So, as everyone probably knows by this point, GFC will soon cease to exist. Like everyone else, I have made the mass exodus to bloglovin', and I strongly recommend switching over; its very organized and efficent, and you can make groups! How exciting! However, the process of switching over has brought a very important point to light for me.........
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As a blogger, I've always prided myself on being a sort of "follow back"sort of girl. As soon as I get a new follower, I rush right on over and hit that button. I don't even look at the blog that closely sometimes, just a quick scan through before following back. After all, it's the right thing to do, right? These people are listening to me, why shouldn't I follow them?
Additionally, there are a lot of people that I follow, simply to push my own number. How many times have we all left comments that say,
"great photos! new follower, check me out please?"
answer: a LOT.
Today, I started what I thought was going to be the arduous process of importing my reading list into Bloglovin', in preparation of the big move after GFC quits. What I did find, instead, was that I was following a gazillion blogs.
ok, not a gazillion.
But, as I scrolled through the list, I found myself frowning. I didn't even recognize half of them. Had I even visited them? I had blindly followed them in attempts to boost that little number on the side bar. I didn't visit them, didn't comment, and these ones I followed for no reason clogged up my feed, keeping me from checking out the blogs I actually care about reading.
So I went crazy.
I deleted about half of my blogs from my reading list. I became track pad happy, hitting it over and over. This one's in German-this one hasn't updated in two years! I don't even like beauty products all that muc-It was really cathartic. Deleting so much of my reading list reminded me, yet again, that I shouldn't worry about the number of people who follow me. It doesn't matter. Its a freaking number.
So, folks, I apologize, but I will not be following back as of today. I will be following blogs that I'm interested in, that I want to read often. I'm not going to worry about how many followers I have, and I'm not going to compare my blog to other, more popular ones.
that's not what it's about.
This has happened to me a lot. I'm not necessarily a follow back kind of person but if I like something on a blog I follow and go back to read and comment and whatever. But sometimes I go through mine reading list and find blogs I don't even remember ever following or liking (my current best follow is a blog that's written in French.)As much as I'm a believer that I blog for me and connect with whomever I like it's pretty kak (bad, horrible)leaving thoughtful comments time and again and the people whose blogging and stuff you like don't even reply or leave a comment on your post saying "hey stalker, just thought I'd check out your blog, It's decent.' I think I've drifted...
ReplyDeleteGood for you! It's funny, I've been using bloglovin for a while now (since I have a wordpress blog) and I kept telling people that I'll do the gfc thing but I don't check it that often, nobody ever seemed to care, it was always about the numbers. In the end my numbers got all weirdly skewed because of the mass influx to bloglovin....so you're right it's just a number!
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girlintheyellowdress.com
Sounds sane. I only want followers that actually want to read what I write, even though the number works like a drug.
ReplyDelete/Avy
http://mymotherfuckedmickjagger.blogspot.com
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I loved this post a lot because I myself have come to the same conclusion. I realised yesterday that blogging had become more about the numbers and the comments than actual good quality posts that had integrity and were written for myself than for anyone else. so in response to your post I say 'here here' and good for you. I shall be doing the same very shortly :)
ReplyDeletefreckledfennell.blogspot.com