Saturday, November 22, 2008

Blogging About Blogging

I will wait a couple of days to share the answers for the last post, go ahead and guess if you'd like to!

So today I have some questions about blogging for all of you. Here are questions I've been thinking about:

1) How do you decide which blogs to read? Do you read (regularly) every blog written by someone who comments on your blog?

2) How do you decide when to comment?

3) Do you ever email a blog-writer to say something you don't want to say in the comments?

4) Do you plan what your blog posts will look/sound like ahead of time? Do you just sit down and wing it?

In fairness, here are my answers:

1) I read some blogs because they are just so well-written I can't resist, even if I don't personally know the author. I read others because I've come to know and care about the people they feature. I do not necessarily read every single blog of every single person who ever comments here. I'm trying to keep my blog-addiction under control. I'm afraid to count how many blogs I now have in my Google reader and I have to feel strongly compelled to add to the list.

2) I comment when I really have something to say, but I often DON'T comment if I feel like I can't properly formulate my thoughts on a particular subject. I also try to leave pretty regular comments on blogs I read all the time, even if I don't have sometime earth-shattering to say. I feel like I want to let people know I'm reading. Sometimes I feel badly about leaving those sorts of comments because I worry that it will seem like I don't really CARE about what the person was writing about. I also tend not to comment on blogs that receive LOTS of comments on a regular basis. I guess I figure that it might not matter what someone says, after you've already read 50 or more comments. (Not that I would know!)

3) I do occasionally email a blog's author if I'm uncomfortable sharing something in the comments. This is usually because I feel silly about the comment I want to leave, or I want to share something personal, or I have a question to ask.

4) This is probably obvious, but I usually wing it over here! I do often find myself "composing" blog posts in my mind throughout the day, but I rarely remember those eloquent musings when I actually sit down to type. And I'm often too lazy to reread my own posts for typos - which is why I so often find misspellings or poorly chosen words in old posts. Argh!

Your turn. . .

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

These are really good questions...

1) How do you decide which blogs to read? Do you read (regularly) every blog written by someone who comments on your blog?

It really depends, bust basically what catches my eye.

2) How do you decide when to comment?

time, mostly...I have got to make more time for commenting

3) Do you ever email a blog-writer to say something you don't want to say in the comments?

No, I just say it in the comments.

4) Do you plan what your blog posts will look/sound like ahead of time? Do you just sit down and wing it?

Mostly I wing it, but as a writer I am constantly composing stuff in my head also.

Giselle said...

Oh, I've always been curious about these questions...I look forward to the answers. Here are mine:

1) I mostly read blogs of people I know in real life or people who I feel enough of a connection with that I wish I could hang out with them in real life. I usually read the people's blogs who comment on mine, because they are usually the same people ;) Not too many strangers over on my site!

2) I am not very good at commenting. I'm like you...if someone gets a lot of comments, I just don't feel like I need to say anything. Most of the time I'd like to write a comment, but I just don't have the time or energy.

3) Very occasionally I will e-mail a person...usually if it is something I really want a response to, or if it is going to give personal info away that the blogger may not want to share with the general public.

4) Totally wing it. Occasionally I will get a spark of inspiration during the day, and I'll jot a word or two down to remind myself, but usually I just sit down and try to write what I'm feeling at the moment. Which is why my blogs tend to be stream-of-consciousness. And why they aren't very well written. Which is why not too many people read my blog except for friends and family :) Which is fine by me.

Kate said...

Ditto with Giselle. Everything,pretty much.

ComfyMom~Stacey said...

1. I find blogs through people leaving comments on mine, through their link lists, through communities like Mom Bloggers Club & Twitter. I keep regularly reading specific blogs because I enjoy their posts.

2. I only comment when I think I have something useful to say or when people ask direct questions like this. If several other people have already said what I was going to say, then I might not comment. I'm a quiet type in real life.

3. I've never emailed a comment or questions instead of posting it, but I would if the circumstances called for it.

4. Some times I wing it, sometimes I know ahead of time, sometimes I have to look at the list of topic ideas that I keep by my computer. Blog ideas tend to come to me at 11:30 at night when I am getting ready for bed, so I keep a list.

Swistle said...

My answers are almost exactly the same as yours.

Laura said...

Add my name to the list of "the same" also.

One sidenote to add: There are often times that I really do want to leave a comment but often won't because I feel like it could possibly be misunderstood or I don't have enough time (You know, 2 minutes) to write what I really want to say and have it come out right. Interestingly enough, I feel like I'm the bad news omen because no matter when or where I comment, no one ever comments after me. Like I have comment cooties, people stay away.

I need meds don't I?

CARRIE said...

Here are mine:

1. 99% are blogs of friends or friends of friends who eventually become online friends of mine (like you!)

2. When I comment: If I find something particularly funny or if I feel the person needs support or if I want to provide info that I think might be new or relevant.

3. Nah, I'll either comment or keep my mouth shut (should follow this instinct more often).

4. A little bit of both.

Some questions for YOU about blogging:
1. Do you ever wish more people would read your blog, and if so, why?

2. What are your views on the whole bloggers as narcissists? And society becoming more narcissistic since blogging is so popular?

Enjoyed this post, btw.

Emily said...

Good topic.

1) Mostly people that I know personally or friend-of-friend people. I read a couple of really popular ones, but I usually don't comment because I feel shy, and then I'm embarrassed that maybe a bunch of people I don't know will start reading my blog and I will feel self-concious about what I write. So for that reason, I do read the blogs of all the people who comment, because I know most of them.

2) When something strikes me, or the person needs support.

3) Yes, if I know them personally, for the same reasons that others have said here.

4) I find myself composing blog posts all day long in my head. Maybe 25% of them actually get posted. By the time I sit down to type, I've usually even thought through a lot of the wording I'm going to use. Strangely, I've done this most of my life, even before blogging, where I narrate my life in my head as if I were writing a novel about it. Blogging lets me put pen to paper...sort of.

Mommy Daisy said...

Better late than never, ehh?

1. I read blogs that I find well written and interesting. Or that of people with similarities to myself. I do check out the blogs of people who leave me comments. That's how I find a lot of great blogs to read, but sometimes it's not a blog that sparks my fancy and that's OK too.

2. I try to commment often on blogs I really love, people who I feel invested with (like you). I comment when I have something to add to the conversation. I sometimes won't comment if there are already tons of comments, or I'm not in the mood, or I'm busy, or I have nothing to add.

3. Yes, I have done that before.

4. Sometimes I plan, mostly I'm like you and just type. I guess that's what makes my blog mine.

bluedaisy said...

1. I don't browse for new blogs as much as I used to- gotta keep it at bay! I regularly read the blogs listed on mine plus 2 or 3 others on occassion. I read blogs where I feel connected to the writer's experiences.
2. Sometimes I comment only if I have something of value to say or to lend support...other times I comment b/c the pictures are just too cute to avoid commenting.
3. Only 2-3 times
4. Semi-planned, mostly wing it