Tuesday, August 4, 2015

#Blaugust Day 4: Making Connections

My primary reason for blogging is to express my thoughts and get some of what I think about into a more finished form and in front of an audience.  In addition to that though, there's also a desire to better connect with a community that I'm a part of but don't always interact with.  I'm an introvert by nature so I have a tendency to lurk at the edges.  Blogging is one step towards counteracting this but I also want to be better about commenting on the blogs of others.

Liore's post about the importance of comments is what really got me thinking about this.  I rarely comment on blogs. To a great degree this is because I second guess myself and end up deciding that what I was going to say is silly or obvious.  I've often written a comment then deleted it and moved on rather than hit the submit button.  But even the least comment says 'I read this and thought it interesting enough to remark on', which is a nice thing to see in response to something you wrote.


I've decided to make a deliberate effort to comment on multiple blogs each day of Blaugust, and hopefully get in the habit of doing so more in the future.  I have to imagine that with something like 80 blogs participating at least a few will inspire a remark from me each day.  At the same time I'm going to try to make a point of engaging with those who comment on my blog.  It seems only right to let those who went to the trouble of responding to my thoughts know that I value their input.

3 comments:

  1. As a fellow introverted blogger, I can confirm that I appreciate (and try to respond to) all comments I get. I can't tell you the number of times comments have sparked conversation and even ideas for new blog posts.

    I never think a comment is obvious or silly. Someone took the time to read and respond to something I wrote, and that is so very important to me!

    BTW, I'm new to your blog (hi) and found you through the comment you left for me. So comments also = free publicity for your writing. There's always that perk, too. :)

    I'll be adding you to my RSS reader! Good luck with Blaugust!

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    Replies
    1. Yay! Welcome, and thank you :)

      Comments really are the difference between blogging being a monologue and a dialogue. As much as I sometimes dread the thought of others judging my writing, I really do want to know what people think. I can't grow and improve without feedback, after all.

      Free publicity isn't bad either ;) I've discovered quite a few blogs that I now read regularly through comments the blogger left somewher else that I thought were particularly good.

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  2. I've made so many blog posts on the backs of the words of others. Blogging is a social experience to me, even if it is also incredibly personal. I love the friends I've made and peers I've met doing it.

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