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Monday, 1 April 2013

Bloggers... do you care about followers? I do!

The funny thing is I first titled this post "Blogging... things I have learned and how to promote yourself" and I think you will see it has turned it to something completely different. A post full of positivety, I hope :-)

I have seen a lot of bloggers say that they don't care how many people read their blog or how many followers that they have. And maybe they don't but, Well the truth is I do care... there I said it. I care. If my hit counter says 1 or 100 it does affect me. 

I started my blog like all others talking (or typing rather) and not knowing who if anybody was listening. I waited and waited hoping to login and see a comment from somebody, anybody just so that I would know I wasn't alone. It took months until I got my first one and even then it was more of a link bump than a 'real comment'.  But I had to keep going, some of these words I just had to get out. I needed to focus on something else for a while, something away from my 'real life' and do you know what it helped, it was a distraction and I believe blogging is really helping me get through one of the toughest times in my life. 

It isn't blogging alone getting me through, but the community. Having something in common with all of these other people. I have always found it very difficult to make friends and I think as you get older it becomes more so. Bloggers are supportive, helpful and caring towards each other. Put up a post saying that you are feeling down and no doubt you will have many comments wishing you well. Put up a post saying that you are happy sharing some good news and no doubt you will have comments congratulating you on your happiness.  It is this support from other bloggers that is so special.

Reading about problems others are facing which I can relate to helps me so much too. It gives me courage to share my own story and opinions. It makes me feel like I am not alone. And being lonely is the worst feeling in the world to me.


I have always been shy about sharing my true feelings and opinions.  I didn't want to be singled out or to be seen as 'different' if I gave my opinion, I was afraid of what people would think of me. I so badly wanted to fit in and at the same time I wanted to be special, different (I think this is something that caused me a lot of problems... but thats another story for a different day). 

Blogging has opened me up. It is making me less afraid of telling the truth and saying my own opinions. Hell if I can announce them to the bloggosphere for anyone to read.  Surely I can speak up if I don't like carrots (I do by the way).

So if I am sharing all this with the interweb then I do hope that somebody else is reading and that maybe just maybe some of the things I have shared might help them too.




The thing is that anybody can be a blogger no matter who you are or where. As long as you have internet access and a computer device, the blogging world is your oyster. There are blogs about beauty, animals, fences, farms and food. So if you have an interest there will be a blog about it. This is what makes it so special. You really can find others who care and share about the same things you do.

So that is the truth, I do care if others are reading my blog, and I am not ashamed to admit it. I want them to read and comment and communicate with me via instagram and twitter. It makes me happy.

So thank you blogging for giving me so much. It may sound cheesy but its true and that is my opinion :-)





It would be lovely to hear how blogging has helped or not hepled you...

love




35 comments:

  1. Blogging has taught me that there is nothing wrong with who I am, we're all different but the same.

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  2. how lovely! :) I ilke that honesty - I care too and people seem to be ashamed to say that. I love blogging for everything else about it, and would still do it whether or not I had any followers, but having some does make it feel like you're talking to someone.

    Lovely post!

    xxxxx

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    1. Thanks for your comment Lauren. It is nice to know there are others listening x

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  3. I love having followers and love sharing my experiences with people. I feel tho if I only had a few it wouldn't bother me as I would still be doing it for the right reasons! I do love having people on my journey and love being a part of others! Xx

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    1. That is such a lovely way to put it "I do love having people on my journey and love being a part of others! Xx" well said x

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  4. This post really has made me smile! As someone fairly new to blogging I know these feelings of looking on blogger and seeing that your view count has gone up, when I get into double figures I have an inward cheer!

    Blogging has been like an online diary to me so far along with some reviews and that but it feels so much better when you know others are looking at and maybe agreeing with what you have to say

    Great inspirational post here! xo

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    1. Thanks Hannah!! Oh yes I know that inward cheer... even better have an outward one and when somebody asks, "what what?" You say "ooh I have 2 new followers hooray"! And they go 'ehhh what'? :-) x

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  5. I completely agree with this, everytime i see a new follower i get a little flutter of excitement! When im away from home at uni most of my friends and flatmates are boys, so when im feeling a bit lonely and need some girly interaction this is the first place i come where you can find endless people with the same interests, and when someone comments and looks as though they care about what you have to say it gives you a little lift ! xx

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    1. This is so true Bex... boys and beauty do not mix!! We are all here waiting for the next beauty chat :-)

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  6. I love blogging and I care if people read my blog too... in the beginning I wrote to give myself a voice after my ex husband raped me... today I write because I love to write and I feel the need to write. Blogging has helped me so much, I can see from my early blogging how much I have opened up since then.

    I love your blog :)

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    1. Hi Launna, I always look forward to reading your comments. I am sorry to hear about what happened to you and I am grateful that you are here to tell your story. Thank you for your honesty you are a gem lots of love xxx

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  7. What a lovely post. Blogging is also my outlet to express my opinions. I get excited everytime my followers comment on my posts.

    I am Jenniya

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    1. Jenniya... so true, I got very excited when I saw the comments on this post :-) x

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  8. I loved this post, it's very inspiring and I completely agree with everything you've said. I remember my first time blogging.. Had no idea whether anyone would read my posts let alone where to begin. Though I haven't been blogging for long but it really makes my day when someone acknowledges something I've shared and take a little bit of their time to read.

    dreamdustx | Urban Decay Giveaway

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    1. Thanks for your post lovely. I think it is funny looking back at my old posts and remembering exactly what you are describing :-) I will make sure I take a look at your blog x

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  9. Such a lovely post! Blogging has helped me stay sane during tough uni times.
    Giving me a little restbite between revision and endless essays!

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    1. Thank the internet for blogging... what ever did we do before we had it?

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  11. Blogging is relatively new to me, I started my blog in February although I did really start about 14 years ago with livejournal I gave that up about 7 years ago.

    My current blog I set up just to help myself, I started one last year after my first hospital procedure, I was getting better and going through my wardrobe, I wanted to have an online record of the clothes - this has really fallen to the wayside as I'm not able to move about that much so I set up the current blog to keep myself sane, I've been off work ill for months I'd only been back for a few months after being off previously, I don't know when I'll be back in work as I'm awaiting an operation to remove part of my kidney so blogging is just something to keep me sane. I don't really go into my illness on the blog it mainly started as nail varnish and expanded to general beauty, I'm sure it may expand although I never expected to make my blog general like my livejournal, I wanted there to be some kind of focus.

    I try and make sure I make regular posts and focus on what I'm going to blog about so I have some kind of structure to my day but because of the medication I can't always be too sure - I can be bedbound for days or up all night.

    I do feel a bit out of the pack, like an outsider, at 31 I'm not old but I do feel like I've missed out. I think I truly did start the blog not caring about who read but as soon as I'd published the first post I cared. I think because I am cut off from the outside world, apart from hospital visits, I do wish there was someone out there reading and commenting. I only have a couple of months under my belt with this and I enjoy posting whether someone reads or not, but it would be nice.

    As you may have guessed the medication I'm on today makes me rather talkative :/

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    1. Sharon, thank you for your post. I am sorry to hear about your hospital procedures. It sounds like you are a veteran blogger to me with your 7 year live journal, thats amazing! I wonder if my blog will make it to 7!! I hope to see you back on my blog again and I will visit yours... If you ever feel alone... the blogging community is just at the otherside of your computer screen... lots of love x

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    2. Cheers hun, it's amazing how things change if you don't use the internet for a few years, I actually made some real friends using LiveJournal all over the worlds and have met a couple of them. Although I don't think I'm going down that route again I am thinking it would be nice to be more involved again. I'm feeling inspired to delve more into my actual life.

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    3. That sounds like a healthy choice. I feel it it so important to get a good balance between internet life/blogging and the outside world. After all what would be have to blog about if we stopped living!!

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  12. I've been following your blog for about 3months and I just wanted to tell you that I love this post very much! Blogging has really helped me learn a little bit more about me. I'm still a beginner to blogging but I know I like it. And as much as I don't want to admit it, I do care about how many views I get and stuff but catching very few views doesn't get me disheartened. It just makes me want to work harder. :)

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    1. That is lovely Kat. Thank you. I look forward to seeing your blog grow with all your hard work xx

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  13. What a lovely post Ashly! I love seeing the things that make me happy are the same sorts of things that make others happy as well! I mean there's nothing wrong with that new bottle of nail vanish being exciting and it's great to know that you are not the only one out there who feels the same. I'm glad to know that blogging has helped you out and that the comments and interactions make you smile. I know I'm always excited when someone likes, comments, retweets etc on any of my social medias - it gives me a happy glow to know that someone else out there has stopped by one of my pages x

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    1. Well said lovie! And thank you for the comment. I will make sure I stop by your blog xxxx

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  15. This post is so lovely and that is one thing I really want to do and that's to interact with other bloggers and learn about them and there stories. Everyone has their own story which makes them who they are. Blogging has let me believe in my writing and be more confident in posting ideas :) x

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    1. Thanks Olivia. I agree our stories do make us who we are. I hope to see you here again soon and I will check out your blog too x

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  16. I love this post, I'm fairly new to blogging and now love it, its a distraction from some of the more challenging things in life.
    Love your blog
    i've nominated you for the versatile blogger award: http://millyrose-mh.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-versatile-blogger-award.html
    xx

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    1. Thanks Morgan. I will take a look :-) xxx

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  17. You're brave for being so honest. Blogging is pretty new to me and i like how its like having another life in a little place on the internet x

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    1. That is a good way of describing it Mel. Thank you xx

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  18. I really liked this post as like you, I do care about how many people read my blog. I try to tell myself I don't but I am fooling nobody. It is human nature to want to be accepted by others so it was always going to be hard to 'not care'. Anyway, keep up the good work. Your blog is a great read!

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I love reading all your comments :-) contact me on twitter @AshlyLondon I would love to chat with you xxx