It seems like I am having trouble getting caught up on my reading of blogs. I am finding that I am just getting around to reading Tuesday's posts on Friday. That is just crazy.............
But he is not the problem, it's me!
I have hundreds of blogs in my Reader (over 700) and obviously I can't read all of them. I have about 150 who I actually try to read daily. Now if I were on vacation and wanted to check in on some blogs I would probably check on 40 of them who I can't do without. So why don't I just read them each day? Good question that I don't have an answer for! What I am realizing is that I find myself here at my computer from 7am until I finally turn it off to watch some evening TV around 8/9pm. This happens at least 5 days a week.
I am not one of those people who only read the people who comment on my blog. I know the people who only come over because I commented on their blog. I will never be that person. I read people because I like to read them. The only time I go over to a blog from a comment is when I have been asked a question and they are a no-reply or when I have a new visitor to my blog.
I also have my For Your Tears blog and I do follow each woman I have sent a handkerchief to if they have a blog. Some of them are what I call my Special Mom Friends and I try to read them each day and the others I do check in on because I like to know how they are doing. I don't always comment but it does my heart good when I see they are doing a little better or have had a Rainbow baby.
So how do you handle your reading? How many do you try to read each day? How do people who get over 200 comments a day read all of them? There use to be a time when I wanted followers but today I am happy with my count and if it never changes I want you to know that I am content. What would you do if you were one of those people with thousands of followers? It reminds me of when I belonged to my small church. We never, for 14 years, went over 250 members and I loved that. I could actually know each person. I have yet to find a new church because I like the intimacy of the small church.
So I am going to set myself a time limit each day. I am going to try an approach of having more intimacy in my reading of blogs. I am going to try to read a book for a few hours and try to get to those paint by numbers. I need to get outside with the nice weather and try to walk Skye each morning so I can get this weight off. I will be over to read you but I might be a few days late in getting there.
I leave you with a picture of some of the beautiful flowers we have in our yard. This weekend my husband is planting about 13 new plants we just bought on Friday. Enjoy!
Posts
38 comments:
You did a post similar to this a few month ago. I am sorry you are still struggling with this problem.
I agree you need to get out into the sunshine and enjoy life!
I don't know what your purpose for blogging is - everyone's is a little different.
Mine is my family scrapbook/journal - it is for my family and along the way other people decided to read it too. I don't mind ,but I do not write for other people, or to please people who come to my blog.
Which leads me to my second point. The Blog still remains for my family but along the way I have actually made some really close friends from blogging. It has been wonderful. I know you have done the same. So I don't really care how many followers I have but I like to make friends and I think the numbers of blogs I read is dwindling because life it too full, so I read friends first and if I have time, aquaintances later. I spend an hour tops reading blogs in a day.
Anyway, I think it would be wise to ask yourself "Why exactly do I blog?" Because if you are going to read 200 blogs a day and be at your computer from 7am till 9pm it would be good to know why you are doing it - I mean that is a ton of time and life is too short and too precious to waste.
Good luck.
Hope you have a good Day!
that pic is the cutest!! i love it haha :)
dont worry about catching up if u do u do if not we all understand!
i dont have many followers but i do follow alot of blogs and i know i get behind sometimes
but u do need to enjoy life and get away and out sometimes! so go do! :)
You are awesome to be able to read so many. I think you need to evaluate if you are enjoying it. If you aren't you need scale back.
I couldn't do what you do, I don't have that many hours in a day nor do I have the desire. I love to read others blogs that I have similar interests in.
Your blog is wonderful and I do enjoy it.
I can't wait to get some ideas on how to handle this! I keep finding some great blogs, but I don't have time to read them all.
Love the picture of the dog! Adorable!
I'm glad, you didn't turn off the comments.
I don't think that it is always tit for tat when it comes to reading blogs. You could spend all day everyday reading blogs and still never be caught up.
I have a folder of blogs I visit as regularly as possible. The rest I get to as often as possible.
This week I decided to institute a new policy. I do the best that I can all week and then at the end of the week I'm going to hit "mark all as read".
I love the picture of your granddog!
I don't have nearly as many followers as you do, but I try not to worry about reading everyone's blog each day because I, too, got so immersed that i would be on all day and then I realized I was letting everything else go.....and I only read those I really like too! So......I try to read as many as I can without sitting here all day.
I do think this is aform of addiction :) at least for me!
Ditto to what Nancy Grayce said. I often feel guilty if I don't respond to everyone, but like everyone else said...it is spring and I need to get out in the sunshine and walk and work in my yard! If you find a great balance, please let me know.
Hugs,
Tara
i think blogging is like so many things, you
can totally get addicted to it.
it sounds like you have a good plan. i have
established one for myself, and it has given me
the freedom to enjoy it, but a test to know
when it is time to turn off the computer.
i have a westie, too!
I can't stop giggling long enough to write a comment. {about doggie on comp}
I was thinking about that the other day.... what it would be like to handle SO many commenters. I was also thinking about how I get so little. {short lived pity party I was having for myself}.
I guess it would be neat at first, but seriously, I don't know how the big time bloggers keep up with all of them. I mean how could you...unless you set a certain time of day to just speed read through them & that wouldn't be fair.
Hi, Debby~
I have often wondered how people with so many followers can keep up myself. I know that I, personally, could be on here ALL THE TIME if I let myself. So many blogs.....so little time! lol
I too, try and make it to my favorite blogs and those who follow me, but it is very difficult at times to do that. I often wonder WHY anyone would WANT to follow me in the first place! I'm BORING! lol
I pray you are having a WONDERFUL Sunday!
Blessings, my friend~
Laura
P.S. I just LOVE the pic of Charlie on the computer :> )
"Reading Blogs" is small stuff - so don't sweat it, GF. Read what you enjoy. "All you can do is all you can do". Blogging is supposed to be fun - not "labor". Don't you feel better now? LOL
No need to reciprocate.
I told you before how I do my blog reading. With the weather getting nice, I'm now only reading the "Must Reads" unless I find myself hanging around someplace waiting for The Midge to get done with an activity and there's wireless access -- and if I have my laptop with me.
Love the pic of your grandbaby. Maybe you could have Charlie do some blog reading for you...:)
I feel your pain and don't have a clue how you manage, my dear... My scale is a tiny percentage of yours and I feel guilty for not visiting and commenting on my favorite blogs every day.
I'm adopting your motto though...
Just Breathe :)
Hope to see you around but if not, I know you're there and enjoying the REAL world! go! those flowers are beautimous :)
How on earth did you take that adorable photo?? The lighting, the subjest (Hi Charlie)..perfect!
As for blogging - I do so love it- many many frienddships, may mnay blogs! I try to jump in a couple of times a day..and comment when I feel like saying "hello"..not because I feel obliged..so I do what I can..if it ever gets to be a chore..that's when I need to quit. I only want to do things that are fun, no committment and completely enjoyable!
Hang in there..you find your "groove" as far as reading/commenting/writing :-)
You have so many good comments about blogging. I'm following a lot of blogs, too, and I just don't know how to read and comment on them all, so I just do the best I can! It's good to get off the computer and do something else, too. Sometimes I feel burnt out by blogging, and really don't want to get on the computer for the day! (I didn't blog all weekend, until tonight!)
I love the flower pictures- but I REALLY love that picture of your grand-dog!!!! I don't have the problem you have with loads of followers which is also why I don't have a ton of blogs to keep up on. I pretty much follow the ones that have connected with me (like you) and some of the other baby loss mamas- and some friends in real life. I think that it's good idea to give yourself a time limit! I need to do that too- in fact, I should get off here now- it's almost 11pm in my neck of the woods and I'm sure my last 'rainbow babe' will be waking me in the night! Thanks for checking in on my blogs- I totally understand if you don't have time- please don't feel obligated to! I comment on every blog I read and come across- must be the teacher in me!
Hugs-
Laura
I love the flower pics and I have trouble keeping up. I do what I can throughout my little breaks during the day then at nite after the kiddos get to bed I work on catching up and writing posts. Nothing is normal everyday. Sometimes it takes me a couple days to get all caught up. I just take my time and I get there eventually. I think most people understand.
Thanx for all the sweet comments you leave on my blog.
{{HUGS}}
Caroline
Something happened this year to me - I have found it nearly impossible to read all of the blog that I used to read each day. I'm now reading about 4 blogs a day and maybe about 30 - 40 a week. I read a bunch of posts from one author and then sometimes don't get back for a week.
For awhile I thought of myself as being behind and now I think of it as being harmonious. :) The comments on my blog have gone down drastically, but it's going to have to be OK because I don't want to keep up the insane pace I kept last year.
I've got a lot I'd like to do and reading about what everyone else was doing was not getting my projects or desires accomplished.
I follow perhaps twenty blogs and that is more than enough for me. Some are about emigration, others about family and some are quite random. Fortunately they don't all blog on a daily basis, so I spend most of my time behind my computer playing games!
Oh my, 700 blogs!!!! eppps! Though, I can understand, there are so many lovely blogs out there it is hard to choose among them.
Blog because you enjoy to blog, read and comment, because you enjoy to read and comment...if it too much, step back.
Oh, and most of all, take the time to smell the roses now and again.
Blogland isn't going away and sometimes breaks are necessary :)
cute doggie! Just comment when you can and if you want to say something. I only spend about an hour a day reading other blogs and I do respond back to those who comment, in one of three places (like email) b/c i just do...
first off you are a great blogger.. It can be so hard when you follow so many blogs to keep up. I try my best to visit at least each blog I follow once in the week if not the following week. I do have a few blogs I visit each day because I have made some special friends like you.. No worries take your time.. Do what you can. It is suppose to fun. Just do as you can..
Have a great Monday.. Love the picture by the way..
beautiful flowers...
i remember the other post too... and i'm gonna say again what i said then, daily... i really only read and comment on a certain amt of ppls blogs.. ppl i feel i have a connection with (such as you!!!).. and then i have other blogs that i like, a lot... but i don't feel as if i TOTALLY connect to that person... so i probably only head over about 2-3 times a week... but really, we can all tell you what we think.. it's really what you want... nobody will be mad or upset (least i don't think so!) if you don't visit everyday.. life is crazy and busy sometimes!!!!
and i used to feel the same way as you.. i wanted TONS of ppl to comment on my blog, now.. not so much.. if ppl wanna they can... but it's just NOT that big of a deal.. i'm afraid too if it got that big i wouldn't feel a special connection like i do now!
Debby, Don't let this stress you so much! Blogging is no fun if it becomes 'work.' Does it really matter how many people you have following you? I turned that feature off on my blog because I do not care. I have made some wonderful friends blogging and I love to keep up with them. Now if I know they have some serious issue going on in their lives, I will check in on them every day...but, if not, I will read at my leisure. And, I may blog and not read any at all. I took my computer with me when I went to Destin last weekend, and I blogged several times...BUT I did not read hardly any at all.
You will find that those people you have made a connection with understand if you don't read and comment every day. Because they don't either.
Let go of the 'obligation' you feel to read so many each day. All those folks don't really care if you read or not...they are too busy, too.
Just enjoy the friendships you've made...and read what interests you...and keep up with your friends.
Debby ~ I love the picture of that dog!! ;) My mom ~ bless her soul ~ had two westies! too cute!
I am new to blogging... less than 100 followers.. and I sometimes burn the candle at both ends! =) can't imagine how I am going to handle higher volumes... but I LOVE it! the community is amazing! I always visit those who visit me first... and my favs that make me laugh, cry or give me warm fuzzies when I visit!! (he he!) and then I slowly chip away at my blog roll... there is so much fun to be had in this world! You will find your balance! =) I am learning to let it ride more smoothly... I think??!! ha ha!
My PW book signing post is up... just to tempt you! I love her cooking style... very ME! I was a starstruck blond when I met her! sigh! ;)
I always answer commenters, so I don't think I could manage if I had hundreds of people commenting. I find it hard to keep up sometimes, too, and if I'm away from my computer for a weekend (as I was this weekend), I''m always a little shaken by how many unread posts are in my reader.
Charlie at your computer is just adorable!!!
The flowers are beautiful! I only have daffodils and Hyacinths right now, but my tulips are just about ready to bloom! :-)
I like the idea of giving yourself a time limit online each day. I've been thinking about doing the same! :-) Good luck! :-)
It can be very hard to keep up when you follow so many blogs. I think I follow close to 300 and I find it tough to keep up with those! Right now I have about 200 posts in my reader that I have read yet. When I want to catch up sometimes I just glance through them and I read what I might find interesting.
Sometimes I spend way too much time on the computer doing the blog thing and I have to look at what is more important. Later am I gonna wish I had read more blogs or spent more time with my hubby and kids? That's why I have kinda backed away a little bit and have gotten behind.
Lord, girl! I didn't realize you were blogging that much! Maybe if you just post once a week, that would help cut down? I only read those that read mine, I just don't have time to read all the blogs under the sun.
Charlie is adorable!!!
First of all the flowers are lovely. Nice job.
I have about 120 blogs on my Reader and until about 10 days ago I was ALL CAUGHT UP! Then I was on vacation for a few days and....you know what happened. And I have NEVER only read/visited the bloggers who visit me. If I did that, it would be easy to catch up.
I do feel guilty when I get behind because I don't like to comment on posts that are more than a week old so I do end up hitting the 'all read' button. But I do my best, honest.
Charlie just started a serious "AAAAW" moment!
Your button is up and is looking fabulous :)
You are making such a healthy decision in how you're choosing to change your routine! I hope it works out perfectly!
And soooorrrryyyyy...I turn my comments off all the time. I just can't really take comments on certain posts because of my currently pending divorce.
Your flowers are gorgeous, Debby! I love the daisies and I am still waiting for mine to bloom. I love comments but I should probably be thankful that I do not have 200 to read b/c I probably wouldn't be able to handle it.....Christine
Hi Debby!
I will be so happy to hear when you're done with those paint-by-numbers. I want your next post to be photos of those!! :-)
The photo of Charlie made me SMILE!! Hope you are enjoying your day.
<3,
Valerie
Debby, I have missed you so much while I have been away from my computer. You have a precious heart and I love checking in with you.
I handle reading blogs the best way that I am able - I try not to ever let it become a job or a chore. I know the people that I have developed a friendship with will understand that I will read and comment when I can and never hold it against me when I am absent for a while. As fun as being on the computer is, 'real life' (not my favorite phrase) is demanding and wont be ignored.
You bring sunshine with your comments and I love you bunches. AND I love you enough not to be mad if you aren't able to visit regularly. You just visit when you are able.
Be blessed my friend!
Gorgeous flowers Debby...and that photo of Charlie is priceless!
Debby your just amazing, I've been such a slacker lately with reading I'm needing a few more hours in day .. lol ;) You amazing me and are always so sweet to stop by and say hi and make me feel so special :)
I love those pictures!
First, that picture is hilarious!
Second, no one will fault you for taking time off. You are an amazing comment giver (lol, great wording, huh?) and I love when I see you in my email. I totally get though that there is more to life than blogs (gasp!). I myself have been slacking lately. You take care of you and don't worry about the rest!
Thanks for linking up this week with Saturday Sound Off! Sorry it took me so long to come by and visit.
Post a Comment