Thoughts on blogging in the present...
The team decided our theme for this month's posts here would be a take "2020 visions of blogging." This week posts focus on:
Blogging in the Present
Here and Now
Periodically we see the statement made that "Blogging is Dead (or dying). I don't think so. Since blogging is often a very personal and individualistic enterprise I think it is inevitable that some bloggers burn out, give up, or let their blogs languish on hold as a blogger waits for inspiration or ambition to rekindle.
What I've observed in my 10 1/2 years of blogging is that while bloggers may come and go or some seem to vanish and then reappear sometime later with their personal reason for doing so, the totality of the world of blogging remains consistent as bloggers either blog like they always have or their blogs transition and grow with the times.
Perhaps there is an illusion of a death or diminishing of blogging on the whole because we as bloggers fall into communities where we have our circles of blogging friends that we try to visit as much as possible or who we see commenting on our blogs with a certain regularity. The complacent blogger is limited to the world they know best and as they settle into their routine of blogging they may rarely if ever seek out new blogs. As bloggers within a community fade away, there is a sense that the entire realm of blogging is disappearing.
Those new blogs are out there I'm sure--I no longer dig up the new ones like I used to because I too have become a complacent lazy blogger. If it were not for the annual A to Z Challenge, I as well as you might never encounter a blog that has been previously unknown to us. Though I have no quantitative data to back up my claim, I think blogging remains strong in the here and now. You might have to look outside the community in which you have become ensconced to find those new-to-you blogs. Blogging after all involves some action on the part of you the blogger to keep finding more blogs. As always, there are more than you will ever be able to read or explore.
From your experience, what is the best way to find "new" bloggers? How has your blogging community changed since you first started blogging? Do you think blogging is dead or dying?
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I don't think blogging is dead or dying
ReplyDeletehttps://ladyleemanilablog.wordpress.com/2020/04/09/pictures-and-poetry-challenge-3/
I think the best way to find new bloggers is to follow links left by commenters on similar blogs to yours. Join in mutual-themed blog hops, and you will soon find your network.
ReplyDelete~Mary
Literary Gold - #AtoZChallenge: Head Over High Heels
Jingle Jangle Jungle - #AtoZChallenge: H
Well, are you making things difficult for me or what, hehehe.
ReplyDeleteNot precisely here nor now, but there and then... if. Try to beat the Reaper in the plane of Hades.
http://codexanathema.com/2020/04/09/h-is-for-hades/
I don't think blogging is dead or close to. This discussion comes regularly among quilters and the final answer is always the same: blogging is another way, completly different than other platform like social medias, to communicate. Instagram is fun, Facebook too, Twitter more professional, but nothing like a blog.
ReplyDeleteH is for Hand Dyed Fabric
Thank you Arlee for sharing your impressions on blogging. Living proof that seeking out new bloggers, encourages them , thus creating a snowball effect, newbies introducing other newbies into communities then seeking other blogger communities, or luckily stumbling on them.
ReplyDeleteYou visited me back in 2013, out of the blue ... and I was on blogger.fr , but the French day and date did not deter you, and I thank you for that. I agree, that routine makes us lazy, so we have to keep kicking ourselves to explore the web. On Wordpress, I type in keywords on my reading list and behold the gems I discover. Master List are also an invaluable way to find new soul-mate-writers, the drawback being that when they are enormous, it becomes somewhat daunting, so personally I have a tendency to visit first and foremost the bloggers that I follow all year round. So I think we all have a responsibility to pass on the torch by helping and including, as we were once welcomed into a blogging community. Speak with you soon. Have an inspiring A to Z. Take care, stay safe.
I like to look at the comments left on blogs I visit and find new blogs that way -- so doing blog hops like the A-Z is a great way to find new bloggers to network with.
ReplyDeleteAn A-Z of Faerie: Grim
Blogging may not be as popular as it once was, but the standard of blogs has perhaps improved. The A to Z challenge is one way to find new blogs. Another is from the suggestions in the WordPress Reader. Blogs are advertised in printed publications such as newspapers and magazines and in social media especially Twitter. I have encouraged a few people to begin to blog.
ReplyDeleteMy H post is https://suestrifles.wordpress.com/2020/04/09/h-is-for-herod-and-holy-week/ with a bonus third word, Hosanna!
Hi Lee sorry I missed the A to Z but have been extremely upset by this global crises plus my network needs an engineer which of course can't come at present. Blogging is not dying I have thought about each and everyone of my folwwers this past few weeks.
ReplyDeleteHope you are well also your family. Please take care.
Yvonne.
I don't think blogging is dying, either. I think some are inactive for whatever reasons and you know how I've complained periodically about being burned out but yet I can't ever stay away long. Taking a break is always refreshing but another thing is to try not let your blog life consume you. That's when fun becomes work which takes away your joy of doing what you love. During the year I don't typically seek out new bloggers but occasionally I'll find some while visiting my daily linky parties and during April I first start with the Master List to see if there's anyone new in specific areas to check out. Mainly I find out about new bloggers if they leave a comment on my site. I guess I'm a little like and have evolved into a lazy blogger, my friend. I'm kinda happy where I'm at,though. I surely appreciate your hard efforts to keep this event going every year. It's a lot of fun to coordinate. Have a great day. Stay safe and healthy!
ReplyDeleteCathy's Pinup Girl #AtoZChallenge Art Sketch Series 'H'
Definitely not dying. Evolving but not going away anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteMy link:
https://katytrailcreations.com/2020/04/09/humor-check-yours-at-the-door-letter-h/
Fact About Pompeii: H is for Herculaneum
ReplyDeleteWith this annual challenge, definitely not dying for me.
ReplyDeleteToday I wrote about books that help you escape the dreariness of staying at home during lockdown. Read the post titled Haruki Murakami & Other Escapes.
I agree that the blogging community may wax and wane a bit. I appreciate the A to Z to give me the opportunity to find new folks that I might enjoy reading and to put my own blog out there for others to find. I do know that I blog more consistently when there is a theme for the month or other blog hops. Thanks again, Arlee, for starting and continuing this fun challenge.
ReplyDeleteJanet’s Smiles
like every profession and industry, blogging will keep evolving but it won't ever be obsolete. great write up.
ReplyDeleteDo visit my todays post:
http://mywordsmywisdom.com/horribly-shocking-exams-have-you-failed-one-in-your-dreams-recently/
ReplyDeleteYou have rightly expressed blogger do become cmplacent or may just lose interest and phase out. But the fact remains Blogging is something very personal so irrespective of what is happening, who has real interest would continue.
https://facetsofadiregionalcuisine.blogspot.com/2020/04/h-for-halwa-paratha-from-numaish-of.html
Arlee - you and I met when blogging was younger; you are right we went about meeting every new blogger out there.
ReplyDeleteI think there are bloggers who use blogging for therapy - AA actually recommended an outlet. Which I agree is a great place to put energy. But there is an end to the need for an outlet so the blogger stops after a few years.
There are then bloggers who are told for publishing "it's one way to get your name out there" I agree and am encouraging a friend right now to put some effort in building his name (he should have a book and movie out by year's end.) Again how long that blog goes is the length of time he has to put toward it.
My blogging looks like an EKG. It's up and down and all over the place. When I hosted a meme I loved meeting new bloggers and loved seeing their art form gain exposure.
I think my blogging doesn't die because I like meeting new people and new talent. Their energy also makes me excited about writing.
Blogging isnt dying but it is changing...
~Moonie (think I just wrote a blog)
The Letter H
It is funny how it changes but yet stays the same. The Here and Now is one of engagement and enjoying being back into blogging. My engagement has certainly caused me to come and go as different life events dictate that time needs to be spent elsewhere. I love finding new blogs and the challenge is a great way to meet new bloggers and their blogs. Certainly hope blogging isn't dead or dying. Have a little Ham and Vegetable Frittata. Might be a nice addition to your Easter at home menu!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.screwyism.com/ham-and-vegetable-frittata-recipe/
https://hopelesslyyhopefull.blogspot.com/2020/04/hope.html
ReplyDeleteMy blog has become more about my expression than community in recent years, but I totally blame myself and not blogging as a whole.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, I should get back in the habit of searching out new blogs since my post today is H is for Habits.
I agree...it is hard to make ourselves search out the new bloggers. Yes they are out there. They are trying just like we did and hopefully they will find what they seek. Only the writers at heart persevere. It is never easy and sometimes lonely. But when you get that feeling in your heart of why you wrote what you wrote, you know why you do it! Cheers and thank you for continuing to persevere!
ReplyDeleteI personally feel, whenever I add my own experiences in a blog post along with the photos taken, changes to gain attention of new readers increase. Somewhere someone might have had similar experiences and can easily connect to what is in my post. It is a sure shot to get new readers by sharing simple day-to-day experiences, written with a touch of creativity.
ReplyDeleteMy post for the letter H can be read in - https://anjus.home.blog/2020/04/09/home-nursing-care/
Of course not, just look at the number of participants in these challenges!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd while I am yet to make it a financially viable for me (far from that goal now), I am for now enjoying blogging.
Here is my H post - https://www.ladyinreadwrites.com/h-is-for-happiness-hope-and-humor/
Still going strong. I got a second (or third or fourth) wind in December and it's as good as ever.
ReplyDeleteH for Here And Now
ReplyDeletehttps://imagery77.blogspot.com/2020/04/nothing-wrong-in-talking-to-wall.html
Hank