1) I honestly didn't know it was bad form to not respond to comments in your blog. I would respond to some comments if I thought of something to say, but otherwise didn't worry about it. So I apologize to any readers who commented early on and received no reply. I'll try to be better about that, going forward.
2) Don't sweat how much you post, or repeatedly apologize for not posting a lot - generally, everyone gets it that life has a way of interrupting blog progress. Unless you've got someone posting chastising comments on your blog about how you don't post enough, rest securely in the knowledge that none of your readers take it personally. And if someone is posting said chastising comments, don't, for the love of Pete, give them your address...
3) While I'm sure there are some things to blog about that would guarantee a fit of narcolepsy in your readers, not everything you choose to write about necessarily has that effect. Take chances someone out there might want to know, and write anyway. If you put your readers to sleep occasionally, at least they got a nice nap out of it.
4) People generally ignore links. Seriously, this one surprised me. Granted, I don't get a lot of traffic on this blog - I believe the number of my regular visitors can be counted on one hand and accidental visitors occur another handful every month - but I really didn't expect to find that most links I put on the blog, either in the posts themselves or on the sidebar, never get touched.
So if you're feeling a bit adventurous, I encourage you to explore the other websites I've linked. Give them some love. Somebody out there on the receiving end will notice and appreciate the visit. And you might just discover something delightful in the process.
All the best in the New Year!
I'll close with a picture of the Rachel Carson Salt Pond Preserve in New Harbor, Maine, selected for no other reason than that I wish I lived there.
Did you break another rule now? ;-) Before I fall asleep, I just wanted to say that I found one of my favourites through your blog, Alexey Titarenko. I usually check through the link list of photographers , whose work I like. Chances they lead to something good are quite high.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind live there either, in that house on the image...
Happy new year!
Oh, to live in that house...inspires a real Homer Simpson-type drool. :)
ReplyDeleteI thought after I wrote this, that maybe if some people are viewing my blog in their blog reader, that would be why they don't register officially as "visitors", and would also be why they don't click on sidebar links (not being actually at the blog page, they wouldn't see them), and if they did click on a link within a post, within their blog reader, that outclick wouldn't register in my stats either. So maybe the actual state of things is more optimistic than I have earlier reported...
I didn't know it was bad form to not respond to comments. What if the comments don't seem like they need a response? Where is this darn rule book so I can look at it...dang it.
ReplyDeleteThe link thing...weird also. I wonder why people don't like links? I kinda like them. It's fun finding new things.
Maine = really really cold, but I imagine higly photogenic.
Well, I've been coming across numerous postings on various blogs that, when mentioning their "tips for blogging", always mention at least this - not only is it polite (i.e., "good form"), but if you want to have repeat visitors, one way to keep from driving them away is to acknowledge their existence and respond to their comment, even if it really is only to acknowledge it (as opposed to adding something substantive and furthering a conversation).
ReplyDeleteKinda like that checkbox craziness over at DPC, yeah, I know...
But I imagine there is some kernel of truth to it - engage your readers in some level of conversation and they might return to carry on the conversation or start another one. Makes sense - blogging is already a highly navel-gazing activity, it's probably a good idea to make the flow of information as infrequently one-way as possible.
Anyway, I guess I was concerned I had done something internet-heinous, like typing out an email all in capital letters, and wanted to make amends. :)
Blogging...a 2 way street. I do suppose it all makes sense. I too shall have to put this in to practice.
ReplyDelete( No need to respond to this.)
: P
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the comment is all about porn. I didn't think my blog was important enough to draw the attention of a spammer...
ReplyDelete