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Things I Can't Say

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Things They Can’t Say about Blogging

Inspired by last week’s Things They Can’t Say by the fab Katherine Stone, I asked for your honest thoughts about blogging. And wow, did you jump in and share!  I’m sure that some of these bloggers are new to you, so watch for one that you relate to and go meet them!  

  • Sometimes it makes me a nervous wreck. Self deprecation takes over every thought in my mind, and I listen to the lie that I cannot make it as a blogger. It tells me, “You don’t have the education, experience, and ability to compete with real writers. Give it up.” And sometimes, I do.  -Adrienne, The Mommy Mess
  • I have to continuously tell myself that my worth as a blogger isn’t measured by how many followers or comments I get. -Ann Marie, Tidbits from the Queen of Chaos
  • I get sad when I have to stop blogging and go to my day job. -Mindy, Budget Fairytale
  • I read blogs when I’m on the go. I’ll be at the Target checkout line reading one of my faves on my Blackberry, it’s a great post, I’d LOVE to share my thoughts, but sometimes I don’t get the chance to comment. Do I love your post any less? Nope! I just need more hours in a day. -Brittany, Simply Brittany
  • Blogging is extremely time consuming. At times it’s frustrating to put so much work into something and not get any kind of response. It’s very easy to wonder if the time spent blogging is even worth it. -Lisa, Autism Wonderland
  • Most of the time I think no one really cares what I have to say. I don’t read other blogs as much as I should. I know I could learn a lot from them. -Michelle, Bruner Party of 5
  • I would love to be able to reach more people, as both of my blogs are about support, but I don’t like to sacrifice time with my kids. I’m trying to do more and put myself out there, but some nights I just run out of steam. -Katie, Practical Parenting and Clomid and Cabernet
  • Some days I hate the social aspect of blogging (commenting/social media/staying in touch.) I just want to write. What I want and when I want! -Sam, My Life as Wife
  •  I get frustrated with the “community.” The support is wonderful, but can get a little incestuous. I like to keep up with my bloggy friends, but I also try to mostly read things that inspire me to be a better writer and blogger. -Leigh Ann, Genie in a Blog
  • Sometimes it feels like a job…the commenting, answering comments, trying to be witty…etc. -Rebecca, Unexplained x2
  •  I go back and forth with how I feel about being clueless about my blog beyond writing for it. Tech Savvy is just not me. -Kir, The Kir Korner
  • I think you have more fun when you don’t get caught up in SEO, page rank, followers, fans, etc. It takes time to build crediblity and a following. Trying to hard will overwhelm you. -Marie, Raising Great Men
  • I think it is strange that blogs with thousands of twitter followers can have so few comments. Or that blog authors don’t bother to interact with their readers. Call me old fashioned, but I still live for comments. -Tina, FL Girl with a New Life
  • Sometimes I use my blog as an escape to get away from my kids and housework. But if I do it too much, it leaves me feeling like crap. -Emmy, Emmy Mom
  • I wish I could write more honestly without being afraid of what people will think or say. My own mother doesn’t even know I have a blog, and if she did, I think I’d have to shut it down! -Jenny, Life on the Mamarific Merry-Go-Round
  •  I have a love/hate relationship with blogging right now. Sometimes I really enjoy it and other times it feels like a full-time job. I’ve been blogging for over 5 years now and have yet to find a way to balance it all. -Helene, I’m Living Proof God Has a Sense of Humor
  • I always feel a few steps behind the social media curve. Making changes to the the html on my blog scares me. -Deirdre, JDaniel4smom
  • I think I’m guilty of letting social media eat up too much of my time. It can suck time like nothing else. You respond/read a few tweets, and 30 minutes is gone, and it felt like five minutes. -Leigh, Hines Sight Blog
  • Sometimes I catch myself basing my own self esteem off of my blogs stats. I know it’s horrible, and I need to stop checking them. I am better than a bunch of numbers. -Jessica, Spit Up Chronicles
  • I often worry that not having the time to comment much on other blogs or to devote much time to twitter and FB will mean that I will never get much of a following. But without a smartphone I can only do these things at an actual computer. And I refuse to spend hours a day on my computer. -Stephanie, Where Are My Supermom Boots?
  •  I’m concerned that if I move from wordpress.com hosted to a self-hosted blog space I’ll lose my place in the interwebs and get lost in the cyber abyss. -Jamie Anne, A Dash of Domestic
  • The comparison trap – I started off blogging for myself but as I get more into it and read more blogs, I inevitably compare myself to others whether in terms of content, stats, etc. When I do that, it’s hard to remember to stay true to myself and my voice/niche, whatever that might be. -Christine, Love, Life, Surf
  •  I have to admit I am not really hip on blogs that aren’t personal, that have a super specific niche. Because to me, blogging should about sharing stories, not just information. -Jennifer, Just Jennifer

 

What truth about blogging do you want to share? 

P.S. Want to be included in a post like this in the future? Be sure to join the conversation over on my facebook page.

 

Comments

  1. I love this, Shell. It’s so very good to just get it all out there so we can all realize that we’re in this together and are oh so very similar!

  5. This was great! I don’t feel so alone. It makes you feel better that you feel like crap about blogging- or at least some of the parts of it. 🙂 That was not meant to mean I dislike blogging, just that I have to let go of worrying.

  6. I agree with all of these! Especially with Lisa from Autism Wonderland. The lack of response almost makes it not worth it, but since I half blog as a form of a baby book for my kids, I guess it will be worth it in the end. Thank you for these awesome posts!!

  7. I love all those responses and I really idenified with a lot of them. I was pleased to see that I already read most of these fabulous ladies blogs and now I’m off to check out the rest of them! Great post Shell, it’s nice to know I’m not alone when I feel like I’m floundering in blogland!

  8. Many of these I could’ve written! I, like Brittany @Simply Brittany read on the go and she’s absolutely right; I don’t comment nearly as much because I either don’t have time or it’s just to dang hard on the iphone. Michelle, @Bruner Party of 5 speaks to my own thought. I try to read lots of blog posts, but some days/weeks there just isn’t enough hours in the day. These were all great and as a new blogger, it’s nice to know I’m not the only one feeling these kinds of things.

  9. This is really interesting! It’s like postsecret for blogs. Except, not anonymous. Ever think about doing an anonymous one? Bet the answers would be even more honest!

      • Ann, unfortunately we’re not aware of any good spuoprt message boards. There may be some great ones out there, but we’re not familiar with them, and can’t recommend anything. If your friend is interested in learning more about CT for depression or anxiety, though, we would suggest that she take a look at the . They have info about CT for various disorders, as well as recommended books and computer programs. Sorry we don’t know anything about message boards! Good luck with it.

  15. It’s so fascinating how we all second-guess ourselves.
    So easy to get caught on the treadmill of what we imagine we *should* do… and we lose the joy that started us blogging in the first place.
    We just can’t do it all… so lets just do what we can and enjoy it??
    xx

  16. I enjoy the writing part of blogging most of the time. I feel bad when I can’t get around to all my favorite blogs every day. Sometimes it’s three or four days…where does the time go?
    Sandy

  20. I agree with a lot of these. I have kind of come to terms with my stats. This is not my job – I have a job. i can’t invest as much time in it as I would like- maybe someday, etc. I do hate that I can find the time to respond to comments or comment as much on other blogs as I would like. It gets frustrating.

  21. Wow. I could have written all of these comments myself. I’m so glad to know I’m not the only one who has these thoughts. Thanks for including me this! 🙂 I’m off to say hello to these bloggers. 

  23. LOVE this post and others comments Shell. Still fairly new to the blogging community (and not real social with twitter, facebook, etc.) so it’s nice to know I’m not alone. 🙂

  24. I completely agree with Sam from My Life as Wife. I think we have the same sentiments. The social aspect is fun, but frustrating. It’s interesting to see what everyone’s hangups are about this thing we do!

  25. Honestly? Blogging has been frustrating me for quite some time. It all started in December when I took a break and my stats went way down. They haven’t rebounded even though I try to produce good, regular content. I’ve been at this for over 5 years now and I wonder if I’ve hit my limit.

    I can’t put as much time into it anymore with two boys and a full-time job. It feels like I barely hang on when it comes to interacting with my readers. And that is so important. I like to return comments when someone leaves one on my site but often I don’t have time or energy to keep up. I sometimes wish I could be a really popular blogger with tons of readers. But then I think, be careful what you wish for. It would take more time, more energy and add a lot of pressure to my life.

  28. OMG, this is an awesome post. It’s nice to know I’m not alone out there in the blogosphere. I would love blogging to be my stay-at-home mom “job” someday and I think sometimes that want tends to put pressure on me, when really, I should just be enjoying what I’m doing and let things just happen if they are meant to. Glad to know other bloggers have the same thoughts…

  30. What a great post! I had seen some of these on FB but hadn’t made it back to the thread so so great to see them all. It sounds like we all have a lot of the same frustrations and concerns and just ever trying to get that balance right.

  31. I loved blogging until the drama came. Gave me a very sour taste in my mouth. I’m considering making a come back. Maybe. Possibly. Wrote a short post today sticking my toes back in the water. I miss the outlet and making people laugh. Still not sure what direction I’m going to take. We’ll see……….

  33. Wow – there is definitely something to be said for knowing you’re not the only one who feels a certain way! Thanks, Shell, for bringing all these bloggers’ voices to the forefront.

  34. Really cool post. I wanted to tell you how I feel but never mind well I love doing blog it makes me think that this is my life.

  36. I thought all of these were good, really good!
    I *try* to not let blogging take over and have recently begun to take a week off a month, or every 2 months. It’s amazing what I can get done in that week! 🙂

  37. I could relate to so many of these, Shell. And now I have a few new blogs to check out, too!  🙂

    Also, GREAT idea incorporating your FB page to solicit feedback from others on various topics and then posting it here. I’d love to do something like that and think it would fit well with my brand, but I’m still building my FB page and am afraid I’d get crickets. Still… something to think about. 

    • Might be a good way to start getting more interaction. And you can always promote on twitter or in a post to direct people over. 🙂

  38. I have a lot of trouble with these too sometimes. I get busy and can’t “pimp” out my posts (or don’t want people to get sick of me) and my numbers are low. Or I feel guilty because I link up to a meme and can’t read everyone else’s. It’s just never, ever easy.

  39. I feel a lot of this too. My biggest struggles are reading and commenting on other blogs and replying to comments on my own. I still read but I have stopped worrying about commenting on EVERY post. I just can’t do it and I’d rather my comments mean something.
    I also totally waver on whether it’s worth replying to comments on my own blog. I so appreciate them, and if there’s something screaming for a response I do. But otherwise do people care? I appreciate getting replies to comments I leave on other blogs, but that’s not a big thing for me (especially when it’s clearly just a response in order to say you’ve replied).

    • I’ve stopped replying to every comment on my blog. I do reply to a lot, but if there isn’t much to say, I don’t. Especially if all I can think of to say in response is “thanks.” I’d rather just go to their blog instead.

  41. Sometimes I forget that people read what I write. I forget it has an impact. I have been trying so much harder to choose my words carefully. Sometimes I worry that the blogs I comment on think I am some crazy stalker blogger wanna be .

  42. How the heck did I miss this discussion? =) I loved reading through all the responses.  I’ve gotten so bad lately that in between all my store visits I can’t wait to pick up my phone and see the latest discussions, blog posts, and emails.  *sigh*

    But I vowed this weekend to take a break from it.  

  43. What a great compilation of thoughts. I’m terrible at finding balance when it comes to blogging. I LOVE to write and could write and write and write but I have a hard time keeping up with the commenting and interacting if I do and then I feel guilty.

  44. Amazing how we all feel somewhat the same about blogging but yet can’t seem to stop. I couldn’t even imagine not doing it anymore… but sometimes it can get all consuming. 

  45. I love it. Period.
    this is mostly why…..everyone sharing their thoughts, ideas, fears — building each other up. so, I try not to care too much about the time suck. or the imbalance between life and blog that might happen from time to time. Stats don’t matter: for whatever strange reason, we are a community, and I’d like to think we will always be a community that encourages and supports one another towards all our endeavours.

  46. I have been blogging for a little over a year and have just now been introduced to the blogging community. I love it. I love the writing and getting to know other bloggers and having something that I love so much in common with someone but with that comes the guilt of not doing enough. Thanks so much for including me in on this, Shell. I love that I am a student again learing all about this world. I could have added that I wish I could really say what I wanted but worry about who is reading.

  48. I love it.  But it hurts to feel like nobody else cares.  Which is very stupid and seventh-grade of me, I know!!!!!  I also know that those feelings are probably more about our recent move to a country where I know nobody, don’t speak the language very well, and have no friends yet, than they are about actual blogging.

  50. I finally made peace with the fact that I’m not going to get a ton of followers or make money off my blog. At first getting comments and followers was like a drug. But frankly, my life has gotten busier in the last year as my kids have gotten more independent (ironic, huh?), and yes returning comments isn’t always convenient and if you get behind it can be taxing. I can’t imagine if I had hundreds of followers if I would feel like I had to keep responding to all of them. So I’m okay with my 27 followers and my blog has become more of a joy, just as my own personal journal as well as record of my family, and a place I can vent about MOST things when I need to. I have found it to be somewhat therapeutic and happy that I don’t worry anymore about who’s visiting my site. Just happy that a few still are. 🙂

    • Isn’t it funny how things actually get busier as our kids get older? I thought I’d have more time, but I actually have less!

    • Thanks! I’ve done it a few times on parenting, family, and marriage. Need to think of my next topic! 

  52. I love that you collected these, Shell. The best part of blogging for me is that I purposely look for the humor in daily life–for blog material! It helps me see the funny in stressful situations, even. 😀 And creating passive-aggressive cartoons is actually very therapeutic!

    The part I like least is that there’s not enough back and forth with blogging–unless you have a superblog with a lot of awesome commentors like you do! I get a lot of hits, but not a lot of comments. I wish my readers knew how rewarding their comments are to me.

  54. I have “what am I doing” moments all the time. It stems from being a perfectionist and not having nearly enough time to create as thoughtful a blog as I would like.

  55. It’s interesting as I read these because I’ve felt so many of them, but not necessarily all at the same time. I think I cycle through stages with how I feel about blogging. Sometimes I love it, and sometimes I hate it so much that I want to quit. I really miss spending time how I used to spend it. *sigh*

  56. I’ve had a few blogs over the years & the ‘time is right’ to re-invest in my latest one. I love connecting w/ people & sharing stories (way more fun than blogging in pre-twitter days;) For me it’s therapeutic, letting go of the cr@p inside us all. I amazed at how attached I get to other people’s stories and events in their lives in the blogging community. Even though someone live thousands of miles away and I’ve never met them, if I did, I’d be racing toward them with a big hug.

  58. I have felt all the thoughts expressed here at some time or another in my blogging journey. It’s nice to know I’m not alone.

  59. How did I miss this? SixYearItch mentioned it, and now I”m here.

    So interesting to read.

    And yes: BEYOND time stealing and time consuming but I can’t imagine my life without it.

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