okay, i'm going to be honest here and say that i was hesitant to post what i did yesterday. at one point, i actually posted it then took it back down again. i think i felt this way because, to me, the things i wrote about L. and about the many complicated ins and outs of our friendship were extremely personal, and i worried that it was wrong to share it. i also worried that i was being too harsh in my telling of our history. was i wrong? was i too judgmental?
so it thought about it and thought about it as i do.
and i realized that yes, it was personal, and yes, maybe it was also a little harsh and judge-y (though, according to some it was actually only the mildest version of the truth -- i love the way that sounds for some reason). but it was also honest. mild or not, this was the truth as i saw it. and maybe that sort of thing isn't supposed to be shared with strangers and the world at large, but then again, maybe it is. what's a blog for, after all, if not to share our own personal versions of the truth?
and i guess i've been thinking about this a lot, about the usefulness of blogs and all, because i've been considering attempting to expand my readership. i think there comes a point in every bloggers life...okay, i'm not really being that pompous, but seriously, there is a point where we have to ask ourselves, "is this blog just for me and my friends, or do i want reach more people, to know more people, and to be known as well?" i don't think i have a problem with being known by perfect strangers. it's actually being known by those in real life that scares me. that and the fact that i just don't know that my subject matter really does reach other people. like i said, this blog is about me, my life, my truth, you know? it's so completely specific that i just can't imagine how anyone else would be even mildly interested in it.
but we'll see.
i know some of you out there have also faced this issue, the whole, "how do i get more readers and why would they even want to read about me?" question. what answers, if any, did you come up with? did you worry that you would reach not only strangers but people who knew you in real life? is that distinction even a concern for you? i'd love to hear your thoughts!
February 11, 2010
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2 comments:
I'm glad you did share. A lot of times, I regret telling a few of my close friends about my blog, and I consider making a new one, just so I can share my inner thoughts that I really want to get out somehow, without letting my friends read it. I'm one of those people who are much better at getting their thoughts out with words, rather than vocally. But going back to the point of this comment (one thing I suck at is going off tangent a lot), I get readers by actually finding blogs that I enjoy reading, and leaving them comments. Sometimes they ignore it, but often times, people (like you) come back and check out my blog, too. I find them by looking at other people's followers. Anyway, I hope this helps. :)
I think it's scariest to be known by the people in your life; that's how I feel too.
As for a blog appealing to more readers, I don't worry about too much about that anymore. It's hard to predict what other people will want to read until you put it out there and writing about anything but what you absolutely most want to takes the fun out of blogging. No matter what, the audience is going to be small for most of us, but you might be surprised. The secret to gaining more readers has much more to do with networking with other bloggers and commenting on a lot of blogs regularly than anything else. I think that's how you get people interested in you and your life. It's about relationships more than brilliant content.
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