First of all, thank you dear blogging friends for so many visits and positive comments to my previous post about our Big Move. I look forward to sharing with you very soon the adventures of an expat writer/editor living in the Guatemala high country.
My husband and I are busy emptying out our home, not an easy task! 5 bedrooms, double garage and full basement-- gah! We've sold a lot, given away treasures to our children, donated to charity, filled our trash barrels every week to overflowing. And we are nearly done!
With a few minutes to scroll down my blog roll, I just can't get over how much shorter it is than a few years ago. People just aren't posting like before, many disappearing altogether from bloggerland....and it makes me sad!
There's just something about blog posts that you don't get from Facebook and Twitter. Athough FB and Twitter are fun and useful for their own purposes, I love blogging and really hope it doesn't disappear as the fading fad that some have predicted.
It came on the scene like a fad, seemed like everyone was starting a blog-- and many have since dropped out--but people who enjoy blogging, and have something to say, will always have an audience.
In fact, social media is a definite way of life now for both individuals and businesses. As all forms of social media enter our experience, we learn to utilize it for our own needs and goals. And this is the beauty of it-- we can try out different methods of online communication, but after learning and experimenting, in the end people will stay with whatever suits them best.
I doubt that blogging as a form of expression will disappear, because one cannot get the same experience of it through other, shorter forms of social media. Blogging is one of a kind. So dear blogging friends, if you're feeling tired of it or burned out, take a break or switch it up, but don't give it up entirely, unless you truly feel it is not for you.
I agree with you Karen, I hope you do not disappear, for I shall not. I so enjoy reading you posts of wisdom and just your blog on a regular basis. Best of luck with your move and God Bless.
ReplyDeleteI had to have a blogging break last year. I planned to take one month off but it turned into three and I feel all the better for it now. I love the community that is around the blogosphere, it always helps me out when I feel I'm in a rut.
ReplyDeleteSome are enjoying Google+ and posting far more on there, then their blogs, I find. Good luck with all that selling, sorting, donating and just getting ready for your move.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are almost done with the house.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad how many people have stopped blogging. I recently made a new folder in Feedly called Old Bloggers where I placed favorite people who haven't blogged in six months or more. I won't tell you how many the file holds, because it's depressing.
Blogging is still my favorite form of social media. You're right, you get things here you wouldn't get anywhere else.
Alex, I think it's due to the rapid rise in blogging when it was the "next big thing"--- there's going to be fallout when something takes off like it did. I do miss people. Sometimes I'll go back to old posts and see comments from people and wonder what happened.
DeleteSometimes though, it's a maintenance thing. They don't want to keep at it. I've considered dumping my blog before, and I know others that have as well. Just happens. I think it's normal.
DeleteWow - you are almost done and off to wonderful Guatemala! So excited for you!! All the best and good luck! Take care
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I so agree, Karen. Especially since I don't do Twitter or Instagram or Tumblr. I use Facebook for friends and family. To me, self-expression is so important and blogging is the best way I've found to do that to a wider audience then my own personal journal.
ReplyDeleteKaren, I've wondered for some time about the future of blogging. I'm convinced it's here to stay for the very reasons you state.
DeleteIt seems like it was big back in 2009-2010 and then everyone felt the burn-out right around the same time. But you're right—when it's good, it's great. Wonderful way to meet other writers and support each other.
ReplyDeleteAdding--Btw, thank you for stopping by my blog!
Deletehere here! I don't think blogging will become obsolete either. It most definitely has its place among social networking.
ReplyDeleteI worry that blogging might disappear. I enjoy it so much more than FB or twitter. I too have lost blogging friends who dropped out of the sphere. Good luck with your big move.
ReplyDeleteI've really noticed a slowdown, too. I feel some burnout, so I get it, but I plan to keep it in the mix, maybe just a bit more moderately... shooting for 2 days a week unless I add a guest or big news.
ReplyDeleteMany bloggers have stopped, but new ones have taken their place. It's easier to connect now with others than it was nine years ago when I started my blog.
ReplyDeleteI have a blog post ready and waiting on this very subject. I tidied up my following roll during my break and found that 300 blogs I followed were no longer posting! 300 out of 450!! I was so shocked.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Karen. I feel like I get to know others better through blogging. Like Karen Walker, I have a Facebook to keep up with family and friends, but have little to no interest in other social media. There are definitely times during the year that I have to slow down and take a break, but I enjoy when I can get back to posting, like now, and reading/commenting on other blogs.
ReplyDeleteI actually considered shutting down my blog, partly because I hadn't gotten any new followers in a long time and partly because I thought I'd run out of things to blog about. But on the other hand, blogging does come with a lot of good things, like you said; I'm really glad I "met" all these other bloggers and had the chance to read their writing.
ReplyDeleteNeurotic, I wonder about the same thing, since compared to earlier days the comment and follower counts are so much less. But I think those of us who stick it out will be rewarded as it picks up again, and meanwhile it is an enjoyable means of expression!
DeleteThere were several bloggers mentioning blogger burn out during the mid to latter part of 2013. Maybe some took short breaks and are coming back or will soon? Either way, I'll keep blogging, even if it's just one post a week (or two posts a month), for as long as I have something to share.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice! Good luck with the packing and emptying.
ReplyDeleteI've begun to worry if blogging in on the way out. I really hope it isn't! I would miss it (and you all) terribly!
ReplyDeleteI know myself I don't always have time for blogging. I let it take over my life for a while. In moderation, I agree, its much better than FB or Twitter. Good luck with the move Karen.
ReplyDelete.......dhole
It's always sad to find a much-loved blog that just stops, for no apparent reason. But it seems like there are always lots of new blogs and new people to discover too.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with the big move!
I hope blogging doesn't die. I love the instant publication.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with move, Karen. Cannot imagine clearing out a big house and moving so far away!
Mary Montague Sikes
Blogging will always be my favorite social media for the reasons you state. It has always seemed more intimate to me, more so than even facebook....I'm excited for you and yours going with you to Guatemala. I can relate a bit to the wonderful experiences you will have as I had one year in 1975-76 in Laie, five years before my divorce from Larry, and even though Oahu/Hawaii is in the United States, it seemed like a foreign country in many ways. And to downscale is so invigorating to one's spirit. I got a bit of this when I settled me and Jen here in the Shenandoah Valley, which is so much smaller and the air quality so much better than Salt Lake Valley. I just want to cheer you on, again, in your move. So glad I'm a part of the "WiDo" family. And every time I pick up one of the church books you gave me, I feel very connected personally to your family as well. Am also looking forward to more of your books--maybe set in Guatemala?!
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine the task of going through everything you own and all the decisions it involves. I'm sure at some point it will feel very liberating. I'm betting that you are going to love your decision to move. Please keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteThe best of luck to you and your husband.
Pat, I'm at the liberating stage right now. I thought I'd grieve for my things I'd lived with for decades, but it hasn't happened. The family antiques passed down from my mom all went to our kids, and are now adorning their apartments and homes, so that helps a lot. It's really fun to go visit them and see bits and pieces of our family homes transferred to their homes.
DeleteGreat advice, Karen. And wow! What a job you and your husband have to do in order to move. I shutter when I need to move with all the "stuff" I have shoved everywhere with five children. Thanks for the blogging pep talk.
ReplyDeleteVictoria, When we decided on this move the process of emptying the house was my biggest stress factor! Now that we are nearly done, it's my greatest joy. The emancipating feeling of getting rid of accumulated stuff, much of which I'd set aside and forgotten, can't be explained. I suppose it's like losing a whole lot of weight!
DeleteDownsizing IS the most invigorating experience! Your analogy is perfect.
DeleteCongratulations on your move. Godspeed.
ReplyDeleteAs for blogging. It comes and goes, like anything else. I stop blogging when I'm working on a new book, like now, but will get back to it soon. I really need something to say though. That's my biggest problem.
Hi Karen - good to know you're almost done, probably are by now as it's the 11th - I'm covered in dustsheets - calendars included ... The Lake looks a wonderful situation ..
ReplyDeleteI love blogging and meeting new friends, learning new things and I miss those that have moved on .. but I endeavour to keep an email contact with a number of my followers ...
... and the A-Z is a great meeting place, and re-meet up each year ... I had someone ask me recently if I was doing it again this year ... she hoped so.
I feel FB and TW are ephemeral ... at least having put a blog post up - it's there for reference ...
Good luck and 2014 - looks like an amazing year for you both and the family visiting .. happy times - Hilary
I'm really looking forward to reading about your Guatemalan adventures!! Best wishes to you and your husband on your move and this exciting new chapter in your lives.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm with you, blogging is still the form of social media I am most comfortable with and love the most, so I really hope it doesn't fade away.
Best wishes a you get ready to move to Guatemala. I hope the whole process is wonderful for you.
ReplyDeleteI haven't noticed that many people have quit blogging. A few have. Others start new blogs with a new focus. And some of us plodding along, gaining no new followers, but having lots of comments and conversations.
I simply write about thoughts and experiences. Not a very tight focus. But that's good enough for me.
Blessings and Bear hugs through 2014!
Visiting you via Lindsay's blog, have now added you via Google Good to meet another keen blogger and ex-pat, although my latter title changed dramatically just last year. This was a post I empathised with after browsing your blog.
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