The official start of fall is fast approaching, and soon I'll be changing my blog background once again. Change is in the air, and I have some questions I want to ask you. If you have the time to share your responses, they would be much appreciated!
- Do you think I blog too often? I love blogging and perhaps I get carried away sometimes. I don't want you to be overwhelmed by too many posts!
- Do you like organization or do you prefer spur-of-the-moment posts? That is to say, do you prefer when I follow the schedule and do themed weeks, or do you prefer when I just kind of throw in random posts (like this one)? ;)
- Do you have any suggestions for making this blog better? What is it you would like to see more (or less) of?
And this last question is one I would like to send out into the cosmic void, as Meg Ryan said in the movie
You've Got Mail. I know I won't really get any answers for it, but I just would like to ask the question anyway:
- Are there people who read my posts frequently without ever commenting? Are there people I can encourage even if I never hear from them?
Thank you for your time! I would
love to have you stop by every day next week for "Mystery Week," because it's one of those things where you need to read every post in consecutive order. But I won't tell you any more than that! ;)
17 comments:
I think your amount of blogging is perfect :) And I like both the organized posts and the random ones! As far as reading and not commenting, I do that for pretty much every post :P I just don't like commenting all that much.
Ariel,
Thank you so much! I'm glad that I'm not overwhelming you with my amount of posts or anything. ;)
And I completely understand about not commenting! Actually, I think you comment quite often in the scheme of things, which I appreciate. I guess I was just wondering if there are people out there somewhere who are encouraged by my posts even if I never "meet" them.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)
~Amber
I also think your blog is perfect. I LOVE your themed weeks! You're the only one I know does that on a regular basis, but I also really enjoy spur of the moment.
I think you're blog is very encouraging and inspiring. And I'm guessing you have lots of viewers that never comment. There's other blogs I read every post, too, but I've never left a comment.
Have you looked at your stats feature? I didn't know I had it until Casey mentioned it. I bet you have a lot more viewers than you think. :)
I LOVE reading all your posts. I admire your organization, but I like spur-of-the-moment, too. Remember we are all different types of bloggers. These are some of the thing that make your blog, too.
I love your themed weeks and I think that its great that you respond to every comment.
I know what you mean, sometimes I don't have comments. I'm like Bluerose there are blogs I read but don't comment. Yours is one I more often comment on. Everyone's time is limited and someone may be blessed by something more than you know but may be too shy or just not take the time to comment.
And I like your honesty. Seeing it spurs me on to keep openness on my blog more.
You have an engaging way of drawing blog readers in, Amber, so I'm sure you have more reading then are posting. :-) I think you should just set the pace you're comfortable with and we'll fall into step behind you.
Are you getting into the school groove yet? This is my first day back working at the college library and I can't believe how many students are in here on this bright beautiful fall day!
Bluerose,
Thank you so much for your encouragement! I'm glad you enjoy the themed weeks--they are a lot of fun for me, too. :)
And I know what you mean about commenting...there are blogs that I read but just don't take the time to comment on much, even if I was moved by the posts.
Actually, I have recently looked at the stats feature, which was very interesting. ;) I know you and Julia have sent more traffic my way, which I really appreciate! As far as page views, though, it's hard to say because I think it counts how many times *I* look at them, too--and I look at my blog rather frequently. ;)
Either way, I have to remember that what's more important is seeking God's will and letting Him work through me, whether or not I ever see tangible evidence of it all. In fact, because of you and other loyal readers, I see am blessed beyond measure to have as many comments and as much support as I do! Thank you! :)
~Amber
I love your blog just as it is! For someone who isn't the greatest at organizing it does my heart good to see someone who is! I like random posts (as you know from my blog LOL) but well planned themed weeks like yours are fun. Keep at it girl! As Bluerose says, check out a stats counter you wouldn't beleive the number of people who stop by!
XOXO~ Renee
Julia,
Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm so glad you like the balance of the types of posts I write. :) And I'm so glad you like the themed weeks!
Again, I know what you mean about leaving the comments, and perhaps I shouldn't have even brought it up here because it's rather hypocritical of me, since I don't always leave comments on others' blogs. Time is definitely a big factor! But the fact that you take the time to leave comments, even today, means so much to me. :) I know that we can't always comment all the time, but I hope you know how much you've blessed me with your words. Thank you so much!
As far as honesty goes, I'm sure there's much I have to work on there. But I'm so glad you have been encouraged by my posts! :)
~Amber
Kav,
What a compliment! :D Thank you so much!
And as far as setting the pace I'm comfortable with, I appreciate the advice. I guess I was just worried that because I blog perhaps a bit more than most people, people might get annoyed that they always have to play "catch-up" on my blog. But your advice is very good! :)
Boy, a bright and beautiful fall day sounds nice! :) It's not quite that cheery here, and my guess is that most people are still sleeping or getting ready for the day. (I just got out of bed not that long ago.) ;)
Anyway, I think I am starting to get into a groove again. It's a bit hectic with all that I have to think about, but it's good. I love this school, and I am blessed to go here--something I need to remember when I am tempted to complain about homework and such. ;)
Hope your day at work goes well! :D It sounds like a lovely one so far!
~Amber
Renee,
You're so sweet! Thank you for the support, and I am glad that you also like the balance. I love your blog, too, so it's wonderful to hear such compliments from you! :D
I'm glad that everyone seems to enjoy the themed weeks! I confess that I've already been taking a look at the stats counter... ;) It sure is interesting, if nothing else!
Thank you for all your encouragement!
~Amber
Amber,
I know what you mean about honesty. I, too, have so much to work on in so many areas.
I totally agree with writing whatever pace is right for you and the rest of us will enjoy it as we can, too :)
I wanted to comment on the counters. They are a "good" and a "bad" thing in my opinion. I checked mine for the first time in quite a while this week and I think God knew I needed a laugh. I loved that someone searched for me under dark glasses writer. Sounds mysterious :). But I try not to check my stats, tends to cause either discouragement or pride for me. That's just me personally though.
This is a rant, but in a way I wish you could turn off the follower feature. I'm so glad that there are some that appreciate my blog, but I think google/blogger puts too much emphasis on this feature. This is again just my opinion.
BTW, I LOVED your responses...
I agree with Julia about the followers feature, but at the same time I kind of like them, too. I really debated in my contest right now about having the follower feature as an entry. I finally decided that the Non-Christians who follow me might be inspired by a book that I review, and God could lead them from there. I know some of the blogs I've followed and hadn't been back to, I saw a post in the google reader that really inspired or encouraged me. It's tough to know which way to go sometimes. :S I think that has to be one of those follow your heart type things.
And about the stats counting the times you look at your own blog, there's a feature to turn off your own views. When I turned mine off, my counts did drop, so that was discouraging(which proves Julia's comment!), but that's okay. :) The way I look at it is, even if noone ever looks at my blog, it's something great for my family/kid's to know more about me one day. :)
I was gonna say there is a way on Stat Counter to exclude your own visits, but Bluerose beat me to it. :)
Julia, you can hide the GFC widget on your blog too, if that's what you want.
Amber, I think you have your own unique voice and I wouldn't change a thing. I follow hundreds of blogs in my Google Reader and I scroll through them daily. I star the entries I want to come back to, and your posts always get starred. I don't always get to comment, but I do read just about everything you write.
Keep up the good work!
@Joy, Thanks! I actually didn't know that. I'm going to try to do that.
Julia,
I know just what you mean about the "stats" feature! I didn't include one of those "counters" or "number of hits" features, or whatever they're called, on my blog page because I realize my own tendency to become prideful or let it sidetrack me. But now with the "stats" feature on blogger, I can still see it, and I know it's going to be a temptation to look at it all the time. I need to try my best to avoid that! ;)
I also understand where you're coming from with the "follower" feature. I generally like it and it makes me feel good, so to speak, but I know that it really isn't an accurate representation of anything--and it just serves as yet another distraction.
Anyway, I'm glad that you liked the responses! Thank YOU for your responses! :D
~Amber
Bluerose,
Boy, I can really relate to you! :) I think that's a wonderful perspective--that you could have the opportunity to share great books with people who wouldn't normally follow these types of blogs. I think I might have to consider that more in the future. People may follow blogs to get in contests (like I have done before) and then hardly ever come back (like I have done before). ;) But the "followers" feature should probably be more about those people who really do want to follow your posts--and those people will choose to follow your blog whether you are hosting a contest or not. It's a lot to think about!
I actually saw that I could turn off my own views, but it required using a "cookie" and I'm a bit uncertain about using one of those. However, I think my best bet right now would be to simply stop looking so much at the "stats" page! ;) I love the idea that our blogs can be ways for our families and close friends to learn more about us--even if that will most likely happen more in the future.
Thank you so much for sharing your insights!
~Amber
Joy,
I don't know if you realize how much your words mean to me. What an encouragement! Thank you so very much for your comment, and for taking the time to read my posts. :) I hope that the posts are meaningful to you.
Thank you again and again for your kindness!
~Amber
Post a Comment