Time to conclude a post I made a few weeks ago…fewer blogs
Regular readers of this blog know I took a “sabatacle” from it for a few years. When I felt the tug pulling me back in I was excited. I was excited to reconnect with all my old blogger friends: those who said they have bipolar disorder and I made them feel like they were not alone; those who have friends or family members with bipolar disorder who said I helped them understand; those who just found it interesting; and those who found it entertaining. I was excited knowing that they’d all come back as avid readers once again. Sadly, I was wrong. Where have they gone? I mentioned in a recent article that the average blog usually runs for two years. Anecdotally that seems to be true.
About three years ago, when I abandoned this site, I had 26 other blogs on my blog list. When I returned, a few weeks ago, there were only four left. The missing ones were either closed by the blogger who said goodbye, or were abandoned with no explanation. For most there was no explanation. Most of the blogs had their web address purchased by companies who are now selling shit like books, therapy, etc.
Most of the time I don’t mind change. I adapt easily. This time is not so true. I feel lonely. I know it will take time to build a good sized readership, just like it did when I first began blogging.
Where are all the personal bloggers? It seems much more difficult to find them these days. A fellow blogger told me she believes that Facebook is replacing blogs. Is this true? I love Facebook. Through it I connected with old friends, and I stay more in touch with family. However, little quips passed around from one reader to another is vastly different than a blogger opening their heart and soul online. I like both, but I can’t imagine exchanging one for another.
They are out there. There are still other personal blogs where a blogger shares openly about their mental illness. It doesn’t seem as many, but they are there and I have begun following a few and I’m happy to say there are some good ones. What this post comes down to is my ego, which I’m trying to keep in check until I build a regular readership again. This post is also about sadness. When I was a kid my fathers job moved us around a few times and each time I became friends with kids who were much different than my friends from our previous home. Yet, friendships were made. That feels like what I’m going through now. I left and came back to a different blogosphere. It’s not the one that I remember, but that doesn’t make it better or worse. It’s just different. I miss my old blogging friends.
I’ve seen a change in blogging since I started a year ago but I guess many people move on to other things, leave or have other commitments. I follow many blogs but I’ve learned that I can’t always read everything all the time so I’ve had to make some rules in order to get by. Some people do several posts a week and I can’t keep up with reading only their posts. Others do posts that are extremely very long so now I’m not able to connect with any new bloggers who do this because it takes up all my time reading just one post when I could have read 2 within that time. Some people never reply to any comments so I tend not to return after a number of months because I feel like nobody is there and they have no interest in what you have to say etc….
In a nutshell, I love to read blogs and connect plus there are still many personal blogs out there but sometimes it is a struggle to balance everything. Nice Post.
Thank you for your response, Rum Punch. I am one of those that is guilty of long posts from time to time, but only when I feel it’s necessary. I’m one of those that can easily be turned off by a long post so I try not to. I prefer to tell a story over several days rather than one long post.
I think you are very cognizant of the long posts and do a great job spreading things out over a number of days.
I know this is something you are struggling with … I feel as though Facebook may have replaced a lot of “family” blogs (the ones that posted pictures of the kids and short snippets of home life) but the blogosphere is still hopping.
I do wonder if the move away from Followers dissuaded some as readership fell.
I also wonder if there’s any correlation between the bipolar blogs, bipolar cycles and the length of blog’s life (like, naturally the writing comes easier when one is in either extreme of manic or depressive, but once you’re feeling ok, the creativity may be stifled and/or the need for community lessened)? Or even leaving bipolar aside, if there is a correlation between a personal blog and a naturally shorter life cycle?
I mean — a lot of the blogs I am familiar with are about writing, and they serve as a writer’s platform. So, as writing bloggers get book deals, they blog less often, but keep up at least weekly or so to continue connecting with their base. Same thing with artists or photographers. In other words, it’s a professional necessity. Then I seem to run across a lot of bible bloggers who blog long-term because they feel called to spread the word of their respective religion. Gaming bloggers seem to blog long-term too – they form a social network and trade game secrets.
Bipolar bloggers, it seems to me, would essentially blog to connect — so when it becomes exhausting or overwhelming, there is no outside pressure pushing them to blog and no professional reason to keep going. And that community and connection, while valuable, costs a great deal of time and emotion to get involved in one anothers’ lives.
Just thinking aloud…
we want juicy gossip!!!!! what’s up with kim and kenya???? what sex is their baby??? is kirk cameron gay??? what’s a depressed person’s view of miley and liam’s relationship??? we want answers dammit!
sorry brad, just joking around. facebook probably has a lot to do with the dwindling blogs, we basically all blog now back and forth all day on facebook, that might be it.
Come joke around any time you please, Albert.
For juicy gossip you’ll need to go check TMZ.com