This post isn't a rant. It's a general reflexion on life on the web. I don't want you to think I'm grumpy and ungrateful... Comments are parts of blogs, and I think it's an interesting subject of discussion, so please leave a comment to express your views.
I'm telling you, I'm feeling left out of the stitchers world at the moment, my blog seems to appear rarely on other blogs blogrolls, and I get fewer and fewer comments. Dunno what happened. Is it because I moved my blog? Someone suggested a while ago it was because I used to post everyday, then only a few times a week (when I moved) but now I post everyday again, but I still only get 3 comments a post. In comparison, some people post only like once every 2 months and get 10 comments in 12 hours.
As a scientist, I can't help but wonder what the mecanisms of the comments work. I know that I'd be fed up and lacking inspiration to comment on posts showing wips everyday. What can you say? "great progress!!!", "well done!!!", and this also goes for finished pieces, apparently. I'm the first to suffer from "I want to comment, but I can't find anything interesting to say other than "congratulations", and anyway someone had already wrote it".
So I'm trying to talk about other things that might get reactions. Obviously I fail in a spectacular way these days. But it's not like I have a fascinating life. I can't even tell you about the kids I don't have. So what should I talk about?
Talking about gardening and my life was a big bust.
Showing new finishings, personal patterns and personalisation of established designs didn't provoke much reaction either.
Making a tutorial? Didn't seem to touch anybody...
So what?
I suppose you have to factor in the fact that, like love, if you are looking for it, you don't get it. So no comments for me...
Now, visits wise... I see the blog move didn't affect the number of visitors. More than that, 50% of visitors arrive from the old blog. Meaning I should keep the old page as is...
But what is interesting is that comparing to last November (a year ago), I only have 3/4 of the visits I ihad back then. So... what changed?
Normally you should expect more and more visits on a website. So decrease is not normal. I know my website is well indexed in google, but people don't really reach me this way. Most visitors are returning ones, not coming from other blogs either.
So I feel disillusioned by the whole thing. I don't care about the number of visits. What I'm really looking for is contact with other stitchers. But in a way I feel there's nothing really new to talk about. I guess I'm not the only one feeling that...
Now it's your turn to express your views on the subject !!!
15 comments :
I know what you mean. I post every day on mine, sometimes more than once a day if a thought pops into my head, but I don't get too many comments. I do love your blog and have just started reading it.
I would love to see more tutorials by the way. I have bookmarked some of the ones you did for future use. I am just getting into finishing my stitching projects besides just framing them.
I do think people refrain from commenting to just say "good job" or "congrats" again if someone already did.
Danielle, I wanted to visit your blog, but I can't reach your profile... could you send me the url of your blog please?
For the tutorials, there are a lot out there. So I try not to duplicate what somebody already did. Click on "other tutorial" to see a list of those.
I am never much of a commenter and right now Internet at home does not exist which further decreases the comments. The speed you finish stitchings with is mind dazzling for me, I am not sure I have finished anything stitchy lately. (I guess if I knit less I could stitch more...) But I enjoy reading about your substitutions of thread and I like the stuff you stitch, so like the finished products you show. I enjoy reading about your DBF and what he gets up to, even if that does not necessarily provoke a comment from me.
I guess I am not a good stitcher contact, but I would feel sad if you stopped blogging as your stitching makes my fingers itch.
Fantastic post! I can totally relate to everything you said.
There are a TON of blogs that I read, but don't comment often because of the time involved (I read faster than I write) or I feel like what I have to say is redundant to what I said in a previous post or someone else has said the same thing I was going to.
In regards to my own blog, well, it's for my cross stitching primarily. Because my stitching time can be erratic, I don't post consistantly enough which is probably why I have very few readers (in addition to the fact that I don't comment much for people to find me). I try to post once a week when my stitching mojo is in full swing. But, since nobody is following my blog, there are many posts that have zero comments.
Oh, well! If nothing else, it's a record of my stitching and I can see how my projects have progressed.
And now I feel slightly guilty, because I have read your blog for over a year now (and it does appear on my blogroll) but have never left a comment. I enjoy your stitching projects, and the bits and pieces of everyday life. I am just not a commenter, and it doesn't help that I am usually reading it via google reader (and that I haven't picked up a needle since this semester started). The joy of aggregator services such as Reader or any of the many others is that you can keep up with the people who may get erratic in their posting. You don't have to remember to visit and check- it just shows up when there is something to read.
Hello San, I don't think you should be worried. Yes, I still come through your old blog because google gives the old one as a first results in the list. Other than that, maybe people comment less because it's a busy time (counts for me too)..it might be preparations for the festivities or just things in live, I read in blogs that people have more workloads or new babies or other things that take time away from blogging and commenting. And the issue you raise before might be true too...the fact that first there was a daily report, then less report and now daily report again. I am sometimes, like now, very enthousiastically surpised to find so many posts and so many wips and finishes and tutorials in your blog. Way to go San! Thank you for all that! It sure is a motivation to visit more often ;-). And then the other reason you mention is certainly true as well..when you blog because you find pleasure in blogging and sharing, you are more likely to attract visitors and commenters than when you expect a lot of comments and no one is commenting. It's like "you get what and where your attentions draws you to". So I would just give people the time to accustomize to the fact that your blog is now much more alive stitchingwise (good for you!), that you're posting daily and with great things...you are back ;-))) and maybe give your new link to several blogs where you find loads of commenters! I believe many commenters would like to see your progress should they know more of your existence ;-) Have fun and keep the spirit up! Ann.
I'm so sorry - I read your blog every day but I don't comment. I like blogs that stay on topic and I enjoy reading yours. I must learn to comment more.
San, I still read every post you write but I'm not a big commenter. Never have been.
I don't think that it's that you are loved any less, I'm guessing that real life might have some influence on others, for one.
Or in my case, I just don't think I have anything constructive to say. I'm a horrible commenter.
My blog is at http://stitchingandreading.wordpress.com/
I feel your pain, San. I quit blogging because of the lack of comments. I wish now I hadn't because in the end the blog truly was a open diary for me.
I also agree to what you said about how some bloggers post once or so a week and get all kinds of comments. I think if you look closely at these blogs these are the blogs that the author "gives" away stitchy items and that most of the comments are from people wanting to get something. Not all but a majority. I know because I ran this little experiment a couple of times and had great response.
Hang in there and blog for yourself. Just consider the comments an added bonus to what your getting out of blogging. You have many "secret" admirers. :)
Hi San! I have read your blog since I started blogging. Since I started back to work, time for commenting has drastically decreased. For me, I have a choice between commenting or stitching.... There are other life changes that have affected my commenting as well.
More generally, like everyone else has suggested, saying the same thing everyone else has said, lack of substance in a comment, and time are all factors. I truly enjoy your blog and hope you continue with it!
I read your blog because I enjoy it. I love seeing your pictures, and you share so much of yourself with us and it feels like I actually know you.
dI read your blog every day but this is the first time I comment.
I have used your tutorials for new ways to finish my stitching. I want to thank you for those. I hope you keep on blogging because I love to see your stithing projects.
Sorry for my english, I am not use to write in english.
We've already talked about it so I have nothing new to say here. I have found the comments here as interesting as this special post. I just have one more thing to say: I guess that the number of blogs related to cross stitch has probably drastically increased, so it would be normal to have diluted comments. Am I making sense?
One thing is sure: as a faithful reader, I can say that a day without a post from you is not as bright as the others... unless I don't get to the puter that very day. I am also sure that you would get more comments per post if you wrote less often, but I would not like that.
Getting comments is a wonderful thing -but seeing the traffic on your blog should also be a source of satisfaction.
I have always loved your blog and all the ideas and changes you bring to this stitching bloggers' world. You are an inspiration.
Well, I had nothing to say... Lol!
Big huge hugs,
Lili
Hi This is the first time I have read your blog I came across it from someone else's blog list,and I know how it is when you get no comments and you think you are talking to yourself! But you have a wonderful blog! I'll certainly come back :0)
I used to wonder the same. I watched the stats on my counter and they go up and down dramatically. I don't worry about it any more for several reasons. 1) I write in my journals more for me than for an audience - to have some record of my projects and my life. 2) People do come and read, and sometimes comment. 3) I realize that the volume of readers goes up and down, but the comments stay about the same - tells me some are commenters and some aren't.
I think one reason comments are down is that more and more people are using RSS feeds, such as Bloglines or Google Reader. You don't comment from there. It's an extra step to then click on the blog title and go comment. Many people are still using IE and it's a pain because it doesn't use tabs like Firefox and Safari. So people read a rundown in the RSS feed and don't go comment.
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