Today I want to talk about an issue may seem more suited to a ‘self help’ blog than a blog about blogging – but it’s something that I think is pretty important you want to be a successful blogger. It’s something that is so important that it can make or break you.
Image by *nathan
However – while it’s crucial to sustaining successful blogs for the long haul – it’s got very little to do with blogging itself.
It’s got nothing to do with writing good content, nothing to do with building readers to your blog, nothing to do with SEO, ad optimization, social media or anything like that.
It has nothing to do with any of that and everything to do with a very personal part of you.
Let me explore it with a question:
Where do you get your personal worth from?
OK – some of you have your cursors hovering over the ‘back’ button in your browser – “this is not going to help me make my blog better” you might be thinking…. but humor me for a moment or two because what I’m exploring here is the reason that I see many bloggers give up blogging.
Let me flesh out the question with a couple more:
- What makes you feel worthwhile – or not worthwhile?
- When do you feel like who you are and what you do matters (and doesn’t matter)?
Here’s the thing. When I talk to people about when they feel ‘worthwhile’ or when they feel that they ‘matter’ they generally answer with one of two things.
‘When I achieve something’ or ‘when someone tells me that I am good’.
If you want to put it as an equation:
Personal Worth = What You Achieve + What Others Think of You
ie – we feel like we’re worth something when we do good things and others praise us and we feel worthless when we fail and when others tell us we’re no good.
This is an equation that most of us live by. In fact it’s an equation that we’re bombarded with day in day out through our lives. We see those who achieve and who are praised glorified on TV and are taught from a young age to aspire to be like them. We’re also taught to avoid failure and the ridicule of others at all costs.
The equation of personal worth coming from our achievements and what others think of us is something most of us fall back on automatically in most areas of our lives. Education, Relationships, Socially, Career – and for us as bloggers it is how most of us automatically measure ourselves as bloggers.
Unpacking The Equation for Bloggers
Who are the successful bloggers?
Those who are linked to, those who get loads of great comments, those who get so many subscribers that they can’t fit all the numbers on their RSS feed buttons, those who are praised by others, those who make it to the top of all kinds of ranking lists and who win awards. As a result most of us strive for these types of things and when we have success in these areas we feel warm and fuzzy inside and somehow more worthwhile as a blogger – as a person.
The problem with the equation:
The problem with rating our worth in this way (whether it be in our blogging or any aspect of our life) is that it’s something that is virtually impossible to live up to – whether our blog is ‘successful’ or not. Lets look at the two areas of the equation again:
Achievement – The issue is that all of us at some point or another fail. We have days where we make a mistake, where the luck doesn’t fall our way, where the actions of someone else means we can’t perform, where things outside of anyone’s control mean that it all comes crashing down. There are times in all of our lives when we can’t achieve. As bloggers many of us are familiar with the ‘failures’. If our personal worth is tied to what we do or don’t achieve then we’re going to be set for a roller-coaster of a ride.
The Opinion of Others – Again, as bloggers, most of us know that the opinions of others are always going to be mixed. Other bloggers, readers, writers from other types of media and others don’t really hold back on their opinion of bloggers and while what they see can at times be incredibly positive and uplifting – they can be equally devastating and hurtful. Also for many bloggers the opinions of others are simply absent. As a blogger starting out seeing the ‘comments (0)’ at the bottom of every post can be debilitating. Once again, if our personal worth is tied to the words of others about us then we’re setting ourselves up for a lot of highs and lows.
When I chat to bloggers that tell me that they are finished with blogging they almost always quietly tell me that they are quitting because of a reason that fits with one of the above areas. Feelings of failure, hurt at the critique of others, disappointment at their abilities, the fact that no-one ever responded or that they felt ignored…..
It’s a familiar story for me also.
When I started blogging on a more serious level 3-4 years ago I began to notice that I had real mood swings that seemed to be tied to how my blogs were going. I remember in the lead up to Christmas 2004 when traffic to my biggest blog at the time almost completely disappeared as a result of Google reshuffling it’s index. The week that followed that event took me to a very low place and very close to quitting my blogging (I even went out and go myself a ‘real job’. Correspondingly when the traffic returned 6-7 weeks later the ‘high’ that I was on was higher than I’d felt in a long time.
I realized around this time that I was on a roller coaster ride and that it wasn’t really healthy or sustainable for me – either as a blogger of as a human being.
True Personal Worth
The lesson that I continually come back to (and I need to learn and relearn it) is to remember that my worth is not determined by what I do or what others think of me. This isn’t a good place to measure my worth as a blogger or as a human being. Self worth comes from something much deeper that those things and while we’re constantly tempted to judge ourselves this way the reality is that my worth as human beings goes beyond my RSS counter, comment numbers, number of appearances on Digg, Technorati ranking, number of links from A-listers etc.
For me my personal worth comes from a much deeper place (something that is tied to my spirituality). I’m not sure where it comes from for you (and I’m not about to push my views on anybody) but I think it’s an important area to ponder because the alternative is to find yourself on the roller coaster of the achievement/opinons of others equation.
Are your feelings of worth tied to how your blog is going? Do you struggle with this one as much as I have? I’d love to hear how you’ve dealt with the issue.
As mentioned before in the comments, Steve Pavlina has a LOT of material on this subject. Here’s one article that is particularly relevant (Self-Acceptance vs. Personal Growth)
I also recommend checking out Tynan’s article on the same idea (Living by your own standards & being happy all the time)
-Alex
Well said Darren.
Self worth and indeed happiness are totally related to our own internal state. We are the only ones responsible for them.
For me, blogging is a way to vent certain frustrations about my job/career. No one want to be a complainer so this is the next best thing.
So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager
Well said, Darren!
Personal worth comes from within and it’s a choice. I determine my self-worth and I just gave myself a raise by being courageous enough to make this comment. I don’t care what anyone else thinks of it – I like it!
thanks for your comments friends – I really hesitated in posting this one as it felt a little off topic but after a rough day of blogging the day before yesterday when i went on my own little roller-coaster of emotions I realized that I probably needed to write it as much for me as anyone else. Glad it connected with others too.
Thank you for this post. It clarified a lot that’s been swirling around in my brain. It also gave me some confirmation that maybe I’m headed in the right direction with my blogging and websites.
Life is a spiritual issue for me, whether it’s grocery shopping or writing or, well, whatever. I consider myself a spiritual being who happens to be inhabiting a human body.
While I’m not out to convert anyone to my way of thinking, I am interested in supporting other people who are walking along a similar path. I’ve been trying to form blogs or groups to do just that.
One of my other passions is cooking and eating. That’s the direction my other blogging has gone and I enjoy that one whatever happens.
My thrill with any writing I do is looking at what I’ve written and seeing exactly what I wanted to say, in a format that invites other readers in. If I can do that, I know that eventually I will succeed at being supported by doing something that I love.
I guess I don’t associate my self-worth with my blog too much. I will not blog if nobody at all reads it, but all it takes is three loyal fans for me to keep going. And I know I have more than three. I guess what matters more to me is to write about it when an idea strikes. Sometimes I do it for the idea, not the audience. If I have a brilliant idea, I better do it justice and not let it go to waste.
Once an idea about a video popped into my head. Although it’s based on an inside joke that only me and my sisters will understand, I cut the video together anyway. Why? Other than to entertain my sisters and myself, I feel like the idea is too brilliant for me to just sit there and no nothing about it. So I guess that kind of attitude helps sustain me as a blogger.
Hi Darren,
For me too it comes from my spirituality. I also think getting older helps (I’m 49) – and having worked through to a sense of my values, not just getting older.
Thanks for a very important post.
I think there is also an opportunity for the first person to come up with some simple stats that lets us know how our blog is going. (I guess it can’t be easy or someone would have done it.)
It is good to hear that even the famous bloggers have their moments. Because, this past weekend was BlogHer and I totally feel left out.
My worth is tied to my faith. I had my faith before I started blogging and will have it after.
If my worth was tied to my blog; I would have quite a long long time ago. A good day is 1 comment and a great day is 5 comments.
I don’t get recognized by a lot of bloggers even though I try to comment and build relationships. This could totally make me feel like slime, but thankfully my spirituality covers the slime and deals me all the recognition I need.
This self-worth=achievement equation is the basis of procrastination for me. I first came across it in a book called ‘Procrastionation’ by Jane Burka and Lenora Yuen.
The first few chapters described me so scarily I felt dizzy.
Realising that my worth isn’t dependent on my actions is still a mind-blowing concept.
I *aim* to keep on track by checking how clear my relationship is with something higher and how clear my relationship is with my partner.
Still, the idea is that neither of those things is connected to my *worth*…
Working on it…
Truly, kudos for such a naked post.
Thanks for the great post. It is nice to see that others who are as successul as you have their up and down days as bloggers too!
I don’t really base my success on how my blog or sites are doing but how I feel as a person inside is what matters. I know people are reading my blog, whether they comment or subscribe is an added bonus.
I am known to take some time off here and there from blogging and the net just to regroup and focus on family. I did this for awhile last year while I was expecting our second son. I have recently returned in the past six months, I am focusing on my blogging more and it appears I am doing something right…as I have been asked to be a featured blogger on other parent related sites/children’s health related sites and my blog was added to alltop recently. So those things make me feel pretty good as well.
Thanks again for sharing your insight and opening up on a somewhat personal and private subject.
Dear Darren
Inspirational stuff! I started Headspace about 4 months ago, got some immediate growth and affirmation and then I ‘slumped’ into a plod of slow growth over the last 3 months.
I have tried many similar writing projects before and abandoned many of them. What is keeping me going this time is that I enjoy the process of writing about my and others’ inner world immensely.
The breakthrough was realizing that I love the process regardless of the response of others to it.
The next step was to realize and affirm that I am going to continue this process even if I am never recognized on any significant scale.
This felt a little weird, but I am getting used to the thought of being a nut obsessed with his own blog.
So let the crowds come. I will still be scribbling even after they leave :-)
Good on you Darren very meaningful and encouraging post. Just wanted to let you know that I have left full time “paid ministry” and come to the world of ‘entrepreneurialship’ as well. Really enjoying it! Take care :)
Wow! Talk about synchronicity. I drafted a post today about “The emotional toll of bloggging” because I feel it’s a topic that is rarely talked about but is very important because the emotional tolls can affect your ability to produce quality content and to keep going as a blogger over the long haul.
I was able to fit a line in from your post Darren. Thanks for sharing!
http://www.backinskinnyjeans.com/2008/07/the-emotional-t.html
Nice post, I have been blogging over the years, but serious blogging started only three months before and good to know that I have access to very good articles like this which will motivate me to become a successful blogger.
i think society labels people especially here in america and there is a tendency to put aside the dignity of the person and the soul and as a result a survival tactic is to inflict on others especially as we all feel stranded in places we dont like doing things that we dont like etc. some places are obviously bettar than others…but related i was talking to a friend about blogging and stuff and he was down on me wasting my time because i wasnt making much money but i think participating in things that could and do give me some money give me a ray of hope that one day i could break the chains of society is the appeal of blogging and my other entrepreneuial things like selling stuff on the road side that i see failures as at least attempts and i would rather fail alot then never try, i think in a conformity socity to break the rat race pliars and the tweesers of having to be put in place as a slave is incentive to me enough to try fail and look like a moron…then we die
This is my second reply to this post, but please forgive me. I really want to thank Darren and everybody who responded to this post. It really made me think and evaluate, over and over. This is a human society, we need money to survive.
But isn’t everybody’s dream to earn their living by doing what makes them happy? And is it wrong to market that?
The happy medium I see is that self worth is like happiness, if you don’t possess it internally, you won’t find it externally.
So, I will continue to do the blogging that makes me happy. And I will market it politely but shamelessly. If I were an artist, I’d be wanting exhibitions, and I would feel affirmation when someone bought a canvas. But they’d never buy it if there wasn’t joy (or at least truth) present at the creation.
I’ve also taken one step to make blogging more satisfying for me. I haven’t really had a personal blog, except for myspace. Tonight I added one at orble.com, 21st Century Crone for anyone who wants to look for it. It will be a place I shamelessly market, but it will be contextual marketing. I will also shamelessly be myself. From cooking to politics to animals to quantum physics and stuff that NOBODY wants to hear about, but is running through my head all the time.
I think a lot of this has to do with our loss of neighborhood. We’re vast communities of strangers trying to create a supportive structure around us that once would have been handled by the community we lived in. But that’s a tangent for another post.
Thanks to Darren and all of you again for this thought provoking topic.
Patricia
Really like this post. It’s depressing and ultimately futile to base one’s worth on things that one cannot control – like other people’s behavior.
Nice post.
I think it is going to help a lot of people.
Thank you for your post, Darren. I think you should write posts like this one (about the little-discussed sides of blogging) more often.
After reading some of the comments here, it made me realize that I can be grateful that I have had a steady flow of readers since I started my blog last month. It’s not in the thousands yet, but it could be much worse. However, the point is that your post reminded me that while achievements and kudos are great to have, they are not what determines our worth, and I shouldn’t let it affect me personally too much. Rather, I should just have fun doing it and do everything as if doing it for the Lord. God bless.
Well done, Darren. I think it’s VERY important that we remember that there’s always a psychological or spiritual connection (or both) to even the most technical work. For better and worse, we’re human, and that means we bring our non-technical strengths and weaknesses, our foibles, to the party — always, and no matter how accomplished we are or how professional we try to be.
I’ve worked in radio for 25 years now (and done a morning show on a 100,000 watt FM for 18 of those), so this is an issue that I’m familiar with.
Radio (just like blogging) can be a very ego-driven business. In fact, it takes a certain amount of “look at ME!” in your attitude to even take a stab at it.
However, the lessons I’ve learned in my broadcast career apply to blogging as well.
* Ratings are down? People are fickle. They’ll be back.
* Ratings are up? People are fickle. They’ll go away eventually.
* Just did a major screw-up live on the air? It’s gone. There’s nothing you can do about it. As I like to tell people I train “That mistake is already on its way out to Pluto. Don’t do it again, but don’t dwell on it, because you can’t get it back.”
* Just did the most awesome talk break you’ve ever done? It’s gone, on it’s way to Pluto as well. Do it again, but don’t dwell on it, because you’re only as good as your NEXT talk break.
* Someone just called the request line and complained about what you just said, chewing you out for ten minutes and making you feel like the scum of the earth? So what? That doesn’t mean you stink. Shake it off and keep doing the job the way you think it should be done.
I had a general manager early in my career that taught me quite a bit. During one show, someone called the request line and asked for the name and number of my boss, because they were going to give them a piece of their mind about me.
Giving them that name and number was the hardest thing I had done to date in radio, but I did.
I then went to tell him to expect the call, and he got it while I was in his office. He answered, said “Yes ma’am” several times, and then said “Ma’am, there are two knobs on your radio. Turn either one of them, and it’ll make your problem go right away.” and hung up. He then looked at me and said “You’re not done with your show yet…why are you still standing here?”
The trick with praise and criticism is to take both the same way. Don’t get any more excited over that person that thinks you’re the most talented person on the planet than you do over that person that thinks you should take a long walk off a short pier, and you’ll be fine.
As with most things, the truth always lies somewhere in the middle.
Wow, well to answer your questions yes and yes!!! Just today I got all “sad” when my design was not featured as best of the best, I had worked so hard and I was almost certain it was going to get there.
I know as a blog designer the times when people send me an email saying: “I loooooove my design!” are always so uplifting and then the ones that come back asking me to change the entire design really do bring me down.
But I see your point, and it is a good one too. It actually makes me feel better hearing that I am not the only person in this blogosphere that goes through this.
This blogging gig is tough stuff, but you are right our self worth is tied to something much deeper than blogging (or in my case blog designs) and for me it is in who I am as a child of God.
The fact of the matter is that all of this is temporary and we all are worth so much more than how many comments we have on a blog, or who thinks we have the coolest blog in the world. ;)
I am so glad I stumbled on this post, it is awesome! Keep up the good work.
God Bless,
Heather B. :)
Despite the empty comments, I actually get a lot of great feedback about my blog. Sometimes I have to stop and pump myself up for a few minutes.
“Man, the typography looks pretty!”
“That post looks really cool, that was a good flickr image to choose.”
“Hey, it says there are two users online! Someone’s reading the blog!”
There are times when I feel a little disappointed with the results, but after abandoning so many projects, I feel as though I mostly just need to stick with it. When I’m feeling down, I try to focus not on, “I’m not being successful” but rather, “what have I done today to get my blog on track?” I think sadness could be a really good motivator if you use it to your advantage.
My self worth comes from being a trumpet player, honestly. I’m pretty wicked at my instrument and so whenever I feel down I get into the “super ego, totally bad-A” sense of being. I try to think of my blog and my life in terms of my status in band. (Weird, but effective.) I’m an officer, and so I have some authority, and so acting like I’m useless wouldn’t make me a very effective leader, would it?
Very interesting post. Nice to see some more introduction of the human element behind the blog!
Your post made me think of Chris Guillebeau’s The Art of Non-Confirmity. His Brief Guide to World Domination (or How to Live a Remarkable Life in a Conventional World) talks about living a remarkable life and the key to it is this:
“You don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to.”
http://chrisguillebeau.com/3×5/a-brief-guide-to-world-domination/
Hence, to allow our personal worth to go up and down with the statistics on my blogs is the very idea of conformity. ;-)
great stuff. definitely needed it today as i got told that I was an idiot and that we have a soft ball blog with nothing that hasn’t been said before
Am I the only one without a linked name? How lame. So why do I feel proud?
The irony of this idea is that maybe it should convince some bloggers to stop. There. I’ve said it.
It’s conceivable — just as we can easily invision it of the moneyphile on Wall Street, for example — that when we look at the equation, we find we are blogging (or being a marketer or a yoga instructor, or whatever it is we are then pursuing) for the wrong reasons, for the reasons in the equation.
While I think this post offers some wonderful things to think about, and we need more things written like it, I also think there are a few important pieces missing, that though it’s a *start*, it is only that, toward finding peace with productivity, instead of enduring the enervation of a pursuit of praise, or the angst for achievement.
We need to spend more time than what it takes to read through, even thoughtfully, wonderful posts like this, absorbing it like a health-food microwave dinner, and then off to the next nice idea — hopefully ours. (Are you getting this, me? I’m talking to you.)
The question it poses is ultimate. It brings into question such powerful ideas as “success”, “ambition”, many words that connote something more specific than the words in fact intend. It’s a startlingly good fit to the analogy of different blind people describing an elephant.
If we really listen to the plea of this idea, it is not *really* “How do I sustain myself as a blogger (painter, actor, whatever),” but “Is this really what I want to be doing?” “Is this really the value I feel I’m meant to bring to the world and in this way?”
Is it wrong to base one’s self-worth on feedback from others? In some senses, certainly, but I’m not sure that others should be out of the equation completely? Certain *feedback* always. Other people categorically? By no means.
Wow Darren, this is a deep deep post. But something everyone needs to consider.
I am a christian and this is where I get my worth from
Wow, what a wonderful post and what is impressing me most it is written by a person who still hold to it’s roots despite the success.
I am a baby boomer who is finding is way thru blogging (been online for few months now) and what I am now realizing and trying to live up to is that we are creating our own reality by our thoughts and action.
I think this is a great, inspiring post. I am older now (early 40’s) and the older I get, the more I realize life is not about how others see you, but how you see yourself. I am very spiritual and I know that to stay positive everyday is a personal challenge that you have to make. Others will see the true you and they will feed off of you, but you should never have it the other way around when it comes to how you see yourself.
You have great insight, and I wish everyone would see life this way. Always try to have a positive outlook on life even under the worst of circumstances. Laugh, smile and always have high hopes.
Darren, I just love these types of posts that you write – you’ve written a few of them in the past 6 months and they really rock.
If you tie your worth to anything or anyone outside of yourself you’re bound to a leash. You’re giving your power away and letting outside circumstances determine how you feel.
This gets into the topic of belief in self because one who truly believes in their own self will keep going through all the ups and downs of traffic, RSS subs, comments, and such – sure, if you’re messing up and not giving to your blog like you used to you could be causing some of these shifts, but as long as you’re doing all that you can do to create the success, the rest is out of your hands.
It’s when you start allowing that outside stuff to effect your motivation and determination that you will falter – and again this comes back to belief.
Thanks for the article, you’re spot on, although I bet many could read this and say “hey, what do you have to worry about, look at your stats!” But there are people who still continue to seek outside approval no matter how high their “success” reaches, so your post really applies to everyone.
Very insightful post making some important points that are certainly valid for some.
Personally, I would never measure my success, and even less my self-worth, based on my blogging. I realized when I started it that the topic of my expertise would not generate interest with a huge audience. It is directed at professionals in a specific industry and within it a group of people that are interested in what happens next on the web. Blazing a trail is usually not for those with thin skins.
Once you have reached a certain level of success in your professional life and can look at past achievements, it puts the blog writing stuff into a certain perspective. Maybe for someone that is just starting out this might not be the case and I can only advise them to use other, more relevant yardsticks to measure their success and sense of self-worth.
Fantastic! This was truly an excellent insight; content is worth very little when there is no sense of self-worth and no development of strengths and interests. Thank you for voicing what seems to be forgotten in so many blogs.
Great post, Darren!
I believe most of Western society adheres to the erroneous belief that something outside of ourselves is the final arbiter of our worth. Even when I joke about it — like when I clean the house, I say I earned another day’s worth of free air! — there’s still a kernel of truth that lies underneath: in this society, we’re taught that what we DO is more important than who we ARE.
Writers (and other creative souls) have long struggled with the gap between self-value and social value, but in the past, the arbiter was the publisher: if your writing was published, it must have value, and by association, so must you have some worth. So we writers used famous rejection stories (such as J.K. Rowling’s) to rise above despair.
Now, publishing is so easy and so fast (just hit that “Publish Post” button on your blog) that we have to turn to other yardsticks — numbers of “hits” and “trackbacks,” Technorati ratings, etc. — to measure the worth of our writing (and hence of ourselves).
Every one of us can benefit from regular reminders, such as your excellent post, that it’s not what we do, but who we are that counts; that it’s not other people, but only ourselves who can determine our true value.
Thank you!
Well said Darren! We could drive ourselves nuts if we judged our worth by what we accomplished or how others view us. There’s always going to be some who don’t approve or like us.
I matter because I was created in the image of God, along with every other person on this earth. Because of that, I want to show respect to others even if I may disagree on matters of faith.
How God develops my character is more important than what I accomplish in this life. However, what I do is an overflow of what’s inside my heart. Hopefully, my actions demonstrate my faith in God to others…and it should all be wrapped up in love.
Great post! I agree. As blogger, personal worth should come from something beyond comments and traffic. For me, it’s my spiritual connection to God and my faith in Him and all he does for me.
I have a couple of blogs–one of which, gets very little traffic, but more often than not, I get very positive comments. To date, I’ve only had one negative comment, not about my blog, but about my point of view on the topic. However, I don’t let the comments affect my mood, I let my faith in God determine that.
I’m very open about my spirituality on my blogs. In fact, I’m launching BooksNBeats.com, which will be a music and book entertainment, faith-based blog for teens and young adults. I believe that having something outside of yourself and other people, something higher to believe in and connect to, you get true personal wealth.
That’s my 33 cents:)
I love this post. I don’t have the highest traffic in cyberspace, but I always think of the “starfish story” of the man walking on the beach who saw hundreds of starfish on the sand so he started throwing them back in the ocean one by one and someone asked him why he was bothering, what difference would it make because there were too many to save and he threw one more in the ocean and said, “because I made a difference to that one.”
Many of my posts have helped one person, or given a mom a sounding board for her concerns, or made someone laugh, or think differently and for the better… even if I am only reaching one person a day, my blog matters to them and that makes all of my work worth it. I also chose a blogging topic I feel passionate about: green parenting, saving our planet and our children. No matter who reads it, I am learning by every word I type!
Thanks for your insight and for peeling back the layers of superficiality, and for reminding us all what really matters.
Thank you for including these topics that are so fundamental to everything! How we sustain ourselves as individuals is the base for how we sustain ourselves as bloggers. It ties in with our values, how we actualize our values, and how we develop an inner core that is sustaining and nourishing, no matter what! I appreciate your call to step back, recognize the roller coaster, and consider finding some more solid ground!
Hi Darren,
I read this on the day you published it- 24 July. I’ve been contemplating for a while on starting my own blog, as my fears were failure to draw traffic, nobody will bother to comment, and facing a handful of rejections.
But after reading your post, it really motivated me. As of today, I finally did it, my blog is 4 days old!
Thank you so much! As a new blogger, this post will serve as a constant reminder of the importance of self-worth over everything else.
Welcome to your new blog and your taking the plunge. It is more fun than I thought it would be and I know I can just say “no” any time I want to!…Good luck with your venture
Dear Darren,
Thanks for the insightful and inspiring post. It’s great that you are willing to share your experience on blogging for newbies like me.
Rgds
dear…I like your advising,thanks
Thanks for an interesting perspective.
My approach to blogging is to write like I’m talking with a friend or relative about a subject they may be interested in knowing more about. And since I am essentially sharing my knowledge, expertise, or discovery with the reader, I don’t take it personally if they don’t respond in a certain way.
It’s kind of like sharing a new flower in my garden with a visitor. They may or may not like it in the same way I do. So what…