You know what is freeing in this blogland of ours? Going to your bloglines account, clicking on that underlined number of feeds on the left side, and watching them ALL clear and fill in on the right. Then you skim all the blogs in your seriously-more-than-a-thousand unread posts, and your eyes are free to land on what’s really important — pictures of new knitting, announcements of impending marriage or babies, someone being REALLY funny.
Then it’s clear and that weird small guilt is gone. I have, it’s true, recovered from most of my blog guilt. I used to think that people would be mad at me if I didn’t comment. Isn’t that stupid? Yeah, I know it is. Then I realized the truth — when people I adore comment on my blog, I’m thrilled to hear from them! Yay! But when they don’t, it never crosses my mind that they didn’t. I don’t sit around and wonder why Blogger A and Blogger B haven’t commented in a while, so I finally figured out the truth — no one else does, either.
Which is good, because I’m a crap commenter. If I’ve EVER commented on your blog, it’s probably in my bloglines. (If you don’t have an RSS feed, I probably don’t read you, sadly, because my brain is completely and totally unable to remember things like that on its own.) And if it’s in my bloglines, I read you (okay, sometimes I skim. But I get the highlights).
Then, at least three or four times a week while I’m reading, this happens: I’m moved by something someone says, I open the comment box, I have something vaguely in mind to say, something that will be both pithily trenchant and achingly witty, I start to type, and then I go, eh. I shrug. Close the box. Wonder about my motivation. Then I get annoyed by my wondering. I move on to the next blog.
That’s okay, really. I don’t comment much. I get behind in blogdom. But you know that I LOVE being here. My blog passport is well stamped. It’s an amazing, loving place to be, and I’m glad.
And dude, I finished that blue sweater! It looks great! Lala likes it, which means it’s maybe a little form-fitting, and she said I have to blog it ASAP, but that means taking photos and posing and I’ve been LAZY about things like that lately. I have one day off this week, and that’s it. And on that one day, I’m not doing much of anything. I will definitely try to get you a pic, though. I’m proud of this one.
Hah…am guilty of the same behaviors…if I can’t find a feed for Bloglines, I will likely never see another post on that site again…for I am lazy. I do find it funny that I’m inspired to comment on a post where you talk about hardly ever commenting.
I don’t comment much anymore either. I read everything through bloglines and I often feel like I don’t have much to add to the discussion even if I’m thrilled by the content.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one.
I know what you mean! I try to comment on one blog a day, partly because leaving comments is kind of a blogging “good citizenship” thing. I read a crazy number of knitting blogs every day, I mean, come on, how hard can it be to come up with at least ONE comment?! Well – pretty hard, sometimes.
My biggest problem is that the commentee doesn’t necessarily know me from Eve. Sometimes (particularly when it’s late and I’m tired) I leave a comment which, in hindsight, would be easy to misinterpret if the reader didn’t have a passing familiarity with my “voice.” (Or maybe I was just being thoughtless – that happens, too; more often than I’d care to admit.) Then I spend way too much time second-guessing myself and rewriting it, and the comment usually ends up being kind of bland and lifeless.
Anyway, that’s my blog comment for the day – nice to have it off my to-do list so early!
I love the concept of blog guilt, I think we all feel it at some time or another! And I clicked over from Bloglines to comment and say that!
Can’t wait to see your new sweater!
Me, too. In fact, this is the second time I have gone to write this comment and it’s not nearly witty enough.
Hah! I just did that clearing thing yesterday! What a relief after getting behind while I traveled east earlier this month. And I am so honored that you took a moment to comment this morning.
Congrats on the finished sweater. You’ve never commented on my blog. Does that mean you don’t read it? Hee! 😉
I do that “start to leave a comment and then get bored with my own banality” thing all. the. time.
Boy, you described exactly how I am about comments, too. I’m not a “me, too” type of person. I’m not one to just idly throw “that’s beautiful!” comments around.
I have to feel something visceral about the post to be able to comment, it has to really get me in the gut somehow.
And that’s what it took to get this particular “me, too” comment from me – a gut feeling of comraderie when I saw a bit of myself in what you wrote.
Thanks for sharing!
I think maybe you’ve commented on my blog and said my babies are cute. That’s good enough for me. 🙂
C’mon with the form fitting blue sweater! Yeah!
I do that all the time, but I do try to leave a few comments a day. It seems like the polite thing to do.
You are a nut and we love you for it. Comments or not!
I try to comment on every blog I read, but it’s hard sometimes. Some days I’m cranky, and I don’t want to pass it on. Some days I have no time. Some days there’s just nothing.
Since I’ll be starting a new job in three days (!!!) my commenting time will drop dramatically, and I’m still pondering my guilt over it. It’s nice to hear that my slapdash commenting might not even be noticed. 🙂
I’m like that too. I used to have more “free” time at work, where I was able to read blogs and I commented alot. Once I started blogging, I really enjoy getting comments, but I’m not always able to reply back in a timely fashion, so I don’t get upset if others don’t comment. I usually get a few and I don’t wonder about the rest, b/c everyone isn’t always able to comment. I have times where I’m able to, but I also work in a call center environment, so before the call, I might have a had a comment ready to go and post-call, eh, not so much. I might not even remember my name!
Definitely want to see the new sweater! Take a pic already!! Jeez!! 😉
I know I can’t comment as often as I did when I wasn’t working. I give back to the blogging community by leaving comments on the blogs that don’t get a lot. I figure that the new bloggers need more encouragement than the blogging superstars :-).
In the craziest of bloglines coincidences, I just did the exact. same. thing. It feels very free to see that I only have 9 unread posts (in the knitting column, that is. There are 2 in the Culture category, 15 under gossip, 4 under Libraries, and 1 under sewing). Congratulations.
I am exactly the same way. I try to keep up with bloglines, I’ve given up reading if it isn’t in my bloglines, which is a shame. I comment, but it’s rare, because while I am commenting more unread posts are piling up in bloglines. OMG, I bet 10 new posts showed up while I was typing this!
I absolutely did not know that bloglines had that feature. I just tried it, and How Cool Is That?? It’s awesome, thanks!
you are such a tease. 🙂
that is all.
oh no wait – i don’t use bloglines. i go to all my friends’ blogs and hit REFRESH 7 or 8 times a day. or really like 25. i’ve got the time. i need something to do. 😉
I do the same thing – and I think many more are like us than not. I am also thrilled when I get comments, since my blog output pales in comparison to most anyone else’s.
Just wanted to say hi.
Your post made me do it.
I’ve been a total slackass with the commenting; I used to make it a goal to leave at least 5 comments every day, and comments on really good friends’ blogs didn’t count. But grad school takes its toll, and isn’t it good enough that I still take the time to skim, and occasionally read? It’s good to know that nobody notices 😉
I’ve been feeling such guilt over my bloglines list lately … it turns out that the only blogs I read are from the ones that comment on mine! Such a sad blogger. Glad to hear other people have similar issues … and nice roman holiday, too, btw!