As bloggers, we recognize that there are probably as many reasons to blog as there are bloggers.
Some blog about a topic they're passionate about, some are building their blog to become a source of income, and some have no real clue why the heck they're blogging.
I bet you can guess which category I fit into...
and when life gets hectic - as it often does - I think to myself
"time to throw in the towel"
but then - I remember those blogging moments.
We all have them - the things that keep us going.
Here are a few of mine
That moment when I got my first comment that wasn't from a family member.
Remember that rush?
That moment when someone I didn't know was following me, mentioned
something in conversation that they only would have known from reading my blog.
- And that shy smile that follows with the comment "I love your blog, I check my feed every day"
That moment when it dawned on me that a blogger I had been following is following me back.
That moment that I realized that within the huge world of blogs,
there are friendly little neighborhoods of bloggers.
That moment when I found myself thinking about other bloggers as friends.
I hope she had nice weather for her son's wedding...
I wonder if her daughter had her baby...
I hope he has fun on his camping trip this weekend...
I hope his move goes well...
I wonder why she hasn't posted in a while - I hope she's well...
So - those are five of the aha moments that keep me from giving it up.
How about you? I'd love to hear your memorable aha blogging moments!
(Oh yeah, the photos have absolutely nothing to do with anything - they are from last month
- Grafton, Vermont - a truly quaint little village!)
i LOVE that community chalkboard with the snow pile on top!
ReplyDeleteyes, i remember my first blogger follower. i went to his site, found other blogs i loved and began following them and voila! the whole world opened up - and i found such wonderful, giving, generous, talented souls in it! like you!
I fit into that last category myself...have no real purpose, just love doing it. Sometimes I feel like I lose my mojo (if there is such a thing) and I think I should just quit..but then someone will connect, or agree, or commiserate with me..and I think there...that there is the reason I do this..because I think bloggers can be kindred spirits sometimes!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! And I definitely refer to my blogging friends just as friends. As I tell people that we are thinking of going to Boston in the fall, I just say I have a friend in Boston who is a photographer who can tell me some great places to go. I don't say I have a friend from the blogging world that I have never met who loves in Boston :) Comments definitely keep me going not for the praise but for the interaction with my friends.
ReplyDeletecan i say a loud "thank goodness" -- i thought you were going to be one of those bloggers that runs away?? i was worried. ( :
ReplyDeletei don't fit into any of those ... i don't fit. i have never fit in anywhere. that is where i fit. NO WHERE. ( :
i love comments - we all do ... it is tough. hard to understand or digest.
but i love it & that is what matters most. you have to love it & just keep going. if others love it they will come to your blog ...
I agree with all of your good reasons to blog! The first comment I received surprised me and made me feel suddenly "visible". It was a little disconcerting because I really just wanted to journal for myself and I never really thought anyone would read my journal. Now I enjoy knowing all the bloggers I have 'met'. They're all (mostly) positive people that enhance my day every time I read what they've written. ...and sometimes our children meet! : )
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I love about blogging alongside yours is what I learn from other bloggers on all levels, I armchair travel with the amazing places shared and I am super impressed with the energy that passes from a lot of bloggers to other bloggers, the encouragement. the kindness...being in the world of blogging is a bit like being Alice in Wonderland. For instance like dropping into,Vermont :-)
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of a neighbourhood of bloggers .
ReplyDeleteYes blogging has been a great way to connect with people.
ReplyDeleteI started blogging to document my progress and share our farm. And the first time a stranger commented, reaching 50 followers, all the women I feel a connection to and call them friend ( although we've never met face to face!), the support I've gotten in times of crisis and every other reason you mentioned. It's like a whole world of friends waiting to be discovered. I'm so glad to have found you. Your photos make me happy!
ReplyDeleteMy aha moment I guess was when I realized that I had made some very special friends (people I will most likely never meet) just because I take time to blog... and they take time to blog me back.
ReplyDeleteI loved everything about this entry!! If I were able to write as beautifully as you, I could have written it!!! Tex was my first non relative follower. She supported me, encourages me and always showed me the way!! I love all my followers and was super excited when I found you!!
ReplyDeleteI can relate very much to all you have shared. Blogging is a strange thing at times......
ReplyDeleteI love sharing/visiting blogs from all around the world. So much to learn from others and about others!
ReplyDeleteOh Karen everyone of your reasons is why I blog:) I am lucky to have the most caring blogger family and I truly love the thought of meeting them someday. I have met to this day only one blogger and it was wonderful. I have friendships now that will last a lifetime with friends I have never met. I never expected that. I am happy I found you. Keep blogging . Hug B
ReplyDeleteKaren,
ReplyDeleteExcellent insight on why we blog. I agree with and have experienced everything you shared. Those aha moments that we all need and enjoy keep us humble and remind us that we are part of a bigger plan.
For all of these I say aha! I've experienced that. It all goes together to make blogging a very rewarding activity.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a unique community in which we can identify with others with similar interests. I'm so thankful for the opportunity of 'meeting' so many nice people! Twyla
ReplyDeleteI echo what you are saying in blogging. I remember my first comment. It was thrilling and then more came to my site. I did meet one blogger in person. It was a memorable time meeting someone that blogged and went after coffee to take pictures together. I think I would be lost without blogging as I so enjoying seeing other parts of the world through their lenses like you. I remember Vermont fondly. I used to visit Jay Peak when I was younger and then my cousin moved to South Burlington. Keep on blogging!
ReplyDeleteI think you hit on all the reasons why we blog, Karen! Making those connections with other bloggers, learning new things, seeing how others live throughout the world (we are more alike than not), making new blogger friends - these are the reasons I blog, too. So many nice (and talented) people in blogland! Here's to blogging! xo Karen
ReplyDeleteKaren you are blogging for all of the right reason.
ReplyDeleteBlogging for me is meeting people, learning about what they enjoy doing, places they have been. And, also sharing what we are doing, where we are going as well. We have been so fortunate to have met several fellow bloggers as well. It has been wonderful and we plan to continue. Often it is hard to keep up with everyone and ai have noticed that not reading and commenting on other blogs brings less comments to our own blog. But, as you said, Karen, we keep at it because it is fun. And, i was so thrilled to have "connected" your daughter and Leonora's on the AT hike. We have met Leonora as well...one day perhaps we will meet you as well.
ReplyDeletei love your blogging memorable moments and the one about your first comment that wasn't from a family member makes me laugh and remember that scene in julie and julia when she got her first comment and it was her mom lol...you had to have seen that movie right?! i have a lot of blog links in my sidebar that haven't been active for a long time but they were people i interacted with when i started my blog and i just can't delete them...i often wonder what happened to them and if they are ok!
ReplyDeleteI blog for me and I blog for the wonderful blogging friends I have come in contact with through blogs. I have gotten wonderful e-mails over my blogging years (7 years this month) from people who have read my blog who don't blog telling me how I have touched their life and that is what keeps me blogging.
ReplyDeleteYou summed it up beautifully. I think I have witnessed each and everyone of your reasons for blogging. And I am sorry when some decide not to continue. I have met so many of my blogging friends which has definitely been a highlight, friends I would not have had without blogging.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully written, Karen ... I'm nodding here as I read your post, recognizing having similar moments and thoughts! There are times when one is posting less, times when posting more ... yet the thoughts about the persons behind the blogs - blogging friends, does stay in one's mind, hoping they're well :-)
ReplyDeleteI think we all have those moments when we want to throw in the towel. I've had many over the last six years. I usually take a break when that happens. I started blogging when I retired as a way to write. That changed when I took up photography and needed a place to highlight my photos. Then, the blogging friendships begin and even when I 'm not feeling up to blogging I wonder how those 'friends' are so I visit and start blogging again.
ReplyDeleteHang in there!!! I love your blog and I check it regularly---you are Bookmarked!! I do understand though...I feel the same way sometimes,but then I check my stats and see that maybe 30-40(sometimes many more) people visited, but hardly anyone leaves a comment. At the end of the day, I do get satisfaction from it though, especially if I get a surprise comment or someone from around town mentions/compliments my blog---Cheers!!
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, YOU are my very first commenter! (and I was thrilled someone noticed my blog :) ) I probably would have never started blogging if it weren't for my good husband. I have terrible social anxiety and rarely talk to any folks. I think my husband thought "if I build it, she will come", so build my blog he did, and use it I do. I find it is kinda easy to hide behind a computer and blab away, and it's so darn pretty around here it would be a shame not to share it. That is what I love about looking at blogs-seeing so many things that are a joy that I would never have been privileged enough to see if I hadn't stumbled across the wonderful community that bloggers are! And thank you for leaving that 1st comment because it has helped me be a bit more brave about commenting myself! Don't quit!! Teresa at CottageLodge.net
ReplyDeleteMy best moments are pretty much the same as yours Karen, though I can add the joy I find in writing and most especially the reward of knowing I've brought a smile into someone's life by something I've written or a picture I've added. The loss of a son and my wife's past and present serious illness makes it a struggle to keep going with a positive attitude and reaching out to new friends and acquaintances helps a lot in keeping that frame of mind.
ReplyDeleteThose are awesome moment… and I could relate it well! I too couldn't forget my first comment and initially I got many friends rather being readers. How wonderful it was… I wish being in my initial days of blogging and want back the attitude shared as bloggers then.
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