Saturday Sky DÃa Dos
I lost a reader. Just for a day, but still, I found it distressing.
We all put ourselves out there, both with our words and our works, and we hope that people of like mind will find us interesting and skilled enough to come back and visit again. Many of us watch our bloglines numbers and experience that little (or maybe not so little) thrill as our readership increases. What I wasn't prepared for was the sense of unworthiness when I saw that I had lost a reader.
What had I done? Was I not a skilled enough knitter? Too slow with new posts? Boring projects? Was it a matter of (no, no, never this) uninteresting prose? Had I put too much of myself out there, or not enough (a balance I struggle with repeatedly)?!
Or, as is much more likely since I do it myself, was it that someone looked at their bloglines feeds, realized that reading 100 blogs a day is not exactly considered productive by their employer, and deleted a few who's projects or interests didn't exactly jive with their own?
But oh, the doubt!
So, the heat is on. The pressure is building. There will be knitting content shortly, and I need to post a picture of the Saturday Sky (maybe a sunset shot, since right now it's just a cloudless blue sky) (done). In the mean time, I will share with you something that my (sotto voce) nonknitting, nonblogging friend Terrisa sent me.
Hey, she may not be a knitter, but she so gets what stirs our little woolen hearts!
Comments (19)
Don't feel any pressure girl - we luv ya - and we luv your blog/posts! Who knows, maybe she got kicked off of bloglines or maybe something else totally unrelated happened...
Keep posting the way you post - your blog is awesome.
Posted by Esther | July 1, 2006 9:11 AM
Posted on July 1, 2006 09:11
My blogline subs go up and down like a yo-yo. I wouldn't take those numbers too seriously. Although, I was a bit thrilled when my subs went over the 200 mark a couple of weeks ago.
Your blog is just fine the way it is and I enjoy reading it.
Posted by Carole | July 1, 2006 9:16 AM
Posted on July 1, 2006 09:16
Look on the bright side, you gained me a week or so ago :-)
I've been on the lookout for Jenny dolls for you. I keep meaning to take pictures of my mini's......
Posted by Jenn | July 1, 2006 9:43 AM
Posted on July 1, 2006 09:43
We all lose a few, and gain a few. I constantly edit my own bloglines subscriptions, because I try to keep the numbers down. (Your feed is still there, of course!) Please don't let any seemingly decreasing numbers disturb you; I would still update my blog if I only had three readers and remember that there was a time when that was all I had. I still found it fun! What matters to me is that the people who DO come in enjoy what I share and shoot me an email or a comment now and then so that it becomes an interesting exchange on a regular basis.
Posted by Becky | July 1, 2006 10:12 AM
Posted on July 1, 2006 10:12
That little knit is perfect! How charming. :) I, of course, would actually enjoy not only warming this little friend, but taking care of it.
Posted by zee | July 1, 2006 2:38 PM
Posted on July 1, 2006 14:38
Bloglines go up and down willy nilly. I wonder if it has anything to do with anything at all! Maybe they are all made up. It's a mystery. We like you just the way you are and true friends, those who come back and comment and are always there...they are the friends who count anyway. Very funny picture!!
Posted by margene | July 1, 2006 5:52 PM
Posted on July 1, 2006 17:52
Your sky looks a bit stormy or it could just be dusk. Hope you are having a great weekend!
Posted by Kathy | July 1, 2006 8:37 PM
Posted on July 1, 2006 20:37
I thought of you when I saw this..... I lost a reader between this mornings comment, and now. Made me laugh :-)
Posted by Jenn | July 1, 2006 10:21 PM
Posted on July 1, 2006 22:21
leah, dear - let us all reassure you, we enjoy your blog :-)
Whether it is photos, or knitting, or just some rambling, blogs are fun. Yours is diverse enough to interest a multitude of folks!
Some of the ones I delete are the ones who post every single day - I just cannot read that many!
Posted by Teyani | July 2, 2006 7:18 AM
Posted on July 2, 2006 07:18
The sky is awesome! I understand your fears; when I first started blogging, I was wondering it anyone was out there at all!
Posted by Birdsong | July 2, 2006 9:50 AM
Posted on July 2, 2006 09:50
DO you ever wonder who you are blogging for? I don't use blog lines, don't look at them, don't care. I blog for my self about what ever most matters to me. I post things because someone out there might take something away that could make a difference to them. It's JMHO but blog for yourself. If it touches anyone else… well that's a bonus! Personally, I love reading your blog becasue whether it's knitting or rambling or photographs… it usually speaks to me.
By the way… the penguin is HIlarious!!
Posted by marnie | July 2, 2006 4:15 PM
Posted on July 2, 2006 16:15
Beautiful sky picture Leah! I try not to pay attention to the numbers too. Mine go up and down also. I try to remember that I do this for myself and you can't make all people happy at all times.
Posted by Karen | July 3, 2006 10:17 AM
Posted on July 3, 2006 10:17
"It's not personal; it's Bloglines." Channeling "You've Got Mail" over here.
Posted by Theresa | July 3, 2006 10:47 PM
Posted on July 3, 2006 22:47
Ok, I now want a penguin so I can make teeny tiny sweaters and hats for him. Wouldn't Olive get a kick out of that?!
Keep blogging like you are - that's why we all love you!
Posted by Gracie | July 4, 2006 6:59 AM
Posted on July 4, 2006 06:59
Well, you've gained me, too. :) But I don't use bloglines for everything that I read all the time.
Been meaning to ask, did you post your KSKS questionnaire? I must have missed it, if so.
Hope you have a happy July 4th!
Posted by KSKS pal | July 4, 2006 9:00 AM
Posted on July 4, 2006 09:00
Cool picture!
Posted by Mia | July 4, 2006 12:24 PM
Posted on July 4, 2006 12:24
Lose a blogger, gain a blogger......count me in....I have your site bookmarked!! Love your sunset!!
Posted by Crazy For Yarn | July 6, 2006 6:48 AM
Posted on July 6, 2006 06:48
I can so totally relate to this. Though some people say they blog for themselves, I really do try to blog for my readers. I mean, of course I do it because I enjoy it, but I also am aware that in my case, my primary audience isn't me, it's that nebulous reading public. So with that approach, I really do see stats and bloglines subscriptions as so measure of my success, and it's hard not to take it as a judgment of my content when they dip. This isn't terribly helpful, but I'm just saying, I can relate, and I think that having the reaction you're having is an indication of how much you care about the quality of what you present to your readers, which makes your blog better.
Posted by Rachel | July 9, 2006 8:00 AM
Posted on July 9, 2006 08:00
I'm here reading you and I don't use bloglines so I don't think I'm counted in your numbers. I love your blog-just so you know.
By the way, how do I find out how many readers I have?
-just catching up on my blog reading and you are definitely one of them!!
Posted by Kimberly | July 15, 2006 1:37 PM
Posted on July 15, 2006 13:37