"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Saturday, July 18, 2015

A little rant

I know.

No one cares about my blog.

Not really.

If I stopped blogging a few of my friends might wonder why. My family would not get my weekly updates but they would call instead, so it really wouldn't matter to them.

I started my blog to communicate with my students about the books I was reading, books I thought they would like. I linked the blog to the library home page and I do get a few hits from it. But not many. It is hard to figure out to market a book blog to busy students.

Next I told myself I was really blogging for myself so it didn't really matter if many people read it. Ultimately I was lying to myself. It does matter. I want people to read it and to give me feedback about what they think. I hope I have something to say that someone wants to read.

Now for the rant...

I not only write reviews for YA books I am reading but I also participate in blogging community posts like Top Ten Tuesday, Book Beginnings on Friday, Friday 56, and Sunday Salon. When I add my name to those link-ups I linger and visit other sites there. Whenever I visit a page I leave a comment, letting that blogger know I was there and took a look around their site. Everyone does not extend that courtesy back to me, even other bloggers.

For example, last Friday I posted in Books Beginnings and Friday 56. Then I visited 35 other blogs and made comments everywhere I stopped. 35. I counted. By the end of the day, four people had made a comment back on my blog post. 4. Those are NOT good odds.

See what I mean?

What is a gal to do?

I know.  Whine. Whine.

I notice lots of bloggers doing things to improve their followers like offering give-a-ways. I tried that a few times but only experienced an uptick in my numbers during the days prior to the event and then a return back to status quo. Sigh.

Any advice or help would be appreciated. What are your thoughts about this rant?


Posted by at
Labels:

17 comments:

  1. Anne@HeadFullofBooksJuly 18, 2015 at 5:01 PM

    Thanks Leela,
    I appreciate knowing that you appreciate the variety of posts on my blog. And I agree with you. If the blog isn't for me and me alone it won't be any fun. And it really is usually pretty fun. So I go on...

    ReplyDelete
  2. MargaretJuly 18, 2015 at 6:02 PM

    I love to write; it helps me process life, deal with my feelings, and the events that have happened to me, share my activities, and photos, as well as my frustrations and YES, my rants. :) Do I love comments? Of course! Do I still love to go back and read my posts from the past? Absolutely. A brief story: one of my close friends comments all the time on my blog, as I do on hers. After Patt died, I got a card and a Sbux gift card from an utter stranger, who happened to be Tonya's cousin. She had found me through Tonya's blog and was reading everything I was writing, although she didn't know how to comment. (or if she should) When Tonya saw her at a family reunion recently, she said," Margaret has helped me so much." WHAT? My point is that we never know whose lives we touch or who is even reading. There have been many times that I've hopped off one of your posts to order a book you've recommended; I don't always comment about that, but please know that you've been a huge influence in my choices for YA lit. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anne@HeadFullofBooksJuly 18, 2015 at 7:15 PM

      Margaret,
      You are the best and most loyal of my blogging (and real) friends. I know you are there even if you don't make comments. I need to be better about hopping over to your blog more often. Thank you!
      You are right, too, about writing for myself. I do look back on what I've written and the pictures I have saved here. Thanks for the pep talk. I needed it.

      Delete
  3. CaroleJuly 18, 2015 at 7:58 PM

    anne, I can understand how you feel. I have found that you can build a loyal following best by choosing to participate in only 1 or 2 smallish link ups and visiting everyone - the big big link ups tend not to work as well. Cheers and best of luck

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anne@HeadFullofBooksJuly 18, 2015 at 9:23 PM

      Carole, thank for your kind comments. Which of the smallish link-ups do you suggest? I keep trying different ones with similar results. I want to build up a loyal following and I know it means I need to be a better "friend" in return.

      Delete
  4. Tina's BlogJuly 18, 2015 at 8:01 PM

    I love your blog, and totally get what you are saying. I would love to have more followers...I've been consistently blogging for almost six years (maybe more) and have the exact same thoughts you do. I'm going to whine right along with you. When I see some others' blogs they don't seem to be any better than mine - and some in fact have some serious flaws- but have tons of followers. I'm not blogging just for followers or to be popular, but it would sure be nice sometime to get a lot of comments or have more people notice my efforts. So, I have no words of advice or wisdom, but you are definitely not alone in feeling like you do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anne@HeadFullofBooksJuly 18, 2015 at 9:21 PM

      The number of followers isn't as irritating as the lack of comments, especially on book reviews. I sometimes feel like no one is even reading the reviews and only visits the blog if I do some linky blog post.

      I love your blog, too Tina. It is unique and well-done. I always find something that interests me on your blog.

      Thanks for your comments and adding to my whine-fest.

      Delete
  5. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzJuly 19, 2015 at 12:52 PM

    I understand your frustration. I encourage you not to get discouraged. I think people eventually come and visit those who visit them. So don't give up!

    Here's my Sunday Salon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anne@HeadFullofBooksJuly 19, 2015 at 5:43 PM

      Thanks for the pep talk. I know you are right and will try to spread my comments around more liberally. I consider you one of my blog friends.

      Delete
  6. fredamansJuly 19, 2015 at 2:07 PM

    Amazing how many people commented on this post though, ey.... lol
    I know I was one of the 4, since I comment on every single participant's post who joins in my meme. Even when I got married, I still visited you all.
    I care about your blog, even though you may only be guaranteed to hear from me once a week. Still, I care.
    I've been blogging 6 or 7 years, I am not quite sure at the moment... but the point is, I still lack in comments every day but Tuesday and Friday. Both because of the memes. The only other time I see a jump in comments is when I have a killer giveaway happening. You'd be surprised how much people have to say then too... lol
    So now that I've joined in the rant with you, I hope you are feeling in better spirits about it all.
    Now might also be the time to start blogging for you, and not anyone else. The less you care, the happier you will feel. Believe me. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anne@HeadFullofBooksJuly 19, 2015 at 5:44 PM

      Thanks for the pep talk. You are very loyal and I appreciate that. I couldn't believe you kept up your blogging even during and after wedding. Impressive.

      Delete
  7. JillianJuly 19, 2015 at 10:32 PM

    Hm, I think because of so many blogs out there, one way a blogger stands out to me is when I have frequent discussions with them. Maybe on my blog or on other social media platforms. It's a lot of work to maintain a blog, so there will be times when your posts will get a lot of hits and some that will get practically zero. I've been blogging for 5 years and like everyone has stated already, it's tough to keep it consistent, but worth it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anne@HeadFullofBooksJuly 20, 2015 at 2:49 PM

      You are right. It is a lot of time to maintain a blog if one wants traffic and comments. I was feeling pretty angry about the amount of effort I put in for a the low return. But I know it sin't always that way and I certainly can do better at heading back over and taking a look and commenting on blogs if comments are made. Thanks for the encouragement.

      Delete
  8. thecuecardJuly 20, 2015 at 11:57 AM

    I guess I subscribe to the view that if people leave comments on your blog, you should return the favor and visit their blog and leave comments. And vice versa. So I agree with you. I realize people are busy and they might not visit your blog right away. But hopefully in time they will come. If certain bloggers never never do, then I stop visiting their sites. hmm. Stick with it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anne@HeadFullofBooksJuly 20, 2015 at 2:50 PM

      I agree with you that it should be a give and take situation. Leave a comment, make a comment. I can tell from my numbers that people are looking at the blog which makes me wonder why they don't leave comments. Sigh. Oh well, I go on....

      Delete
  9. Lisa MandinaJuly 21, 2015 at 9:45 AM

    I totally understand. I always reply to comments on my blog, but I don't necessarily go back and comment if they don't leave me a link. I hope I'm not someone who hasn't come back to comment on your posts. I feel the same way about whether people read sometimes as well. :-) But we do read your blog! Don't get down!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anne@HeadFullofBooksJuly 21, 2015 at 11:24 AM

      Lisa, I am making a full out attempt to do better at going back and responding to bloggers who have made comments, not just on my own blog, but on theirs, to let them know I appreciate their efforts. Thanks for the feedback.

      Delete

I look forward to your comments and interactions! Join in the conversation.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)