I am Jack. I am 40. I am a father. I am a friend. I am a husband. I am a writer. I am who I am and that is all that I am, thank you Popeye. Some people will look at that first line and analyze the order in which I listed things. Don't bother. It was random.
Periodically I break out of the Jblogosphere and go wandering. It is kind of nice to get out into the general blogosphere and smell the fresh air. True, the deli sucks and they don't know how to bake a good challah, but there are some good things out there.
I drop in on other blogs and look around. I check them out and leave comments. I try to make them relevant to the discussion. My job isn't to be a spammer. I don't always stick around to see if they get a response, but sometimes I do. Sometimes I find the topic to be really interesting and I am generally interested in the discussion.
Many times my comment is ignored. I don't take it personally. They don't know who I am, haven't a clue as to what I do or what I like. They are busy. I am busy. We are all busy. There isn't always time to respond to to check out new blogs.
Although my policy is to try and visit anyone who visits me, provided that I know that they have been here. But it doesn't always work out.
A while ago I decided that I was going to pick out a bunch of new blogs and start commenting on them and see what happened. A few of them responded and decided to check this place out. Sometimes they comment and sometimes they don't. That is ok, I see them in the stats and appreciate their time.
My purpose in blogging has never been to be the boy with the most toys. It would be great to make enough money by blogging to support a family. It is just not happening and I haven't spent much time trying to find sponsors who would let me do it.
It would be great to get a lot of comments on every post. Somewhere in the archives I referred to commentless posts as orphans. There are a lot of orphans here. That is not a horrible thing. Again, I like comments, but I don't blog for them. Sometimes I engage in specific actions to bring them, but it is not my central focus.
Established blogs often have established comment sections. The same old crowd shows up all the time. They hang out together like cliques we used to see in school. Sometimes I wonder if they stare at my comment and wonder who the new guy is. Am I being checked out.
Maybe I am just being ignored. Who knows. I don't care all that much. Enough to post this, but then again there is another reason why I write this. Bloggers love to read posts about blogging. They love to comment on posts about blogging.
It doesn't always translate or work out that way. I won't be surprised if this receives a dozen or zero comments. But I will be shocked if it doesn't pull in a bunch of traffic.
Bloggers are like Sneetches, just ask Dr. Seuss. Got to run stare at the meteors now. Lailah tov from cyberspace.
12 comments:
I stayed up very late skywatching last night. No shooting stars but lots of wishes. : )
Good title. It pulled me in. Just so you know, many's the time I drop by and read, get my smile or thought-fix for the day, but realize I have nothing worth reading to say. Sometimes when readers comment on my blog, I respond -- but even when I don't, invariably seeing their thoughtful comments gives me a smile. Connection! Maybe not reciprocal always, but connection nonetheless.
Interesting! I think the first post I got more than a few comments on was about blogging - I see your point. For me, it is an outlet. Though I do like comments. It is always nice to know someone is reading.
Good read...this is the post that makes me visiting this site regularly.
I know you know I'm out here.
I try to leave a comment when I have something to say. I often don't leave a comment if all I have to add is "This makes me think!" or "Heh, funny!" Maybe I should.
I also don't like Blogger's comment tools. I'd like to be able to reply to specific comments (like you can with Disqus and others) rather than simply add another comment to the list. Make sense?
I may start emailing my response to comments so that people see them, but I'd rather keep comment discussions in the comments.
I've noticed and appreciated your (recent?) readership. I try to respond to my comments but I never, EVER take them for granted. I like to respond to them on the blog inside the comment itself, or sometimes if it's a more personal topic by email, but it has just lately been that between work and school and etc I have no time. Your post makes me think, though, and I need to do better with this because I am so the last person who wants to put up with that clique shit. We've already all been through high school. None of us are better than the rest and I really don't play that.
So anyway. Thank you for your comments on JN. I've enjoyed reading you and following you on Twitter.
A reader once said that she never comments, because she can never think of anything witty or clever enough to say.
Of course, the truth is that comments don't have to be flashes of brilliance. I think most bloggers appreciate even simple comments - like "great post" or "interesting idea".
But I know where that reader is coming from, because I usually read, enjoy, and just click away myself...
It's an interesting perception. I found your blog through Meryl Yourish. :) I have been reading her blog for YEARS...the fewer blogs I read tend to be the ones I have been going to regularly for years. It is an interesting comment about blogging about blogging. :)
V-Grrrl- Hope those wishes come true.
Ruti- No worries. I appreciate your coming by.
Mike,
Comments are validation and it never hurts to get some. Doesn't have to be every time, but it is better to get some than none.
Jerry,
Thanks.
Kim,
I do and I appreciate it.
Kelly,
I have used different commenting systems, Haloscan, JSkit, Disqus and never quite been happy with them.
You are right it is easier to have threads so that people can see your replied to them.
JN,
I am guilty of not always responding to comments. I really should focus more on doing so than I have. It is hard sometimes.
Mrs. S.
I have had many people say that they don't like to comment on political posts. I go through cycles where there is a lot of the content is oriented around politics. And I understand that sometimes people prefer to be able to really add something other than nice job.
If that is all they ever say it could get old. But sometimes it is nice to just hear from them.
Hi Robert,
I feel a bit silly saying this, but there aren't a ton of people who have been blogging longer than I have, but Meryl is one of the old timers.
If you do this long enough you develop a rhythm and style. It helps.
Jack, FYI, if I don't write back to a comment, it doesn't mean I'm ignoring you, it just means I've got nothing to say. My mother would probably say that indicates bad manners. ;)
Tzipporah,
:)
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