I hinted earlier in the year I would return to the blog to post year-end lists. But it’s tough to stay positive when people aren’t commenting on the new posts. It’s easy to get a little down on yourself and wonder whether my blog is appreciated anymore? Does anybody want to read blogs with so much noise on the internet? I got 1 comment and 0 comments(2x) on my latest three posts. What am I doing wrong? Maybe my posting style of sharing multiple videos is too overwhelming and time-consuming for visitors. It could also be my erratic posting schedule is confusing. Feel free to make suggestions of posts you would like to see me write.
I feel I have done everything in my power to hint to my old readers that my blog is semi active again, by commenting on almost all of their sites. I always attempt to be friendly and non-offensive, and try and leave a comment of value. I always reply to comments here on the blog. I always share my blogposts on twitter. Those who know me online are aware I am a loyal friend and you should be allowed to take a hiatus, right?
But as they say, you can’t force others to be your friend and you have to let these things develop naturally. Perhaps it’s naive of me to expect loyalty after a seven month break. People change and maybe blog friendships are only temporary. Perhaps I am overthinking it. It used to be simple to attract comments, you visited their blog and they would comment back. That is not working for me anymore in 2016 the way it once did. I spent many hours commenting on the blogs I know during November, so I’m not sure what else I can do to promote my blog? To be honest I don't care about stats and numbers. Maybe I just have to be patient and they will eventually notice I’m posting again. It's possible I need to reach out to new corners of the web who might have more time to comment than my exsisting followers do.
Perhaps my content is not compatible with the communities I frequent. But I feel I should only write about what genuinely interests me. I often share music and don’t watch the latest popular TV shows such as Westworld or Game of Thrones. I will be queuing up for Arrival (2016) which isn’t out over here until December.
Getting people back into the routine of visiting your blog after a hiatus apparently is tricky, and I may have hurt commenting around here by stopping regular features like Monthly Recap and saying in March that blogging no longer fulfils me. The goodbye post I wrote seems to have given readers the impression that I’m not serious about visiting other blogs and not serious about this blog. All I can say is I’m still here with a desire to interact, and I still enjoy visiting your blogs. But I don’t know how to get my readership to notice I’m back. Maybe that old readership has simply no time for commenting anymore except those blogs that are 100% compatible with their interests.
I’d like to know what I have to do to attract readers again. When I’m only posting part-time due to other things happening in my life now, it seems difficult to maintain a readership. Perhaps going over to wordpress is the answer, is commenting on blogspot fading out?
I appreciate those who did comment recently and please don’t take this as a personal attack. I’m not trying to make you feel guilty about not commenting enough, and I’m not trying to control other people. A famous quote from The Great Gatsby goes that “you can’t repeat the past” and maybe I’m trying to repeat a sense of community with people who have different priorities today. If you don''t want to read my blog that's okay. As I said before you can't force others to be friendly. I’m just curious what am I doing wrong and why am I getting very little response on my recent posts? Is commenting on other sites and expecting them to return the favour a thing of the distant past?
It’s frustrating when you want comments but don’t know how to get them anymore. It can be hurtful when people don't visit your blog and you can see they are active on other blogs. I love blogging but I don't love it when my blog is ignored. I just needed to put that out there. What can I do to make people care and comment on a regular basis again?
Scheduled posts for December 2016 and January 2017.
Top 10 films of 2016 so far
It's tough, and I don't think there's one solution that'll work for every blog. After a hiatus, however long or short, it's almost as if you have to start your blogging adventure from the start again. Pick up old relationships on twitter, or social and really put yourself out there in a way you haven't done since you started the blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm taking things slow. I'm not going to get disheartened by a lack of comments on posts. But going to push forward, keep writing, and stay positive, hoping that the content will bring people back sooner or later. Or heck, even bring some new people.
@Jaina: Thanks for your thoughts. It is tough to maintain a readership, particularly if some of the regular readers have moved on and the contents doesn’t fit exactly with new people. I kind of regret writing the goodbye post in March, if the result is I have to spend time convincing people I’m back blogging.
DeleteI’m considering whether I should tweet directly to various people about each new blog post, but it feels a little insistent to beg in that way for comments. If someone cares about your blog and becomes your friend, hopefully they drop by occasionally without continuous prompting. To me, friendship works both ways, and they look forward to chatting and are interested(when time allows) in what you have to say. I’m glad you appreciate my visits to your site. Also, thanks for the support over the years. I'll try and put myself out there as you suggest.
Chris! I'm sorry...you have been by the blog after I returned my my recent hiatus and I have failed to swing by here (partially because I'm still sort of not fully back into the swing myself) but I promise to be back around.
ReplyDeleteYou're doing everything right...just give it a little time. Hang in there, buddy. Your roster of posts for the next month look great.
I will say this...if you have a relationship with particular bloggers, there is no shame in asking them to read/comment on your latest posts. Because I had done so many blogathons/round tables with other bloggers, we had reporte enough to where when I returned, I'd email them directly and ask them to check out my posts and let me know what they thought.
@Fisti: Actually you did recently comment on my top 10 disappointing albums :) Thanks for the encouragement and I hope you enjoy the upcoming posts. The blogosphere can be a cold place when you get no response, and maybe I’ll send out tweets/emails to ask people to comment, if that’s worked for you.
DeleteThere’s a quote from Seven which I heard on a Danish film programme that seems to be an appropriate description of the internet age of a million distractions: “Wanting people to listen, you can't just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you'll notice you've got their strict attention” Not that I usually listen to crazy serial killers, but he has a point! :)
As someone who also took a long break and returned a little while ago, your thoughts definitely speak to me at this point. I think there are a few main factors. One is that people just don't comment as much on sites now as they did a few years ago. A lot of that film discussion has moved to Twitter and similar sites.
ReplyDeleteI also think we're seeing a shift in online film culture. When I started my blog in 2011, it was easy to connect with a lot of fellow bloggers and feel a sense of community. I don't feel that as much now. It's possible that I'm just not in the right circles.
Finally, film criticism is going away at a lot of publications. The lack of as many "pros" as a model do seem to impact the interest in blogging for some. Online ad revenue and pageviews are down for film sites too. When a place like The Dissolve can't succeed, that's a bad sign.
I know all these things, but it's also hard for me to write and not hear much feedback (in comments or views). So I can definitely understand the issue. All we can really do is to try to do good work and spread the word as much as we can. Commenting on other sites is still a good way to connect, even if people aren't always reciprocating. It's an uphill climb for sure. I'm a lot busier than I used to be with two kids at home, so I'm not as good as I should be on this side of things. I don't have any great answers beyond just to keep plugging away if the blog is satisfying. That's still the most important thing.
@Dan Heaton: Thanks for your understanding/take on this, and I can see I’m not the only one who has wrestled with returning from hiatus. I honestly don’t know if my nerves can handle blogging anymore, but I’m giving it one last push with the year-end lists. If the stress of it becomes too much, I'll stop.
DeleteA shame film discussion is not as prolific as a few years ago. I think part of the interaction might have gradually shifted to specialized websites, letterboxd, reddit, etc. I can definitely identify with Gatsby in the shared clip when he says “I have all these things(in my case recommendations) and now x wants to run away!”. When you've had blog interaction, and it stops, then you can miss it. Nice to have chatted with you over the years, all the best with your job and family life.
Hi Chris... it's good to see you back. I read your recent posts and I didn't comment - sorry! But it's absolutely nothing personal and certainly no reflection on you or the blog! Simply that, in my case, I visit a number of blogs on a daily basis but I just don't have time to check out all the content of all the blogs if it's videos and music tracks. So I tend to flit around and stop to watch or listen only if something catches my eye specifically, that I expect to interest, surprise or appeal to me and my taste, and also dependent on what else I'm doing at the time too... even also dependent on how good my broadband speed is at the time (it's not great here and it varies, so can be tiresome trying to load videos). I think generally now I prefer reading, rather than watching something, too because these days there are so many things vying for attention all over the internet, this whole thing of sharing... I can't keep up! This is probably just me, and may be because I'm a bit older, but I find I like reading stories, opinions and experiences more and more now, and for some strange reason I have more patience for that than for watching videos! But I'm probably unusual in that respect.
ReplyDeleteSo sadly every blog I visit will each only get a small percentage of my attention and I'll end up commenting just now and then according to all those things I mention above.
If this is how it works for other people too - especially those who have multiple social network things going on - I guess it could explain the quietness, particularly as you've had a hiatus so it takes a while to recoup the readership - and if your regular readers have added other blogs to their reading list in your absence then I guess that won't help.
But I hope my personal take on it helps a bit... and thank you for visiting my blog and the comments you've left, I do appreciate it, but don't expect it :-)
@C: I understand. You’re right there’s many things vying for our attention, and we would never sleep if we had to watch/read it all. Life is short, many things to do, and we can’t make everyone happy all of the time, didn't John Lydgate say something along those lines?
DeleteDon’t worry about it, the recommendations are optional. As I wrote above, my posting style is probably too demanding for the visitor with multiple videos. I should probably share fewer videos each time. As they say, less is more :) There will be some reading posts on the way as well. Yes the expectation thing is something I have to learn to manage. Thanks for your personal take on it. I hope to recoup the readership, but if not, I'll survive. It's only a blog, not life or death :)
I can only speak for myself, but what matters to me is that I have something to say about a post. You are on my blogroll and I do not remove people just because of a break. Hell, there are people there who has not written for several years. So, whenever you post something I can see it right away and if I have something to say I write a comment. Of course what I am mostly interested in is old movies. Write about old movies and I will be there faster than Anders Samuelsen can say Fjern topskatten.
ReplyDeleteOn another note I have noticed that many of the bloggers of old have stopped writing or found other forums and I am not getting as many comments as I used to. Thats life. Sucks, but it is still fun writing.
@TSorensen: Gotcha. There will be a post about older films soon, also a post about TV watched, including thoughts on Matador(I’m watching Episode 5 on dr.dk/bonanza this evening)
ReplyDeleteHaha, yes, my little blog panic pales in comparison to all the important happenings with Løkkes new government.
Glad to hear you still are having fun with writing, even if the comments are not as many as previously. I think you can find new readers if you put in the time, as Jaina pointed out.
You know, I'm making my own blog plans for next year which I will announce after I finish my final Auteurs piece for the year on Sam Peckinpah and my final Blind Spot. For 2017, I'm going to take a step back a bit as I'm just going to slow things down as I will admit that this year hasn't been a lot of fun and I kind of want to scale things down a bit. What I would do is just slow things down and try to accomplish just a few things you want to do for 2017.
ReplyDelete@thevoid99: I hope 2017 is better for you than 2016. I haven’t decided what to do with the blog beyond January. I’ll see how I feel then. I want to do things that make me grow as a person. The occasional blog post maybe, but not every week in 2017. On a daily basis I have RYM, letterboxd, goodreads I use as a “consumer” diary to keep track of my opinions/ratings. Taking it slow is good advice. Don't want to overdo it.
DeleteI think you are worrying a bit too much about it. I've watched the videos you've posted and really enjoyed them, but yeah, I didn't comment. I do receive the updates though through mail. As for the amount of comments I've experienced the same even though I didn't stop blogging. The number of visitors are down to 10% of what it once was, but I stopped worrying. I still get enjoyment out of writing so I keep doing it.
ReplyDelete@Nostra: Thanks for watching the videos. When there are zero comments, difficult to know if anybody has enjoyed the post.
ReplyDeleteProbably I need to read about management of reactions, because I can’t control my worrying. I wish I knew how to grow a thick-skin (as you seem to have done towards lack of comments). I shouldn't take it personally, as you say the number of visitors are down for films blogs in general.
Welcome back! I'm a huge fan of comments too, because I enjoy the interaction with other film bloggers. My best advice is to comment on other blogs, like the ones you frequented before, and people will come back. I also use twitter a whole lot to drive traffic and comments to my blog. I'm sorry I haven't been commenting; I've been generally slacking lately, so it's not you!
ReplyDelete@Courtney: Thanks for noticing I’m back. Yes the interaction is what makes blogging fun. To mingle with others and see how their opinions compare to our own, that’s interesting. I have been visiting familiar blogs and I agree on your advice.
DeleteAlso, if you want new blogger friends to follow, I did a post highlighting my top 10 favorites http://bit.ly/2cQanle
ReplyDelete@Courtney: Generous of you to promote their work. I’ve discovered a few I didn’t know.
DeleteDon't even let this get to you.. I see people on here who NEVER comment on anyone else's blog or I'm guessing even look at others, yet somehow they get loads of comments & likes.. Can't take it personally. Also I don't comment on every single thing I read.. Sometimes I just want information etc.. Speaking as someone who has been in & out this year due to so many things happening in actual real life that just needed to be dealt with and were more important..and sometimes just being a procrastinator..(tee hee) mine has fluctuated the whole year.. Just continue with it if you want..or don't.. but best advice is - don't let it get you down or stop you from doing it or admonish others when they don't. :D
ReplyDelete@peggyatthemovies: I’m over the panic stage :) Good advice not to take it personally, because if you do, it stings. I get what you’re saying, I sometimes visit blogs purely for info and I also don’t have time/energy to comment every day.
DeleteI did specify in the post “please don’t take this as a personal attack” so I hope it doesn’t come across as me judging, blaming and waving the finger in disapproval like a parent, as that was not my intent. Sometimes I am just as lazy at commenting as the next man. Got to let people live their own lives. This post is mainly to make bloggers aware I still care about comments and interacting with the community.
It's a completely fair question. The crass answer, of course, is to do a post like this one and see how much of a response you get. But it is a much more difficult question than that, of course and deserves a non-crass answer.
ReplyDeleteAnd, of course, I don't really have one. I did a month-long pseudo hiatus this year, but I didn't go away completely, so I didn't really suffer this problem. I think part of it may simply be people slowly becoming aware that you're posting again. On the other end, this is a good reminder that I should do more commenting.
I try to only comment when I have something real to say, something that actually contributes. In the case of your blog, a lot of what you do is (naturally) music, and I don't really have anything to contribute on that front, since I don't pay attention to music at all. I mean that literally, so I'd just be commenting to comment, and that doesn't seem very useful.
Ultimately, at least for me, the comments are one of the main reasons I post online. I want a dialogue. I want people to tell me when they disagree with me and why so we can have the discussion. I want people to bring up things I didn't think of and point me in new directions.
If nothing else, as I said above, it's a reminder that I should comment more and create discussions that way, too.
@SJHoneywell: That was partly the intend, to gauge if anybody is still interested in commenting. The last 3 posts were not solely music, but general viral videos, but I get your point that I do often share music-which is a tough sell to film bloggers.
DeleteProbably wise to do what you did and keep posting a little during a hiatus. The mistake was to say goodbye because people think I’m gone.
In regards to my first question about what posts people would like to see me write. If we flipped that around, I would enjoy reading a top 10 or even top 100 of your favorite films over at your blog. Nostra finally got around to it (http://www.myfilmviews.com/2015/04/08/filmviews-top-100-films-100-91/ ) so maybe you will too. Heck maybe even I should do it properly and not just a lazy letterboxd list.
Thanks for being honest that commenting is one of the main reasons you blog. I also want blog discussions, disagreements and recommendations, but it’s tough these days to make them hang around with so many distractions. This post generated a lively discussion so I guess asking questions is a method to make them interact and think.
When I closed down my old blog a few years back I lost a lot of readers and even though I started blogging again on the new site soon after, it's taken me quite a while to build up active commenters again. Partly this is due to the limited time I gave available to get round reading other people's blogs these days (unlike on the old blog where I worked in a job that allowed me to spend large parts of the day reading and commenting!). Commenting seems to be very quid pro quo for some people, and it sounds like you do have time to do the rounds, so I'm sure you'll rebuild your commenters a lot quicker than I did!
ReplyDelete@Rol: Closing blogs down or taking hiatuses can be problematic, visitors like predictability. The reason I stopped in March was the lack of comments and a number of regularly visitors moving on. So it’s not enough to recoup readers, I have to make some new friends.
DeleteYeah, like it or not, ”quid pro quo” seems to be how commenting works. But when visitors barely even acknowledge the contents of the post and use commenting as a means to send traffic back to their own site, then it becomes a bit shallow, calculated and selfish. I like to think when I comment on blogs I am promoting discussion and trying to be a friend, not merely to fill the comment box on my own blog.
You’re right, I do have time to blog-hop and comment, but it’s not a thing I want to do every day, I tend to do the rounds in spurts. For example yesterday I spent time reading+commenting on 10-12 blogs. Then I may go a few days without commenting.
There is so much content out there that it's difficult to try and keep up with it all. Sometimes you can write up several posts and have only one of them be seen. I am happy that anyone reads mine and if you are enjoying what you are doing, I feel the readership will come. You have 25 comments on here so far,that's pretty damn good. You are doing great
ReplyDelete@TheVern. I can’t keep up with all the blogs either. I want to try and cater for the audience, but you’re right in the end you have to enjoy writing and have to share things of interest. That means the contents is not going to appeal to everybody each time, especially a hybrid blog that’s both music and film.
DeletePosts about commenting tend to be popular because bloggers can relate regardless of the content of their sites. Thanks for the feedback and continued support.