Some do it purely for profit. Let’s face it, it’s a great way to make money. Great as in it’s a job where you are your own boss, there’s very little cost involved, it’s fun, etc. Making money through blogging takes effort, but it can pay off.
Some, like me, do it just for fun. I like having a place to share my pictures, and dog stories, and travel highlights, and random stuff.
Does anyone care? I think so. But it’s hard to tell because not a lot of people comment. Sometimes that’s discouraging. Should people comment just for the sake of saying something? No. But if you read something or see a picture that makes you smile, leave a comment. Just click on the COMMENTS button in the upper right-hand corner and leave a quick reply. That’s how us bloggers know that we do actually have an audience, even if it’s a small one. Us bloggers call that “comment love.”
It’s not always easy to come up with stuff to blog about. But every now and then I stumble across stuff that I HAVE TO share. It’s not always about me either. Occasionally I stumble across pictures like THIS ONE that totally make me smile. There’s just something about that lady looking so happy. I think it’ll make others smile, too. So I hope you followed the link.
That’s one of the things I love about Flickr. I get to look at other people’s pictures. I tell folks all the time that I love looking at other people’s images, but I’m not sure they believe me.
I always say, “send me your vacation, baby, family, experimental, etc. pictures.” But few people do. I think they think I am just trying to be nice.
The way Flickr works, you sort of friend people that take pictures you like looking at. Like this one from a guy, Kuskaluna Steve, who lives in Alaska. That cat picture makes me smile, too.
Then there are all of the AMAZING bird photos Nikographer posts. I am in awe of this man.
I hope those links work for you…
Back to blogging. I think the reason I enjoy reading other people’s blogs is that you really get to see how other folks live. I’ve always liked people and have often wondered what it would be like to live in someone else’s shoes. Blogs are windows into other people’s lives.
Maybe you like what you see here, maybe you don’t. Perhaps you’re a repeat visitor. Maybe this is your first time. I’ll never know if you don’t comment. If you just don’t have anything to say, that’s cool, too. I’ll just keep doing what I’ve been doing and life will just keep rolling on…
Great post, buddy. You raise good questions.
I agree that, as a blogger, it’s nice to receive comments that acknowledge your post and express an opinion on it. If a subject is worthy of posting about it, it obviously means something to you and you want to hear readers’ views of it. I’m with you on that.
On a different topic, I really like your blog. I guess that’s obvious from my commenting, but I mean I think your blog would be of interest to many people beyond me. I’m not sure how but I plan to spread word about your blog to my friends and encourage them to check it out. I have many friends who are motorcyclists, love to travel and love nature, so your blog is a natural for them. In fact, I found your blog through another biker’s blog (Fuzzy).
And even more than that, you’re a sweet person. Who doesn’t like sweet?!
I comment often but for some reason it never gets recorded or added to your comments. I love reading other folks blogs, I just enjoy it. I do not have a blog myself but that is okay, just will keep readijng other folks. Your blog yesterday about you visiting that lady’s house-now she has a problem. The blog today and the art thing, To me-is that Art!
Talking about sweet, ShyB… what a nice comment! Thanks.
Granny on the boardwalk is awesome! The fact that it’s in black & white somehow makes it even more appealing to me. I haven’t figured out the whole networking part of flickr yet.
Thanks for the congrats you left about my new camera. I’m pretty pumped about it! I had an irrational fear that I’d get all kinds of “you don’t deserve that!” comments, so thanks for the love! 😀
I really don’t spend nearly as much time looking around Flickr as I should. One of these days I’ll poke around there a bit, but I’ll have to wait til a day/time when I don’t care if I get sucked in for hours. 🙂
Over the years I have asked similar questions about blogging. What is the point, indeed? I keep coming back to the same thing, though. If no one read it, would I still write it down, would I still take pictures? And i keep coming back to – yes.
From my point of view – The insight and feedback from interesting souls like yourself and SB are absolutely icing on the cake for me. Just by being yourselves, you provide a side story or an interesting point of view on the original post that I could never see – because I haven’t walked in your shoes.
I am amazed at how much I have learned through people like yourself who read/comment on the blog. Comments can even be a source of inspiration for new posts.
I read hundreds of blogs through Google reader each day. And I confess, rather unfairly i am a terrible commenter. Not that I don’t read the posts and enjoy them or say to myself “wow, great pic!” I just tend to not take the extra step of telling the author. It’s selfish, I know. I think this post is a clear sign that I need to be a better blog-friend.
Thanks for teaching me this lesson.
For the record, TM – I read your blog every time you post a new entry. The way you share your dogs, your trips, and life with your family with us is inspiring. Your beautiful photos are the cherry on top. Thanks for doing what you do here on the interstitial space. AND… for being a great blog-friend 🙂
Aw, Fuzzy, I think I actually got a little moist in the eyes on that one. That was very sweet. Especially coming from someone whose blog I REALLy enjoy. Thanks!