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.
Katie, your readers support you! I cannot imagine how overwhelming it must be to feel obligated to visit each person’s blog daily – blogging shouldn’t feel like an obligation. Do what’s best for you and what you do best, we’ll keep reading!
i agree with you 100% about the blogs that get hardly any recognition. they are like diamonds in the rough! and i am crap for commenting usually but you know i got nothin but loveee for you <3 thank god google reader exists, right?! mwah! have a great sunday sweetheart!
Katie – you never need to justify the way you live your life. Nobody should expect you to read and comment on the hundreds (thousands) of (food) blogs belonging to your readers. You have an amazing life outside of blogging; you don’t need to be glued to your computer 24/7. You aren’t a hypocrite, and definitely not a bad person. You are awesome, and writing this blog and keeping it up to date is more than anyone could ask.
I love your blog; it’s one of only 4 I read, and it is the only one I comment on. 🙂
Hahaha when I started my blog I seriously had no idea how much comments are involved in blogging. (or that they are at all!) It was only a month ago that it clicked “comments=comments.”
To tell you the truth, it seems much more superficial now. You can tell when you get a comment from someone who didn’t read one word you write.
I get so excited when I get comments too… I can’t imagine how hardit is to keep up and thank/comment on 50+ blogs a day!!
You’re such a sweetheart and you’re loved no less- at all!! You are so kind-hearted and everyone understands. (And I think they would understand even if you didn’t write this post!!)
-Mae
(www.ohhmay.wordpress.com)
Katie, I really like that you wrote this post. I’m sure a lot of bloggers have felt the same way. There are times when certain aspects of blogging start to stress me out, and that’s when I have to step back and remember that I do this for fun and because I love it, not because it’s my job. I’ve always appreciated how down to earth and open you are in your posts, and I never worry about whether you’re reading my blog back when I read yours. I just think your blog is fun. Sometimes I comment, sometimes I don’t. But I always enjoy it. 🙂
I totally feel you on this! This semester is just so completely overwhelming for me . . . and I feel so bad when I get behind on blogs! I want to read everyone’s and leave comments for everyone, but sometimes it takes me a while to get a chance. It’s not that I don’t appreciate and love blog world, it’s just that I have so many other commitments and not enough time. I just try to do my best! 🙂
Thanks for this post. It really does seem like most people only comment on big fancy popular blogs, but to each his own… I think that it’s great that you read lots of other people’s blogs, and it’s totally okay if you don’t leave a comment on each and every one. (Btw…I made the Oatmeal Cookie Crepe Cakes the other day. Yum!)
Your blog is always so fun and cheery…and that is why people are reading! Not because they expect you to throw a comment back there way, but to show appreciation for what you do and the happiness you display while doing so! I’m sure there are those out there who have expectations and “blog” for all the wrong reasons, but no one needs to worry about them because those of us with lives know what we need to be fulfilled:) I think it’s EXCELLENT that you worry about these kind of things, it just shows how much you really do care, but try not to so much!:)
XOXO! It would be impossible to comment on everyone’s blog. You’re so sweet for wanting to, but there are just too many out there! I comment when I feel compelled by something the author has written or when someone needs a morale boost…you know, when it feels most important.
As a fairly new blogger myself, I want to thank you for paying attention to the “little guys” (so you better come check mine out now! STAT! 😀 [completely joking])
I’ve been surprised at how much time writing/editing blogs and networking takes, but at the same time it’s only when you start blogging that you realise how joyful it is when people read and comment – so I definitely see both sides of your argument here!
As everyone seems to be saying – just do what’s right for you – ultimately, blogging should be your happy time, not a burden! You write and comment when you ahve time, and we’ll come read and reply when we have time! Everybody wins 🙂