You know, I'm beginning to understand how people get in the habit of posting often. I always seem to have a list of things that I wish I had the time to blog about and abstaining from near constant computer use and keeping my priorities straight can be really hard at times. My husband complains that I'm on the computer too much and I try to accommodate his wishes, while feeling frustrated and anxious about what I'd like to say, yet don't have the time to post. It's quite frustrating.
And then I keep coming back to the subject of desiring hits on my blog. Once again, it comes up in my mind. Isn't that something? I say it doesn't matter to me that much and yet I keep talking about it. Here's the thing, though...
Beside the blogging posts that I wish I could do, I also sometimes wish that I could respond to some of the comments that are on other blogs, but sometimes I don't have time for that either and I drop the ball in the middle of certain conversations.
Could it be that those who have the most hits are those who have the most time to obsess over the computer and their blogs, while both posting and visiting other bloggers often and/or are highly efficient in their posting and visiting. Let's face it. A person can only handle the number of computer/blogging friends as one can handle and if the quest for numbers causes obsession, than it's probably not a healthy quest.
How do I get such an idea into my heart? I keep saying it, but I don't always live it. Finding the balance between ones computer and non-computer life is like a big puzzle that has no answer. Come on, Lord, help me!
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The Lord will be a bigger help, but I'll do my best. For the most part I run a political blog and there's so much going on I could post ten posts in a day in very little time if I wanted to.
The blogging experts say the way to get a popular blog is to post at least seven posts a day. I think that's ridiculous and one would have to be truly obsessed (or posessed). It doesn't take me very long to throw up a political post, but I would rather spend the internet time I have on the pc to visit my blogging friends, and since my time for using the pc has been cut due to the chores involved of running gardens and a greenhouse, I'm posting on weekends and doing most of my visiting during the week.
The best advice I can give you is to post when you really feel you have something you want to post about and not to worry about it. I have blogging friends, such as Sandy, Fish, and Richard Johnson (all three are on my sidebar) who sometimes only post one post every two or three weeks. Neither are their posts only one genre. They post on all sorts of things as the mood strikes them.
As for visitors, how do you know how many you have? Most people don't comment. I don't see Site Meter on your blog, which is a device most of us use to tell how many people have dropped by. I think if you had a way of knowing how many people are reading you that you don't even know about, you would be pleasantly surprised. SiteMeter is for free. Just google www.sitemeter.com.
I put a lot of time into it every time I do a post and it usually takes me awhile. I even spend more time proof reading than I should, but that's just the way I am. When it comes to reading, I'm slow and I get fatigued really easy, so I have to limit what I choose to read.
I never have understood the masses. Why such a large number of people seem to prefer to hang out at massive blogs that contain way more than some of us could possibly ever read is something that I just really don't get at all. There are just things about the over all populace that I never have been able to relate to and that is why I have so often viewed myself as a real odd ball, yet I am who I am.
Shoot! I'm even over whelmed by the newspaper. Who in the world could ever read every single article in that each day? I usually just let my husband read it and than give me a summary and/or show me certain articles that he finds interesting.
I really do appreciate your dropping by, Gayle. Once in awhile I find someone who is efficient who tries to relate to me despite my high levels of inefficiency. One of my main gripes towards God is the fact that He has created some of us so different from each other that is seems almost impossible for us to understand each other. For example, my mother is quite efficient and she doesn't understand me at all and than I went and married someone like Mom and he doesn't understand me either, though he does try. Bless his heart.
I actually get a kick out of it sometimes when people try to figure me out and give me advice. I used to be bothered by it, but now I just smile and nod my head and than proceed to try and find my own way.
Forgive me, Gayle, when I complain about "Daily Bloggers". It's Ok. I'll live and I do visit your blog.
I've found, though, that most of the blogging friends that I visit often are slower bloggers. You’re the one exception. I don’t think I could handle more than one or two of such bloggers in my main circle of friends. I’d never be able to keep up with that and that’s just the way it is. Oh well.
I guess I was assuming that the hit counters cost money. I’m continually amazed how much of this stuff is free. I don’t get it, yet I’m not going to complain. If it’s free, than I probably will go get it. You may be right about my being pleasantly surprised if I had a hit counter. If I was really genuinely counting hits, whether than comments, than maybe I’d feel differently about it. Thanks.
Another of my problems is that I’m a long winded commenter and do not seem to be able to quit such a practice. Even this comment is about 3/4 of a page in length.
I’d never be able to handle the amount of traffic that you get, Gayle. I’d never be able to respond to all of the comments that come into all of your posts. That alone would no doubt take up all of my computer time and leave me no time to visit other blogs. I simply don’t know how you do it. Oh well.
Blogging imo serves a cathartic purpose so it's perfectly natural to feel frustrated and anxious when you can't blog, it's like it's therapeutic for alot of people. As for visiting other blogs I know what you mean, maintaining one's own blog tends to be so much work that you don't always have the time you'd like to post elsewhere. I find the time when I blog to be the better part of my day, I mean compared to work it's a no-brainer, people need to be understanding.
Hi Z-man,
Thanks again so much for dropping by and do forgive me for being so long away from your blog.
Maybe Griper will read this too and receive my apology for being so long in responding to his last comment on another post. I almost don't even want to type this, but we just received some not so good news in relation to our dog that I really love dearly. I'm so torn up about it that I'm going to close this comment now. Perhaps I'll eventually blog about the news, but not now.
I'm with Gayle on this... Post when you have something to say & the time to say it, and don't worry too much about that which remains unsaid... Generally, it'll keep. (& if it won't, you can always blog about it some other time... 8>)
As you can tell if you're still dropping by my place, I go in spurts... I'll post every day for a week, and then nothing for the next two. Sometimes it's real life getting in the way, & other times I'm enthralled by a conversation on someone else's blog, or with creating new Ipod playlists... Happens.
One can only do what one can do, and then enjoy what one has accomplished (or learn from one's mistakes & strive to do better & thus accomplish more in future.)
I hate it when "life gets in the way" of my blogging. I'm a person that likes completion and yet one of my commenters, Griper, keeps reminding me that we need to learn how to enjoy the journey and I know that he's right.
I got a hit counter finally and so far, it appears that for every person who comments, there are four noncommenters that have been by. For the most part, people don't seem to get past the first page and do not read the comments. I'd really like to encourage at least some of you to read some of the comments and also to check out some of my posts besides what's on the first page.
Once again, I'd like to remind people about the post in which I Organized all my posts by Category. The link to it is on the right under "Favorite Ramblings". Please do go farther back into my blog. I dare you. lol. And read a few of the comments. Some of what is written in the comment section of certain posts is just as rich, if not more so as the posts themselves.
Which brings me to another possible reality about hits. I wonder if posting less often will cause more hits to earlier posts, whether than just what is current, and that would be a worth while thing.
Anyway, repsac, thanks for dropping by.
don't worry about past posts, lista. they'll be read. some of my most popular posts are those that were written a long time ago. and when i say popular i am speaking of those that found me by search.
my most popular post is of a religious theme too.
Lista, you will find that most of your older posts are hit by people googling search words. For example, someone looking for jokes will google "Jokes" and possibly come across your "on the Ligher Side - A Few Jokes" post and click on the link. That counts as a visit in sitemeter. Your blogging friends, like myself, will usually read your most recent posts because they keep up with you... or at least try to... and have already read and probably commented on your older posts.
Glad you got the site meter. Now you know what I meant. I have far more readers who don't comment than those who do.
As for how I keep up with the comments I have to admit I am a speed reader and I type at 90 words per minute, so it doesn't take as much time as you might think.
We all have our gifts. Mine are different from yours. I can tell that two of your gifts is your empathy and your love for the truth. Those are wonderful gifts so don't put yourself down. I'm sure you also have others that I have no idea of. You are unique, a gift from God to the world. I'm proud to call you a blogging friend. :)
Hi Griper,
You know, as I continually hear people tell me not to worry about this or that, I almost feel like saying "You know what? I'll worry about what I want to worry about.", yet maybe that's not such nice thing to say, for I know that you are only trying to be helpful. I may need to eventually get a hit counter that is more specific in the page tracking department, but what I've got is Ok for now.
Gayle,
I haven't had the chance yet to fully explore and analyze my hits to date, yet so far, it looks like most of my hits are indeed to my main home page and I don't think that very many people have found my blog by doing a google search. I may be wrong, yet so far that's what appears to be true.
What appears to be happening so far is that my regulars do not seem to comment every time that they visit, you guys drop by more often than I realized, which is nice, yet are any of the hits I'm seeing people who have never left a comment? I can't really tell, cause it is a little hard to distinquish who's who. I'll have to watch it a little longer to see if I can identify exactly what it is that I am looking at.
Thanks for you complements and encouraging words.
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