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Monday, May 30, 2011

Blogging

People often ask, why would I want to write a blog. My life isn't all that interesting, who'd read or be interested in what I have to say. Have you heard that? Bet you have.

If you look up the definition of a blog, you'll find lots of information, but, basically it's a combination of the word web and log. It's an interactive means of communication. The communications is on going, it is updated...it is not static like a webpage. Some people blog like they're writing a personal diary, other's are more topic focused, others full of passions and causes.

Webpages are written, updated once in awhile but are read only. There is no interaction between the writer of the blog and the reader of the blog. A blog has that interaction. You write something as a blogger, you want people to read it, you want people to comment on it, others may in fact even comment on the comments. That's the interaction. That's what makes a blog a blog, and not a one sided static and often stale webpage.

So, my question to all bloggers then is this. If the point is interaction, why then do people make the interaction difficult, time consuming, and delayed? If you want you blog to be read, and you want people to comment, why do you put up road blocks for them to do so? I know you've all seen a blog that requires you to join, before you comment. Often those are here's my thoughts in your face, controversial type topics. They want to be read, but don't really want to encourage you to counter, to correct in some cases. They really don't seem to want the dialogue--so what's the point? You've probably also seen where comments aren't even an option........when I hit blogs like this, I never join and try not to return back. I'm not one that wants to blindly read and not communicate back. I also don't want to give them the readership they so crave. Blogging is a give and go. We all want readership, so reciprocate I say...go read other blogs, do for them what you want them to do for you.

Comments, anyone who says they don't care if they get comments, they blog for themselves....nah, I don't buy that. They want comments, they want followers, they want to know they've been read...chances are them saying they don't care if they get comments is their way of saying....I'm not taking time to reciprocate your comments. I often will read, comment several times; and if that blogger doesn't do the same, I move on. Blogging by definition is interactive. Interactive is not one sided.

Continuing on, we write to be read, we know we've been read, if we receive comments. Invite them, don't discourage them with those silly, hard to read, time consuming numbers and letters. They're annoying, they sometimes don't work. And, do they really keep you from getting spam? No, your filter does that. Do the professional spammers still spam you when you use them? Yes, they do. Comments need to be approved, more annoyance. This again takes time, this limits interaction, this delays communication. If you use the captchas because you think it prevents spam, why then do you also need to approve the comments before it's published? Do you need to approve the comments so you only print those that agree with you? If so, aren't you also limiting the interaction? To my way of thinking, yes you are. You're building road blocks and discouraging people to comment. Information grows as people read a blog and make comments. So if you're the 4th or 5th person leaving a comment you often have the ability to pick up additional information/opinions and interact with those commentors as well as the original blogger; but if your comment has to be approved first, that doesn't happen until much later, if at all.

Visit the blogs of those that visit you, don't read them in a reader. Do for them what they did for you, take the time to visit. Reading in a reader doesn't give the blog traffic, the traffic you got when they visited you. Don't take the easy way out and click reply via email to a question they've asked. Visit them, comment back, give them the time they gave you; the traffic they gave your blog. Be a reciprocal blogger, be an interactive blogger.

Being an interactive blogger is fun, that's how we meet new interesting people.

This is my B post for the Z-A challenge


12 comments:

  1. I'm not sure if you get notifications in your e-mail if someone responds to a comment you put on someone else's page. I just wanted to let you know I responded to your comment on my Gut Road post, and instead of posting the reply on your page I did it on mine. I thought it would be a nice little addition to the blog post because others may also wonder what happened to William Babner.

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  2. Exactly right Anna. Your blog, my comment, your answer...continues the communication. So, like you..I'll comment here, then hop over to your blog for the response. I do get email notices when people leave blog comments.

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  3. You are right on all points.
    Blogs should be interactive. I don't mind the moderated posts blogs too much as long as are fairly reviewed.
    I use a reader for my blogs to keep me from appearing to be surfing the Net while at work. :) I usually click on the blog in order to leave a comment.

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  4. Hey Frizzy, thanks for adding the point about flying under the radar at work to read blogs...lol Most tricky of you.

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  5. Hi Sandy...Thank you for dropping by and sharing your encouragement. Love the clapping hands and "I believe!"...So funny!

    Blessings,
    Colleen

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  6. I agree that reading and commenting should be easier. Unfortunately for the ones who use this forum respectfully there are many who don't. I got so many spam comments that I had to go to approval, which really is a pain - I wish I didn't have to do that. I don't know if blogger does the captcha thing on my blogs. I don't see a purpose in using both except that if one can't do the captcha then the comment won't get as far as me. But I also hate them, have trouble with them personally and sometimes have to give it up when I can't get them. But I love to comment on blogs. I don't always have time to comment every time I read, but I try to do so as often as I can. The last three weeks I have been limited in my typing due to hand sprain but I still managed to get quite a bit of one handed typing done. LOL Thanks for sharing your world with us.

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  7. I do hope your hand improves soon, Sandie I know that's got to be bugging you. Can't type much, and can't crochet. Double bummer.

    I believe my blogger filter gets 99% of my spam without using either approval or the letters that none of us with older eyes can see.

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  8. Great post!

    I do actually use a feed reader as I follow a whole LOT of blogs but when I see there is a new post from a blog I like I do tend to visit them so I can comment - I find that reading even the blog itself on a device other than my laptop can mean I can't always comment which is really annoying because I want people to know I have read their words.

    Anyway, good words

    :)

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  9. I personally do not like Google Reader....well, unless I don't want somebody to know I'm reading their blog!! Not that I would ever do that! ;-) Anyway...thank you for stopping by and commenting at Jeremiah 29:11...sorry I'm late in getting back to your blog...I'm getting old!! I'm your latest follower!

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  10. As you know, I agree with you!! My recent post on why and how to disable Word Verification yielded almost a full 50% of people who HAVE word verification did not know it. I would write a comment to check my post and they would say they didn't need it. Then I would say, I don't leave this note unless a blogger does have it - most were shocked. So I do ask people to just check, even if they are positive they have it turned off. lol

    I used to get a ton of spam until Blogger added the new spam software....it caught 57 spam comments in just a few weeks.

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  11. Hi Sandy,

    I don't even know or want to know what google reader is...I like the blogging aspect of the whole thing, I visit, you visit....we all visit..it's a good thing. I don't like the letters/numbers thing at all...and am not a joiner to just read..I move on. I don't understand when I comment on a blog, sometimes the responses are emailed...??????? what is that all about? Must take issue...what? no crochet at poolside or beach....?????????? LOL Well, in my imagination....I am there doing just that..but if I were in real time...I think I would find other things to do too...if I did take it, which I probably would...something light like thread for a potholder...:) thanks for stopping by...always nice to hear from you...you were the very first person to comment on my blog when I set it up.....thank you for doing that...

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  12. Hi Faith,
    I'd forgotten I was the first, nice memory. You made me smile. We connected right from the get go. Like you, I really dislike people emailing me instead of visiting, reading and commenting on my blog. Thread...you're ahead of me there. I haven't crocheted with it. Though I did knot in the car coming and going so got a good amount of knitting done.

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PLEASE leave your name and url. Do NOT use anonymous. You can use hyperlinks to take me to your blog as well, so that I might return the favor of a blog visit. Profile links, Google links DO NOT take me directly to your blog, but name url does.