I’m the type of person who loves making To Do lists. I feel all organized when I have everything laid out in an orderly list, and then I feel super awesome as I cross everything off.
But my Google Reader? Oh gosh, that is one list that drives me crazy!
When I go through one of my folders, I get that feeling of *Whew* I AM FREAKING AMAZING!
But then someone makes a post and that beautiful feeling of successful completion evaporates!
*Poof!*
I suck.
But that’s not what I should be feeling at all, right? I should be happy. I love reading blogs. So why has this become stressful? Because I’ve allowed my Google Reader to get too big (look at my blogroll. You think that’s big? My GR list is even bigger).
I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ll say it again: I’m a more is more kind of person. Sometimes this is good, but other times it leads me to get in over my head. In all my excitement of blogging, I went around like a mad woman following everyone that looked like they had a remotely interesting blog. If every blog was a tiny grain of sand, this is what my Google Reader would look like:
A little daunting, huh? Something needs to be done, but what?
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| The love went away?? |
I really don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by un-following them. I know it hurts, it’s happened to me before! But, hey, it happens, right?
So I am coming to all of you to help me out here!
How many blogs do you follow?
Of the blogs you follow, how many do you comment on? Seriously, some of you are commenting champions. I am in awe of your prolific and substantial comments.
How in the world do you manage to read all of the blogs you follow and leave so many great comments? Do you have a system? If so, please share!
To help me out here, I’m going to take all of your advice, think about this situation, and participate in the Bird in the Hand Blogroll Challenge hosted by Steph at Fangs, Wands, and Fairy Dust. The challenge officially begins March 1st and runs through March 31st. The rules are flexible with a great “do what works for you” attitude.
I don't know whether my style is to be emulated because I really should comment more than I do. But here's what I do... The only blogs that are in my Google Reader feels are the ones I want to read every day. I don't want my RSS feeds to get overloaded. I've gotten overwhelmed before and I don't like it. Some of the blogs on Google Reader are the "big blogs" like Story Siren that I love but don't comment on that often. Others are the blogs I comment on nearly every day. Yours is one of those.
ReplyDeleteIf someone comments on my blog, I try to go and comment back on theirs. I never respond on my own blog, because I figure that people would rather me visit theirs. I'm not perfect about commenting back, but I do try.
For everything else, I use my blogger dashboard. Every few days, I will go through and select random blogs to check out and comment on posts I like. Often, I try to find blogs with fewer than 100 followers, because they don't get as many comments and I know how much I appreciated comments when my blog was starting out (of course, I still do).
As for the memes, I will often comment on massive amounts of blogs. On more than one occasion, I've managed to hit nearly all 300 blogs on the blog hops. But I refuse to leave a form comment. Bloggers who do that drive me crazy. Unless I simply have nothing to say in response to their Hop post (in which case, I'll just say hi), I will leave a comment that shows I actually read their post. Once you get a system down, it doesn't take as long to do this as you'd expect - 3 or 4 hours over a weekend maybe.
I hope this helps at least a little bit.
I only those who I will actually visit and comment. I did that once and followed a lot of people. One, I realized I didn't even visit that person page. For me if I like I'll visit and comment.
ReplyDeleteI follow 365 feeds and I comment only on a tiny percentage. That is because of content and my own laziness. For example, I rarely if ever comment on In My Mailbox because I just don't care; usually I'll only comment on memes if I'm participating that week and am thus more engaged.
ReplyDeleteSometimes my google reader explodes with posts about the same upcoming YA book and my desire for reading that book deflates under all of the hype; so I don't read their posts. I also usually only comment on reviews of books I've already read because I generally try to avoid spoilers and to have my reading of the book influenced by someone else.
I also have a couple of blogs that I consider must-reads whether because they write amazing reviews or they ask awesome questions or whatever and 99.9% of the time I will comment on every post those blogs make.
I try to comment on people's blogs if they comment mine and I always return follows. However I understand if some don't follow me. For example I follow some classics blogs because I find their posts very interesting but they are unlikely to be interested in my mostly YA blog-I get that.
I have no idea how many blogs I'm following. I just have my 5-7 friends I go to automatically. Or when I notice someone is talking to me a lot, I add them to the list of friends.
ReplyDeleteAnd I when I'm not overwhelmed with life, I spend a bunch of time commenting on people's blogs. If I meet a new person, I speed read through their shortest entry and make a meaningful comment. I never read long posts unless theyre one of my bloggy friends.
I haven't even activated my Google Reader, but if I did, I'd be screwed.
PS: Thanks for the kind words on my blog. I will sing lots of other recitals this year and would LOVE it if you could make it to one!
I'm currently following 29 (according to my dashboard) but I only actively follow about seven or so. I look at it as advertising for other bloggs. Show support and if nothing else if you don't comment, your spreading the word out to others who check out your blog roll on other pages.
ReplyDeleteAs far as commenting, I just try to check blogger everyday and make a light comment on every new entry, if I can that is. Especially if no one has commented yet.
Since I have a small followers list, I make sure to keep up with them as much as possible, because they are the ones taking the time to read what I say. It only seems considerate to return the favor to them. If I had a very large following base of fans, I'd delete blogs I know I don't comment on often and only follow the ones I actually like reading. There's just no way to follow with every single person, but the effort to try goes a long way.
Your post shows your effort to try and do just that, so don't sweat it and don't worry about offending someone. It can't be helped if it does and they should understand that it's not intentionally directed at them.
I hope this helps. :)
~Kelsa
I am not sure how many I follow but I am guessing somewhere around 200! I read quite a few and try to comment on 20 a day. There are certain blogs that I always like to comment on because I love the content (like your's). I like to read a mix of YA , classic and adult. So I like blogs with a little variety.
ReplyDeleteI always do my best to return a comment if somebody comments on mine. I don't really have a time saving system. I wish I did :)
LOL you always pick awesome pictures for your discussion posts!!
ReplyDeleteUm, I'm not sure I am one of those commenting champions — I follow over 300 blogs on my Google Reader but there's no way I can comment on all of them. If a particular post catches my eye as I scroll through then I will check it out and if I have something to say then I'll comment. Also, I do have certain blogs that I will visit and comment on more frequently (yours is one of them!) on a regular basis — usually these are bloggers that I feel I know a bit better because we have actually had substantial comment exchanges :)
I do think that I need to go through my Google Reader sometime soon and trim down the number somewhat before it becomes totally unmanageable. I have found myself recently avoiding adding new blogs to follow simply because I have so many already...but I don't think that's a very good reason so I should probably actually figure out exactly which blogs I really want to be following.
Thanks for the post, you totally said what's been on my mind recently!
I don't follow a lot of blogs since moving to a new location. I comment on the posts that I have something worth saying about and that is all. Although I think my favorite blog to follow at the moment belongs to author Christopher Farnsworth.
ReplyDeleteI follow 261 blogs apparently. When I have free time, I go through Dashboard and attempt to comment on interesting posts. These days though, I don't even have time for that so the ones I leave comments on usually are the ones in my sidebar of Blogs to be Stalked. Sometimes I'm a couple of days late for which I apologize. I've got a full course load and most of my essays and tests seem to fall on the same days together which is leaving me little time for blogging :(
ReplyDeleteI follow only 54 blogs. I like to try and comment on every blog post when I'm not busy just so I can be nice :) I do have days when I can't be bothered going on GR and then my unread list is just crazy. But usually then I'll start fresh. I try lol.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are always so cute on your discussion posts! I follow 182 blogs but I only use my dashboard instead of my Google reader so that I can scroll down and just read the posts that interest me. It means I get to comment on more different blogs too although I really need to improve on that. However, I only actually actively follow about 10 blogs that I visit regularly and comment on a lot of posts (indluding yours!)
ReplyDeleteI do try to think more before I follow a blog now so my blog roll doesn't grow at an alarming rate and it seems to help.
I can't understand how you guys use GR...it's so confusing. I always use my dashboard, it's much easier no matter how many blogs you have.
ReplyDeleteI currently have 138 blogs and i comment a lot, everytime i see something i like.
I think i need to un-follow some of them though.
I don't know how many blogs I follow, but I do try and comment on a lot. Somethimes I just can't because of college and just not enough time, but when I see a interesting post or a book review I really want to read I usually comment. :)
ReplyDeleteI follow about 400 blogs, and no, I'm not kidding. I was actually talking with a few people yesterday about how I really need to cut it down. Here's the thing - I do my best to comment on at least 50-60 blogs a day because so many people religiously follow my blog, as well, and I want to return the favour.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is...a lot of the blogs I've followed have stopped posting, or they only post memes, and I'm to the point where I want to discuss things, and I don't want to just comment "nice review." I'm thinking that quality over quantity should be my friend :)
I follow 67 blogs. I don't use Google Reader, I usually just browse the dashboard and pick posts that interest me. I probably comment on 2 out of 3 posts. I don't have a blog that I'll read every post of, so I try to comment on what I see and like of the many blogs I do follow.
ReplyDeleteTo be completely honest, I don't follow that many blogs.....barely any compared to the amount that other bloggers follow. And although I love reading blogs, there are really only three or four that I comment on regularly, and probably the same amount that I am constantly reading.
ReplyDeleteI think if you really want to, you should stop following whatever blogs you feel should no longer be followed. If you don't read them, don't like them, or any other reason you see important, you should just stop! :) The great thing about blogging is that you can do it however you see fit!
I really hope you end up happy with your blog role, and I don't think you would hurt anyone's feelings that much.
Happy Reading, let us know how it turns out! :D
Great discussion! Its so funny how much your personality mirrors mine. I am a huge fan of to do lists and find myself at peak happiness when most everything is crossed off.
ReplyDeleteAs for blog following I don't follow a huge number. I haven't used google reader. I use my dashboard. Personally, I enjoy blogs like yours where bloggers comment back on their blog not yours if you asked them a question. I like to keep my blogroll list short so I can interact with people who actually like a good discussion. When bloggers like you comment on my comment I look forward to revisiting the blog to see what was said.
The majority of my short quick comments come when I'm perusing memes. I enjoy some IMM posts, most Wow posts and will comment on every CC post since that particular meme is so small not to mention my love for looking at beautiful covers! The reason I focus on meme comments is because I enjoy perusing lots memes for new reading material. Since I'm already clicking through them it's easy to make a short comment, that's really all these bloggers like fornthese types of posts anyways.
Bloggers who have a special knack for writing insightful, fun, honest reviews on book genres I am interested in reading get read and commented on each and every time they review a book. These blogs are the nuts and bolts of my consistent comments. I usaually write something meaningful here of a decent length My second most commented on type of posts are discussion posts. I mean who can resist a great discussion, um obviously not me! This is where I tend to post the longest comments. But I am going out on a limb here and hoping that's what the blogger was hoping for?
The big blogs with hundreds of followers are very informational and fun to read, but I usually don't comment on them unless something compells me to. Any blog where someone has made consistent comments on my blog (like you) I tend to make it a point every day to comment on if they have new posts. Its easy because no surprises here, not many blogs fall into this category. Other blogs I comment on when I have time. If I find certain blogs aren't posting at least weekly I stop following them. If I follow for a blog for a while and find the reviews are on books which don't interest me at all I stop following them. If a blog doesn't continue to post information I enjoy reading about and never has bothered to comment on my posts I stop following them. You see this constant culling and refining of my blogroll keeps my list manageable. It's not about the big numbers for me. It's about interaction with other bloggers, exchanging useful information and the book knowledge I acquire from reading the blogs I follow. If it's becomes a chore it won't be fun anymore.
Wow, you’re all amazing! Thank you so much for all of this great advice. Virtual hugs and cookies to you all!
ReplyDeleteAlison, That helps a lot! I like your idea of separating blogs into two groups and commenting accordingly. I started out doing something similar, but I let it get very disorganized too quickly. I am super impressed that you’ve managed to visit 300 blogs for a meme! I agree with you, I don’t like getting or giving form comments.
Savannah, I agree about commenting. I don’t mind and completely understand if people just want to read and not comment, but I like it when people do comment because then I get to know them and their blogs.
Bookworm, Oh wow, I think you follow more than me! I have a very similar way of reading blogs, especially when it comes to hyped books. It’s funny, but sometimes too much hype actually makes me less interested in reading the book. I also don’t read most of the reviews then. Followers with different genres is another point I’ve noticed. I have a few followers who read mostly adult paranormal romance, and that really isn’t my genre. I feel a little badly not following back, but it’s just not my thing.
Lazy Girl, LOL! It’s a good thing I’m a bloggy friend then, because I think my posts are often really, really long :P The hardest school assignment I ever had was writing a two page MAX paper. Five to seven friends is a lot more manageable!
Amateur Voice, I agree about the advertising. You’re so sweet :) I love your perspective about the effort to try going a long way. I’ll definitely be keeping that attitude in mind when reorganizing my blog roll.
I have to go out now, but I will definitely be back with more replies later. I am blown away by all of your incredibly thoughtful and helpful replies! What a wonderful community :)
I follow 226 blogs. I read Google Reader every day. I skim a lot. I concentrate mostly on reviews. I probably comment about 10 times a day (not enough, but I only comment if I REALLY have something to say.) Blogs that only have partial feeds - I rarely click on them and read their posts. I don't read people's weekly summary posts - because I've already seen those posts. If you don't put pictures of the covers in your IMM, I probably won't read it - I remember book's covers better than their titles. Once again -- I skim a lot. I probably "read" between 150 and 200 posts every day. I have a job that I can usually spend at least 1/2 hour or so reading blogs. That helps.
ReplyDeleteApparently I follow 168 blogs. That number overwhelms me a bit so kudos to those of you who follow more!
ReplyDeleteI have a list on my blog of sites I check out regularly and then go through my dashboard and click posts that I'd like to read.
I tend to comment on reviews of books I've read/would like to read, discussions or memes I take part in.
If I see a certain person comments on my posts I do check out their blog but I won't comment for the sake of commenting.
Sometimes I'll just get lazy and it seems like the blog list goes on forever but then I feel bad! So I do try and make an effort to comment because I know getting feedback is a good feeling!
The comments on this post are freaking fascinating. My work day often prevents me from commenting as much as I like, and I usually reserve my evenings for reading and school assignments so I'm with you on the overwhelming aspect of it.
ReplyDeleteI often use comments I get as reminders to repay the favor, which is bad, I know, but I haven't been able to find a better system that works for me. My dashboard and google reader are both too scary too look at, though I do try to peak on occasion.
Thanks for opening the doors on this discussion. I think it is helpful
I read this on my phone, and then decided to come back when I could type out a proper response. This is inherently part of my problem. I do a LOT of blog reading from my phone. I have my Google Reader page as a set page in my iPhone browser. That way I can come back to it all the time. However, the downside is that it is super annoying to comment from my phone. For some reason, the comment form tends to load slowly and the autocorrect always does something crazy, so it takes me a really long time. So I'm often reading a lot more than I'm commenting, just because I have to steal time to read when I only have access to my phone.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I did the homework you asked for. :P I follow 210 blogs. By my count, I regularly comment on about 20 of those. 10%? Pathetic. I do read about 50-75 of those every day, though, even if I don't comment. The rest I skim through their titles to find things that interest me, or just mark them as read and wait for a new day.
I never read blog posts through dashboard. I think I'm just too used to GR now. I have folders in my GR that I use to divide the blogs I follow into subcategories. I have 20-30 writer or author blogs, some industry blogs, some "writing tips" blogs, and book blogs. I drag the blogs I really want to make sure I read every day from the "blogs I follow" folder into one of my subfolders to separate them out. This way, I know at a glance where my most-read blogs are so I can get through them quickly. I move people around from time to time.
This is all in the interest of saving time. I have too much to do between school, work, and other commitments to comment on everyone's blog. Like Missie, I do sometimes go based on who is commenting on mine, but mostly as a guide to make sure those people feel the love back that they are showing me.
The worst is when I'm really busy at work and can't devote any of my day to reading or commenting. When those days back up and I open my GR to see 500-600 new posts it freaks me out. Those are the days I end up just marking all as read and starting fresh.
The thing I try to remind myself of is that I would be way happier having 100 followers that all interacted with me regularly than 1000 followers with hardly any repeat visitors.
I think I follow somewhere around 200 blogs, but I'm always adding new blogs, so it could be nearer to 300 now. I'm really not sure anymore.
ReplyDeleteWhat I do is this:
I've added all my favourite blogs to my blog roll, so I visit those blogs first - every time they update, and I leave a comment. Then, I'll go to my google reader, and comment on anything of interest. Then, I'll go through the comments left on my blog - and hopefully comment back to those people.
I try to comment as much as I can, but there are so many blogs that I can't get to them all! :)
Great post and discussion. I really wish more people would sign up for Bird in the Hand. I love blogging but I "follow" over 600; some due to the "follow back" ethic of hops.When we come to that there are reasons other than liking to follow. But seriously, I think 600 plus is too many even for a full time blogger like me. http://fangswandsandfairydust.blogspot.com/p/bird-in-hand-march-blog-roll-challenge.html
ReplyDeleteNo stress, no sweat personal challenge with an awesome logo.
Thanks for the Twitter link to this discussion, Steph. I'm fairly new to using Google Reader and strategies for dealing with its ever increasing number of blogs followed is vital if I'm not to drown. I'd love to say I comment regularly. I don't. I try. But I read and love more posts than I find time to click through and tell the blogger so -- and now I feel guilty! Plus, having visited here for the first time and met you all, now I have more blogs to follow ...
ReplyDeleteOops! I forgot to say how many blogs I follow. Shame on me, I got so excited I didn't answer the original questions:
ReplyDelete** I follow 52 blogs and comment on probably at least half of them regularly. **
I agree with Logan E. Turner - its tough to comment on an iphone, it always makes weird corrections and unintended typos!
I have maybe 40-50 listed on blogger, but most of these don't update frequently. A lot are authors and such. I've tried friending more book blogs recently--mostly people who have commented/friended mine with interesting blogs of their own such as yourself. I also have a LJ account b/c that's what my friends and I grew up with, but I don't check it as much as I do here. I log into blogger.com and can read the first couple of lines from each blogger's entry. If I think I'll want to read the entire entry, I'll open it in a new tab. Then, after I go through the list, I read each tab that's open. If I have something to say, I comment! I do try to always check/comment for things such as Cover Crazy and Teaser Tuesday. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm in the same awful predicament as you are ... I currently follow 218 blogs on my Google Reader and it is extremely stressful. I've had to "unplug" for the past week and a half to just take a break. How I "cut back" is by looking at the trends and anyone who doesn't post regularly (weekly) goes as well as anyone who hasn't posted in a month. It stinks but it's just the harsh truth. If you come up with an awesome solution let us know!
ReplyDeletePS: You won a book at my blog! Send me an email with your address so I can get it in the mail! :)
T.B., You did help! I think I’m going to do something along the lines of what you said. I don’t think I want to un-follow everyone, but I think I’m going to reorganize things so I have a more manageable “Comment on” and “Read” lists. I also think I’m going to take you up on your advice about giving a blog a little while before deciding to follow them. I think that’s a very good idea. I’m glad you understand me about the Google Reader and new posts :P
ReplyDeleteNic, Really, only 20? You’re one of the bloggers I was thinking about as a commenting champion. It seems like every blog post I read you’ve left a meaningful comment :P You’ve definitely helped put things in perspective. I also feel a lot better now. I think I can manage 20 a day!
Danya, Thanks! I’m glad you like the pictures. I always spend more time trying to find the perfect pictures than I do actually writing the post! :P
You’re definitely a commenting champion here, and I very much appreciate it :) I’ve been doing the same thing about adding new blogs. I have a “blog adding freeze” but then I feel badly or I’ll find a new blog I like and, well, I have no willpower :P I’m glad you found the post helpful! These responses have been really great. Do you think you might try to participate in the challenge?
Bookish Hobbit, YOU MOVED?? I’ll be sending you a message for the details :) Do I know that author? I’m not sure. I’ll have to look him up. Thanks!
A Canadian Girl, I’m often a few days late too, especially lately. I never mind getting comments on older posts though. :) I only have a job and when I go home, my time is my own. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for people in school.
Steph, 54 is definitely much more manageable. It’s crazy how out of hand GR can get if you ignore it for a day! People are always apologizing for not posting every day, but I don’t mind at all! :P
Stephanie, I’m so glad you like the pictures :) I haven’t used my dashboard. I wonder if it’s a better system. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for mentioning it! Ten blogs is so much more manageable. I don’t think I could whittle my list down that low, but maybe I could do 50 or so :P
Yiota, I like GR, except for the fact that mine is so filled! The only thing I wish I could do is re-mark something as not yet read. I know there’s a way to do that, but I haven’t looked into it yet. You do comment a lot!
ReplyDeleteNina, That’s often my problem. I see so many interesting posts and reviews and I want to comment, but then I don’t have time. :P
Melissa, I believe you! You were also one of the people I was thinking of when I mentioned commenting champions. I’m in awe of your commenting :) I agree with you about quality over quantity. I think that should be something I keep in mind with commenting. How long does it usually take you to read and comment on all those blogs?
P.E. You’re another person who uses the dashboard. I think I’ll look into that. I do like GR, but I’m curious about dashboard as well.
Maggie, I am totally keeping your comment in mind when I start sifting through my GR. Your post is like a little pep talk :)
Gina, We get along very well :) The feeling of crossing things off a list is really great.
I agree with you about blogger interaction. I’m a lot more likely to leave a comment on a blog where the blogger replies. It does also make me want to go and revist their blog again to see if they’ve replied. Replying to my own comments does make my “comment time” more limited because I’m spending half of it on my own blog!
Wow, we really are so much alike :) I also try to comment on every cover crazy post, and for the same reasons! Ditto on the memes. I also love discussion posts too. I always wondering if I’m annoying the blogger by leaving this huge comment, but I loooooove it when people leave long comments on my blog. The replies in this post have been so beyond awesome, yours totally included! You’ve said a lot of really helpful things and given me some stuff to think about.
Annette, I’m with you on the pictures. I love IMM so much because of the pictures of the books. I do a lot of skimming too and skip over a lot of memes that just aren’t my thing (music memes, for one). I appreciate how much you comment here, especially knowing how infrequently you comment. Thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteLaura, Getting feedback is a great feeling! I’m trying to balance my desire to “pay it forward” with my own laziness and busy schedule. I think I’m going to set up something like you mention with a list of regularly read blogs and then another list of blogs I occasionally browse through. That seems to be a system that works for a lot of people.
Missie, Aren’t they? I knew all of you would help me out, but I am blown away by how awesome these replies have been! Maybe this challenge can help you out too. :)
Logan, Oh, I never even thought about how it must be for people who read by phone! I can see how that would make things very difficult. I started out with a multi-folder system, but then I over filled all of my folders! I need to clean them out and reorganize them. Thank you for your homework! Though I hope it wasn’t as boring as homework tends to be :) Have I ever mentioned I’m a statistics junkie? All of these numbers every is giving me are incredibly helpful! I agree completely with your last statement. I love lots of followers, but what makes blogging so great for me is the interaction and knowing people like what I’m doing enough to come back.
Leanna, Your system sounds very similar to what I’ve been doing, or at least trying to do. You’re absolutely right, there are just so many blogs and I can’t get to all of them all the time. I think I follow between 200 and 300 too, and also closer to 300. I think the system is good, I just need to pare my folders down.
Steph, Thanks! And thank you so much for lighting this fire under me by hosting this challenge! Wow! I can’t imagine following 600 plus blogs! Talk about feeling overwhelmed. :P I hope a lot of people join this challenge. It seems like a lot of us share similar feelings.
Jenny, LOL! I know what you mean. Meeting new bloggers is wonderful, but there’s a tiny little stressed part of me that’s twitching at the idea of having more blogs to follow. I hope this discussion and event will be helpful to you.
ReplyDeleteGina, Haha, don’t worry! I’m not docking points. :) 20-30 comments seems very doable. I think that’s what I’m going to aim for.
A Backwards Story, I do the same thing with opening interesting posts in new tabs and then reading through the tabs. I figure if I’m reading the post, then I want to help the blogger out by having that counted in their blog’s statistics. I do notice that this does add extra time though.
Miss Remmers, I have no awesome solution yet, but I definitely have a ton of helpful advice now to think about. I’ll be brainstorming and then I’ll be sure to share what I end up trying out. Maybe this challenge could be helpful to you too!
Yay! Thank you! I’ll send you an email ASAP :)
At the moment, I have 211 blogs in my google reader. Of course I don't comment on all of them! Some times I'm better at commenting than others. I was on a real roll over Winter Holidays with commenting because I had a lot of spare time. I think it's very important that commenting doesn't become a chore. It does get a little overwhelming at times but I would like to think that people would understand that school/real life comes first and I don't always have the time to comment.
ReplyDeleteIn busier times like these, I try to focus my commenting on actual book reviews and ignore all those memes unless I'm taking part in them myself that week or the blogger has posted something interesting that I want to comment on. I feel bloggers probably appreciate all comments they get but especially the comments they get on their reviews because they probably spent a lot more time writing them than they did their meme posts. Of course, it also takes a lot more time to comment on a book review than it does on a WoW/IMM post.
And of course, I put extra effort into commenting back on the loyal bloggers who always comment on my posts. It means so much to me that they would take the time to leave a meaningful comment and I love returning the favour!
I'd totally relate to this post... if I knew just what the heck a Google Reader was and how to use it? I mean I've seen the feature, I just couldn't navigate on it (not exactly computer savvy, know what I mean?), so I didn't try using it... ever. Is that bad? Lol.
ReplyDeleteHappy blogging and have fun reading!
Asher K. (Paranormal Indulgence)
I have 103 in my Google Reader and that is now overwhelming me. I really try and comment on as many posts as I can, and usually about 75% of the posts in my reader get a comment. BUT, this is now taking up so much of the limited time I have in the evenings that I don't get to read my books so much anymore!
ReplyDeleteI have actually just said to my little boys Daddy that this weekend when he takes my lad back to his house for the weekend and I have a whole two days free (yaaaay!) I'm going to go through my list and get it down to about 20 blogs which I really love to read every day and make a bookmark folder for the others, for me to flick on when I do have some spare time.
It is sad that some blogs are going to lose me as a follower, but most of the people who comment on my blog I class as 'friends' and they are also the ones I love to comment back on - so they are safe :D
Aylee, It’s funny that you mention hoping people realize that you want to comment but school/life sometimes takes over because I totally understand that and don’t mind at all when people can’t comment as much or comment a few days later, but then I don’t allow myself the same leniency :P
ReplyDeleteI think you’re probably right about the reviews. I’ve heard a bunch of bloggers talk about how disappointing it is to get only a few comments on a review. I feel the same way about returning comments. I love the support of the blogging community and want to do my part :)
Asher, Haha, no, I don’t think it’s bad. I haven’t used dashboard yet for pretty much the same reason. :)
The Slowest Bookworm, Wow, that is a huge percentage to comment on! I hear you about not having any time to read. I realized my reading has gone significantly down since I started blogging. 20 blogs sounds so much more manageable. I hope I’m a safe blog because I very much enjoy your comments :)
I'm not a great follower. Every other day, I choose some blogs from my GFC list and check out what's come up on them lately. But, like everyone else, I have only a few blogs that I frequent. The blogs that I really like, I subscribe to. I try to get out and comment when I can, but between maintaining my own blog, reading books for review, responding to comments on my own blog, visiting my groups at LibraryThing and Goodreads, leaving comments often gets pushed to the back of my brain. I tell myself I'll catch up on the weekend and sometimes I do...and sometimes I don't.
ReplyDeleteMy conscience is really starting to get to me about one particular thing. That's the comments left on my blog by people hopping over from follows. At first, I returned every follow I got. Now that my time is more limited, I don't always do that. Especially when it's clear the commenter hasn't even bothered to read what I've written. I know hops are supposed to be be about sharing the follow wealth--and they've been a great way to get started, but do I really want followers who only followed my blog so I'd do the same for them? No, not really.
It is, however, a recent resolution of mine to comment more. It's something I've neglected, and I shouldn't. I think I'd rather share the relevant comment wealth than the meaningless follow one.
Oh yes, you are definitely safe. I love your blog and you always give me something to spout on about in the comments :D
ReplyDeleteYou basically wrote the post of my dreams. I FEEL THE SAME WAY. I try to limit myself to "addressing the issue of the blog roll" about 2 times a week. I just can't do it everyday. It's not possible. I also can't comment on EVERY post, but pick the ones that I interest me the most. I do my very best to reciprocate comments on my blog because I figure, if people care enough about commenting on mine then I will for them! But I also like to comment on people's blogs that may not have a lot of followers to show the love. Not that I am a big ringer myself, but I know how a comment makes me feel. :) Happy that's what.
ReplyDeleteDon't beat yourself up!
P.S - Blogroll right now is at about 70. Not a lot compared, but still hefty.
Rubita, Aw, you sound like a good follower to me :) I tell myself the same thing. I’ll catch up on my day off. I’ll catch up on the weekend. Yeah, it often doesn’t happen :P
ReplyDeleteI don’t personally feel comfortable with the idea of following simply to get a follow back. I don’t have anything against people who do, but it’s just not for me. That’s why I participate in the Friday Hop but not the Follow Friday meme. I look at hops as an opportunity to get your blog name out there, not as a mandatory follow. I don’t know if I’m doing it right though!
The Slowest Bookworm, :D I’m very happy to hear that! I love your comments.
Book Geek, YES! Well, I’m not happy that you’re stressed too, but it’s nice to know there are so many people out there who are feeling the same things I am. :) 70 is definitely still hefty. I try to reciprocate comments too, for the same reasons.
I actually just learned what google reader was from I think Jessica Lawlor's site. (shame on me) I went to check it out, and was overwhelmed to say the least. I didn't even know where to begin with that thing. (I clicked out of it. I'm sure I'll go back to sometimes and look through it more in depth) Like some of the others said. if I participate in the meme I usually try and comment on those. As for the reviews I usually comment on those if I've read the book, or it's something that looks really interesting, and looks like the blogger spent time on writing (I know it takes me forever to figure out what I'm going to write and it's nice to know that someone has taking the time to read it), and is on my list already. (which are quite a few books). I also try to comment back on people's blogs who comment on my if not on their blogs then I respond on my comments under theirs (sometimes it's easier for me that way) I'll also go through the reading list on blogger and if a heading stands out to me (like this one :) ) Then I'll usually try to comment with something it may not be insightful, but I do it anyway. There are my thoughts. :)
ReplyDeleteHm, I think maybe I'll write a post on how to use GR. It may also be the motivation I need to explore its features a little more! Thanks for your feedback :)
ReplyDelete