Friday 13 June 2014

Joy in June - Aquilegias and Some Additional Blogging Thoughts

This aquilegia flower is adding a bit of joy to my garden at the moment.  I planted a collection of perennials last year not knowing what they were going to look like.  The first lot of aquilegias to bloom were yellow and then I started to get these ones with peach coloured outer petals.  Very pretty!

Now for a change of subject.  I have been thinking about blogging again recently and why I do it.

  • I have written 673 posts at Linden Grove over  6 years.
  • The most viewed  post was Fabric Flower Power where I showed some fabric brooches I had made.  I got 359 views and 13 comments.  I think people probably go searching for Richard Jackson's Flower Power plant food and end up here by accident!
  • Another popular post was Jam Splats.  I got 325 views and 15 comments.
  • I am beginning to wonder how else I could have used my time over the last 6 years.  In addition to devoting time blogging myself I spend ages reading and commenting on other peoples posts.  Some people never visit no matter how many times you leave a comment on their posts - aren't they even a tiny bit curious about the commenter?
  • It is mentally draining to put on a 'joyful' face when all you really want to do is scream and tell your readers what a s**t time you are having and can't keep up with the pretence any longer.  However, as most bloggers don't want to offend and want to please those who take the time and trouble to visit and leave a comment, we tend to refrain from doing so.
  • I seemed to have reached a stalemate with my blog.  I have seen other bloggers capitalise on their blogs by offering e-books.  I once purchased one by a  lady who used to leave me lovely positive comments.  After I had purchased her book she never visited here again!
  • Some bloggers ask for a small donation for a 'cup of coffee' if you have found their tutorials useful.
  • Many more bloggers have had success with commissions, craft fairs, teaching, books, features in magazines etc.  I have seen their names pop up on social media.  They are very good at networking.  They no longer comment on this blog.
  • In life I often feel as though I am taken for granted.  Maybe this negative aspect of myself has spilled over into this blog.  Well, I know it has.  I go about my daily business quietly trying not to tread on anyones toes.  I am just here.
  • Fewer posts, better quality.  Maybe that will spark an interest again.

18 comments:

  1. There are so many different types of bloggers out there. People blog for many different reasons. Some do it just as a diary and some do it as a deliberate move towards building up a business. Lots of things in your post to think about.
    Lisa x

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  2. I have to agree with you on many of your points Simone, I too get quite disillusioned with blogging myself sometimes.
    I believe blogging to be a two way thing but with many blogs it isn't. I actually read a post from a blogger once about how she always contacted her commenters either by email or by returning a comment or by replying on the comment left, I had to laugh I had left her a number of comments and she completely ignored me, I wasn't in her little 'circle' !! I don't comment any more.
    I also don't like the 'buy me a coffee' thing, either give your work away or sell it but don't beg please, donate buttons should be for charitable causes only!
    Phew sorry Simone for the little rant but thank you for letting me get some things off my chest! :)
    On a lighter note your aquilegia is beautiful, I do love them!
    V x

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  3. I think we all get fed up with blogging some times, I know I do. I then take a break, maybe a week or a fortnight and then come back. It's usually due to me feeling grumpy and not the blog at all.
    I often wonder whether to blog about feeling down in the dumps but think like you that others really don't want to know about it so try to keep it light.
    I often wonder if I stopped commenting on other blogs altogether if I would get any myself but really I usually do it to show what I have made or something that amuses me and might amuse others.
    Don't give up, just do it when you fell like it.
    Hugs
    Briony
    xx

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  4. Like you I feel I'm struggling to be light and bright and cheerfully positive at the moment. I've been blogging since 2005 so 10 years next year and I'm sure I must repeat myself many times but then I have only a few readers and commenters like yourself who have been with me all almost all the way most others come and go. I always enjoy your posts, Simone and look forward to reading many more from you, I hope:)

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  5. I think that many bloggers reach a point when they have said anything they have to say of real interest and then perhaps they either do it simpoly for themselves or give up altogether. I think that as there is no etiquette to blogging we are all floundering here. I guess what it all boils down to is that we post for our own reasons - for me I find it handy to be able to look back on when I did this or that. I have often thought of giving up or starting afresh with another blog which allows no comments as then I would really be doing it for myself but somehow I don't do it! It's lovely to see what people think of what we write and yet it is so time consuming to stop and write comments all the time especially if one receives a fair number of comments. Maybe we should look on our posts like an author of books who doesn't write to all their readers but nonetheless enjoys knowing that they are reading the book? Wouldn't it be great if we could all get together over a cup of te and actually discuss this blogging thing?

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  6. I just think of it as sharing a bit of fun and still get excited when I get a comment (especially when it rhymes!)but then I've only been here 2 years...you deserve a long service award! Give yourself a well earned rest but don't give up.
    Just off to check out Fabric Flower Power... sorry too hot to rhyme, next time! XX

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  7. Don't worry Simone, I hardly get any comments either! I'm also guilty of not leaving comments on blogs I visit, I always visit yours but rarely say anything, sorry! As to why I still blog, I did once have hopes of being popular but now it's a photo diary. It's on-line because I appreciate the comments I do get, and it does make me try to focus on positive things. I like to look back on it and am glad I took the time to make a record of things even though they're of no real importance to others. I also think blogging is no longer the in-thing for many who have now moved on.

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  8. Such a pretty aquilegia. Mine finished flowering a couple of weeks ago and I've been trying to deadhead them now to stop them self seeding too much. Yes, we all get a bit jaded in the blogging word, well, most of us. It's not just you. Sometimes when my mood is low, I will read a blog but seem unable to comment or interact. Highs and lows, we all get them, I think.

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  9. I think the exercise of seeking joy is most necessary when joy is most lacking, when you feel the least like seeking it. Often our inner darkness cloaks too successfully all the tiny beauties.
    This columbine is a stunning example of how beautiful your photography is. Sharing these on your blog makes all of our lives richer.
    thanks.

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  10. I'm so glad you're here:)
    Just want to say how much I appreciate the beauty that you
    are and share. Your voice is unique and wonderful and worthy of being heard. I hear you:)
    Cheering wildly in your corner,
    Jennifer

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  11. Lovely aquilegia, such pretty colours! I like visiting your blog, Simone, and I like your photographs very much (and the delicious things you bake!) Everyone's blog 'voice' is different, and each person blogs in their own way...or should do. I know some people never comment or visit, but to me that is part of the two way traffic of blogging. Btw, I love the interesting comments your leave on my posts, they are always a real pleasure to read.
    (Must make a note now to buy some new aquilegias in different colours, like yours!)
    Hope you have a happy sunny week and enjoy your lovely garden.
    Helen xox

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  12. I know of several bloggers who felt that they had become stale and uninteresting. They took breaks and came back full of the joys of spring.

    Although I don't have a blog, I do read a lot and comment quite a bit too, except, I feel that, as a commentor, I have become stale and samey so I have been taking breaks too and hope to come back fresh as a daisy.

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  13. Comments on blogs used to be far more important to me than they are now. I spent a lot of energy commenting (and had great relationships with lots of commenters in return), but real life caught up - there simply isn't time to do it all. I think the secret is not to feel bitter about it, because otherwise you end up resenting the time you put into creating your own blog and the alleged ingratitude of those who read it without commenting.

    Now I am clearer of the purpose of my blog for me - a visual journal and aide memoir. I do it for myself. If others take pleasure in it, that's great. If they'd like to comment, that's lovely too, but I have moved away from using comments as a barometer of my worth. Because that way madness lies. It's really not personal.

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  14. Hi Ali! I thought this post may provoke a reaction or two! I am not bitter about the lack of comments on my blog. I am one of life's observers and merely state the facts of what I have observed. Saying that, I do love it when people leave comments, as for me, it makes me feel as I have made a connection with the reader. One of the problems with blogging is that we may be misunderstood. Readers will never know if I have a twinkle in my eye or if I am saying something tongue in cheek unless I actually state it. I am glad you are still blogging Ali. You are one of the originals!!!

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  15. I always enjoy your blog posts, Simone - varied, interesting and visually pleasing! I myself seem to get only a handful of comments, but I am told by friends and a couple of relatives that they, also, check out my posts. I don't really mind, as I get joy out of writing my blog, sharing my artwork and seeing the final result on the internet. Sometimes I get distracted by Facebook and Pinterest so I may not keep up with friends' blogs every day. But you are on my "favorites" list and I always love it when I do come to visit.xx

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  16. Hi, Simone, I am glad that you decided to focus on joy for the month of June and I agree that it can sometimes be difficult. I had a spate of frustrating things happen over a few days this month and I did get the urge to tally them all up. How satisfying it is, sometimes to collect up miseries (even tiny ones) and spend a little time wallowing in them. Yes, I do that on occasion. But the thing to remember is that every day is made up of both joys AND miseries and it's up to us to decide which we want to spend our effort on and which we want to share with others. Personally, I'd much rather spend time with joy and share joy with others.

    Blogging is such a strange thing. I often wonder about it. There are so many blogs out there. So many different types of blogging. So many different reasons for blogging. It's easy to get bogged down in wondering why we don't have more readers or commenters or why some blogs become so popular and others don't. I guess we, as bloggers, need to decide why it is that we blog and stick with that. It is sad when we think we've made connections with someone and then that person just disappears, but that is the nature of the internet. It's hard not to get emotionally entwined with our blogs and blogging, but if it's bringing us down I think we need to take a step back.

    Your columbine flower is so pretty. I'm wishing I had some in my garden, but I think I feel that way whenever I see a flower that I don't yet grow!

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  17. Aqualegias take over my garden in late spring - and they've all arrived by themselves and mixed themselves up! We call them grannies' bonnets!

    Well, I agree with everything that's been written by you and all the commenters above. I'm sure all bloggers get disheartened occasionally - wondering why on earth we make the effort to keep on blogging. There is so much else to do. However I decided long ago that I blog for myself - as a diary/record of things I've made, places I've been and anything I want to remember - so if lovely people like you take the time to comment its a real boost.

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  18. just popping by to let you know (since I looked and couldn't find your e-mail...sorry) that I drew your name in the giveaway I had over at my little place and have a happy little package ready to mail to you. If you can pop over to my email and leave me your snail mail address, I'll send it on it's merry way to you:)
    thanks, Simone,
    Jennifer

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