I love eating delicious food. And I love creating new recipes. But I don’t think I would consider myself a foodie: what I like about blogging and about making up recipes is the creativity involved. I don’t watch cooking shows, don’t read cookbooks in my spare time, don’t spend hours upon hours thinking about food, and…
I feel so mean for what I am about to admit, but I don’t enjoy spending the day feeling like I have to read every single food blog out there. I really don’t want anyone’s feelings to get hurt, and I don’t want anyone to feel like I’m ignoring him or her, so I feel compelled to try and visit as many blogs of people who leave comments on mine as I can. Lately, I’ve felt overwhelmed at the sheer number of blogs I feel the need to visit and comment on each day. I try to be fair;
I’m definitely not one of those people who only leaves comments on the popular blogs. I hate to open up this can of worms, but it makes me sad to see the little blogs ignored. Just because a certain blogger doesn’t get 50 comments per day does NOT mean her blog isn’t good and she doesn’t deserve comments. In fact, I try to comment more on these blogs than the popular blogs because each comment means more to the bloggers. I remember when I was first starting out and got only 5 comments per day. Those 5 comments might as well have been 500 for how happy they made me. Not that I don’t still get excited when someone leaves a comment on my blog: I really do!
Even the comments that just say simple things like “yum” or “cool idea” mean a lot to me. So I feel like a hypocrite if I don’t try my hardest to visit your blogs and try and repay that happiness. You all do such a good job of keeping up with my posts that it’s only fair I should do the same. And everyone has such interesting, well-thought-out posts that I really wish there were time to thoroughly read them all. I love you all, and your blogs are amazing: creative, funny, delightful… Each of you offers something special and unique to the blogging world. But feeling like I have to visit so many blogs as quickly as possible (so I can fit all the other things I want to do into my life), I find myself skimming over your cute stories, creative ideas, and other ways that your personalities shine.
Yes, I know I’m over-estimating my importance in peoples’ lives. Logically, I can see you all probably don’t spend even a minute feeling slighted over such dumb things as whether or not CCK commented more on your blog than someone else’s. But not-so-logically, I have a fault of being way too sensitive and worrying about hurting others. I will still try to comment every now and then. I am going to have to step back even further in the amount I comment, though. It does not mean that I love you guys any less!
Blogging should be fun. Lately, to me, parts of it have become a chore. I want to bring the fun back… And I promise not to abandon you. I’m still reading blogs, even if I don’t always comment!
Question of the Day:
Do any of you feel like this; like parts of blogging—be it trying to comment on tons of others’ sites or the pressures to blog about certain things or to not offend anyone—can sometimes get you down? I’m sure many of you do! Please know that I will NEVER hold it against you if you don’t have time to comment on my site. Yes, I’ll miss hearing your thoughts, your cute stories, and your kind words. But it won’t make me stop loving you.
I comment and read the blogs that interest me, whether they are popular or not. I have a lot of blogs on my Google Reader … most of the time I just scroll past the posts that don’t appeal to me.
AMEN for this post. I’m not sure I understand all the politics of blogging but it’s pretty obvious when people want to be popular vs. when people want to join the community and share their personalities. I feel guilty for not leaving comments (or reading) every single person’s blog…but I can’t keep up! Thank you thank you for sharing this- I feel a lot better!
Katie- I totally know how you feel and I am a baby-baby blogger compared to you in readership and comments. I can’t even imagine what it must be for you- so much obligation. And I can see how it would take the joy out of blogging. It’s smart that you are catching it as quickly as you could. You need to look after yourself, or you will not be as effective as a blogger! It’s like that analogy on the airplane where you have to put on your mask before helping others. Same thing.
I read your posts every day. I rarely comment. But I still love your blog. And your spirit.
Hey Katie! I featured your fudge babies on my blog! Check it out!
Hehe, judging by the number of comments on this post, I don’t think you’re alone in feeling trapped by commenting (and I don’t think you’ll see any fewer comments just because you aren’t commenting as much!). There are far too many food blogs out there to keep up with. I’ve cut way down too – I only read what I find *really* useful and/or entertaining, and I only comment or respond when I *really* have something to say. There’s no shame in knowing your limits!
Bring Back the Fun CCK! Only you have that power. Here’s a quote that’s very fitting rt now:
“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” -Bill Cosby.
Succeed, my friend!! Succeed!! YAY!!
Love You Katie
I love your blog whether you have time to comment on mine or not, and that’s a fact! Nothing will change on my end, so just keep doing what you do. 🙂
It is hard trying to balance writing a blog, reading comments, and trying to comment back and visit everyone else’s blog! But ultimately, I think readers find blogs they enjoy, and stick with them, whether it’s reciprocal or not. Because we care about the content. Although, I always get a thrill when my favorite bloggers visit me and leave me comments!
Anyway – your readers won’t mind whether you visit us or not! We just like visiting your “blog kitchen!”
YW
(aka: A Green Spell)
I’m getting in on this kind of late…sorry:)
I haven’t been reading your blog for very long, but already I can tell how sweet and genuine you are. I have actually always had trouble with how to fit in reading each blog that I love and still have time to write on my own. I can’t imagine how I would feel if I was worried about responding to tons of comments as well. Don’t worry about a thing – obvs people read you blog because they get enjoyment out of it and they like you…not because they expect that you’ll comment on theirs.
Hope you are worry free by now, and having a great day!
Sex bombs look killer!
Katie! Do not feel like a hypocrite!
Here’s the thing, unless your job is your blog, there is probably no reason why anyone could fault you for not reading 50+ blogs a day! Sheesh! Don’t worry about that at all!
I read some blogs on a daily basis, but usually they are only the blogs where I know the person keeps it short. Other days I have more time and can delve into other longer blogs…and I only comment when I actually *feel* like commenting! Maybe that isn’t good for “blog business” but I have a full time actual job, and a life offline and I honestly don’t feel the drive to “network” on the blogosphere. I think it is fantastic to connect with other people, but there is NO reason to feel like a hypocrite because you have other things to do! People read your blog because they like it, not because you are going to read theirs. At least that is why I read blogs!
🙂
A while back, Oprah once said on her talk show that she stopped shaking every audience member’s hands, because it took too much energy out of her on a daily basis.
Which comes to my point that I don’t think you should feel pressured to comment on or read everyone’s blog. I don’t know how some of you could reply to so many responses. Most blogs are a hobby and not work. Bloggers have lives other than the blogworld. I think your group replies are good enough. Only if someone asks a specific question, do I think it involves a personal response. Now this is my opinion based on the volume that you receive. For a blogger that has less than 30 people commenting, of course it is easier to reply individually. I think you are one of the sweetest and one of the more considerate bloggers out there. I agree with you that there are a lot of bloggers that are only commenting on the “BIG” blogs and ingnoring the others. And that’s because they are trying to get more traffic, so they can get freebies or become the next “Julie, Julia”. I love your blog and I wouldn’t change a thing! 🙂
believe me, you’re not the only one that feels that way 🙂 taking the time to BLOG and then all the time to read/comment on others is a lot. I do feel bad when I can’t read them all or comment on everyone’s blog that comments on mine, but I still have to live my life, you know?
I comment when I can, and I’m usually reading MUCH more than I’m commenting.
oh Katie, you don’t have to worry so much about commenting on people’s blogs. We know you’re busy with your own stuff. I used to worry about commenting on other blogs to get more comments, but then I found myself stressing out more and sometimes I was very aware of what I typed. This all made blogging become a chore for me, so I stopped worrying about all of that and just did what I could. I think you just have to find that “balance” you know. Nowadays I visit blogs and don’t visit them. Sometimes I comment and sometimes I don’t. true I’ve lost some readers, but I knew that as long as people were still reading, I’d still be blogging. Hope this helps! 🙂
P.S. I was so overwhelmed that I completely forgot about the Vegan Thursdays. ah!
yum, chocolate!!
Every time I get a comment I am so happy. That doesn’t mean that when I don’t have one, I’m not happy.
Blogging has to be for yourself first, I think, and you seem like one happy gal!
Now go cover something in chocolate and CONSUME!! That’s what I’m doing, 100+ posts ro read in Google Reader. Yipes! 😛