Blog for awhile (say, ten years, for example!) and you’ll start to notice some overall trends and truths that generally seem to apply to life in the blogosphere. Just for fun, I’ve gathered several of the observations I’ve made about my own experiences as a blogger – both the joys and the frustrations – and thought I’d share them with you.
What can you add to the list?
Random observations on life in the blogosphere
- Every real (i.e., non-spammy) comment on a blog post is gold. Receiving one is like being handed a small, perfectly-wrapped gift… and it never, never gets old!
- Inspiration for a new post usually strikes at the most inconvenient time possible. (For me, it’s most often while I’m in the shower, driving, or just as I’m about to fall asleep. Figures!)
- The very time you have the time to actually write a really good post turns out to be the very time no one seems to have the time to read your blog.
- Your biggest sources of support often come from the most unexpected places and people.
- People you thought would become avid readers turn out to be not particularly interested or engaged.
- Self-promotion is HARD. It feels phony and contrived and you always wonder and worry about how much you might be irritating your friends and family.
- Weekends (at least in my blog world) seem to be a black hole where hardly anyone writes and even fewer people read blogs. Save your best or favourite posts for early in the week!
- The posts you felt you threw together often garner a bigger or better response than something into which you poured your heart and soul.
- Spammers are getting really good! When it comes to blog comments, it can be a real challenge to differentiate between what’s legitimate and what’s spam.
- Obsessively refreshing your statcounter or repeatedly checking for new subscribers will NOT, surprisingly, bring visitors to your blog. (Go figure!)
- There will always be someone doing it better than you.
- There will always be someone doing it worse than you.
- Your voice is your own. Comparison with others is more often dangerous than helpful.
- Do it first and foremost for your own satisfaction. Everything else – comments, page views, subscribers – is gravy.
So, what have YOU observed about life in the blogosphere?
Please share!
