Have you noticed, over the life of your blog, that sometimes very faithful readers just suddenly disappear into thin air?
Over the last nine months, a very dedicated new reader went back and began reading my blog from the very beginning. Moderating the comments for those older posts caused me to go back and read a lot of my older posts. And I found in the comments from those posts, faithful readers who I had totally forgotten about. Readers who read every post, commented every time, for months. And who were now nowhere to be found. Where had they gone? Why had they stopped reading? Had I said something to offend them? Had I stopped being funny? Or interesting? Or relevant? Had I pushed the 12-hour lipstick too hard?
I just wonder. Has this happened to you? Has this BEEN you? Where do the good readers go when they disappear from your blog?
Monday, March 15, 2010
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13 comments:
Right now, I don't care about it. But it does bother me a lot when I realize it. And I accidentally deleted a bunch of my subscriptions recently, so that might have happened to your readers?
I haven't had a blog that long to get many followers. So can't say what I would do.
What does annoy me more is when you visit others faithfully and comment and they never visit or comment back at you. It's a bit like saying hello the the neighbours everyday and them never answering you back or acknowledging you. I don't include you in this, as we do comment to each other. It's not as though I expect people to run after me and give me affirmations all the time, but it would be decent manners to say something. I am going to edit my blog roll soon, so that it only includes those who do comment back.
Shame really as there are a lot of blogs I enjoy, but time is short and I would rather have a few blog buddies I can form a friendship with, than waste my time on people who aren't interested in me enough to want to get to know me a little.
Much love
Lia
xx
I read somewhere that people have a tendency to burn out on blogging at the year to eightteen month mark. There are a few commenters I've had from begining to current but there are a handful of others that seem to have been there every post for about a year then just vanished. It is weird, and I do wonder what happened.
I agree with MiaKatia. I have known about a couple of people who just got burned out and stopped reading blogs, or things have happened in their life that has prevented them from doing so.
I realized yesterday that there were a lot of bloggers that were faithful bloggers and commenters who have just gone MIA. Haven't been blogging, commenting, etc.
I agree about the burnout.
Now that I think about it, YES!
(Do you think Blogger Heaven is nice?)
I think people get sort of lazy in their commenting (except for Kristina) and turn into lurkers. It does seem to slack off at about 18 months.
I read A LOT of blogs (too many), and comment on very few... and not very regularly, more of a lurker really. (I'm lazy.)
While my son was in the NICU, we had crazy readership numbers/commenters on our blog. (Which was amazing and gave us additional strength to pull through.) As he's gotten healthier, readers have dropped off (to be expected, I guess). It bothered me a little bit until one day I decided to turn off Google Analytics... for me, it was so freeing!
Now I only use the Feedjit feed to show me traffic, and a simple counter, and that's it.
I've noticed that my friend count fluctuates on FB, too... but from what I've heard, people are quitting FB left and right, once they allowed it to be and can't handle the time suck.
I think it's all to be blamed on burnout.
My experience was opposite: I never got more than 3 readers, and an hour writing a blog wasn't worth it. So I dropped out on THEM. Now if I write something I think is good or funny, I email it to all those who I think will enjoy it, even if they don't write back. (Yes, Jennie, I mean you.)
Since I only read the same 3 blogs as those who used to read mine (and those three are VERY GOOD), commenting is fun! No burn out.
Sometimes they just need a break from the blogosphere. ;)
(I am flattered that you noticed.)
I think people just stop blogging altogether, or just kinda give up on faithfully reading everything. Go in spurts or just get too lazy to comment.
When I get sick, overwhelmed, depressed, or go through a major life change I take a break and focus on other things. I think it's normal!
i wonder the same thing...and I'm wondering should I call them out on it...or just drop them? Some people I comment on and never hear back from, I think I'm going to de-follow them. It really does not bother me as much as it used to...now it is just about my time management. If I'm not wanted...I might as well save my time and read a blog who I do connect with!
...dare me to call them out in a comment on their blog?
Life is just busy. I keep hoping that it will slow down, but I'm losing hope that it ever will.
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