MOTIVES FOR BLOGGING

 

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There can be little doubt that fundamental reasons for blogging differ widely.  There seem to be some main categories, though:

(1)         Those who blog mainly to be entertained by others;

(2)         Those who blog mainly to be read by others;

(3)         Those who blog mainly to have contact with others.

The first category will provide those anonymous ‘hits’ one sees, with no ‘likes’, ‘follows’ or comments in evidence.  They aren’t making any real attempt to attract visitors themselves. 

Bloggers in (2) do little reading of other blogs.  They may or may not respond to comments on their own posts, but seldom – if ever – leave any on those of others.  When you ‘follow’ them, even though they seem to be like-minded people they don’t ‘follow’ you back.  Some of them simply slave away (producing, often, quite exceptional content) but seem to hope that some natural law of attraction will draw people to them.  Sometimes this actually does happen, of course.  Also, it can happen that a successful blogger may have every desire to read other blogs and interact, but if one has thousands of followers it is impossible to return visits by all of them, so the easiest way out is to stop almost completely. 
There is a sub-category, here, of those who flash around scattering ‘likes’ like confetti in the hopes of attracting followers, but where one can tell they probably never actually read the posts they profess to like.

Category (3)  has those who do a lot of visits and comments, and enjoy the occasional back-and-forth in the latter.  They post mainly to attract people they can chat to.  For them, the blogs are a kind of Facebook, but of a subtly different, more enduring, nature.

I think I am a mixture of all three.  I definitely enjoy reading the output of the talented writers here, or looking at their wonderful pictures, or listening to their music.  However, I am also eager for people to do the same with what I post.  In addition, I find it stimulating to have an exchange of comments.

Therefore, as a follow up to what I posted here, I think I should concentrate on other ‘3-way’ people.  I have stopped leaving any signs on blogs where I used to comment freely but never had any evidence of return visits.  Now I simply continue reading them anonymously where I like them enough.   It has occurred to me to explain my stance to these favourites in a ‘form comment’ as follows:

 Notice: Though I visit here,
Proof no longer will appear;
Now I ‘like’ or comment when
I can see, just now and then,
That my visits have created
Signs they are reciprocated. 

Or, do you think I should simply ‘fold my tent like the Arabs, and as silently steal away’?

© Colonialist May 2013 (WordPress)