When I started keeping a personal, family-oriented blog over two years ago, I noticed something interesting.
Some family members and some friends regularly checked in on my blog posts and looked at my family pictures. Others didn't.
How could I tell? Well,I'm sure that many of you know about the site called Sitemeter. It counts your site visitors, and it also registers their geographical location much of the time.
As a result, I could usually tell the identity of the readers of my family blog, because I have friends and family all over the country. If there were no hits from a certain city or state, I knew that friends and family in that area were not reading my blog or keeping up with our family activities through our photos.
With this professional blog, it's a little different. I try to keep it personal as well, but it's not centered on my family. Consequently, I would not expect family members to be interested, necessarily. No one should be forced to read a blog out of duty!
That being said, I do want to ask you what you think when friends or family do not read your blog, if your blog has any personal content. Do you find that significant?
Here's why I found it strange, back when I was keeping only the private family and friends blog.
I am truly interested in other people, what they think, and what they say. If I know someone in my real life and I discover that person keeps a blog, you can BET I am going to look it up. The only blogs I avoid are ones that I think might cause hard feelings between me and my friends. For example, if someone keeps a political blog or states opinions that are frequently noxious to me, I might avoid the blog out of a desire to preserve harmony and love in our relationship. Likewise, I would expect friends who were bothered by anything on my blog--for example, nonbelievers who don't want to hear me talk about my faith--to also have the freedom to say "no thanks." (I also have friends with whom I can disagree about important issues, and sometimes we have conversations behind the scenes about posts on my blog.)
I'm not perfect about keeping up with everyone's blog. Every now and then I forget to add one to my blog roll, and then it's easy to forget it's there. (I just remembered one with guilt!) But I always enjoy reading them.
So it does mystify me that some people do not seem interested in finding out what their friends and family members are thinking. Finding out what people are thinking is one of the great pleasures of my life!
So, what do you think?
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10 comments:
Rosslyn, I know that my dad reads my blog but never comments. Most of my real life friends though don't read it and that hurt me at first. I thought if they were interested in me, they would read it but I often heard things like "I'm not too much into blogs and computers". That saddened me as I pour out my heart. But I know that two of my friends do read it although they don't always comment. My family never comments except I was thrilled after writing about my niece in NYC to find a comment from Katie that warmed my heart. It meant so much to me.
However, I have to say that I've made so many new friends through blogging. It takes away any sadness because the wonderful caring group of bloggers that read Heart Choices (including you) are becoming so very special to me.
I hope this answers your question.
blessings,
Debbie
Very few of my friends read my blog or even follow it. And I have only told a couple of family member that I even blog. I don't really want my family (other than husband and the couple of others I told) on my blog. I have goo reasons though.
I think those who read my blog are wonderful, but honestly, I would write in a dark corner under the table all by myself forever and still want to write. An audience is nice and I so value feedback, but I know I would write regardless.
I have several family members who don't read my blog and good friends too, now that I think about it. I think it depends on two things...whether they are the reading-type and whether or not they have any interest in the blogging world. For those in my life who don't follow/read, it's because both don't apply.
~ Wendy
I am often quite surprised by who reads my blog and who doesn't. My grandfather faithfully reads it and occasionally will email me about a post. :) My parents are by far my biggest fans, along with one of my aunts who I only see every other year (at the most).
Most of my closest friends read it regularly, although VERY few comment.
I do find it a little hurtful when close "real life" friends have little to no interest in what I'm writing about. But, then again, I have had people tell me that my blog is "heavier" reading than what they like to read online. That's weird to me... because this is just who I am! Maybe they don't know me very well! ;) I think my regular blog readers know me better than most of my real life acquaintances.
Some do and some don't. For some reason having a blog out there, impacts relationships in interesting ways. Some people would prefer hearing about you from you, while others don't mind reading it like on a blog, while others just aren't interested.
For myself, I know that I am putting together a history book of our children and I won't regret doing that. So, that makes it worth it to me.
Just so you know, my husband asked me to remove his above comment because he accidentally used our daughter's name in it, and we don't use her name on this blog. :-) Ironic that we censored the contribution from family on this particular post!
I have some very loyal readers but most of them are friends. My brother only reads my blog when I ask him if he has. My husband rarely reads it. The friends who read it don't usually comment. Some will email me or talk to me about what I've written. I would love reading blogs written by my kin if they'd write them.
Since my blog focuses on writing and reading, not many family members or friends read it. Time issues also prevent many from visiting.
A couple of my adopted nieces have blogs. I try to visit them as often as I can.
Blessings,
Susan :)
My dad reads my blog ocassionally, as well as my wife's parents. My sone and one daughter reads it as time allows. My wife and other daughter never read it unless I point something out to them, then they'll sit and gladly read.
Cheryl (my wife) is on a computer much of the day and doesn't want to mess with it when getting home. Also, she doesn't like too much personal stuff being on there. I actually ask her permission (most of the time :) to put pics of her up.
I read friends blogs and some of them read mine. If there is something in particular I want others to read who don't regularly get on, I sent them the link by email.
Doesn't bother me if none of them read it.
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