But the numbers are important. If the page views don't increase then I'm not reaching anyone. If no one is joining then those who have may no longer be listening. What benefit is there to having someone join my blog if that person never returns?
Nor is my blog about seeing how many comments I can garner on a post. But the comments are important because they mean someone has heard what I said or asked and cared enough to engage in conversation--no matter how brief.This blog is about people. About community. About relationships.
Was it always so?
I started this blog back in February because that's what we aspiring authors are supposed to do, right? Build a presence. Hone your brand. Market yourself. Establish a base so that when the day of our dreams comes and our novel is available there might just be somebody besides our mom and spouse who cares.
Right?
And then there's Twitter. And Facebook. And GoodReads. And Google+. And dozens more. But shortly after joining all these (and other) platforms, I learned something. Something I think is very important.
As happy as I was at seeing a new picture appear in my blog's GFC widget or finding some new soul had chosen to follow me on Twitter, there was something that made me even happier, something that gave me a great deal of satisfaction. It came via comments, emails and messages.
I learned that what was making me happy wasn't an incrementing count, but establishing new connections and new relationships. By the time June was winding down I had met so many amazing people, people that were amazing in so many different ways and for so many different reasons. I can honestly say that even never having seen the majority of these people in person, I could honestly consider them friends.
Thus was born my August is Awesome idea. It was a major success and a lot of people were able to connect that had never before met. You know, that felt good! What's better than introducing people you care about to other people you care about and watching them become friends?This fact really hit home to me on August 6th when Peggy Eddleman guest posted on my blog. The incredible sentiment and appreciation shown to her by her admiring followers was beyond touching and inspiring. It wasn't the fact that she was soon to be published that spurred that appreciation. It was Peggy herself, her consistent willingness to encourage and help those around her.
I saw this repeated time and again with guest after guest throughout August. So if you made a new friend via my blog during August then I accomplished my goal.
Yes, this blog is about writing, entertaining, encouraging and inspiring. And it's the point from which I hope to one day announce that my book(s) will be released. That much has always been true. But my blog is now about more than posting a short story, giving a status update or teaching a grammar lesson. It's about cultivating an online community of friends and peers.
Will I keep the hit counter and GFC? Sure. I'm still a geeky programmer too.
Has the nature or focus of your blog evolved over time? If so, how or why?
Community is the best part of blogging!
ReplyDeleteAnd I have to say Peggy is an amazing person and a wonderful example of true friendship while blogging. She's so nice to everyone.
I agree on both points, Sara!
DeleteBig time! I began my blog to build a platform for my books. Now my focus is on supporting other bloggers. (And amusing people of course.) I know people look at my following and think "Wow..." but it's not the followers, it's the connections. Pageviews don't mean a lot without those connections. (And hits mean even less.) Comments mean far more to me than anything else.
ReplyDeleteYou've got that right, Alex. Were it not for the connections I've made, I would have probably already lost interest in blogging. I now believe I'd continue blogging even if I decided to forsake all hope of being published. There are just too many wonderful people to meet and friends to make.
DeleteI have been blogging since March, and have lost count of the page views...I just don't get the comments that I would like. I don't bother with FaceBook, Twitter Google + or whatever the latest trend may be, I just blog.
ReplyDeleteBut, my lack of comments is really off-putting that I am beginning to think that I should just throw it in.
I know I'm not to everyone's taste, I just write poetry, and my blog is not very exciting, but I do post everyday.
Sigh...where am I going wrong? :(
I've noticed that I rarely comment on poetry. It's not for a lack of appreciation, but probably from a lack of self-confidence. I'm always afraid I missed the hidden meaning or overlooked the technical aspect of what makes a piece notable. I'm sure there are others like me so I doubt you're "going wrong" anywhere, Megan.
DeleteI've learned a lot about you in the last several months and am happy to have done so. I've been heartened by all the things you've overcome, gladdened to see how far you've come, and stand ready should you need to call on me for anything. I would be saddened to see Lady of Muse grow stagnant or disappear.
I got twitter just to follow my favorite singer and actors, not really to say anything. And I got a blog just as a self-reminder of all the things I've done in my life but in regards of the number of followers or hits... *chuckles that turn into thunderous laughter* Rrrright.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet you've said things via blogs and Twitter that have been worth so much--at least to me.
DeleteI am so glad I took the plunge in March this year and started my blog. There are so many great people out there ready to give you a few words of encouragement.
ReplyDeleteYes there are, Suzanne. It's a decision that I absolutely do not regret.
DeleteLoved the post Jeff. Always enjoy your blog :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane. I always enjoy knowing you stopped by!
DeleteGreat post, Jeff! I look at my follower widget all the time and it nearly drives me insane -- actually it does! I keep saying to myself, "I'll gain my readership soon enough and don't rush it. I'm getting involved in all these groups and blogfests anyway so I will get readers!"
ReplyDeleteI've learned if I participate in these blogfests and IWSG, I will gain my readership because we all have something in common: we write because it is our dream and we want to fulfill it to our best of our ability.
Jeff, you've done your job! If it wasn't for you, I would've never met Angela Cothran, S.P. Bowers, etc., visit and comment on their blogs. I'm starting to know them better and what could be like if I were to meet them in person.
Thank you for this great post, Jeff! :)
I took great satisfaction in reading that third paragraph, Livia. "August is Awesome" was specifically for that very purpose.
DeleteSharing friends is unlike sharing other things. If we share our food or money then we have less of it. If we share things like love and friendship, we always gain more. Funny how life works sometimes.
Hmm... blogger ate my first response.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Its all about building community
I checked the SPAM folder and didn't see you in there, Kelley, so Blogger must have been very hungry. LOL.
DeleteBut yes, the sense of community is what I've found to be the most fulfilling aspect of blogging. We can always setup a dedicated website to process orders and promote our books.
So glad your blog is working for you. I'm not very good at blogging and after a lot of hand-wringing, I've decided to let it go. I'll keep the blog itself, but I am no longer expecting it to help me gain a "following" or "build a platform". Hope you do well with it, Jeff.
ReplyDeleteI believe that no single medium is right for everyone (and none may be right for some) but blogging has started to feel natural to me.
DeleteIn reality, even a blog membership numbering into the thousands is still a tiny base from which to "build a platform" and that is on top of Twitter, Facebook and all the other avenues of the information superhighway.
I don't say that to devalue its worth or merit. I just believe that the many other benefits I've gained by blogging make it worth pursuing regardless of its impact on future sales. What can I say? I love it!
Thanks for this wonderful reminder of what writer blogs are really all about...or should be. Blogging doesn't come as easily to me, but I make an effort to blog at least once a week. I missed the big August party you had and hope to catch the next one. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, I do hate you missed the party. We had a grand time. Blogging can be difficult, even for people who love to blog. I find that I end up publishing less than half the posts I write. And I still haven't committed myself to a posting schedule. But through blogging, I've met some amazing people.
DeleteHi Jeff,
ReplyDeleteMy friend, you are spot on in this posting and without self-promoting, I have done many an article that embraces your ideals. Indeed, it's not about total hits, number of "followers", yes we both struggle with that word.
It's about the positive interaction we can share amongst ourselves in the true ethos of a sharing, caring blogging community. I like to rejoice in the all different, all equal diversity on offer. We can learn so much about each other through the awareness we bring forward.
My blog was born five and half years ago. It was never about my ego, but my desire to be there for others as they are here for me. My friend, you have eloquently stated what I treasure. Thank you.
With respect, Gary
Thanks, Gary! It's always comforting to open yourself up and find that what you feel or share has resonated with others. I suppose it's a form of validation, a hint you're on the right track. This was a heart-felt post for me and every word was true.
DeleteThanks again!
Great post. I think it is easy to get up in the numbers and forget that there are actual people behind them. I wonder a lot about the people who read my posts. Where they are in the world, what brought them to my sight, and what they thought about my post.
ReplyDeleteIt is about connecting and sharing ideas, and I love it when someone posts a comment and lets me know what they think too. Blogging isn't about telling everyone what I think, it is an opportunity to share ideas, and that is just pure awesomeness.
You're so right, MaryAnn. And if people don't want to do business with a place that treats them like a number, then they definitely don't want to join a blog where they feel like one.
DeleteI agree. It's about the interaction, the community that you build. I started a blog here at Blogger, it was a really good interactive one but I terminated it when the email I used for its registration was spammed/hacked, my blog was flooded with spam too. It was running since 2006 and so I was so down to see it go. I made a lot of friends there already. I built a blog on WordPress, it has a good number of hits, the Facebook fans are 1100+, but I am looking for comments. Interactions. They are present, but very limited. Or maybe it's just that the bloggers who I happen to bumped into are not so interested in such engagements. So I created one here on Blogger again and found more people to interact with. The stats are important, but there are far more important things than numbers.
ReplyDeleteI too have noticed that Blogger-based blogs seem to contain more (consistent) interaction via comments. Getting hacked is always bad news. Hate you had to go through that.
DeleteOh I totally agree! I can't believe all the wonderful people I've met online from all over the world. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's like another awesome soul stands ready just around every virtual corner in cyberspace. All you have to do is turn the corner and meet someone new.
DeleteI started my blog to build a platform, but it's become simply another opportunity to write. I love it.
ReplyDeleteI've met a lot of very interesting people, and my "followers" are growing, but that's not really the focus anymore.
Comments are the fun part. Interaction, communication with people who share my interests. That happens less often than most people might think.
If I wanted reader-followers I'd do the blog differently now.
Lauren
It seems that the purpose, motivation or focus of many of our blogs have evolved since we began. Funny how we set out to do something "because we're supposed to" and then continue with for completely different reasons.
DeleteI completely agree!!
ReplyDeleteIs it exciting to see a new follower, SURE
but I love being able to go back and talk (or blog) with that new person time and again!
When I started this blog, I really didnt know anything about blogging and naively believed I would gain a following quickly so that when (not if, because someday it will happen) I publish a book or two, Ill already have people who want to read it.
BUT what I have since realized is that, my measly 100+ (or even 1000+) following on a blog, would never guarantee that i sell a ton of books.
BUT Thats ok, because I have come to LOVE blogging and interacting with everyone.
:)
Yes, it's nice seeing pretty pictures in our gadgets, but communicating with the folks behind them is better still. I'd even take it a step further and say it would be even more disheartening to see lots of pictures and never hear from them.
Delete