I am curious about people who follow
blogs yet never make themselves known? I see new photos appearing on my
followers list but all they reveal is the person’s name. The fact that their
name and photograph appears on my blog means they have decided to follow me.
Occasionally I have tried to find their blogs but they don’t seem to have them,
so unless they leave a comment I can’t find them. I can find all the other
blogs they visit but don’t see their names there either.
If I want to join a blog I am obliged
to give name and details. That’s fine. After all the blog owner should know who
has joined his or her readers list. Sadly, this information is not for the blog owner, it's for Google!
What I can’t understand is why folk
become followers without knowing anything about the one they are following,
after all it is not just a blog they are following, it’s a real person who
writes and organises it. It would be easier to pop in for a read without
bothering to join the ‘followers’ list. A bit like silent stalking, they’re
there but we can’t see them.
~~~Waving to
anyone who reads this without giving a name~~~
A lot of the ‘new faces’ belong
to advertisers; again, I can't see why they bother when we can’t get in touch
with them if we want to.
Has anyone else noticed/experienced
this?
Once upon a time I had a lot of
anonymous visitors, which was even more frustrating, but after one particularly
bad experience with someone who preferred to insult and criticise without
giving a name, I opted for comment moderation. It worked.
Meanwhile, here's a message for my regular visitors:
 |
| I love you all! |
I have quite a few followers that I know nothing about. If I follow a blog I always comment too so they know who I am. I have a few people who comment that don't have blogs, so I'm very touched that they bother to comment on mine. I have comment moderation too as I had a follower who turned nasty and started leaving unpleasant comments, but that was several years ago. but I've kept the moderation setting on, as it seems safer.
ReplyDeleteYes Joe, I've had people who are in 'Circles', which I can't fathom out, so I have been unable to visit. I do as you do, make myself known when I visit a blog.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic, Valerie! Over the years I have found that the whole landscape of blogging has drastically changed. It used to be more interactive in the way of commenting within the post. Blogging seems to have turned into more like reading a newspaper. Blogging has become less intimate.
ReplyDeleteWhat I've gotten lately are people who have signed up to follow my blog but choose to respond to my posts by way of email. Which is fine, if that's what they feel more comfortable going.
I use Disqus commenting format, which provides incredible spam filtering and comment moderation. I very seldom get spam (advertizing), but when I do...Disqus holds it in a spam vault until I delete it.
To be honest, I've cut my blogging time drastically over the past two years because I was spending too much time online. I've steamlined the amount of blogs I follow to the people who have been blogging with me the longest and are the most loyal.
And you do know what? I like it much better that way because it's quality blogging, not quantity.
Thank YOU for being one of those people, I really appreciate that, dear friend!
Have a faaaabulous weekend!
X
Good morning Valerie, I always comment when I follow a blog, and the only reason I don't comment every time you post will be that something is going on around here to keep me offline temporarily.
ReplyDeleteI really see no reason for someone to insult or to leave nasty comments, if I don't agree with a post I simply do not comment.
I also have a few followers that never comment, and also one that I am surprised to see still commenting everywhere but on mine, makes me wonder what happened. There are also those that leave links to places we wouldn't advertise in the first place, this has been a problem as of late, making comment moderation a good idea.
I have had around 50 followers by way of email for years. Most of them are friends and family. In the last two months I have gone to 700 email followers and it increases by 4 or 5 a day. Everyone is a Hispanic name followed by some random letters and all are outlook.com addresses. TO receive the email of posts you have to sign up and then respond to a verification prompt so I don't think this is a "Bot" thing, but it is very strange. If I google the addresses I get no hits which is also very unusual. I doubt these new readers are real, but it none of it makes any sense.
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoy stopping by and reading your blog, have a beautiful weekend.
ReplyDeleteJoe, it is dreadful that people want to spoil things for us. Thank goodness we can block them out.
ReplyDeleteSame here Val. I have tried to return the favor only to be unable to because there is no link back. I don't mind lurkers because a lot of them are family members. None of them have blogs and I have only once or twice had an anonymous comment from them, except that they did sign their name. Spammers are there too but since someone told me to change my setting, I rarely get those now. Of course a few slip through. As for followers, I think you can block them somehow, though I have never tried and don't know too much how too, yet.
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon, Ron. Blogging sure has changed. I am fortunate in having made some good blogging friends though, as have you.
ReplyDeleteHere's a tale I forgot to tell so I'm telling it now. I do have a happy memory of a guy who insulted me - not happy with him but with my blogging friends who went to his blog and verbally laid into him. I wonder if that would happen now?
Like you, I gave up the once a day style of blogging and mainly keep it to once a week. It's enough. Every day blogging gets to be compulsory and less enjoyable because of that feeling we should to do it.
Thank you, too, dear friend.
Good afternoon, Jimmy. Like you, if I don't agree with something I read on a post I just say nothing and go away. Fortunately it doesn't happen often.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me curious, too, when I see someone's name elsewhere yet never on mine, even though they once were regular commentators. It does make me wonder why. Perhaps they just got bored with our styles.
Joeh, what is happening to you makes me curious. I hope you find the answer and, of course, let us know. Yes, curiosity did kill the cat!
ReplyDeleteJanet, I am glad you visit and enjoy what I write.
ReplyDeleteI have, long ago, decided not to worry about the what makes the blogging community tick. Some visit, join, and never comment or just comment once - I believe these people join just to have me reciprocate. If they have an interesting blog, I will read, if not, I give up after a while.
ReplyDeleteI like your blog and stories. Like you, I'm trying to cut down on my posts, but sometimes, I just have to blab. Haha.
Sharon, you are right in your assessment that some people look in in order to gain followers. Okay I suppose, but usually those do 'speak' whereas the ones I dislike are the ones who sign on to follow and then do nothing. It would be easier for them to just look in without signing on as a follower.
ReplyDeleteAdvertisers, that's who they are. Blogger has got better at spotting spammers in the comments section but it has done very little to stop the ones in the followers section.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
I have the same experience as Joeh, where my feedburner shows over 600 email subscribers! But the majority of them are nonsense letters followed by outlook.com addresses. I'm convinced those are likely computer generated.
ReplyDeleteBut for the dear readers who do follow our blogs, I am so grateful. To connect across the world with others who care is just an amazing blessing.
I have a "tracker" that tells me where visitors come from. I'm not sure who I know in California, but they check in regularly. I also get lots of visitors from overseas! Most of they blogs I follow are long gone now. they either stopped blogging themselves or no longer leave comments. But I do like it when people check out my latest postings.
ReplyDelete(Oh, And I guess I'm guilty of "stalking in silence". Most of the time I simply read a look at pics but have very little to comment on. Is that bad?)
Ethan, regarding your last sentence. No it isn't bad, if you have nothing to say it's no good inventing something for the sake of it. However, an occasional comment would probably be appreciated, maybe just a brief hello.
ReplyDeleteCarol, I couldn't cope with that many. 600? wow. My email system (Google) must be completely different to yours - and by the sound of it 'thank goodness'. I don't get any notifications about numbers.
ReplyDeleteAlso like you, I value my blogging friends very much.
Denise, I had to change my system and since then have had no more trouble with offensive messages. It doesn't stop people becoming followers or leaving comments so I can't understand why they bother if they don't want to say anything.
ReplyDeleteHi Cuban, and welcome back. I thought it might be advertisers but would they bother actually to follow that blog?
ReplyDeleteI like to follow a blog that's well written. I prefer to read a blog than to do my own although I don't know why that is. The funnier a blog is, the better. A lot of thought goes into it then and I appreciate it more.
ReplyDeleteTreey, I try to write with a certain amount of humour. It depends on the subject matter, of course.
ReplyDeleteI don't think i have many followers. I am not very good at reading statistics and stuff but i think my visitor numbers have gone up. But getting people to comment? I envy all of you who seem to manage it so much better.
ReplyDeleteHello Liz, thanks for popping in. Oh dear, don't you have any comments at all? I tried to find your blog, but without success. Will have another go.
ReplyDeleteI see my stats and know I have so many visitors but only the same few people comment. My circle of regulars has gotten smaller over the years but I guess that's what makes them more special. They feel like old friends :)
ReplyDeleteAgree, Kden, about the friends. About the stats though, where on earth are they? I guess all servers are different.
ReplyDeleteIt seems eblog changed the following scheme a few years ago. You could click on the picture and it would take you to their blog. Now its useless....
ReplyDeleteI agree, TB.
ReplyDeleteI also get confused, Valerie, when I see that X number of people are "followers" of our blog, yet some haver never left a comment. Then other times there will be a comment from someone who has not commented in a long time. Thankfully, I don't get a lot of spam or unwanted comments, but do not hesitate to delete any that have been left. And, like yourself, I have changed my posting to much less than when we first started the blog. Back then, Grenville (husband Patrick) did a lot more posting, but lately it has become mainly my blog although he does contribute to some posts, especially the food ones!
ReplyDeleteI have quite a few Google followers who don't comment at my blog, at least not that I'm aware of. But I do average 500-600 visitors a day at MRLR so I'm pretty happy with that. If I like a blog, I always comment.😂😂
ReplyDeleteBeatrice, our servers must operate in different ways because I have no idea how to check on visitors, unless they theselves leave a comment.
ReplyDeleteGeraldine, I have no idea how many visitors I get in a day.... I don't seem to have a facility to check it.
ReplyDelete