Suppose I am earning a pretty good money; but the work is mundane and if there is no encouragement, will I continue to work? My needs are met; so what? Hmm...there is no drive, no encouragement and no challenges.
The work is fine, loads of appreciation and good moolah at the end of the day. Will I continue? Hmm may be not. No challenge, nothing to rake my brain about.
OK! very good work, loads of appreciation and challenges each time that sets a high bar to my capability, but the compensation is not that great. Will I work there? Ummm...I will look out for the first opportunity.
Well, this post has got nothing to do with my work. Fortunately; I am blessed with good job environment, challenging work and pretty good money. I am trying to compare my work to blogging. Both are poles apart; my job feeds me and gives me a shelter whereas blogging feeds my soul. Both I am passionate with blogging as much as I am passionate about my job.
So? What is the problem? Hmm...not a one-dimensional. Blogging world is slow; no time to read blogs, not many good topics to read....we have lost topics to write on....Enough of cribbing, bitching, complaining :D
No encouragement...many more NOs to come.
BUT....................
Do we write for people to take notice of us and appreciate what we write? I will jump up and say NO. I write for myself, It soothes me and all that crap! But deep down, dont you wish you got that 50 comments per post? And that there were good debate sessions on topics shared? Well, those were the days. Why am I not showing that interest as I did? Why is my blog getting a step-motherly treatment? I dont have other vices like twitter or FB. All I do on FB is share some of the pictures I click once in a while. So why?
I click on New Post many times but dont write anything. I am corrupt now. When I started; I kept writing without waiting for people. And then someone cropped in and slowly the numbers increased; my anticipation too....Any human tendency and this proves I am a lowly human too :)
Ciao...
Oh Insi..all of us have been there..As you said, we write because we wanted to..I write everyday some crappy thing, because I want to get writing into practise...Take up a 30 day challenge..you will get geared up automatically..Challenge will always give a positive effect!! Cheer up lady!
ReplyDeleteVaish,
Delete:) I have been thinking about it you know :) Let me see. thanks for cheering me up
Nice one Insignia. I just believe in Bhagavadgita that do your bit and leave the rest to almighty:)
ReplyDeleteRahul,
Delete:) yeah.
Well we write for us and others and it always nice to get appreciation. Well written post.
ReplyDeleteAmrit,
DeleteThats a bonus. What I miss more are the good discussions that used to happen; now people are busy.
B, now stop a kind of self condescending.
ReplyDeleteThe vices that you mentioned are indeed universal.
It is only matter of priority and real passion that will keep u blogging regularly. isn't it? Then of course we do run up against blocks.
For the comment number reaching fifty, I would hope it will not as firstly one will have to reply to all , that is a big ask and most of all more than a three quarter of the comments will be trivial. People who wants to be seen.
I'd prefer real honest and sincere bloggers to comment on the scrap I write. I guess you will agree.
Anil,
DeleteI was fortunate and happy to respond to all 50 comments at one point. The readers used to bring up good discussions. Some were healthy some were mucky; yet there was lot of action in the comment space than the post. Thats what I miss these days. When I said 50; i didnt give importance to the number but the quality even when 50.
I agree with you yes. But there were days like these as well
Well no denying that , I do look forward to the comments , BUt more than that I keep refreshing the page to SEE the people who have become part of life what they think , Lot many people come and write one word owesome, good and the new indiblogger thing of voting for the post , that has never impressed me rather it makes me angry , half the people dont even read and press the like button..
ReplyDeleteI definitely look forward to the people i care for coming and saying what they have to say.
I am not sure about the appreciation because I know there are millions , rather every other blogger writes much better than me, so that is not my lure to write .. but yes definitely comments from those who READ the whole article for sure ..
the 50+ comments many of them are as I said ONE words , its like putting a proxy that yeah i was there at your blog.. :)
Bikram's
Bik,
DeleteYou have been reading my blog for a long time right? Do you recall those days when we had good discussions? Those posts which stirred controversy. Yeah there were the Present ma'am folks too; but they were rare.
And yeah; you posts are too long; how do you find time to write them?
Yeah I do recall, but I write the same now too, you ignore and dont fight with me as you used to He he he he he :)
Deletehmmm my posts are too long ok, i dont see you there , so how do you know :) ...
I dont write that often as i used to once a week now ..
Hmmm...just because i dont comment doesnt mean i dont visit your blog; does it? I dont read any post completely; one thing is I dont have the luxury of time.
DeleteYes Ms. Busy aap jaisa kahen ...
DeleteChote chote posts likho na Bik :P
DeleteLikha to .. the last one is just 10 points :) he he he he
DeleteIsn't ranting the best form of blogging? Writing about things just like that. Some things don't make sense, while others make a lot of sense.
ReplyDeleteIf we wrote for ONLY us, then we would have private blogs. But we write to connect with like-minded people. Some other person when comments that I think the same way, we like that. We'd want to hear such things. They don't have to be appreciation always, they can be any mundane thing. And at times, even a word or a line comment is enough to connect with people :)
Neha,
DeleteTrue, I was reminiscing about the good old days..remember? :)
Interaction is definitely a motivator for blogging. But, if you don't have time to go to others' blogs then the interaction is missing. It almost never happens that people keep coming to visit you, and you don't visit them. The visits when one-sided taper off.
ReplyDeleteRachna,
DeleteI dont think thats the case with me. I do read good blogs and definitely leave my views there; its fine if they dont visit mine. What I dont like is the you scratch my back and I scratch yours kind.
I don't like that either. But, I've seen some bloggers keep account. Eventually we keep going back to the blogs we feel a connect with. I don't keep tabs on who is commenting and who is not.
DeleteNot some, most do :) Its the sad reality
DeleteI for one, have been missing in action in blogosphere for well over a year. But feels like just yday. I can still reconnect with all the people and their posts I used to frequent then. When you write, you write for yourself. But it sure feels good when you are able to connect with others through your writing. To know that there are others with similar experiences, opinions and ideas. And that's what keeps this world alive. Doesn't matter if you've missed a few days, a few weeks or a few months...write when you feel like it, when you can make the time for it, it would make you that much more happy!
ReplyDeleteRGB!!!
DeleteWhere were you??? I hope Holy Lama is doing good too. Yeah missed you on blog world. True, its nice to find like minded people and share your views.
Very well put.. though many keep saying, it is just for me, I like writing ... I also like writing but I find unless I get some comments there, I don't get the kick.. so both are important for me...
ReplyDeleteI am definitely dropping by here often to catch your writing :)
Hi,
DeleteThanks. Its about connecting isnt it? Yeah we like writing thats why we like writing in the first place. Man is a social animal, if he cant interact; whats the fun? Thanks and welcome :)
One thing I must say, B, you are much honest than most of us. Like you, we all started blogging because this is the only platform where one could publish; but like any other creative activity, blogging too need to be appreciated by an audience.
ReplyDeleteMy blogging too has come to a near standstill; one of the reasons is a reader who used to admire and view my writing critically has stopped visiting my page ( for that matter, other pages too) for reasons best known to that person. Needless to say, this has dampened my spirits.
You see, blogging too is an activity that thrives in relationship, between the writer and his/her readers. Most of us do not know each other in the flesh and quite likely never will. Yet there is something sacrosanct in our relation and to violate that, to be disrespectful,to be sarcastic or contemptuous is unthoughtful. And violence in relationship need not be tolerated - this is the personal view of the concerned individual.
My readership has diminished; though people come, they do not leave a comment. As I had written in my blog once, it hurts, it leaves a pain of emptiness to see the visitors in the feedjit and yet never know who they are. They are like faces blurring past as you travel by. They exist; and they do not.
Balan,
DeleteIt has put me in trouble often but I dont learn :D
Balan, you should not stop writing because one reader stopped commenting. Think how unfair you are being to your other readers?
That happens Balan. There are so many unknown who read my posts; friends, colleagues..yet they dont comment. Recently someone dropped in an email; you wrote about a particular post; it was hilarious; I want to read it again, cant find it. Please share the link. It would be so nice to hear a word or two from the reader as comment isnt it?
Thats why do away the feedjit. Thats the medicine :)
Dear Friend,
ReplyDeleteBouquets and brickbats keep blogging alive. One can'ty demy teh pleasure of reaching out people through their valuable comments.But then for that,the policy is 'give and take'. Unless[mostly]u read the other blogs,hardly readers reach you.
Still,if writing is passion,just go ahead....readers can't ignore you! They will reach here.
Keep writing;keep rocking!
Sasneham,
Anu
True true; every word. Have seen the worst and best here. Thats one thing that keeps me going :)
DeleteWould go on even if there are no comments but will definitely feel sad. :)
Thanks for coming :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello B, I write this after noting Balan's comment in this post. Indeed I noticed the surprising fall of late,in the comments on Balan's postings.
ReplyDeleteSome of the good Bloggers who was faithful to his Blog postings have shied away from blogging or are coming in rarely. Perhaps he may not be reacting via reply to the comments ?
Like reading , Blogging too calls for passion. And when priorities are used as excuse, time as something of premium , it is possible that the readership of our blogs fall. I would say that he be not unduly worried about that now and rather continue with his his style and subjects to blog.
I see about ten regular bloggers on my blog and I feel happy if I receive comments from them, and often I do regularly till today..And doesn't matter for me if they are criticism as long as they are true and honest in the opinion and trigger a debate, argument or discussion.
Anil,
DeleteIt happens Anil. I lost really good bloggers and their discussions. People get busy in life; other priorities. But yeah Balan shouldnt shy away from interacting with other visitors just because his favorites are no more :)
Reacing reader's comments, a thought triggering, responding to comments makes us feel alive isnt it?