Dateline: Blogland, February, 24, 2012. it is with a heavy heart that I announce the unexpected downfall of the Fineline Salon. With the approaching baseball season, I will be doing a daily piece on the Giants, in addition to my regular piece, and I will be returning outside to the world of construction, albeit, possibly in a wheelchair, which is OK, because the sawyer doesn’t need to walk much.
I take my blogging responsibilities seriously, so I will not expect you to feel compelled to continue to visit my site. Of course I will continue to monitor your sites, just not leave comments. I am also excited about the link between the blogging world and Facebook. I am excited at the prospect of picking up a new reader or two. So good luck in your writing endeavors, and may you never be at a loss for words. Markus
What??!! What are you saying??!!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful pictures. wow!
ReplyDeleteOnly that i view serious blogging as a two-way street. Those who do me the honor of reading my work, I reciprocate, because I feel that is my responsibility. If I no longer can assure my followers that I can read and comment on their work, I would not expect them to feel obligated to read and comment on my work. That is all I am saying.
ReplyDeleteYou have to remember, that I am a relative newcomer to the blogging world, and am still feeling my way around. I just like to be upfront. I love to read your work, judy, and I am sure that I will make every effort to do so, but will suspend leaving comments.
And DM, thank you so very much. It is beautiful up here on our mountain.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't get why you would suspend leaving comments? If you read the work and have an opinion, please leave a comment. I don't think we are keeping score. I don't believe I must read your stuff in order for you to read my stuff. NOr do I have to leave a comment for you to leave a comment. I still want to see your comments. If you have time to read anything on line. And even though I know we check in pretty much daily via email - I still want to hear you in response to blog posts
ReplyDeleteYea, what Sis said!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though, I think bloggers take themselves too seriously, though.:)
Let's think about what the point of leaving a comment is. One reason might be to let the writer know that you stopped by. But I have heard that some bloggers get annoyed with people who leave, empty comments.
Some bloggers feel that the before a reader leaves a comment they should have actually read the piece, analyzed it thoroughly, given it a lot of consideration and then, and only then, will a thoughtful and provocative comment be acceptable. It's that whole "blogging is serious business, you know" thing.
Second might be that what the writer wrote touched the reader so deeply on a personal level, that they identified with the writer and wanted to let the writer know. It's that OMG, I know exactly how you feel, because that happened to me and I feel the same way. Repeat OMG.
Third, the reader has formed a connection to the writer and feels like he/she is stopping by for a cuppa and just wanted to say "Hi, friend".
Blogging experts give the advice that if you want to gain exposure for your blog, then you should comment on other people's blogs. It's that whole "blogging is friggin' serious business" thing. And there has to be more and more followers and more and more comments and "Someday I'm gonna be a star and be on the Letterman show...or at least maybe the "View" or at the very least the "Talk". Oprah probably would have been the first goal, but then she did that whole quitting thing.
Personally, comments left on my blog, encourage me to write again tomorrow. Even if the reader just says "Some more music for my eyes, thank you so very much. Your photos are extraordinary."
Anyway, Mark, thanks for letting us know why you won't be around much anymore. We would have worried.
If you want, you can pass the keys to the salon over to me, I'll be sure to lock up every night before I leave. Only if you hand over your followers, that is :)
Gotta go, Derek Hough is at the door, practicing for Dancing with the Stars, you know.
Lynda - you are so damn right on -- I really appreciate what you wrote and how well you said it! Damn, you are good!
DeleteI have no designs in taking my writing anywhere - I write for fun and don't want to deal with the complicated, stressful, and time consuming process of ever getting anything published (as if it would get published) - well, except for the occasional letter to the editor - you can get published once every 90 days and so I send those from time to time and sometimes they take them - will wonders never cease!
Anyhooey, I have been doing the blog thing for about three years now and , until my bro joined me, I had very few comments - followers from the family and work but rarely did anyone comment and I dont' know if they read it - but I sure enjoyed writing the pieces. and they are a record for me of some useful times. I do think that the comments that people might leave do encourage me to write again (not usually tomorrow but the next weekend) - and I very much enjoy reading the pieces that others write. Yours have been particularly engaging for me. I admire the you with whom I am getting acquainted - your wit, your thoughtfulness, your wisdom - much there to feed my inner life - and, of course, your ever cool photography --
I will keep coming to the salon if Mark gives you the keys....JT
Sebbie and Lynda and all, It's a brave new world out there. I have bounded out of my well-protected hole and into the 21st century, but still end up tripping over other obstacles in the path.
ReplyDeleteLynda, your articulation of the blogging process is authentic, and could be your next post. That is some excellent assessment there. In education, everything must be assessed. If we were to do the same, then your words would be essential reading.
Your first point has a double-edged blade, because there are two parties involved, and the process may or may not be reciprocal.
Circumstances may dictate one course of action for one week and another on a different week. Over the Holidays, people's level of participation skyrocketed.
Second point is the "Ah Ha" effect, and hugely relevant, because all of the sudden the first point becomes moot. The comment is heartfelt and on point.
Now we arrive at center target, thank you so very much. Friends or acquaintances? Or is it simply business? You see, I did not know there was this third component. I am a Californian, and I am as PROUD of that fact as anything in my experience.
Here in California, we welcome people, we embrace them, we invite them in and have the equivalent of a cuppa. [What an appropriate image] We do not, may I respectfully repeat that, we do not take these things lightly, because it is woven into the fabric of our culture.
When I started to blog, a scant twelve weeks ago, I thought the people I encountered were of the same strain, because everyone is so welcoming of me. I just accepted it as natural.
Not everyone blogs for the reason I do. I started to blog and found others who felt the same. Then I got offended by a piece, because I am too sensitive. It was my bad. But now I am gun shy and wish to stay within the immediate confines of my little mountaintop. Of course I will comment on my sistah's blog. She is my mentor, and has been my guide all of these last seven years or so, just as I was her guide when we were pre-schoolers. Those 371 days that separate us in age, which used to loom so large, have now shrunken to the click of a key.
So i am here, and all I want to do is write. I have no interest in publishing, I do not look around at others' work for any other reason but to read and enjoy, and I must get down off this soapbox. My knee is being soggy cheese puff, and if there is one thing I dislike, it's soggy cheese puffs.
So I covered some of this in my email to you this morning - I am well aware of that piece called sensitive. And way too often I find myself wanting to crawl into a hole and disappear - I used to want to do it with pills since I don't own a gun but I am over that now - I still want to disappear a lot - it is so hard to put your heart and /or soul out there - in writing or in painting and just plain in life - and I have at least a dozen pieces that I have written that I cannot bear to post b/c they are too close to the heart (or is it the soul.... I am not sure). All this is to say I get it - and i l love you and I will always love you.
DeleteOh and Lynda? Derek said that you are to join him after the show, backstage for a cuppa, but he winked when he said it. btw, better bring Ross; I am not certain that the man does not have designs, if you get my drift...
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't even have a clue who the Derek dude is but it doesn't matter - Ross, you better step it up, dude -- maybe take Lynda to lunch and out to the Berkeley Marina or maybe even, take her dancing! whoo hoo!
DeleteHow come i can never make the "reply" gadget work for me, so I could put this under Lynda's piece?
ReplyDeleteLynda, silly person. You know as well as I, that the spare key is under the ceramic elephant right to the LEFT of the door. btw, I left a fresh bowl of cookies on the table, with Ross's name clearly labeled. That's no guarantee there will be any left, but I t
JT, It goes without saying (part of the original problem) that I do not know who this Derek dude is nor am I acquainted with Dancers from the Stars, but that is neither here nor there. You pegged the correct course of action. Ross? Hate to do this to you, but better toss in a bouquet of flowers. This is all out war!
ReplyDeleteMark, I'm commenting out of order (I usually work through the posts chronologically, as you know) to second much of what was said above and to add that I hope you know you are welcome at my place anytime and I will continue to read and comment upon anything you put out in this fine space. I've never thought of blogging as a 50-50 give and take--I expect others to have scheduling issues and personal preferences and all sorts of things that might mean I comment ten times for each of their one comments on my work. Goodness knows I have a "unique" style in my binge commenting and everyone has been exceedingly patient with me, which is greatly appreciated. I'd love to return the favor of that patience and acceptance to you and anyone else in our little corner of the internet who might need it.
ReplyDeleteIt's only natural that you and your blog would evolve, but you should you know you would be greatly missed not just on your site but elsewhere as well.
(PS--I don't know what browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, etc) you're using, but have noticed an issue with the reply button in certain versions of Internet Explorer. It sometimes help to view the page in "compatibility mode," which can be achieved by clicking the torn page icon that is usually near the "refresh" icon near the brower's address bar. Hope that helps!)