I have been at this blog thing for nearly a year now, and I think I am going through a blogger identity crisis. Who am I?
A hilarious witty "humorist" ala Ann's Rants? (By the way, not a joke, I am funny-right?)
A thought provoking aspiring writer baring her mama soul for all the world? (Perhaps that is stretching it an itty-bitty-bit.)
A busy chick with a fun little hobby, who need not give spelling or grammar a second thought, after all, it's just for fun...
A competitive, attention seeking whore can't understand why that horrific blog about sock puppets and vegan recipes has 683 followers and I am still only in the double digits?
Perhaps I am all of the above, which is reflected in the pages of getrealmama. I just haven't yet figured it out. I started writing because I wanted a hobby. At first I gave little thought to the fact that I had only 4 followers, but like anything, over time it has evolved.
Like many people I wanted my talents to be admired. An athlete for example, may participate in races and then post their results on Facebook, a knitter creates scarves and sweaters that will be worn or gifted, and an artist will produce paintings they may then show off on the walls of their home or in galleries. I guess there is a part of me that wants to do something that will be noticed. Something that will be praised.
And so I have wondered how to boost my readership. I have joined networking groups and started to grow my numbers. But I have learned that it is all a bit of a game. "Follow me & I'll follow you". One has to spend a great deal of time writing to other bloggers and clicking "follow" on random sites in order to receive the return favor from another traffic seeking blogger who likely has no expectation of ever returning to your site. You can achieve big numbers this way, but for what purpose? There are writers who hope to get enough traffic to attract marketers and sponsors. But that isn't me. I really cannot fathom the idea of reviewing vitamin juice and diaper cream. So why do I care so much?
I don't know. Does there have to be an answer?
So on I blog. One day a little comedian (remember you are laughing), another day a philosophising parent, pondering the meaning of life. Either way, I hope that those of you who do read this blog on a regular basis enjoy, and as always your feedback in welcomed.
right there with ya' Momma! I've got less than 50 followers, but you know what? They are FABULOUS! I love them! If I never have 50, that's okay because there are 33 people who enjoy a smile I bring or a goofy remark or something my boys said that day. That's what it's all about....
ReplyDeleteI'm with Leah.
ReplyDeleteThe quality of my followers exceeds anything that I can gain by increasing my quantity.
BTW, how do you know how many followers you have? I didn't know that I could check!
ReplyDeletethere ya go, Rachel. One step closer to triple digits! lol
ReplyDeleteWhat makes your blog so interesting and entertaining is the variety! One blog funny, another serious. I love reading them and look forward to a new posting. You write with a lot of feeling and honesty. Please keep going!!!!
ReplyDeleteI did two of those "Friday Follow" things and was horrified. I got these followers whose purpose in blogging was to do giveaways and run ads. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteI never expected it at the beginning (and pity me - I've been blogging 2 years and have 55 followers!) but the thing I treasure the most is finding a community of real women living real lives and talking about real things. Who would have guessed I'd find this in the virtual world?
I started off as a humorist too but I found myself so jealous of my blogger friends who got to write about their lives and not just amusing one another, so I expanded.
I like your blog a lot and your writing is great. Oh, and you're funny!
i'm new to your blog but enjoying it so far. i guess with "accumulating followers" thing you find the gems in there that you can keep coming back to and build community with. the rest, well, that's another story. i never realized that by starting a blog i was really inadvertently signing up for another platform for advertisers to prey on me. go figure. i started because i actually enjoy writing and wanted to connect my experiences as a mom with others. but anyway, those spamy blogs get deleted pretty fast from my reader. no time for virtual junkmail. click click, buh bye!
ReplyDeleteHey Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI've been doing this for about a year, too. I started blogging because I love writing, and I never really cared about how many readers I had. Then I suddenly felt like I needed to increased the number of people I was reaching, and the nightmare began. I hate social networking. Actually, I really like finding people I connect with (like you), but it's a lot like going to your kid's new school and trying to figure out who the freaks are -- so that you can join them! Anyway, you're really funny, and I hope you stay at it. For your own sanity, if nothing else.