Blog Friends and Blog Foes
What an interesting exchange about blogging tonight. First, I get an email from a friend who is so sick of me talking about Twitter that he is unsubscribing from my blog. I actually take that personally for a minute and feel bad. Since he won’t be reading this I can talk about it, ha ha. Then I remember that it has nothing to do with me.
When I describe Twitter to someone I wiggle all of my fingers together up in the air. It’s my sign language for Twitter. It represents the rhythm of life that Twitter is for me. It’s like a dance. A flit. Of course the real actual tempo of your life, inside the world of your home, friends, etc. that is more real. But sitting at my computer I literally feel connected to what Twitter calls your friends and followers (and they are really that!). When you want to delete someone it uses the term destroy. I get philosophical about it. I enjoy the quick slices of life, even the mundane parts that annoy other people.
Even right now I’m chatting with an artist in Mexico who I met a few days ago from Twitter. He takes abstract technical subjects and gives them form. I appreciate his work and he’s become a good friend.
Back to the email though. Moments later I got a quick IM from one of my mentors. He has influenced so many people’s lives for the better. He is who inspired me to blog almost exactly three years ago. His blog is loved and admired all over the world. He complimented me on my blog. I really appreciate that. I had to just stop and absorb it for a moment.
Different people will come and go and that’s fine. Thank you for reading lately and for your comments. I’ve been expanding what I write about and it’s been attracting different people. I feel honored when people share their dreams with me.
Get your own blog! Bluehost helps you install it day or night 24/7:
Reliable, Affordable Business & Blog Hosting from Bluehost.com.
8 Responses to “Blog Friends and Blog Foes”
Leave a Reply
March 28th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
Janet,
I also feel the same and now a fan reading your blog. Keep writting and reading. F.
March 29th, 2007 at 4:44 am
Janet-
Great post. I really do think this is a large hump that you have to get over when you move from casual blogging to taking it seriously. I was so upset after my first few emails telling me that I was covering something too much or too little and that I needed to focus on a certain topic or I’d loose readership, etc.
However, as bloggers (and individuals) we (hopefully) come to the realization that blogging is a personal platform and we’re allowed to discuss whatever we feel like. That might mean losing a reader or three, but in the end, it makes for a stronger blog, and I would argue it makes for a stronger person.
As you know, I’m a huge Twitter fan as well. There’s something wonderful to be said about the community there, as you point out. I really do think platforms like Twitter will be the next generation of “blogs” where we hammer out ideas and express our own identities.
Great site, so keep up the posting. I skim through a lot of feeds everyday, but yours is one that I always pause at to read in-depth.
Sam
March 29th, 2007 at 5:21 am
Hey Janet,
Don’t let stuff like that bug you. Follow your heart and stay the course. The people who are meant to hear your message will hear it. Your message will resonate with some and will repel others.
We write on lot of controversial topics for our blog, which is a dating / relationship advice column. For a colorful example, check out the across the spectrum comments / perspectives on this article we published not long ago on Swinging and Polyamory:
http://www.askdanandjennifer.com/sex-and-intimacy/my-best-friends-a-swinger-will-she-burn-in-hell/
Some people will be unhappy and stop reading your stuff, and many others will be drawn to you and your message.
It’s just like with relationships – people enter and leave our lives at just the right time, we just don’t always see the perfection in it and the reasons at the time.
Have an awesome day!
Dan
March 29th, 2007 at 10:08 am
So, this is an interesting area.
On the one hand it is really good to know who’s reading your blog.
On the other hand, there’s occasionally an odd temptation (for me anyway) to try to write for a particular person in the audience, playing up to what you know they will like.
On occasion I have refrained from posting something because I thought that one or two of my known readers (in particular) might take it personally or in the wrong way.
March 29th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Hey Jeff,
Yeah, to heck with that. We’re really staying true to ourselves and what we believe, and that shows in everything we write, in all our videos we’re posting now, etc.
And our audience is growing very fast – subscribers, RSS subscribers, daily visitors, repeat visitors, etc.
I think a large part of the fascination with blogs is the human curiosity about others, how they tick, etc… it’s voyeuristic in a large part too.
And I’ve found that the more expressive you are and follow your path, the more of a strong committed following you get – a win/win.
Have an awesome day!
Dan
March 30th, 2007 at 12:03 am
I love twitter! Talk about it as much as you want! The only thing that bugs me is how slow it is sometimes!
May 31st, 2007 at 12:32 pm
[...] Blogs are funny. I have all sorts of very useful posts. But since adding my new blog stats sometime this year, the most famous post is Blog Friends and Blog Foes. I wrote it flippantly almost. I didn’t put a lot of thought into it. [...]
June 9th, 2007 at 1:12 am
It get’s like that sometimes. I was recently received emails where the senders threatened me with physical violence after posting this article (http://www.rustylime.com/show_article.php?id=455), as they mistakenly thought I was defending the company in question.
I have been blogging since before the term ‘blog’ existed. Some things I have learned:
1) The amount of positive compliments always significantly outweighs the negativity. You must be doing something right.
2) Getting upset is precisely what they want. Don’t give it to them, and don’t waste any energy on them.
3) When approaching a touchy subject, expect there will be people who disagree with you. Don’t take anything they say personally.
Keep up the good work.