When I wrote my first blog in 2006, I wasn't too sure how any of this blogging worked. There were no widgets, no way to know some of the "followers" you had reading your blog, so much was unknown period.
A few months ago I resumed blogging with new zest and vigor. A good friend Evelyn Theriault, owner of A Canadian Family Blog, sent me her link one day. I believe she had just begun blogging in December. When I looked at her blog I was totally impressed with the quality and content she included in her blog on a daily basis.
She encouraged me to join Geneabloggers and I became aware for the first time of just how very many genealogy, history and family blogs exist on the Internet. This week I was amazed to see that over 17,000 people are following Networked Blogs on Facebook!
As mentioned, a few years ago all of the little doodads we can use to enhance our blogs today did not exist. One of those enhancements is the "Followers" at the top right of this blog. It allows people who follow my blog to become a "Follower" and at the same time it includes blog links they own and blogs they "follow".
When I see a new "Follower", if they blog, I go to their blog and "follow" their blog. It seems to me it is only the right thing to do: reciprocate when someone grants you the privilege of following your blog - don't you agree?
Of course, I follow a great many blogs. Some well known bloggers and some not so well known but every one of those blogs shares information, history, data that is important to them and that often serves the rest of us very well.
I must be honest and tell you that I do get a bit frustrated when I choose to follow a blog and that it is not reciprocated by a fellow blogger. I don't believe we should ever think we are big enough, good enough or important enough that we should not and would not reciprocate one who grants us the privilege of "following" our own blog.
So to all of you who sign on as "Followers" of this blog, I heartily thank you. It is a real privilege that you would get on-board and at the same time allow me the privilege of signing on to your blog or at least knowing who you are.
For those of you who are not "Followers" why not sign on? It is a real treat to see new "Followers" as well as to read "comments" left by some who read this blog.
By far and large I believe that bloggers share from the heart. Every blog written records the history of one's family, of one's locale and one's ethnicity.
You might even enjoy having your own blog. If you do, please let me know and I will sign on as one of your "Followers"...
Love,
A few months ago I resumed blogging with new zest and vigor. A good friend Evelyn Theriault, owner of A Canadian Family Blog, sent me her link one day. I believe she had just begun blogging in December. When I looked at her blog I was totally impressed with the quality and content she included in her blog on a daily basis.
She encouraged me to join Geneabloggers and I became aware for the first time of just how very many genealogy, history and family blogs exist on the Internet. This week I was amazed to see that over 17,000 people are following Networked Blogs on Facebook!
As mentioned, a few years ago all of the little doodads we can use to enhance our blogs today did not exist. One of those enhancements is the "Followers" at the top right of this blog. It allows people who follow my blog to become a "Follower" and at the same time it includes blog links they own and blogs they "follow".
When I see a new "Follower", if they blog, I go to their blog and "follow" their blog. It seems to me it is only the right thing to do: reciprocate when someone grants you the privilege of following your blog - don't you agree?
Of course, I follow a great many blogs. Some well known bloggers and some not so well known but every one of those blogs shares information, history, data that is important to them and that often serves the rest of us very well.
I must be honest and tell you that I do get a bit frustrated when I choose to follow a blog and that it is not reciprocated by a fellow blogger. I don't believe we should ever think we are big enough, good enough or important enough that we should not and would not reciprocate one who grants us the privilege of "following" our own blog.
So to all of you who sign on as "Followers" of this blog, I heartily thank you. It is a real privilege that you would get on-board and at the same time allow me the privilege of signing on to your blog or at least knowing who you are.
For those of you who are not "Followers" why not sign on? It is a real treat to see new "Followers" as well as to read "comments" left by some who read this blog.
By far and large I believe that bloggers share from the heart. Every blog written records the history of one's family, of one's locale and one's ethnicity.
You might even enjoy having your own blog. If you do, please let me know and I will sign on as one of your "Followers"...
Love,
11 comments:
For me, comments are more important than followers, but more than that, comments that add something to the initial subject. I know some people have hundreds of followers and follow hundreds of blogs themselves in return, carefully leaving a tiny message on most of them each day, but for me this is far too much work and rather pointless too.
Hi Adam,
I appreciate your point of view and I guess we all have a personal perspective on things. For me I think it is all quite important that if someone takes the time to share on a regular basis, being a "Follower" is a sort of encouraging support for the blogger. As I say, we all have our own perspective and I guess that is mine ;o) - at the end of the day, I somewhat see it all working together.
Again, thank you for sharing and expressing your point of view. It is greatly appreciated that you took the time to do so.
Lucie
Thanks for mentioning GeneaBloggers - things have really changed in terms of the blogging landscape in the past few years, no?
Thomas MacEntee
Hi Thomas,
Things have changed so much it is almost unbelievable. The changes have made blogging much for interesting and fun.
Happy to mention GeneaBloggers - it is one of the top sites in my book.
Adam brings up an interesting point about the importance of comments and how he prefers they add something to the original topic.
For readers of the blog the comments are particularly interesting when they add something to the original post, however as a blogger I appreciate all comments - even when they are generic, because when I get clusters of comments it sometimes gives me clues as to where to go next with my blog.
I'm sometimes quite astonished at which posts get more feedback and it often effects the direction my blog takes. For example, I've posted a great deal of Lagace information and codfish postcards after getting thanks for those posts.
Thanks for starting a good conversation, Adam!
Evelyn in Montreal
Lucie re: Followers etc.
I enjoyed your post and I think it's great that you're providing all this information in an easy-to-understand format.
As a Wordpress user it actually disappoints me that we don't have this "Follower" feature. I think it's a great way to recognize and encourage fellow bloggers.
Evelyn in Montreal
Hi Lucie,
Thanks for the reminder! I hadn't noticed that my "Follower" gadget had disappeared from the
California Genealogical Society and Library blog. I must have removed it in error when I was rearranging the furniture. I agree that following is supportive but it is a challenge keeping up with all the blogs that now crowd my reader. I'm honored to be one of your followers!
Hi Kathryn,
Thanks so much for stepping on-board as a follower - I am most appreciative.
Evelyn.. thank you for your faithfulness in not only being a "follower" but in also posting your insightful messages. Your support, as that of all, is greatly appreciated.
I'm not a genealogy blogger, but I followed a link left by Evelyn in a comment elsewhere in the Festival of Postcards. It's an interesting subject, that of Followers. I must say I find I have quite a number of "spammy" followers, and for the most part I have no idea where they came from.
I have regular commenters who don't follow and Followers who don't comment. There is an overlap but not as much as I had thought.
Hi Sheila,
What you say is true and I know it is the same on my blog.
Thank you for your comment!
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