No, I am Not Going to Read Your Blog
September 7, 2010 
(Early Frost’s beta coverage resumes next week.)
What drives me absolutely nuts about blogging and social networking is the expectation that one must be continuously in the know about everything that goes on within that social circle. “Follow me, and I’ll follow you back.” “Add me to your blogroll, and I’ll add you to mine.” “Subscribe to my RSS and blah blah”
I find that sort of thing a complete load of baloney. You add blogs to your blogroll and feed because you have genuine interest in reading that blog. You link back to posts because you genuinely were interested enough in that post to merit an actual response on your own blog. If you’re invested in any of this because you care more about being on someone’s blogroll or feed, or you care more about your sitemeter, then you’re either missing the point completely, or you’re going to be very disappointed to find out that a lot of people that could be following you aren’t.
I don’t read blogs or keep up with them with any sort of degree of loyalty or regularity. If you own a blog, chances are I’m not reading yours either, nor am I expecting you to read mine “in exchange for reading yours.” It does not work that way. I’ll read what I like, write what I like, and do what I like. I would probably get more hits, followers, etc., if I did that whole social networking thing, but I don’t. I do this only because I love writing, and I love being a frost mage, and that’s it.
If you’re reading this blog because you have an expectation that I’ll read yours in return, then you’re going to be quite disappointed.
If you’re reading this blog because you like it, then that’s okay too. It is appreciated, but I won’t show it by adding you to some arbitrary list because I have to keep up appearances. I will show you my appreciation by continuing to write the way I do, and that’s all I can do with my own ability.
Here here!
Except for my giant blogroll, though I’m considering getting rid of it – the recently updated blogroll in my sidebar does a good enough job, BUT I link to all of those people because I either enjoy their blogs for one reason or another, or I at least respect them a lot, and not because they’ve linked to me. Best way to have a decent blogroll really. That and if I linked to everybody who linked to me my blogroll wouldn’t be useful at all..
I had considered getting a blogroll when I first started blogging, but decided against it for that very reason. If I like someone’s post, i’ll post a comment on it. If other people who read your post see my response, and follow my link, then so be it. If they don’t, then that’s okay too. Sure, i’d like to have more numbers, but that’s not the be-all end-all reason I blog.
I’m not reading this blog.. and I hope you’re not reading mine, cause then I would feel obliged to read yours and to be honest then Larisa would expect I would read hers and then.. ohh hell, I don’t want to think what would happen then.
Of course I don’t read anyone’s blog anymore.. that would take time… least of all I comment.
Did gnomeaggedon just “like” my post? Is wordpress the new facebook now? My fears of blogging and social networking have been realized. *cowers*
Euripedes Likes This.
Ohh was that the LIKE button? I thought it said LICK!
Lick? This doesn’t *look* like the Auction House.
I AM THE LICK KING!
What a horrendously depressing day for me to start my own blog.
All kidding aside, your point is totally fair and really it should be obvious. I wish it was.
I come here because I like what you write, and because you’re intelligent, articulate and entertaining. I encourage my own readers to come here partly because you’re a mage and partly because you’re just good at what you do
I don’t ask for, or expect, anything in return. The insight into our class and the giggles you provide are reward enough.
I ran into this attitude a couple of years ago, when I started my Romanian language personal blog, and it was as baffling then as it is now. I found many people who felt offended that someone didn’t link back to them, didn’t understand why others don’t like the idea of link exchange, and one of them got angry at me for removing him from my blogroll. (Needless to day, his attitude made sure that we wasn’t added back.)
I link to blogs I like to read in my blogroll, and you’re one of them Kriz. So there!
Does that mean I have to remove you from my blogroll now? ;/
I think blogrolls are personal, it’s up to you if you have one or why you have it. Me, I like reading a lot of blogs and I like to give good or amusing blogs support by linking them and recommending them to others.
It’s how I found out about lots of blogs myself. if they link to me too, that’s great, but I certainly don’t expect them to.
If you read more blogs, you’d know that the only frost that exist is Death Knights frost tree.
I’m not going to sugarcoat this: You aren’t all too bright. Frost.. mages?
phh
don’t get me wrong. I love my frost dk. just not enough to blog about him
I never understood the whole “link/read me and I’ll link/read you back” – if my stuff doesn’t interest you, or your stuff doesn’t interest me, why would we promote or read each other? Seems silly to me.
Blogrolls grow best organically, not by force, I’ve found. Every blog listed on the side of my own is one that I actually do read.
I`ve always hated the use of the buzzword “organic,” but somehow, you’ve managed to use it in the most relevant way possible, and I finally understand what people mean when they use the term. And I completely agree with you because of it.
what makes you think I WANT you to read my blog? hmmmmmmmmmm?
Really, I would think this is just common sense… If you want people to read your blog, or add you to a blogroll, or whatever… write good stuff, go read other people’s blogs and drop comments when you have something to say. People will eventually click over to your blog, see you have good stuff, and start following you or doing whatever it is that you want. If aren’t going to be bothered to write stuff that is good/fun/etc to read, then anybody that does add your link to their blogroll or whatever is doing their own readers a disservice anyway.
I know it can be frustrating, especially when you are starting a blog from nothing, but it’s just the best way to do things.
http://www.plausiblydeniable.com/opinion/gsf.html
I suspect at least some of the “I read you, so you have to read me” stems from the whole ‘geek social fallacies’ concept. Especially the idea that your friends agree with you on everything.
Very well put. To be honest, this is probably the first blog entry of yours that I have read, probably because I don’t read up too much on mages. Perhaps after reading this post, however, I may read them more often, this one seemed to have caught my eye, maybe other ones will now too.
I doubt it. This post was honestly just a filler post before I could get my bandwidth reset so I can download the new beta patch and blog about it again
I like this post! I don’t expect people to read my blog, but I still try to let people know my blog is out there. I like reading WoW blogs so I try to keep up to date on some of them, but I usually don’t. There’s so many WoW blogs out there that I cannot keep up with them. I try to keep up to date on the ones that make good posts most of the time
I actually believe that the social networking thing is a great thing to take advantage of when first starting out. People are great with giving feedback and additional motivation to continue writing. Once you settle into your writing style, you`ve established your identity as a blogger, and people will come and go based on what they want to read.
Completely fair and honest approach.
Obviously, you’re new here.
I lol’d…
I dunno if I read your blog or not. This showed up in my feed reader, so I read it. (Which is an accomplishment in its own right: Of 52 items in my reader this morning, less than half will be read.)
Wait…what was the point here, again? I have a blog. I think I have a blog roll, but it’s not very current. I think you read my blog, sometimes. Or maybe not. You might be in my blog roll, too.
And I thought, “If you do X for me, I’ll do X back” died out around 4th grade?
Finally…good stuff, Krizz
Right there with you, Krizzly.
I stopped using a blogroll a long, long time ago.
I have a feedreader with hundreds of blogs on it, and I almost never comment on them simply because there are so many posts to read. When I do comment on a post, chances are high I’m never going to be coming back to that post to see if someone responded to what i said. So, I read your blog and others with pleasure, link to posts that I love that are relevant to whatever I’m posting at the time, and comment with the intention of just dropping a “I love your post, here’s my take on it, you’re awesome”, and move on.
I imagine there are hundreds of bloggers who have no idea I regularly read their stuff and LOVE it, simply because I haven’t commented in ages.
Hmmm. What I do doesn’t actually give anyone else any encouragement that they kick ass in their writing, does it?
I don’t have the typical “blogroll” I have a google reader thing that links to the blogs I’m subscribed to from my google reader. And it’s on a page on my site not a sidebar. I think that is the best option for me. Those links, are blogs I read every day (or every update), regardless of whether they read me or not, and for no other reason than because I enjoy them. Even yours!
What makes me wonder is: where exactly do we see those expectations?
Because to be honest it happens very, very rarely that I get that kind of requests. I’ve only gotten a handful of letters suggesting “link exchange” over the years I’ve been blogging, and I’ve written back and kindly explained to them that it doesn’t work that way. That I’ll check out their blog and see if I happen to like it, and then I might link to it – but not as a part of some sort of exchange.
Somehow I still sense it too… like you. Is it in the air? Or is it actually just our imagination playing us tricks, are we reading more into the situation then there is?
The recent complaints I got about changes on my blogroll weren’t really about exchange of links though. It was more about… I think some readers saw it as a “punishment” due to differing views on gender issues, and thought it was too harsh.
Anyway Kriz: I’ll tell you upfront that you have a permenent granted linkage on my blogroll, regardless of what you do and think about it. Because you’re one of the three musceteers – there gnome mages, representing the three elements. Bound to each other, brothers in arms, and yet sworn enemies.
It’s been a while since our last skirmishes, but believe me I haven’t forgotten.
I read the blogs I do because I can value them, either for interesting thoughts or good writing. I certainly don’t demand reciprocality with that.
I just figured it would be the polite thing to do.
You know…
…the CANADIAN thing to do.
Even if you are from Toronto.
(Yeah, I went there! BAZINGA!)
Now I’m going to dogsled my way to Tim Horton’s and have a maple doughnut, eh.
you didn’t just go there son.
Tell me you didn’t just go there.
Oh you did, didn’t you?
Well, damn, how rude of me, I apologize.
(ps, boston cream is the best one they have)
Aye, their Boston Cream is a gooder, but Double Chocolate is still my favourite. Sadly, their service completely sucks in most locations I’ve been to in Alberta.
Also: Go, Leafs, Go.
oh god, the leafs. i’ve lived in toronto all my life, and they’ll never win while i’m still here.
I believe the problem is that these mental midgets have nothing to write about, so when one ftard gets all butthurt about someone’s post and takes them off their blogroll, all these idiots come out of the woodwork to write about it. It’s really not interesting, at all.
Now, I wouldn’t say that the blogosphere is generally full of boring posts. That’s actually quite subjective to individual tastes, but I’m sure that there’s a little bit of everything for everyone if people look hard enough.
I thought reciprocity was the spirit of the internet? Who has time for blogs anyways
I always used the blogroll as a quick way for me to get back to the blogs I liked to read. It was like a personal ‘bookmark’ page for myself, if other people clicked them, neato, but I also didn’t expect those I linked to read mine, that’s just silly. I’m not Cher for god’s sake.
cher has a blog? why do i feel compelled to read a cher blog?
I think anyone would be compelled to read a Cher blog, I mean, it’s Cher for god’s sake! Ha!
I agree, I read what I like when I like where I like! Hehe.
And like so many people said, I think the blogroll is more for your own personal use. If you like reading a blog and want easy access and want to share that blog with the rest of your readers/friends, then pop it on your blogroll.
Mine actually has two so far…one “What I’m Reading” and another with all the other blogs that I can sort of eyeball and see when they update (I’ll see that the most recent title post has changed).
I’m not a fan of the whole “add me and I’ll add you.” It’s more of a “I’ll add you because I’m interested and if you’re curious enough you can click on me but it won’t matter a single bit if you never do…” Hee hee.
krizzly it looks like a lot of people read your blog
not me though, fuck that noise
I don’t ask people to link to my site, I’ll just send my son round to poop on your carpet if you don’t. Actually I don’t have to tell him to do it he just will. Seriously, you turn your back on him for five seconds and off comes the nappy and there’s poop on the floor.
In all honesty though I’ve been debating putting a blog roll up cos it’s nice to share the love to all the blogs I read, normally though I just put a link in an article.
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