Why People Aren't Reading My Blogs

After about, oh, let's say 12 good years of blogging (more or less--I'm counting my old xanga account AND the diaryland account I had even before THAT), I've finally come to the conclusion that I'm not a blogger.

I've been thinking along these lines for a while, even though I wasn't able to put it quite in that perspective until very recently.  And I really should have gotten it, especially when people would read my blogs and say to me things like, "Where are the pictures?" and "Why are there so many paragraphs?"  But I'm pretty thick sometimes, and it's taken me until now to realize that my idea of a blog isn't what other people think of when they think of a blog.

As I said, I've been thinking along these lines for a while, but one of my friends on the Facebook (http://christiedrozdowski.com/) asked a simple question about why most blogs seem to be more lists than actual writing.  My immediate thought was, "Because people don't read blogs that contain actual writing."  And my next thought was, "Oh."

And I know there's seldom just one reason why something is or isn't happening.  I could promote my blogs better or have better source material.  I could even just accept the fact that sometimes my style of writing isn't what some people like--or even maybe accept that my writing isn't as good a quality as I would like to believe.  But I think one of the main reasons people aren't reading my blog is because they click the link to read it, see a lot of paragraphs, no pictures, no lists, and think, "Ain't nobody got time fo dat."  So whatever I wrote, however awful or brilliant, never actually gets read.

Now, I do think my blogs get read sometimes.  Occasionally, people even let me know they have read my blogs by leaving a comment or clicking one of the response buttons or leaving me a Facebook comment or even telling me in person (that's always a fun conversation: "I read your blog, Ruth.  I loved it!"  "Oh thanks!  ...um...which one did you read?"  "The funny one."  "Oh.  Okay.  Can you be more specific?"  "The funny one with all the words."  "Oh.  Gotcha.  But not really.  But seriously, THANKS.").  I love feedback.  Really.  Really really really.  Feedback is awesome.  Comment on my blogs.  Leave me a little comment or a like on the Facebook.  By all means, by all all means, SHARE my blogs.  I'm very, very okay with that.  Most writers aren't nearly as secure as most people think.

Which is why I've even TRIED to be a blogger according to the way most people enjoy blogs.  Some of my more recent blogs, especially at my other blog www.couthramble.blogspot.com have included more pictures and lists, and less traditional paragraph writing.  Honestly, writing a blog like that is fun, and I think there are ways to be creative in that format.  But I look back at those blogs, and I start to wonder how much of that "writing" was my creativity and how much of it was just a copy and paste of funny images.  Again, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with blogs like that, and there are ways to be creative using pictures and lists.  I might even do more blogs like that in the future.  But I know I wouldn't be honest to myself or to my writing if I didn't also continue my traditional way of blogging--which might not even be considered blogging at all.

I want my writing to be read.  That's why I write it.  I want people to see my thoughts and respond with thoughts of their own.  And the harsh reality is that prose in blogging is something a lot of blog readers just don't want to see.  It's not their fault.  Life is busy, and if a blog doesn't get its point across concisely, most readers aren't going to take the time to delve into it.  That's why I think the majority of blogging is done in a list/picture format.  Here's 10 Things That are Great About Llamas.  Here's 22 Ways to Make Your Boyfriend Jealous.  Here's 99.3 Reasons that Bob Saggett is Cooler Than Your Dad.  People want to read things in that format because it's easy to read quickly without much effort or thought.  That's the way life is right now.  I don't see it changing anytime soon.

But I guess I'm still going to hold out that there are those who will occasionally sit down and read something a little more lengthy, a little less gimmicky.  My blogs may or may not get read.  And maybe I'm just an idiot, but honesty in my writing seems more important to getting blog hits.  And maybe I'm learning a lot about honesty, and maybe there will be another long blog about honesty that no one will read.

All I know to do right now is just be faithful with what I've been given to do in the best way I know how to do it.  And sometimes that might be in fun lists with silly gifs, and sometimes that's going to be in serious, long paragraphs.  I can try to be concise, but sometimes I'm fighting a losing battle.  But if you're interested, then read what I write.  And if you read what I write, leave me some feedback.  And if you like what you read, then share it with a friend!  Because, as I might have mentioned, I'm not nearly as secure as some people think.

I'm just gonna keep blogging the only way I know how, even if the way I know how isn't really blogging.