Hey blogger! Don’t go away

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The other day we discussed the reasons why we start blogging. To continue the week of self-analysis let’s look at this from another angle.

Why do so many bloggers decide to quit after several months of blogging?

I remember a lot of gifted bloggers whose posts were thought-provoking, whose comments would make me smile, whose ideas resonated with my ideas.

But they’ve stopped writing for reasons unknown to me.

This happens differently to everyone. A blogger publishes wonderful posts almost every day, the blog gathers speed noticeably and then it suddenly disappears.

Another one posts regularly. After time goes on posts get less and less frequent and then they just disappear.

How not to lose your enthusiasm? How not to get lost among other talented bloggers? How not to become a part of the information noise?

Am I doing something wrong?!

“Am I doing something wrong?” a newbie blogger asks himself. “What’s wrong with my writing?” The question is twirling around in his head.

The thing is nothing is wrong. Just do what you are doing and do it well. Just stay here and watch how blog helps you discover yourself, clarify your thoughts and vision, improve your writing skills and formulate your great (believe they are great) ideas. Or do it just for the sense of accomplishment.

Many bloggers start with expecting too much. “My ideas are so fresh, my irony is so sophisticated, and my posts are so appealing”. Then they see unbiased Stats that gravitate to zero without regular posts and as a result they become discouraged. Or maybe they think, “Today my blog is miserable but someday I will have hundreds of followers and become famous”.

How wonderful would it be if we loved our blogs today as they are. If we were happy with our blogs even if they are small and powerless so far.

I don’t like saying banal ideas but that’s exactly what I’m going to do right now. Happiness begets happiness and it works in the blogosphere too.

61 thoughts on “Hey blogger! Don’t go away”

  2. If you define your success in numbers you are likely to be disappointed. If you enjoy what you do and post regularly (it doesn’t have to be every day, it can be once a week or fortnight) you will gather around you like minded individuals from the blogosphere. Of course, you have to visit others too. It is reciprocal. And it is a lovely community 🙂

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    • It is the sense of community that matters. If you have something to say and no one responds or no one read this, it’s not the best encouragement. And this has nothing to do with numbers.
      Thank you for constructive comment! 🙂

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  4. It is a very good topic Marta, and not easy to answer, but we all give something up at a certain point in our lives, don’t you think? you know I just published something about this in my blog (thanks again for the comment), about not giving up and I have decided to stop writing and just to show videos which are easier for me. The main reason is because I deal more than one blog and it’s hard to keep up.

    However; I think many bloggers just give up because they were expecting the Internet Dream, become a millionaire celebrity being the world trending topic in something. By the time they discover they’re not millionaires yet they get bored and come back to their pre-bloggers life.

    In my case I must say I’m hooked to internet and I need to post!

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  5. I feel sad when bloggers disappear. Some were perhaps very new and gave up too readily. But others, if they were posting regularly then suddenly stop I worry something has happened to them. I guess this is the sense of community you build up from the people you ‘see’ each day or week.
    That said, it is discouraging to see your stats plummet (or never raise off the ground in the first place!) especially if you notice other bloggers who have 200+ likes for essentially writing a sentence about popping out for some milk! But if you’re enjoying what you’re doing and it’s not hurting anyone then, as with everything in life, it shouldn’t matter what everyone else thinks.

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  6. Hi Marta!
    My take on this is – for those for whom blogging is a showcase, there’s a chance they will gradually drop off, but there are many others for whom it’s an outlet to vent creativity, frustration, bitterness, whatever. For them it’s almost a “necessity”, something like a medication, isn’t it? But you’re right in that we gravitate towards like minded blogs and find our niche over time.
    Me, I’m not going away just yet!!! 🙂
    Take care, God bless!

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    • Hi Kunal!
      Thank you for the meaningful comment! I agree, for some it’s a way to pour their heart and to be connected with the rest of the world.
      I’m glad you’re not going away because you definitely shouldn’t do so 🙂

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  7. Very true indeed , stats dashboard could be discouraging for a newbie when one wants the world to read one’s views or opinions !! Even I used to get discouraged ( after a while I stopped looking at it – it took me a while to figure out – dashboard data interpretation 😀 )

    But here is the truth …100 or more followers do not make a good blog – your writing, expression and clarity of thought does. Keep writing and the interested people will follow ! It will not happen overnight but your thoughts will reach to people and you will pique their attention, if not today then tomorrow !
    So stop looking at the stats and concentrate on what you want to convey !! 🙂 and at the same time appreciate other’s effort !

    @Marta – Well done 🙂 Much ❤

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    • I would also recommend to think of those who love your posts and have something interesting to say rather than those who have no time for you =) And thank you for you great comment!

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  8. Good post and well said. But it is discouraging to see your writing improve and yet the number of readers diminishes and there are fewer and fewer “likes.” But, you are right: it helps clarify your own ideas and keeps the mind alive!

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    • Everyone can find their own balance in blogging and realize what is crucial for them and what is secondary. Sometimes it’s hard but who said it would be easy 🙂

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  9. Great post Marta. Many bloggers need this encouragement. Yes. As you say, many people come into blogging thinking it will be easy. I have found it is not easy; but it is possible. If you stay there and work hard and do the best you can and learn, you will make it. Let us not leave before the bananas are ripe when they may just get ripe soon.

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  10. Or, the blogger could be more like me😄

    Not give a Damn what readers think. Only be here to follow the luscious women😋

    Oh, BTW, please teach me how to swear in Russian😁

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      • LOL, Know me well you do not😉 I don’t follow attractive women down dark alleys.

        Reminds me of the old MSN Chat days. You could go to a page for codes so that you could swear without getting booted. Back when it seemed life was so abundant that we could piss it away on chat rooms😐

        Forget the Ruskie vulgarity. Better use of your skills comes to mind. Can you set up a meeting with Nadezhda Yevstyukhina? I’ll be forever in your debt😁

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      • Sorrry, but I can’t do it for many reasons. Thanks to you now I know who is she 🙂 But I still don’t know how to apply this information.

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  11. Maybe discouragement comes when one blogger compares their numbers to another blogger. If numbers were my only reason for blogging, I would have burned out and quit a long time ago.

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  12. Marta, this was one of those posts that had me wondering if you were inside my head. I worry for your mental health if you stay in there too long. This obviously resonates with a lot of us. I have to tell myself often that I write for myself and my readers are a wonderful group of supporters. My stats are always reminding me that I don’t write as good as the milk shopper. But, you are good. You have a talent for making your point and leaving the reader with a broad smile. The diversity of your subjects tell us you are able to address a wide variety, equally well. As long as you have the will to do it and blogging treats you well, I hope you will continue. My life has been sunnier since we first met. I look forward to your posts. So, if I haven’t said it before, thank you!

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    • They say that if you look at Stats long enough, you may see an orange dot on your notification bar even if there are no any dots at all. Doctors will probably diagnose a new blogger’s disorder soon. The main symptom of it will be seeing the orange dot on everything all the time.
      But I know a trick. When you press an eye with a finger, real physical objects become double, unlike fake ones. I always use this trick while shopping for bags and fake Prada bags never double.
      You know, when I was searching for “looking at the Stats” to see if THE article is needed, Google asked me, “Did you mean: looking at the Stars?”
      Why search engines are more romantic than people…

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      • LOL! I need to see the doctor because the orange dot is there even when I close my eyes. Then I look at my blog and the orange dot goes away.

        I tried pressing my eye and looked around. Everything doubled except me. I got worried about that.

        The search engine on my phone is a female AI. She is always very nice to talk to, but one day at the shopping mall, I asked a question and she told me to wait she was busy. Then I noticed we were in front of Victoria’s Secrets. All week long, pictures of models wearing Victoria’s Secrets popped up on my screen. I have no idea what to do. It’s too soon for Christmas and I don’t know when her birthday is.

        I think the strange orange dot is going to be the least of my problems soon, if Siri gets mad.

        Liked by 1 person

  13. Thank you! I’m a newbie at this, and I started as a hobby. Even though I don’t get very many views, or none at all, I still like blogging about everything and anything I like. It really is like discovering yourself too. 😀

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  15. I think it all depends on their motives, realistic thinking, and if their needs and wants get met. If people blog for fun or as a kind of therapy to get stuff off their mind ~ they might not care if anyone reads it, and won’t post till they feel the need again. Or maybe they want to socialize with people having similar interests, but don’t realize that they often first have to visit other people’s blogs regularly as an introduction and “getting to know each other” kind of thing. So, they stop if they don’t get social approval or engagement. They might feel like they’re just talking to themselves, except in writing. Maybe others dream of blogging for $$$$ and think they can jump right in without first developing a strategic business and marketing plan. They could benefit from learning from the social media blog elites who have loyal followers fave just about anything and everything they write, even if it’s silly or stupid. Personally, quality and intention mean more to me than quantity ~ and not just quality writing finesse or master story telling (which prob. leaves me out lol), but that it’s real enough to mean something to some people and maybe even elicit a genuine, heart-felt or thoughtful response.

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    • I’ve thought this way too when I decided to run a blog. Personally, I started the blog for fun. I wanted to share my smile with the world. These were my reasons and my purposes. Then I realized I was a highly competitive person. I mean I’ve always had this trait but I’ve never thought it would apply to the process of blogging. I’ve noticed that it bothers me that people mainly don’t care what I have to say. We all have our own lives and problems, chores and to-do lists. Why should we read other’s thoughts if we have our own? I don’t need social approval but it took me some time to stop comparing my “popularity” in relation to other bloggers’ popularity.
      Now I know myself better. No matter what the initial purpose is, my true self wins and resistance is futile 🙂

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  17. Well said Marta! I blog because I am happy doing it. For everyday in the last 2 years and 2 months, I do a post a day minimum. You are right in that I find happiness in blogosphere. I feel it a duty as my readers kindly stop by daily to encourage me on. I too must return the same encouragement and enjoy reading others’ blogs posts. I agree with Sci!! 🙂

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    • Your blog is good and you have a great ability to establish a contact with your readers. It’s kind of a miracle when you can derive pleasure from what you are doing. Thank you for the feedback and I hope your mind will never run out of great posts. Daily posts 🙂

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  20. Hey Marta,

    I think you guess right that many bloggers expect too much. Some might have a change in their lives that they have no time anymore, but I guess also that most have expectations far from reality.

    I enjoy your blog. Have a good start into the coming week

    Greetings

    Alec

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  21. I just published a post called “Why did I start blogging again?” because I was running out of reasons to continue writing. Your post is wonderful and you have helped me more than you know.

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  22. Hello Marta,

    Let me begin by answering one or more of the questions you posed in your excellent post. I’m a professional writer, by which I mean that I’ve had books published and I’ve co-authored others in the past, while I accept commissions to write for other people, causes or companies. There are two main reasons why I run my site and publish so much material there, one being that even if someone has a natural ability at writing, I think it’s important to constantly seek to improve and this can only be done by practise and by making mistakes in public, if need be.

    The other reason I run my site is because while I’m interested in a great many subjects, I’m perhaps most fascinated by matters such as magic, poetry, the welfare of humans and animals, the exercise of political power, the strange aura or atmosphere that some places and people possess, the emotive power of music and so forth. What all these things have in common is the fact that they elicit strong emotions, but many people find it very difficult to articulate precisely why this is so. I’ve often been successful at putting into words what others think, but struggle to to convey, so because there is no magic formula or solution for this, it is something that I constantly apply myself to.

    I don’t use social media, although that may change, so I simply write and post primarily for the reasons I’ve just given, although it’s always pleasing when someone visits my site, likes a post or leaves a comment. I can see from my stats page which posts are most popular and I’m sure I know exactly why this is the case, but I still write exactly what I choose to, rather than following a particular course, because it’s important for me to try something different and to try to express my thoughts. For example, my recent post about the poetry in a storm has had many likes but far more visits, while a long study I wrote of President Putin – something I was personally very pleased with – seems to have been ignored, but I’m not concerned.

    Finally, I was genuinely very pleased to learn that you visited my site and I’ll tell you why. I studied Russian at school here in Britain in the 1970s and I loved it, although I’m afraid I’ve forgotten most of it through lack of practise. I visited and worked in Russia in August 1990 and I absolutely loved the place and the people to the extent that I thought I’d died and gone to Heaven, so it is always a very pleasant surprise when someone such as yourself visits my site and likes something there.

    So, ‘bolshoyeh spasseebuh’ and best wishes from Dennis

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    • Hello, Dennis
      Thank you for answering my questions. It’s an honor for me. I agree with you on the lifelong improvement and mastering our inherent skills through writing and blogging. Having the opportunity of ongoing language practice here is a great advantage of running a blog for me.
      And you are right about human emotions. That’s everyone is interested in but sometimes fails to describe.
      I’m glad to hear you are not following “likes” and stay authentic and true to yourself publishing what you really want to publish. I believe it’s the only way to go.
      What comes to foreign languages, yes, it’s like doing sports – if you don’t practice on a regular basis, your “muscles” become more floppy.
      Thank you for your marvelous comment!

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  23. The honour is all mine, Marta, I assure you, while I should also have written that your English is one thousand times better than my Russian! Otherwise, I don’t think there’s anything wrong when people find a successful writing or blogging formula, because we must all do what pleases us most. If someone writes a blog about beauty tips or travel or food, for example, and it’s successful, then I don’t see any reason why they should attempt to change, because they can always do this in private or elsewhere. In my case, the internet is overflowing with blogs about ghosts, music, politics, ancient mysteries, poetry and so on, but as far as I can see, the majority of them do nothing more than create lists without trying to analyse or describe these strange, emotive things, which is what I want to do. Anyway, I think your site is excellent, so I shall certainly return to it and read more, and thank you once again for visiting my site and for your kind words 🙂

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