You’d think that after this recent post, I would have stopped reading the non-fashion articles in the Sunday Styles section of the New York Times. I know I should avoid exposure to quotes from incredibly annoying people, but I still couldn’t resist last Sunday’s section.
The latest irksome article, about abandoned blogs, was called Blogs Falling in an Empty Forest. According to the piece, Technorati statistics indicate that 95% of blogs die a quiet death, though over what time period it doesn’t say. The story mentions people who lose interest in their blogs (nice shout out to our young friend Stephanie of the now-defunct Fashion Robot), people who regret being personally revealing, and people who don’t make as much money from their blogs as they’d hoped. Those were all okay with me. What drove me crazy was the first example: the blogger who got no comments. Here’s what the Times said:
“‘Hi, Iām Judy Nichols. Welcome to my rant.’
Thus was born Rantings of a Crazed Soccer Mom, the blog of a stay-at-home mother and murder-mystery writer from Wilmington, N.C. Mrs. Nichols, 52, put up her first post in late 2004, serving up a litany of gripes about the Bush administration and people who thought they had ‘a monopoly on morality.’ After urging her readers to vote for John Kerry, she closed with a flourish: ‘Practice compassionate regime change.’
The post generated no comments.”
I don’t know what kind of effort Judy Nichols put into promoting her blog and interacting with other bloggers, but the story gives no evidence of any and the reporter seems as baffled as Nichols by her lack of response. “I just wanted to post something interesting and get people talking, but mostly it was just my sister commenting,” Nichols told the Times. Well, maybe she should have reached out to enough friends, acquaintances and colleagues to have them among her commenters, though as everyone on MY blog roll knows, the key thing is really reaching out to fellow bloggers.
The following rant is not addressed to my super-cool, interactive blog roll bitches but to bratty “bloggers” moping over their lack of comments/fame/fortune/whatever: Guess what, folks! As I mentioned here, the world does not revolve around you. It revolves around Oprah. So, unless you’re Oprah, you can’t start a blog, sit on your lazy ass and expect the world to “beat a path to [your] digital door,” as the Times put it. Not only do you have to let people know of your online existence in the first place — because it’s not like millions of people suddenly say, “Eureka! I sense a new blog out there!” — but you also have to give some attention in order to get some back. In other words, if you don’t ever comment on my blog, don’t expect me to comment on yours. Moreover, if I have the misfortune to stumble across your blog and find a whiny post saying, “Maybe I should shut down this blog because I don’t have any comments,” I will egg your house. Don’t ask me how I will find your house. I just will.
GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS!Photo source is here
Bring some jewellery with you when you stop by to egg my house. And cookies.
xo
Oh my god this is so timely you have no idea! I have had a stream of crappy things happen this week that have made me wonder, why me, or in my case why NOT me.
It's really easy to get sucked into a popularity mentality – the internet and blogs in particular, as massive as it is, is still a relatively small domain compared to the real world.
Thanks for reminding me to get over my sense of entitlement. Please don't egg my house.
WB, much love and kudos for you! It's a huge pet peeve of mine when bloggers, big or small, don't make the effort to interact & communicate with other bloggers.
Afterall, that relationship is the best part of blogging, imho.
Man, If I had the attitude of "I'm quitting if people don't find me and comment" my blog would have died after a week and you would have never had a chance to discover how amazing I am.
The internet is like the real world. You want people to notice you? Notice them. Put in some damn effort. Part of the fun is building relationships with other bloggers.
But um, if I stop blogging, will you show up at my place with some jewelry and a martini? I'll quit right now for a wolf necklace!
I read that article and thought of you, and here you are writing about that article. Whoa.
Kristopher Dukes told me to move to wordpress well over a year ago and yes I'm still on blogger. I only have so much time to devote to blogging. I also opened a twitter account months ago and don't have the energy to tweet.
I'm not complaining about my lack of traffic just my lack of time to do things right….but I do admire your energy in blogging and communication. May you become the instapundit of the fashion blogosphere!
I completely agree with you. It just takes time and dedication and the comments will eventually come. I think the first 3-4 months I had my blog, I had no comments at all because I was clueless as to how to promote it, but that didn't mean I didn't enjoy doing it. I think this article weeds out the people who genuinely enjoy blogging and those who have completely unreasonable expectations.
It is indeed a lot of work to attract an audience to a blog, and hold on to it. My husband may be threatening to divorce me and my daughter hasn't eaten in three days, but dammit my blog is doing well!!
Denise
Tina, but did you dream about me like Dr. Zibbs? http://thatblueyak.blogspot.com/2009/06/blogger-wendy-brandes-was-in-my-dream.html
Belle de Ville, I totally understand lack of time (and not blogging and quitting your blog etc etc) as long as no one complains about it to the NY Times! Right?
E, agree about the weeding out.
Denise, you should see the state of things in my apartment. But my Google Reader is clear a couple of times a day and that's all that matters.
I started reading that article, and got so bored, I just drifted away, back to my 47 loads of laundry and other spring cleaning activities.
I'm not sure I care what that soccer mom had to say, anyway.
I agree with you that the way to get people to pay attention to one's blog is to pay attention to others' blogs. It's all about reciprocation. You've got to give some to get some.
I'm laughing my ass off at that picture š
Blogging is the same as with any relationship. Communicate and also listen….and reach out to others.
fashionafterforty.blogspot.com
Mystifying; how did she ever expect that anyone would even find her if she didn't reach out? Excellent post. Since I ordered a necklace from you, I know you have my address, so I will avoid whining and thus avoid the egg attack. .
omg thats the best thing i've heard all day.
i don't want to say that you cant blog for validation, because blogging seems to be all about validation, but the same rules apply in the blogging world as in real life, you wont make many friends if you go on and on yammering about yourself not asking how someone is, or telling them they look nice today.
I COMPLETELY AGREE.
Yet I am tempted to complain because I really want you to egg my house.
Words of genius. Because, regrettably, the world does revolve around Oprah. And I say that cuz, somehow, the producers haven't simply discovered me and I haven't been invited on the show yet. š
In defense of soccer moms across the globe, maybe Nichols was just not savvy enough to realize that interaction is required to get your blog read by anyone on the planet but your sister. Shame.
I'm loving this post definitely .
my blog is faring very well on the commetns side .
its about reaching out to your audience and fellow bloggers and of course the content .
dont expect people to comment on your bad hair day and simple cutoff/tank to pairing if you are running a personal style blog (even if you comment them)put some effort into it !! š
love this and i actually read everything im gonna go llok for that article now
AMEN SISTER. Seriously, this is one of my hugest pet peeves–the no comment complaining. Write engaging content and give love to other blogs and good people will come and write good comments. WendyB even might come and write hilarious comments about her chocha.
I love the idea of you egging my house. Can you come egg my house please with your sexy lady eggs?
x
thanks and sorry, i don't have anything insightful to add, i am covered and felt tip pen and i have a post it on my head.
Hah! Spot-on, as always, WendyB. Anyone who starts a blog and has no idea that it's a community-based platform is going to fail. Miserably.
this post is completely true. well said Wendy
I hear you loud and clear. It took me almost a year to realize that commenting on other blogs is the main way to get traffic AND promoting other blogs.
Like the post about you that I wrote todau on my famous blog THAT BLUE YAK.
..and just so you know, I would have tried something if the thunder hadn't gotten to me first.
How could I resist your beauty?
I read that same article. I thought Ms. Nichols was a whiny beeyatch who probably wrote about knitting too much. š
I was all "WTF" with the registration thing you mentioned but aside from entering my email and password a few hundred times (haha, ok twice!) it seemed ok!
It took my about four months to figure out that no one was going to comment on my blog unless I first commented on theirs. Even now I find that my traffic is seriously effected if I don't make the effort to reach out to fellow bloggers. And frankly I've found that it's the dialogue with others that makes blogging most rewarding–not the harebrained thoughts and musings that I post every day.
Poor Judy, though. Now she'll have to find another outlet for her engrossing soccer mom rants.
Brilliant! loving the egg you comment. I want to moan to make you tell me off!
I cravenly agree with everything you say here. I also cravenly agree with everyone else. So now will all of you please come comment on my blog? Heh.
WendyB, steam is coming out of your ears and you are still adorable!
Ya, I'm having trouble with leaving comments on your Francis blog. Rather, I leave a comment (easy enough) and yet it doesn't appear!
You are a harsh biatch, WendyB
'In other words, if you don't ever comment on my blog, don't expect me to comment on yours'
I am not going to pretend I have never gone through that whiny phase, as, as you may well remember, I did once post a comment subtley whining about this exact thing, and YOU commented on that post. I do remember your tone being a little less harsh š … but it worked.
And for that I love your harsh biatchness xx
Do people still teepee homes too? My mom really hated the egging the most, however. Guess there are some advantages to not being a homeowner!
Alright, I just finished reading the article. No wonder you were so annoyed with Nichols! Her interview remarks showed such a narcissistic sense of entitlement.
thanks for the mention. i looked at the pink/orange post, i love the combo! : )
love your photo selection! ha
Amen, WendyB. A to the men.
What an awesome post this is! Whenever people ask me how easy it is to set up a blog or ponder on whether they should start their own, I have to admit I kinda shoot them down b/c most people have no idea how much work is involved in writing and PROMOTING your blog. At times I just get sick of trying to reach out and want them to find me lol but this Nichols lady is just dumb, and we are already giving her more attention than she deserves through this post lol.
Glad you posted about this article. My feeling was it was so focused on people earning money from blogs. I feel that most people create blogs for the sense of community that they get and the friends they meet. I also have learned so much from the great women who blog even if it's for a short time. Many blogs are also just for love and appreciation of fashion/food/books etc… Yes, many of us become slacker bloggers but we never wanted much more than to share with a like-minded community. And yes, you do have to reach out to the community to take part in it.
my friend and i talk about you and how you always respond to comments – even though you clearly have a following and get several comments on your posts. i really appreciate it!
Yeah! Had a similar reaction. If you're solely blogging for attention, not because you have anything to say, you'll get the comments you deserve.
What I really hate are those people who take an awesome blog url and then post once saying "Hi, this blog is going to be awesome" and then their 2nd post is "Why no comments?" And then they never post again, but they don't free up the url by deleting their blog either.
That soccer mom blog looks like a bore anyway. The cream rises to the top, I say. I say a lot of cliche things now. I will even forgive blog infrequency as long as the content is interesting…
I'm always amazed that you take the time to comment on my and other people's blogs. But you're totally right. After a while, I feel like I have a relationship with you and other amazing bloggers out there!
You tell it like it is WendyB!!!
lol! that pic is priceless!
M. Robot, are sexy lady eggs anything like lovely lady lumps?
Haha, and you just commented on my having-a-whinge post! I get oyour point and I know what you're saying, but at the same time, I have roughly 3 times as many followers as I have comments on any given post, and plus, my comment numbers went up drastically after I had a whinge about how no one was commenting any more, so I understand why people do those ones. Having said that, I definitely agree that interacting with other bloggers is probably the best way to generate more interest in your blog!
S&C, ha! You're allowed to whinge about lurkers. That's different. I give you permission š
"I will egg your house. Don't ask me how I will find your house. I just will."
HAHAHA! i seriously just LOL'd here.
it's so very true. I actually get a lot of emails asking me what my "secret" is to having a popular blog. maybe I should just point them to this post.
thank you. š
I really enjoyed this post! I have been blogging for only a few months and don't get many comments but at the same time I don't let people know my blog is out there. I also hardly ever comment on blogs even though I read the same ones every day (such as yours for instance). Just because people aren't commenting it doesn't necessarily mean that no one is reading your blog. Anyone that doesn't put in the effort should not expect results!
-E
puahaha this post was awesome…
Oh you do make me laugh Wendy and how someone who starts a blog and expects millions to comment are deluded.
now i get all distracted and am looking at pictures of the donkey in random situations!!!