has more to do with my work schedule than the actual blogs I read. For me, it’s a way to relax. I rarely comment though, I prefer to share what I’ve read through a tweet. I don’t mind list posts, but I usually end up just skimming them, which I’m sure the blogger didn’t intend at all. I just realized that I may be part of what’s wrong with the blogging world. :/
Paula recently posted..How to annoy your boss and miss out on promotions
And I appreciate the share you did on this one! Thank you! (And great to “see you” by the way.) 😉
I really loved this post, Nina, and found myself nodding along at several of your points. And then I read through all the comments and found a bit there that I agree with too…
I still am reading blogs and have several lists on Feedly, although the summer has thrown my schedule (such as it was) off, so I tend to get caught up in one big burst. While I DO enjoy reading blogs, like Tamara said above, I have to really really really like someone’s writing or find the information useful to keep coming back without any kind of reciprocation. Sometimes that’s just acknowledging my comment, sometimes it is following me back to my blog and commenting on a post of mine. (I so appreciate that you drop by and encourage me!)
I sort of make a snap judgement based on my assessment of how “big” a blogger is, and I’ll confess, if they’re super-popular or it’s all or mostly “commercial/sponsored” posts, I won’t follow them at all. I really prefer the blogs that are reflections on what a person is doing/thinking (although of a slightly higher order than “here’s my kiddo and isn’t he awesome!). Yours, Kirsten’s, Lemon Shark, Commonplace… all of these are blogs I love for the writing and ruminations.
On a side note – yours is the only blog newsletter I’m subscribed to. I suppose I could do more of that, but I’ve just now gotten a handle on my inbox and I’m not quite ready to let that go yet!
It is super interesting to read other people’s perspectives on what’s happening with the blog world though. I’ve struggled for years with a blog “focus,” and am finally becoming comfortable with the fact that I don’t really *have* one. (And I’ve never wanted to be a “mommy blogger.”) Blogging isn’t what I do now, primarily, the art is. So, while I’d love for people to find the art, I’m not trying to be a freelance writer and self-promotion is a very hit and miss challenge.
Dakota Nyght recently posted..Fallow Field, Unexpected Fruit
I’m honored that you allow me into your inbox. 😉 Seriously though, that’s a big compliment to me. Thank you!
I think we read all the same blogs. I’d say we have great taste.
I’ve never had a focus and I don’t think it’s ever hurt me.
This is a great question and a valuable discussion. I read Vikki’s post and the thoughtful comments there and here.
People come to blogging (as readers and writers) for a variety of reasons, and those reasons have a lot to do with how they contribute to the blog community in general. I have changed how I blog and how I interact as a reader. Like you, I don’t feel compelled to read/comment every post that comes into my feed because I just can’t keep up with it. I have to protect my writing time. There are a few blogs where I read every post — yours (even the “Jewish stuff”–I’ve learned a lot! 🙂 ) and Caitlin Kelly.
There is the side of promotion that gets me a bit squeamish, though I think I’ve benefited a bit from it. I have a sense that editors will decline a piece by an author who is not active on social media in favor of one who is. Having a blog presence is helpful in that regard. But all this promotion just adds to the white noise. Is anyone really listening? You have to be louder and more persistent to be heard. Ugh.
Jackie Cangro recently posted..The One With the Tourists
I wonder if you’re right about editors. I wish someone would answer honestly.
Good question re: white noise. I feel that and wonder the same thing.
As for my Jewish stuff, that is a major compliment to me that it can be relatable no matter your background. I mean, THAT really is what I aim to do— write with themes that are universal but that come from my specific background. So thank you!
I think that you and Vicki both make excellent points about the challenges of blogging right now and the reasons that you continue to do so. For me, there are two issues at play…(1) how much do I blog? and (2) how many blogs do I read? Both of those questions have different reasons/rationales and sometimes I blog more than I read blogs and sometimes vice versa. For me, it is all valuable. I have learned things about myself through the act of writing/blogging, and I have gained some many valuable connections by reading other writers’ blogs/essays. For what it’s worth, I am so glad that you are continue to write (in whatever space it comes) and I am glad that I am able to know you better through your writing.
Christine Organ recently posted..To the Teenage Girls at the Swimming Pool
I feel the same about you! I’m so glad we’ve connected here and read as much of each other’s “stuff” as we can!
Nina, I’m on vacation, but I can’t help but chime in (!) Just yesterday I was thinking about my blog and considering a (temporary) hiatus. I was wondering if blogging, which I do enjoy, was taking me away from the other kinds of writing that I love. Sometimes, I feel pressure to “keep up” with reading and commenting, although I’ve calmed down about that lately. I loved what Vikki’s post and agree with all her points. I have to pick and choose what I read b/c there is SO much. I also love her humor, I was similarly dumbfounded by the fact that people don’t always tell the truth 🙂
But I will continue to read and to blog, though I may be slower and a bit less involved in the conversation. Kristen P, you may be onto something about checking/commenting on only a handful of blogs. We all only have so many hours in a day.
Yet, I’m thrilled to know you Nina, and several commenters here, and feel grateful for all your beautiful genuine voices.
Dana recently posted..Bittersweet
I know I would miss it too much if I stopped. But I suppose the moment I stop feeling that, I will make a different choice. I don’t see any of it as a burden now, but I also have no manuscripts brewing. At all. If an idea came up that I decided to really pursue, a hiatus would likely be in order.
So glad we’re connected here. I’d probably chase you down if you went quiet. I mean that in the least creepy/scary way possible.
I hopped on over to Vikki’s site and agree with her 100%. And you too, of course! I don’t get to read other blogs as much as I want to because of schedule but I must say, I have a few favorites that I tend to visit fairly consistently. This is not to flatter you or be fake about this, but you ALWAYS make sense and I value your voice so yes, I read you as much as I can! I want to ask a question though. You mentioned writing less on your blog because you find yourself writing for other sites (paid, preferably). I have the same dilemma. I want to keep a weekly schedule for my site but always wonder if I could have just made money off of an essay by submitting it as original content to another paying site. It’s hard and material doesn’t always come easy for me. Do you write first and figure out where to submit, or do you zoom in on a paying site and see what theme they want and then write your piece? This is the part I hate most about this business…that it’s turned into a business and the need for exposure and to make noise out there is frankly quite stressful for me, not to mention off-putting.
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First of all, thank you! That was so nice to hear and I appreciate the kind words. As for organization . . . I keep a word document and write down the dates of every Tuesday in the month (which is when I tend to post, but not always.) I never post more than once a week. Well, rarely. Anyway, I fill in the dates I have things on other sites for sure as soon as I know such as the HerStories advice column, any work coming on Kveller where I’m a contributing writer, and any reviews on Great New Books. Then I can see where there are holes. If I’m “feeling it” I will look at my list of ideas and see if there’s something I feel like finishing, which I will then pitch to paying sites. Or if I just feel like riffing on something random (like I did when I wrote this) I will just fill the date that way. I don’t feel that I *must* post every week, but I like the schedule of it for myself. I have let a few weeks go by though, especially in the summer. As for themes at sites, etc., I often save information I see on FB or Twitter, but more often than not I do not do anything with it. I mean to, but it doesn’t happen. The essays I place elsewhere tend to come from whatever I’m thinking about lately. (Or thought about at one time and wrote part of a draft then let it sit for months until it interested me again.)
That was a long, rambling answer. Hope it made sense!
Thanks Nina 🙂
Joy recently posted..My Parenting Recipe Disaster
I feel like I’m on the complete other side of this in that I feel no pressure and want to actually blog more. I have never focused 100% on my blog, for a myriad of boring reasons, and feel the pull to do so again but everything now feels so “professionalized” (I don’t think that’s a word). I still read the blogs that I connect with, and those tend to be ones that ramble and muse and offer stories and connections to the blogger. A lot of blogs no longer do this and feel to be more of a place to advertise their writing other places. I certainly don’t mind this, if it’s a writer I like I will always read their other work. But it makes me sad that there is little of their own content that isn’t so polished, that’s a little more of the “what I am thinking about today” variety. And I want to get back to my blog but I feel like there is no place for the just because blogs. But there is a freedom in that- I don’t have any numbers to look at, I’m not trying to build a following, etc, I just want a place to write and think and connect.
As for commenting- I’m bad about this, mostly because I read on my phone and I hate writing on my phone and I always want to write longer responses but then I forget and days pass and it feels too much time has passed. Now that I have the tiniest bit of time again due to school starting, I hope to comment or at least let all of you know that I was reading.
So I’ll say that I love your posts like this and hope you do more!
Hi Alisa!
Well this was a comment worth waiting for! I understand the frustration about my site (and others) turning into a place to organize the writing elsewhere. Obviously I have been 100% guilty of that. I think my writing elsewhere DOES fall into the subject of “things I’ve been thinking lately” but it IS nice to get paid for it as opposed to be forever writing for free. (That goal plus four kids just makes it hard to keep up too much posting on my own site.) So that’s why the switch happened for me. But yes, these kinds of posts I did here are so nice to be able to do right here without over-thinking or over-polishing. I appreciate having you as a reader and a writer-friend and I can’t wait to see some more posts on your site.
Nina- I admire and applaud you for finding a way to get paid! That’s awesome. And I certainly didn’t mean to imply that writing for other sites is a bad thing. I love your posts on other sites, and read them all. I was responding more generally about blogs. For example, there are quite a few new blogs I discovered in the past year that I connected with only to have them too quickly (to me) turn into a professional writer page. I think more people now start blogs with the sole intention of becoming paid and/or getting a book deal. And again, that is not a bad thing, it is awesome that there are new ways and channels of getting exposure. But I was (trying to) comment on the lack of connection this fosters. For example, I already felt connected to you and your writing, so this didn’t really apply to your blog. And your posts on your own blog were always more essay-like, so there is consistency in what you post, wherever it is. I think every writer needs to find their own way, and I never never begrudge anyone finding success. As a blog reader and lover, though, I do miss pure blogging. I can even tell in the comments- there seems to be certain language that bloggers use when commenting, and there is less readers just commenting or connecting.
All this rambling on my end! Things change and while blogging might evolve, new good stuff will take it’s place. Words and connection always find a way.
I totally got it and did not take it as personally as my response 100% sounded. 😉 I’m so grateful for your thoughts here, Twitter, anywhere, AND for your writing.
So glad you wrote this. I am starting to feel like blogging is going the way of the dinosaurs but at the same time, I still love it. I love having a place to write and love have places to go to read. In this world where new social media (Hello Periscope. Who are you and why do I keep hearing your name!) is coming up everyday, I love having a familiar way (and long form way!) of getting to interact with fellow writers.
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I still love it, too! I remember jumping on GooglePlus and some other random new one last year. What was that one? Anyone, I am ignoring Periscope as I did not do a thing with anything new I tried. I barely use Pinterest. I am a Twitter/FB person!
Great post — as always — Nina. I actually read far fewer blogs (and post far fewer) than ever. It’s not that I don’t like them or reading the content, it’s that I think I just got burnt out the whole way around… From posting my own blogs and reciprocal reading and promoting … and the ‘advice’ of the publishing industry that blogs were a “MUST HAVE” for aspiring authors to build platform. In fact, I would say that I felt very resentful at one point that “they” said we needed to be devoting all this time to blogging and reading blogs when I could have/should have been writing fiction in the first place. And now it’s as if we’ve come full circle and are in a place where “they” are questioning the efficacy of blogging to build readership (speaking for aspiring authors here). Hmm. The interesting thing, though, is that while I was bemoaning the “I have to do this” mentality or writing my own blog and reading other blogs, I was also enjoying so many aspects of it. The camaraderie with other bloggers/writers was first, of course. And I look back and think that maybe my writing was even a little sharper back in 2010/11 when blogging was new-ish, and Twitter was in its infancy. Even so, I must say that I feel so much more at peace with a slower schedule and just a few pop-ins to blogs I regularly read. So, yes, I will continue reading blogs, but as my priorities have shifted, I will likely continue to read at a more leisurely pace ( especially, as your article pointed out, there are just SO MANY blogs out there — I sometimes wonder: how can ANY of us be heard if we are lost in a sea of so many others?).
I so hear you. It’s interesting for me to see my short stories and other pre-blog work. However, in other ways the blog helped me develop my voice and confidence in a way that no other opportunity could have because it took me out of my comfortable private desktop and gave me an audience and many opportunities. All in all, I would not change a thing. But I absolutely do not think it’s right for everyone. And if I ever decided to write a book again, I would rarely blog. I don’t think I could do both well.
Yes! That’s something I didn’t mention and it’s spot on! Your last sentence describes right where I think I am at this moment: not able to both well, and having made a choice about which is most important.
I agree with your comments about audience and gaining confidence to write publicly. Bravo for you, Nina. You really ARE fabulous at it! (And your blog is one of only a handful where I STILL see people commenting! So you are doing things right!)
I have been blogging for about 4 years, and sometimes it still feels new and sometimes I feel as though I have been doing it forever. What really helps me is taking breaks and not putting too much pressure on myself to perform – I take weeks at a time off in the summer and I don’t hold myself to a certain schedule. Maybe I won’t get tons of followers that way, but I can live with that. What I won’t live with is a feeling of being beholden to my blog, because that’s when it would start to lose its appeal.
Through blogging, I have met so many great people (like you!) and read so many wonderful new voices. I read as much as I can and try to stay on top of it all, but overall, I can’t read everything all the time. I try my best.
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Hi Kristin! I like what you said about simply trying your best. I think that even a small effort to read posts in the blogosphere here and there is all that is needed to stay in the loop and to offer support. We don’t have to support everyone ALL of the time, but continuing to be a reader and not just someone who puts stuff OUT there in the world is good blogging karma, in my opinion. And I KNOW you have good blogging karma. You have always been a generous and kind blogging friend. AND a great writer.
As a Janie Come Lately to the blogging world, and as one who would not be here without your wisdom and guidance Nina, I have to first say to this post: “Thank You.” Thank you for your inspiration; thank you for continuing to read and write and motivate others to do the same. Things change and morph and are not always as they started out being, but it doesn’t mean that they aren’t worth doing. We are all pioneers here, and just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, so too we have to ride the waves of the blogging waters. We can choose to steer our own ship through the sea or abandon ship and opt out. Neither choice is wrong, but if we are going to use our oars to row, we have to accept that sometimes these waters might be more choppy than others as they ebb and flow and change. As you know, I steer a ship of the storytelling kind, and I’m meeting other people who do the same. We’re still out there, but sometimes it might just be harder for us all to find one another. By continuing to read and write, we can be a lighthouse for each other at sea.
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I LOVED this comment, Mimi! I read it last week and didn’t have a chance to come back to this post until now.
Loved this post and I too have been thinking a lot about how blogging has changed over time. In fact, I’m in the midst of writing a post about this subject too. I still love reading blogs and writing them too. I don’t comment as often, but that’s not because of the quality. It’s because it’s hard to comment on the device I use to read blogs (iPad) compared to how I used to read on the computer. I’m glad there’s still a community of us out there that enjoy writing and reading, and we’re keeping it alive.
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I can’t wait to read what you have to say on the topic. I will check back at your site.
Ah! I’m so glad you wrote about this! You know where I’m holding on my feelings about blogging right now. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I feel guilty, somehow, that since I’m not really keeping up with reading so many blogs any more, I feel like why should I expect people to read mine, since I’m not really reciprocating.
And also sometimes I get a little discouraged when someone online posts something like “wow, I just reached the three trillion views mark!” or “I can’t believe this post got a gazillion shares!” I already struggle with not caring about reach, and to be reminded of just how small my audience is (though I love my readers! They’re really great!) feels deflating. I wish I could care less about how many views or comments I’m getting. I suppose it’s my competitive nature, but it’s not helpful.
All that said (I feel like I need blog therapy or something), blogging has opened up opportunities for me that I otherwise wouldn’t have had, and has also helped me hone my writing skills. I suppose if I can just get my ego out of the way, things will be smoother! And maybe when my kids are in school, I will find a little time to get back to BlogLovin and be more into my blogs again. Perhaps!
Rivki Silver recently posted..Stop Looking At Other People’s Grass Already And Plant Your Own Garden
I think we should BOTH remember that last point of yours about the practice and opportunities we’ve had. I mean, that’s success, no!?
I do! Nina. But not as much as I used to. Like you, I try and spread the love around. Blogs that post more than once a week don’t get read by me any more frequently than those that post more rarely. In fact, I look to see how often a blogger posts these days, and tend not to follow if I my inbox will be getting hit more than once a week. Those who write essays about any aspect of life interest me much more than those list posts, too.
I often read your ‘Jewish’ posts, even if I don’t comment. There are some aspects of belief that transend individual religious tradition and go tot he core of being a human being. Your recent post about looking back at where you could have done better was one such, and I enjoyed it!
I recently took off two whole months from blogging and reviewing to work on my novel, and also to recharge. It was worth it. But I don’t want to give up my blog. Like you, it is my platform for getting my ideas and writing read, and I love it!
Thank you so much for letting me know that about the Jewish posts. That means so much to me. And I think that we have the same blog reading strategy. Seems reasonable and manageable to me!
Glad you took a needed break!
Nina, I love your post and all the comments, which I will go back and finish later. Before I forget, I wanted to comment to let you know I love your blog, and even after a somewhat purposeful/slightly inadvertent three-month break from the Internet during my move, I am coming back to the blog-reading habit just as much as I ever did. In fact, I am now able to enjoy the rarely-found gluttony of binge-reading my favorite authors, a list I am happy to report you are at the top of. So thank you for continuing to blog; I’ll be pondering this question about blogging for a while, but off the top of my head, I think what you’re doing is MUCH more than blogging. You are not only a fabulous connector/curator of other people’s work, but you also provide a great service to other mother-writers, not unlike what Clark Howard does for consumers (he’s an Atlanta-based radio host, if you’ve never heard of him… and I can’t recommend his podcast highly enough). Of course you would be a better person to make a tagline for yourself, but if I were asked to make one for you, I’d borrow from Clark’s “Save more and spend less” and make it, “Write more and waste less time.” I hope you’ll continue writing as well as your radio spots. You were made for this work, and it’s fantastic that you find it so rewarding as well. You go, girl!
Thank you so much for this comment! It made my day last week and I meant to write you right away to say so. I really love your work, too, and I trust your recommendations about pretty much everything, which is why I will go check out Clark Howard right now.
(I stopped doing the radio gig–which I was doing for free– which set me free to create a writing class with a friend that filled up quickly (and not for free!). It starts this week. I have not been this excited about anything in a while.)
I’m one of those paid-to-write-elsewhere bloggers, too, and I keep my pet blog up and running simply because I really, really like it. And sometimes, it helps me.
Yesterday, for example, my 14-year-old cat lost a long battle with pain, and he went to the little kitty bed in the sky (or insert your religious metaphor here). Looking back over my blog, I see that I have 5 years of stories about him all written up. And a lot of those stories have to do with his struggles with pain. When I was questioning my decision to take him in yesterday, my own words brought me comfort.
And then I went out and read OTHER pet blogs about loss, and those helped me, too. I didn’t feel isolated, or misunderstood, or just overwhelmed. I had a community, and blogging did that for me.
So put me in the blogging forever camp.
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I’m still in the camp, too!
I’m so late to this party, but I wanted to tell you there are only about 3 or 4 blogs I check with any regularity anymore. One of them is yours. And I’m not even Jewish. xo
I love that! Thank you!