Friday, March 11, 2011

And Ode to Bloggers Gone By

Most long time bloggers are used to the unfortunate consequences of blogging. The reality is, blogging day in and day out is hard, time consuming work, and the majority of us do not get millions of dollars, book deals, or cars out of the bargain. In fact, most of us don't earn a single penny from blogging.

Nor do we try to. I think, actually the majority of us mostly do this for the love of writing and for the community we grow. And I think that for most of us bloggers, love is enough reason to write.

Except.

Except that eventually you burn out. Life takes over. Transitions happen. And it can be hard to continue blogging. And once you get out of the groove, it can be really really hard to find it again. (This blog being primary evidence of that truth.)

And so, most long time bloggers know that gradually a large number of their blog friends will vanish from blog land. Maybe they will start gradually, dropping down to two-three posts a week. Then it becomes two-three posts per month. And then they go a whole month without blogging until visiting their blog is no longer a comfortable part of your routine.

Others simply decide to go at a designated time. These blog euthanizers if you will shock at first. What?!! No more blog?!! But perhaps in the end their blogs die a more merciful death than they would have.

It can be hard to be a blogger. One's blog roll turns into a veritable blog obituary. Blogs defunct. Blogs ignored. Even worse, blogs attacked by viruses! Occasionally you will reread the archives, familiar things, and you will feel like you are being wrapped in a warm comforting blanket. But the feeling is fleeting.

And once in a great while, a miracle! On of your favorite blogs is resurrected!! "Hooray," you cry!

Of course, at this point, you have reconciled yourself to its death. And you know just how hard it is to get back into blogging. You have been trying for months with only limited success. Still, you can't help but hope and remain happy for every last post you get....

... In totally unrelated news, Green Bean wrote about The Enemy Within. I think you should read it. 

11 comments:

EcoCatLady said...

Ha! I can totally relate. I am on blog number three. The first one bit the dust because somebody threatened to sue me over the name (seriously - I couldn't believe it). The second one vanished overnight when my psychotic relatives discovered it and a family feud errupted. I'm hoping the third time is a charm. Personally, I just like to have a place to bitch with folks who share my general world view...

Sam said...

I know why I stopped. At first I did get very busy, and overwhelmed.

Then my offline friends found my blog. And assumed my blog was a judgment on their lifestyle. So many reacted by criticizing and mocking how I lived. It hurt. I blogged mainly to record how I was doing it (I ate this today, I did that today, I will do this tomorrow). And while I still do everything I blogged about, I feel embarrassed about my decisions and life choices. I started the blog to meet like minded people. I succeed and I am grateful for having done that. But sometimes I still feel like a fish out of water.

ruchi said...

EcoCat, I have only really had this one blog (if you ignore the two posts I once wrote on a blog several years ago) but I FEEL as if it has been resurrected a few times over. ;) Having a place to bitch is always a good thing.

Sam, I MISS YOU!!! I want to read BOTH my beans! Haha, but no, I understand. As you can tell, I'm hardly a paragon of bloggerness myself these days.

EcoCatLady said...

Sam - I can TOTALLY relate to what happened to you. That's pretty much what happened to me when my relatives found my blog. It was like suddenly everything I did was up for public debate. Then I started feeling like I couldn't say anything because someone would react to it.

So now I have a blog that nobody in my real life knows about. The don't even know that I have a blog. I've decided it's best to keep my on-line and off-line lives separate.

Mary said...

I remain hopeful and am happy for every post you blog. Hope you're one of the diehards for a long time to come!

Alice said...
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Green Bean said...

Hey! Thanks for mentioning me. I have to say that it was easier to come back to the blog after not writing there for almost 2 years. No expectations! :)

And I agree with Sam and EcoCatLady - there is a level of comfort in the anonymity of blogging. Once your real life peeps discover your blog, well, it's a tad uncomfortable. I remember a friend discovering my revived blog and telling me that she read the whole thing from start to finish. Gulp!

Natalie said...

this is very true...

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