Why do I need it? So I can show everyone who comes to my site how many people are 'following' me? I bet that sounds so creepy to non-bloggers. It is a status thing, like I mentioned yesterday. The problem with this is that, like it or not, people (including myself if we're being honest here) judge bloggers by their amount of followers. Want to know something even more sad? The fact that blogs with followers over, let's say 1,000, think they are pretty hot stuff. They never respond to tweets, Facebook comments, e-mails. They are just too cool for school.
It makes me sad, really. The number one thing that I love so much about blogging is the community. It is the women I have met along the way. I have heard this from numerous people, as well, the feeling of having friends everywhere whom you have never met in 'real life.' The blogging community is truly a remarkable thing!
So I did it. I took down GFC. I was a little nervous, like will anyone ever come back if I take it down? And like a fellow blogger-friend mentioned to me, it is exciting to see the number go up and to watch your blog grow. It is, I felt the same way. But there were also times when I would think about it too much. And if it didn't go up, it bugged me. So in a way, it is freeing to not have those numbers anymore. I don't have to check it, I don't have to obsess. I can truly focus on content and networking, which is why I started this in the first place!
Please don't take this post as a 'if you still have GFC up, I think you're bad' kind of post. I would, however, challenge some bloggers to try to create a community whether or not that blogger is 'big' enough to talk to you. And can I make a point here, if I have ever, I mean ever, made anyone feel like that, please e-mail me and tell me!! It is never my intention as I try to respond to most every comment I get and visit your blogs as well.
Having said all that, make sure you follow me!
haha just kidding!!!!!
17 comments:
100% agreed.
I know exactly what you ,I found myself greying do attached to the number. It's nice to have let it .
I love this. I am newer to the bloggy world, and although for now I am going to keep my GFC up (bc I'm way new, and it helps to see sometimes!) I fully intend on taking it down at some point.
I agree that there are definitely some bloggers who are just waaaay too cool to comment back or twitter, but sometimes I also wonder if it's just a time thing.
(I had only 34 comments on my wedding post the other day, and was shocked at how long it took me to comment back and go check out their blogs too!! And yes. Haha I realize 34 comments aren't a lot! But to a new blogger it was awesome!!)
I think that's what makes blogging so much fun tho! All the interaction you get with other bloggers :)
Also- you have been awesome! Just started following you recently and you've made a point to comment bAck!
From one of us "smaller/newer" bloggers, it is MUCH APPRECIATED!!! :)
Lovelovelove,
Moo.
I'm wondering how do you follow someone if you can't click on the GFC? Other wise I would totally agree with this.
I like to have it there, even though having so little followers, but I like to click on their faces and check their blogs sometimes. Of course, your blog I check every time you post, hehe!
You are sooooooo right about big bloggers, have had that experience and felt miserable, but I am just to sensitive, I think.
Love,
Isa
Great post. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the numbers and lose sight of why I started blogging in the first place. i didn't start to "win" with the most followers or get rich. I started because I love blogs, love to write, and had some stuff to share.
I agree, I usually try to put blogs I follow into my reader but I still proudly sport my GFC on my blog...then again I've only got 39 followers ha ha!
p.s. I always read your blog as though I'm supporting you cos I'm only over here in the UK...it's still many, many miles away but in my head we're neighbours :) x
I'm with you, girl.
And I LOVE the last sentence....LOL!!!
Agree! You are great at connecting with your readers too. Some blogs I follow dont ever respond to my comments.. and that makes me pouty. Haha.. oh well. :)
What a great post!
The COMMUNITY is what it's all about. RSS of yours for life!
I don't like to judge others, but I can't help but think that people who pursue thousands of followers and then display it smack dab in the middle of their blog are trying to prove something. It seems kind of narcissistic, but maybe I'm wrong.
Maybe I just blog for different reasons. I blog because I need a creative outlet, and because I want to have something to remember this period in my life by. But I think some people blog because they see blogging as some sort of game where they can only win by accumulating followers.
Just my thoughts...
I do get that it takes some time to reply when you get hundreds of comments...but I once read a post by a "big" blogger that mentioned how they really want to help other bloggers grow, and reach out to them. So, I took a chance and shot them an email asking a few questions. I got a reply about 3 months later that said, "keep doing what you're doing"...uh...thanks?
I want and like that sense of community. I would hate to feel the necessity to grow so large, I could no longer "get to know" my readers. I would rather have 20 loyal followers than 2000 just hoping to be "found" through one of my linky's or something.
I don't think I ever paid much attention to GFC - but I'm only just learning how to make sense of the blog stats anyway. I'm on WordPress, and I like it pretty well. I do like it when I can interact with people in the comments of my blogs and theirs. On the other hand, when somebody seriously gets past a certain point (that point we all long for), I think they sometimes have to choose how many comments they respond to and still have time to write the blog.
F'r instance, I adore Regretsy and Cake Wrecks. And those authors DO sometimes reply to a comment. Not often, not everybody, not every time. And I am so into their blogs that I'd rather see the next post (if I had to choose).
But I also love to follow the blogs that are my size and slightly larger, because
1) It makes me feel like part of a secret club.
2) I know I'll really be striking up a new friendship in the comments, and that's a lot of the fun for me!
I LOVE that you said "too cool for school." One of my favorite sayings, that! :0)
I agree with a lot of what you have to say here. Blogging is totally about community and friendships for me, as well. What's the point otherwise?
I read this post really late at night (actually really early yesterday morning) and I really wanted to reply but I was on our tablet and Mr. D was waiting on me to go to bed.
but seriously, I could just kiss you. platonically of course, lol. I was just praying about this whole concept and asking God to make sense of it in my head and heart and here I find your post as I'm going to bed. you've inspired me to just keep being me and not be looking for some sort of outside validation.
I really would rather make good close relationships with real people that I'm on the same wavelength with than to "fake connect" with a whole bunch. I just started allowing myself to blog again and it has been and will continue to be so good as a process of my journey - and that's the most important thing.
I had come across you and followed a while back, and now I am hooked =)
I strongly dislike the bloggers who have thousands and thousands of followers and don't ever interact with them unless if they do "this" or have that many followers. It drives me nuts. Popularity contests stay in high school people!!
I think you're great and I'll definitely be sticking around!!
Thanks for being so honest.
This is a great post. I get caught up in the numbers game as well. You're a breath of fresh air!
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