I am not trying to blow up my own blog or anything, but for those of you who blog here, there or anywhere, do you ever get the feeling some bloggers “like” your posts just to get your attention and lure you to their site? And then their site is nothing more than the reproduction of other people’s posts? Or images from other sites? I don’t want to be overly harsh, here. I mean, some of these images are clever and funny and I am glad I saw them, but they weren’t original to the person who posted them, and it was hard to figure out where they originated…which I am sure was a total accident. One time? (At band camp? sorry–I just heard that in my head.) I posted on my blog and within ten literal seconds of uploading my post I got a “like” from another blogger? It was a longish post, one that would be hard to even read in under a minute, let alone ten seconds. It was pretty good though, don’t get me wrong. Totally “like”able. Just maybe not that fast?
When I first started blogging, oh so many months ago, I was just a teensy bit raging against the void. I was having some trouble with pitching a manuscript to agents and publishers, and struggling with my voice and how tiny it sounds in the vacuum outside my head. I found friendship here and built some confidence. I stepped wrong a time or two, and owned it. The world didn’t shatter. I discovered others struggling with some of the same and some different issues and I found myself caring about them and what they have to say. In this time I have also been slammed with spam, and culled through tag-trawling in a most cynical way. I have built a following of real people, spambots and the hapless google searchers seeking information on the musical group “Walk Off The Earth” (yes, I totally love you kids and you can sleep on my couches if you come through town–you kids in the band, not the searchers, sorry,) and the ones who want to know what’s the latest on KARE 11 news anchor Rena Sarigianopoulos (I know, she’s awesome, I love her too, but I have nothing further on her since the Home & Garden Show.) So speaking in terms of gross vs. net, I have increased my gross following. Do I have more net readers? If I do, what does that, exactly, signify?
Some of us write for attention. Okay, all of us here write for attention. If we weren’t, we’d be writing in a journal and it would never occur to us to “put it all out there” where anyone can see. Some of us write for the possibility of being discovered, hoping someone will find us on our counter stool at the soda fountain and say, “Hey, kid, I like your style! Why don’t you audition for a role with us? We’ll make you a big star!” It could happen. I would be swimming in my lottery millions, statistically speaking, before it does, but it has happened. Some of us simply write trying to make that ephemeral connection, thought to thought. The connection where something we think, then write, hits another’s neurons like the 4 ball into the side pocket, when just a second before the 4 ball was perfectly stationery there on the green felt. This next statement is important. We. Never. Touch. Each. Other. Not physically. Google it. It has to do with electrons and electromagnetic fields and the kind of stuff that simultaneously attracts and repels (like my brain and physics,) but we never never physically touch anything or anyone. But an idea can be transmitted from one brain to another and a connection made in that transmission. And that…that is what brings me back time and again to the words and the page and the endless frustration and joy that is writing.
So to all you real people out there, the ones who are here on purpose and the ones that just want to know if Leah McLean from KSTP 5 is pregnant (yes, she is, send her a note with your best wishes) and even the ones who are hoping I will click on your link to see your plagiarized images or your digital cookie death traps, I want to say thank you. Thank you for checking in. Thank you for letting me know you are there. I hope you find what you are looking for, or at least something worthwhile. I hope you find a connection in this world and that it warms your soul, as you have mine. Thank you.
wordtabulous 
I like your post after reading and thinking about what you say. And you don’t really need to come and see what I do. Just take it as a compliment. I will probably come back if you don’t mind. See you next time.
You are welcome back anytime! And I enjoyed your blog. I take every compliment I get and hug them close, trying to get them to stick, so thank you for that!
So far I have been reading more than writing blogs. I am a textual deviant voyeur of some type lurking in cybserspace living off memes. :)) I (will) write because I have to. And I liked your blog and I am not a bot. 🙂
Well, I am a textual deviant exhibitionist, so this should work out splendidly. Thank you for visiting and not being a bot!
I get those likes, too. And trackbacks. It’s strange. I assume they think I’ll come check their blog out and make them a superstar? Or my readers will? It’s all very confusing. Hey, weirdos, I don’t have enough readers to make you a superstar.
I love that we don’t ever touch each other. I’ve never heard that before. How amazingly poetic is that?
There are a few concepts that haunt me and this “no physical contact despite all sensory evidence to the otherwise” is one. That should help you the next time someone blindsides you with a hug–just keep thinking “they aren’t really touching me, they aren’t really touching me…” I had heard the idea before but it is better explained in the movie “What the Bleep Do We Know?” which I would describe as a quasi-science new age creative nonfiction documentary. You should be able to find a double handful of nuggets there to either embrace or lambast! When you are back from your VACATION of course. Hope you are having a great time!
I’m amazed (and admittedly creeped out sometimes) by some of the people who reblog my posts, mainly the photography. A picture I posted on my tumblr site yesterday has been reblogged on a site called “What the Fuck” where it rests alongside a mishmash of other reblogged pics that seemingly (to me, anyway) have nothing in common. It’s hard to get excited about that kind of attention.
Totally, although no one is re-blogging me. I think people are more likely to snag someone’s photos than words (that must be it, right?). I have to check out your latest tumblr post. Do you link to it from your blog? I am so far behind on my reading it is ridiculous. All these shiny things and squirrels are distracting me from the stuff I feel is important. Sigh.
I don’t know how I wandered over here today — because it’s been a while! But I loved this post. And yes, I’ve also received the “like” 2 seconds after hitting publish on a lengthy post. I’ve made a promise to myself that I’ll never, ever “like” a post unless I actually read the entire thing! For one thing, people know by my blog that I have a great memory. I don’t ever want to skip over a paragraph and later have a blogger say, “What do you mean asking me about my parakeet? If you read my newest blog post that you liked, you’d know my cat ate him last week.”
Maybe we should end our posts with quizes 🙂
Love it! And agreed, if you are going to “like” it, read it first. That is probably why I am so far behind on my reading. I can’t get to every post on every blog I Iove so I need to work out a rotation or something. So glad to have you back in this neck of the woods!
A rotation is a great idea!
I, too, have had the instantaneous likes. I’ve even on occasion had a comment that didn’t quite “fit”, making me think the individual didn’t actually read the post, rather just the last paragraph in order to formulate a comment. But 99% of the time, I have genuine, wonderful people who stop by, like, and comment, something that is still mind-boggling to me but also very, very lovely. 🙂
Agreed. Most people out there commenting are wonderful–and I am touched every time I get a genuine comment (like yours!) BTW, I am totally impressed by the numbers of people who have something to say every time you post! You offer them something worthwhile and they respond. Well done!
Thank you. I visit a lot of blogs and comment, and that is probably why they come to mine. But I enjoy it and consider part of my “writing” time.
I get suspicious of some commenters and followers too. I have a rule on my blog where posts that are “shameless self-promotion” (something in the lines of “Nice post…by the way here’s a link to my blog!”) are deleted. Luckily I’ve only had one of those to deal with.
Some people who comment and follow have a genuine interest in my blog, while others are simply trying to boost those stats. I have people following me where English is not their first language and their blogs aren’t in English. How can you convince me to follow you back if I can’t understand a word of what you’ve written?
Luckily I don’t feel obligated to follow back everyone who follows me, especially since I follow many blogs as it is. I only follow someone back if their blogs really appeal to me.
I am honored you hang with me! And yes, I try to check out everyone who likes wordtabulous or follows, but I can’t always subscribe. There are just too many. As I mentioned above, I am really behind on my reading as it is. Thanks for commenting!
Pingback: Whither Sturm und Mom? « Sturm und Mom