Friday, March 23, 2012

Get the Picture?


This week-end is all about making the rounds and cleaning house. There are some things I have been thinking a lot about lately. Spring is in the air, my blog has been online for little over a year and some spring cleaning is warranted. My thoughts have been geared towards blogging and why I do it, what I expect from it and what as a reader you expect from me. Why are you here reading these words? Do you ever wonder the same things? I need to know because right now the question "What am I doing?" is weighing heavily on my mind. It has taken me a year to realize that this is just another social network. I know, silly me, what was I thinking? What are you thinking? Do you wonder how many people, out of all those people that follow you, really READ your blog and WHY they do? I guess this is my blogging "turning point." Have you ever had one of those?


It is time to decide if I should take this any further and if so, what I want from it. As that ever so popular song, "What do you want from me?" gets louder in my head, these are the  questions I need to ask: What do I want, what do I want from you, and what do you want? I will tell you what I want and I hope you will answer the other part to that question.
  • To connect with other writers so I do not feel so alone. The language is one thing, but the mentality is another.
  • To gain information towards some day publishing a book.
  • Recognition that what I write is important, that I say something and that I do it well, also sneaky me wants to know if my kids care what I think.Yes I can see who visits my blog, and my children seldom do, if you are here now you are my favorite child, nope nothing in life is fair.
  • To visit a blog that is easy to connect to on a personal level. My blog roll is there for a reason! I do lurk...
  • Time difference, it's true, it does make a difference
  • To visit a blog that is easy to read. Size does matter, and so does visual availability. There are several blogs I visit less often because Word verification is turned on, the text is hard to read, the page takes to long to load and I just plain old forget about you. If you want me to remember  then you have to comment and I need to be able to find you easily so I can visit and comment as well. Please don't take it personal if I remove you.
How often do you visit your stats, and are they important to you? Mine only tell me so much and this is what they tell me:


Posts

Apr 23, 2011, 12 comments
11,876 Pageviews
Jun 6, 2011, 33 comments
6,470 Pageviews
Apr 14, 2011, 22 comments
2,054 Pageviews
Aug 18, 2011, 12 comments
1,847 Pageviews
Feb 23, 2012, 6 comment
What I am seeing is that the pictures are more important than the words. Really? Is this true?

Give me your thoughts people, they are important to me.

Have a nice week-end! Ha ha, you get the picture now? This is an experiment :) You can answer the questions anyways. Really I am wondering how many times I will have to post this blog to get the answers I am looking for....I am so excited, you know why. If you don't then you have to ask yourself what you are missing...














16 comments:

Gossip_Grl said...

I love your postings and hope that you don't stop writing your blog. I had never thought about the social networking thing-till now and I think in a way it kinda of does with a lot of the tagging things going around. : /

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I was warned early that it's a social network, so came prepared.
Your posts are fun, informative, and uplifting and I enjoy learning more about you. Certainly hope you don't stop blogging. You always find time to visit me and I really appreciate that.
Is the Games blogfest the one I hosted? Whoa...

Unknown said...

Ms. Gossip...Oh you fill my heart with joy:)

Mr. Ninja...i always visit you even though the number of your comments keep me sometimes from commenting back...Makes me feel like "they" have already said it so why bother. Just know I am lurking anyways...Why? A guitar playing, movie lover is my dream man :)

Gossip_Grl said...

I even posted on my blog about you today and left you Sunshine Award This week started pretty crappy and by today I look back and think about those who left me sunshine when the sky was gray this week. I look forward to your writings and blog postings.

Unknown said...

I think you can get a lot of hits based on the file name of the images on your blog posts, so that would seem to fit with your "pictures are more important than words" theory. But for those of us who actually come around to properly "visit" your blog, the words are definitely important!

Gail M Baugniet - Author said...

I have been doing author interviews for the past 3 months and check my stats because I want people to meet the authors.

My goal for the future is to visit more blogs and leave comments because I would really like to receive more comments on my blog.

http://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com

Sally said...

I'm new to this as well - I only started a blog because I wanted to do Rachel Harrie's campaign challenge. What I've read so far from you and others I've enjoyed and I only found you through teh campaign. I think the most important thing is if you still enjoy blogging then that should be your main reason for posting on the blog. Please keep doing it.

Linda said...

tricky, tricky, tricky....I thought I was loosing my mind when I saw the chocolate post again, b/c I was sure I posted on it yesterday. I don't always comment b/c: 1) there are already so many comments that mine won't matter, 2)if the word verification kicks me out I will not try again, 3) my blog is a mix of various thoughts/photos so if I post on a fashion, decorating or writing blog (etc) I think that that blogger won't value my comment as much as someone whose blog is in the same genre at theirs.
Oh, and pictures DO mean a lot. Last year I posted a photo I rec'd through an email and it has sooooo many hits, I hate it and wish I could get rid of it. So I try not to use Google images, unless it's a book or something like that.
I know this is a social network. I started b/c I was a letter writer and thought I'd keep in touch with family and friends through my blog...but now it's just a free for all and i don't know what I want out of of it. I am just am amateur and do it for fun. hope you get the answers you are looking for!

Geoff Maritz said...

Hi Siv.
Why do I come round to visit your blog? Well firstly I consider you a friend, I'm not sure why but I do. Yes I know we've never met nor ever will but there you have it.
Secondly, I find your writing style interesting, informative and above all entertaining, you really make me laugh a lot.
I enjoy your visits to my simple little blog and am always encouraged by what you have to say. As I said, you make me laugh.
No Blogging isn't just another social network, well not like Facebook, bloggers seem to write very well and for the most part are intelligent members of society who are not afraid to voice their opinions.
You don't have to carry on blogging if you don't want to, but your witty posts and good friendship will be missed if you do decide to stop.
Bless you my really nice friend, Geoff.

Morgan said...

I've loved this blogging world... it actually helped kick my twitter addiction... LOL... Swapping one thing for the next :)

And what AWESOME stats, girl! Wow. I hope to get awesome traffic some day--

I've enjoyed your blog. You are a fabulous person and a fantastic writer ;)

Sarah Tokeley said...

I've only been following you for a short while, so I can't comment very much about your blog but I wouldn't have followed you if I hadn't liked your style. When I follow someone it means I actually come and read what they have to say, even if I don't always comment (often because I'm reading a few posts at a time).

And my daughters never read my blog :-)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Siv - now I can comment again - that makes a difference. I loved reading about your family and your back-story - I am sure many will benefit from these ...

I struggle with too many posts a week but if I've committed to visiting I like to be around and participate.

I prefer commenting and receiving comments as there's more valuable long-term interaction ..

... as things get lost quickly on FB and Twitter - I can see their attraction, and I can see their use if I ever need it. Not having kids means I have less use for FB .. and not for now wanting to publish I don't really need Twitter - though I can see it happening ...

Good luck with your Spring Cleaning - I need to learn how Blogger works first too!!! Cheers and see you A - Zing .. Hilary

PR said...

I'm new here and only been blogging a few months, but, I've found that blogging allows you to be more creative then the other social networking sites. I think if you enjoy whet you're doing then there is no reason to stop :)

Deniz Bevan said...

I have to admit, I forget to visit my stats. I love visiting commenters' blogs, and discovering other interesting posts through their links...

Crazy Life of a Writing Mom said...

I absolutely LOVE your blog. It's been amazing to meet you through the blogging world. You've helped me more than you'll probably ever know. You're one of the main reasons I even finished my newest book--that's a big deal to me. :0)

I hope that I can encourage you now, the same way you encouraged me last summer.
You're an amazing writer. Although I can't always comment (since I read many blogs on my phone) I am reading and enjoying :)

Thank you for everything--for being you :) Keep it up. I can't wait until you have a finished novel out for everyone to enjoy.

Anonymous said...

I don't look at my stats to often. With all the fol.lowers I have I already know who visits. It's easy. They comment.
So all in all somewhere between 20 and 30 of my followers actually read. The rest are coming over from Facebook and don't follow me per sey. They read and we talk about it.
Keep blogging my friend. I would miss you should you go away.