Sunday, September 12, 2010

Lonely for comments...

So I know people come by, and that we're all very busy and all... So... who are all of you who frequent my blog and never comment? I'm not a news agency, you know?! A simple "hello there" would be dandy.
I'm not looking fo' yo' money, nor your admiration... just a little love. Let me know your thoughts sometime, otherwise I might just shut this whole thing down...!
I don't have facebook, and don't you make me have to get on there...! I'll never forgive myself. I'm already addicted enough to the computer! Geez. What a mad world we live in...
Also, while I have you here, I'd like to ask, what do you think blogger etiquette is? I know there is facebook etiquette...but what about blogger?!?!
Hello??

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Manuela ~ Long time no see. I have been absent (I mean really) for a long time and have been blogging some for the last couple of years since my divorce. I have no finally rediscovered who I am and have started writing regularly again. I miss the old gang and have followed most in my absence.

I am glad that I have found your voice again and I am happy to be the first to share a little love wit you!!

Hope all is well with you.

Erin said...

I'll give you some comment love! I think things have really slowed down around the blogs these days...almost everyone I know is experiencing it.

As for etiquette, what do you mean? For posting? For comments? For links?

Manuela said...

hey Mike! Long time!
Nice to hear you here!!!
Thanks for being the first to share a little love :D Will swing by your place and read your latest soon. love-

Hi Erin,
nice to hear from you always. I'm so glad I found you in blogland via Sue I believe...
I was wondering about comment/ feedback etiquette. For instance, is it "fine" to always read people's blog on a feed and not ever comment/say anything...? It doesn't feel right for me to do that, so I don't for the most part. But I'm not overly distracted by a million people's pages on the web (as many folks are with maintaining a gazillion sites/ pages, as with facebook, twitter, etc.) I guess my opinion is that many just get spread too thin online and then neglect other stuff...? This is why I have avoided facebook and twitter- knowing myself.... But I may be off my rocker. What are your thoughts? As it is, I, myself can get very easily distracted... and do! Hope this makes some sense.

Sue said...

Hey honey,

Blogger etiquette? I don't really know. I feel sort of uncomfortable with that term, somehow :)

My partner and I were having a conversation about blogging the other day. He struggles with thinking it is terribly self-indulgent, with people just slapping each other on the back in the comments section. I occasionally feel that cynical about it, but on the other hand I love the cameraderie and interaction of blogging, the platform it provides to write and express ourselves.

I don't really subscribe to the whole etiquette thing though. I mean, who decides what the rules are? But I do very much understand the discomfort that comes with people reading and not commenting, especially if the words you have written come from a place of vulnerability. I think that is both the positive and the negative about the internet, somehow.

Hugs to you, chicky

Aida said...

Hey Manuela. You know I'm still around and I pop in occasionally. i do check in every few days to see if you've made any new posts. I love your blog so don't even think about shutting it down.

As for blogger etiquette, I know there are people who read my blogs but don't comment. I don't let it bother me because I know there are various reasons why people don't comment. I think temperament has something to do with it so I don't consider it bad manners.

Manuela said...

Thanks for your feedback, Sue. "Etiquette" may not be the right word. I don't mean rigid rules...just what I was trying to articulate in response to Erin (above)...Maybe a better word is "courtesy," but I don't mean, fake, flattering comments by that! ugh. I mean genuine feedback/ disagreements/ whatever, to keep the conversation and "comradery" going, as you mentioned : ). In a way, I think blogger requires a little more commitment (and substance) than facebook. I'd like to think of it that way. But that's a whole other thing, and I'm sure it's not the way everyone views blogger. That's why I was wondering what blogger "etiquette" was. I was also wondering what the purpose of it is/ was (although I know it can serve many purposes, good and bad). So probably "etiquette" is not the best word, as I'm sure it can evoke really bad connotations for some people. (I just read the wikipedia entry on "etiquette"-- very interesting... I really agreed with this: "Etiquette may be wielded as a social weapon. The outward adoption of the superficial mannerisms of an in-group, in the interests of social advancement rather than a concern for others, is considered by many a form of snobbery, lacking in virtue." In this context, snobby and stifling for sure....

Manuela said...

Aida! thanks for your encouragement. Good point about the differences in people's temperaments, and motivations, etc.
But I still don't like it when it gets too quiet for too long.... I'm not a mind reader. We were given communication tools (speaking, writing, etc) to communicate...and communication is a two way street. It feels creepy when it's only one sided.

Sue said...

Yep, okay, I get where you're coming from better now.

I agree, blogging takes much more commitment than Facebook :)

Mike said...

I don't think there is such a thing as etiquette. Unless I am surfing, I read most of my blogs through Google reader. Then if it is something that i want to comment on, I will go directly to the blog. The reader is sometimes a little less personal but as a management tool, it is a must in my world.

Then occasionally, I like to drop in and say HI.

Aida said...

Manuela, I understand what you mean and what encourages me is the occasional email I get from people telling me they’re reading my blog and being encouraged. What bother me is the loss of camaraderie we once had as bloggers. I felt like we had grown into a family and now that everyone has migrated to Facebook, I feel like I’ve lost a lot of friends. The daily updates on Facebook aren’t as intimate as blogging in my opinion and I miss the interaction we once had.

It just seems that life in general has gotten less personal and mega-groups like Facebook and Twitter are just part of that trend. I have made a few authentic new friends through Facebook so it’s not totally a washout but, like you, I miss my blogging buddies. However, seasons change and life goes on but I’m glad for you and my few friends who are still blogging. I think even in their silence, we’re affecting lives so I press on.

Thanks for sharing your heart. You are touching lives. Love you.

Manuela said...

THANK YOU for your feedback, friends :D

Mike, I understand what you are saying... I find reader to be a pretty handy tool also

Sue, :)

Aida, I really concur with everything you've expressed. Thank you so much for sharing openly :) It's nice to know I'm not alone in my observations/ feelings. love and hugs

Sunny li said...

Jude 21 says "Keep yourself in the love of God". That means "keep yourself in the conscious enjoyment of God's love for you". God loves all of us. But not all of us "enjoy" that love or aware of that love for us. Our growth in God are growth in that love, we don't grow in getting God love us more but in understanding how much God loves us as we rooted and grounded in His love.The more we experience His love the more you will grow as a Christian. You don't struggle in growing up.

Manuela said...

hello Sunny- thank you for speaking and sharing that encouragement. It's a good reminder...

introvertgirl said...

Manuela I hear you. I am glad you're getting comments from your friends here. I get few comments either. I don't 'advertise' my blog on facebook, so that's part of the reason why. I don't like facebook, it's too impersonal and feels like a privacy violation. Although I have an account I share very little... Please keep it up, I'm glad to have a few blogging buddies left...

Kel said...

blame it on the book
facebook that is

people have learnt they can see what everyone is up to without having to comment or in my terminology "actually invest in a relationship of depth"

fb is all surface level, from my experience people don't even like to use the private message options there, but prefer to blurt out everything on the "walls" (which most people don't know how to set up for restricted viewing, so it's a pretty public place!)

it really should be could faceless book - people hide behind it, saying they feel all connected, but in reality its mostly about social snooping and pretending to invest in relationships with as minimal work as possible - and the levels of ADD rise around the globe...

the glory days of blogging are over
even bloglines is closing down :(

oops, i'm ranting
that's probably not nice blog etiquette, taking over someone else's post to rant about something one feels strongly about

:-)

Manuela said...

rant away, Kel. I hear you and concur much... Probably having ADD is more of a norm now. I saw a scientific study once on TV (on PBS) about how we weren't made to handle much multi-tasking well- not on the computer or technological devices, and thus not anywhere. They proved it- how performance and quality diminished to a great extent. None of the subjects believed it( being young savvy tech students, VERY proficient in all social networks, texting, etc, and claiming to be great at them all, "simultaneously" ) until the results came..! Their brain scans revealed that their metal performance was greatly disrupted/ disturbed...

I know as a mother in this day and age my mental performance is disrupted and disturbed, though! I want to be a turtle but I often can't. In many ways I'm a "speed" junkie and then I crash and have no choice but to return to turtlehood : ) I'm praying for more balance and am finding grace in the mess and learning.
Man, this is a whole new post!! Thanks for your comments

Manuela said...

Delete
Blogger Manuela said...

JUST TO CLARIFY- even though I do struggle with going too fast at times, I still go way slower than most people I know. I avoid many traps- like online social networks or signing up my daughter to too many activities...I lay low as much as I can, but it's still hard because of the way our culture is-- traffic and congestion everywhere... until you flee to a quiet place, a place full of natural beauty, or you close your eyes to breathe deep and just reflect.
Then, if I have to run kind of fast, at least I'm ready to

Kel said...

we all struggle with it at our own level :)
over the past several years i made major changes in my life that allowed for more spaciousness - but there are still times when i get sucked back into the vortex

Sue said...

I can *feel* how diminished my concentration levels are now. I love the computer but I am having to restrict my use on it because I come away feeling just totally scattered. Scary stuff, really.

Manuela said...

Sue,
I know... I'm needing to restrict my use more I think. It's just too much sometimes...