June 28, 2011
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Blogging With The Reader in Mind
It appears to me that some people blog with the reader in mind. In fact, I would go so far as to say that some people blog with only the reader in mind.
Some people blog as if they are unaware that anyone reads their site. In fact, I am subscribed to one site and the person has updated for 5-6 years and I am the only person who ever comes by and comments.
1. I do not think about the reader at all.
2. I do not usually think about the reader.
3. I think about the reader but I am not dominated by thoughts of the reader.
4. I think about the reader more than I think about myself when I blog.
5. I only think about the reader when I blog.
To what degree do you think about the reader when you blog?
Comments (98)
It depends on the nature of the blog entry…Sometimes, when its a rant about crazy stuff that’s been going on, its all about me…Other times, I want to hear from people on topics, so I’m not generally my focus of those entries.
I think about my readers in terms of how they’re possibly going to respond to my post. If I don’t want to deal with some people’s responses then I just make it private and go about my day; I like hiding. I suppose that defeats the purpose of having a blog online, but oh well. Some things don’t warrant comments.
I would have to say I’m a solid 3.
I like turtles.
3.5 – I always think about the reader when I’m blogging. Usually I write to the reader, but not always.
I blog about what I want when I want, but totally with the reader in mind. I think I have something to say and I hope somebody reads it even when it’s about something as silly and inconsequential as the newest Disney princess.
Wow, all I can think about right now is; you definitely escaped drama this time around, Dan, LOL!
I don’t know honestly. Probably I do more than I should. That’s amazing that somebody blogs without any comments, but at the same time, no comments sounds kind of nice. I’ll have to think about my approach.
Probably 4. If I didn’t get readers, I wouldn’t write these blogs.
For me, it really depends. I’ve written things just for my readers, I’ve written things that are all about me, but most often I try to take the conclusions I make from what’s going on in my life and put it out there to help anyone going through something similar. I prefer a mix as both a writer and a reader. It’s nice when people write just for the reader, but then how well do we really get to know the writer in those cases?
2-3. Depends on what I’m talking about.
I don’t think about the reader at all really.
I don’t think about anyone. I just blog cause I have things to let out of my system. I don’t care if people read me or not. I am not here to please anyone but me. The only person I have bashed in the past is my ex fiance and he has read it. I don’t bother bashing others cause I don’t want the unnecessary drama. I don’t really say what I wanna say half the time cause I don’t want crap on my page but that’s not to say that I am considerate of the reader.
3. I tried blogging without getting feedback. It sucks balls. But I write for me.
3. but I don’t think about what the reader will want to hear. I normally just think about if anyone will read what I’m saying and what they might say if they comment.
3. I think about the reader but I am not dominated by thoughts of the reader.
I have gone through a lot of little “phases” where I blogged in different styles, sort of. There was a time when I only wrote what I thought the reader wanted, and before that there was a time when I tried writing for myself and only myself. I think I’m gradually working toward a balance.
3 exactly, for the most part. I write as if I’m speaking to someone. I’ll ask (usually rhetorical)questions, and talk like I’ve been speaking to whoever is reading for years.
The weird thing is, pretty much no one reads anything I write… so when I think about the reader, I’m basically making up an imaginary reader. I find it more personal if anyone should happen upon my site.
Even if there is no one reading, the things I write feel personal enough to me that it is something I should be speaking to someone about rather than just writing blindly.
Poop. =D
I wonder why the heck they subscribed to me in the first place. Then I just blog whatever I want.
3 in general
Numero Duo!
On an older Xanga, I blogged about bowel movements, tingly limbs, the colour of my snot on a given day, etc. I usually received comments like, “WHAT THE F***?” but I kept on being ridiculous. My Xanga is my journal, for the most part – the only difference is that instead of writing, “Dear Journal,” at the beginning I can just address it to the general public and see what happens.
I would say 3 I suppose. I definitely like getting comments and I like debating but I also have a lot of posts that get only a few comments which I write because I enjoy it.
Three.
I used to think about the reader more, but now I blog more for myself. I think about the reader a little now just because I blog about very personal things.
I started blogging cause people kept prodding me to blog, so I just keep people updated on what I’mma doin so they know Im not dead
Wait… people still read blogs?
If it’s a sensitive topic then I’d say 4. If it isn’t so sensitive a topic then 3.
I always try to be respectful of the feelings of others. I’m not someone who wishes to hurt & alienate others with my attitude or my words. I’m also not blogging to just get views, friends & a rise out of people. I do it to share my viewpoint & to be understood. To read the viewpoints of others & to understand their viewpoints. However, when people are sarcastic, condescending and otherwise just plain rude – I don’t give a damned any longer what the hell they have to say. My interests are either getting them to see what a jackass they are for being so rude & hypocritical (as far as being judgmental goes) & hoping they’ll change their tone so we can continue on with exchanging ideas respectfully or to ignore them to the best of my ability from that time forward.
I think that if you’re discussing topics such as politics, religion, etc – you should blog with the reader in mind & be respectful. If you’re blogging about your day then who is the reader to criticize your life? Basically, I think it’s situational.
When I started my blog, it was specifically for a handful of people I already knew. So even though I wrote about my life, I only wrote about the stuff they were aware of or that I wanted to share with them.
Nowadays, I don’t blog at all because I don’t think I have much to share that random strangers would be entertained by on a regular basis. I still write privately sometimes, but I think blogging is meant for an audience at least to some degree. Also, I think it’s weird when people chronicle their private lives on the internet and then get pissed off when some stranger reads it. There was one girl who kept getting recs so I always saw her blogs in my feed, and when I visited her site and left what I thought was a harmlessly friendly comment, she bitched me out and blocked me. I guess some people like having a growing audience, and others just write for specific people or for themselves, and freak out when strangers show up.
Three fo sho.
I don’t know how to rate this with a number. I write for readers, but I don’t write for an audience. I hope that makes sense. I’m just interested in connecting with people.
I post random stuff that nobody really understands and mostly inside jokes that I rofl at, so they can kiss it
#2
The idea is to get a sense of my worth by being valued by someone else. It is an exchange between me and the reader. Even if i never had any reader i would always hope to have one in my mind. Otherwise It would be like putting your art in the dark so no one could see it. I always have the other one in my mind.
i’m a two, but once in awhile, a three
3
i do what i want
Rob of the Sky
i only have eprops in my mind every times i post
3. I think about the reader but I am not dominated by thoughts of the reader.
^ Mostly this. I’m a small-time blogger, using it mostly as a journal. In fact, sometimes I make entries totally private. But I do love feeling read, and greatly appreciate comments.
多大
1.5, really.
I use my personal Xanga for me and my thoughts, but my primary use of this site since all my friends left is to read the blogs of others and comment.
Hmm… prolly a 2 or 3. Even though my Xanga is private a few people can still read it so I don’t like to tell those who do every single thing that’s going on in my life (that’s what private posts are for) so most of my entries now are quick updates….
I could understand some people thinking about the reader, though–a large part of writing is determining who your audience is and what you want them to take away from your stuff…
Numero due.
I’m a solid 4.5… though the reasons I write may be my own, the content is generally geared towards readers… even though I don’t have any. =P que, sera, sera.
I had an old writing teacher, colourful fellow, who fondly referred to “writing for oneself and ignoring the audience” as “Literary Masturbation… you’re the only one who gets pleasure, but we can all see the mess you’ve made.”
I’m a pretty solid three.
I write to try to put in written form my experiences in life, and this is not an easy task. I realize that for me to say everything that is on my mind about a particular incident would ideally take ten pages. And although what I share is very important, for me to write anything longer than two paragraphs requires too much exertion. By exertion, I mean, redundancy. I want to share, but what I know stays in my mind, regardless if I share or not, so really, there is no motivation to share. But I have a duty to mankind to share, so, I like commenting on other sites a lot more than saying something on my personal page that is too obvious to bother mentioning. I realize, the reason I say stupid things on other people’s site, is because, my mind itself is like a hurricane, and I easily lose control. I want to connect with others by faith, and even if nobody in the entire world cares about my writing, at least my duty has been done, and I can continue to live in peace. If xanga dies, I will be left in a pure void.
99% of the time, everything on my blog is for me and I give no thought to the reader. However, there are rare occasions when I write something directly to my readers; it’s not for me at all. There is no middle ground for me.
I use my personal “blog” (I despise that word) as my own unique vent. I really never anticipate anyone to read what I write. Many of my entries are set to private. I don’t feel that anyone else needs to see them, because no one else would have a frame of reference to understand why those words came out in the order they did anyway.
I primarily blog as the Spirit of God leads me to tell His story from my personal point of view; then your number three applies. I’m naturally delighted and entertained when someone comments or begins a conversation about what I’ve written. But I’m also fascinated and encouraged by the anonymous footprints from readers all over the world.
2. My site is very much not tailored to grab the interest of random passersby from the internet unless they for some reason created infatuation for me out of thin air
I’m pretty sure the poor souls who do come by my blog think tl;dr and that I’m probably insane. Good for them!
The main reason I even consider “the reader” is that there are people I know in real life that know about my xanga– they don’t check up on it very often, but the possibility shapes what I’m willing to say, and makes me filter what I say. For the most part, though, I just spill my brain onto the page– I think my xanga is incredibly (and threateningly) revealing about me, more so than most blogs I see, but I feel safe in that it is so disorganized and abrasive that I think anyone who held ill will towards me couldn’t get through a single post anyway.
Writing to an imaginary/non-existent reader is good though because it helps me organize things a bit, but I definitely don’t go so far as to present my ideas in any kind of socially acceptable way. I guess, in some part of my mind, there’s a chance that someone will come by and take an interest in me, but it doesn’t control what I write.
Honestly, I think after what goes on here, most blog out of their own Ego trip. They have only their best interest in mind. What creates attention and contraversy. And they could care less about being different and not following the leader.
3 – The purpose of my blog is entirely self-oriented, but because I do receive comments, I have to consider my audience, such as it is.
I prefer to fish for my audience by the comments I leave as opposed to the posts I write about.
trois
3 to 4
I generally try to make something thats there to entertain others, somtimes it’s just for me but rarely.
3.
Probably around a 3. I want readers to enjoy my work but it is only really applicable to me.
used to be 3, now it’s 2 sometimes 1
wow
very nice
thank you alot with my best wishs
شبكة الهندسة المعمارية
since it is being posted on the internet for everyone to see, i think about what i should or should not share with the world.
If it weren’t for having readers, I would not blog.
What I have to say is important and I want people to read it.
3, but I find if I don’t think about the reader(s) at all, it’s more beneficial for yourself.
Dammit Dan. I wasn’t finished with that post, I fell asleep in the middle of it and pressed enter accidentally.
3. I think about the reader but I am not dominated by thoughts of the reader.
Half of the stuff on my site is not reader-friendly.
Venting on Xanga is one of my coping mechanisms!
I don’t think about the reader too much. My blog is for me essentially. If people decide to read it, cool. If not, that’s fine too. I really HATE when survey sites, graphics or anything of that nature refuse to update until they recieve a certain number of comments, rec’s, subcribers, etc. This is not a business, you are not getting paid, and honestly you are not THAT important. Ha UGH, that always gets me so heated. Like, wake up people this is just Xanga. It’s suppose to be fun and something personal.
Depends on what I’m talking about. Sometimes it’s all about the reader, sometimes what I’m writing about stems from a reader but is more to clarify my own thoughts, and sometimes it’s just for me. Most of the time though, it’s public so that I can get different solutions for a problem that I’m trying to solve.
It fluctuates between 3 and 4, there are times when I am actually writing to and/or about specific individuals, but on the other hand, from my footprint page, I can tell that the whole world is reading. My words are usually open to those who read them. I set the pace and trends, I do not let them demand me to write about something or to someone. No comment doesn’t mean no read. Most of my readers are non-Xangans anyway…
I don’t care if what I wrote was not reader-friendly, I mostly write simply because I like it. I know that people read my blog, most of the times I broadcast what I want to say to the masses when blogging, sometimes I just wrote because I like it. So, I don’t really know where from 1-5 I truly stand to be honest. It depends…
I think about myself and people just like what I write I guess.
I try to write just for me and not edit myself, but I do blog with readers in mind. Specifically law enforcement.
345 (: (:
i’d have to say i’m a 2. if people read me, eh that’s alright. but my blog’s more of a stress reliever that takes the brunt of my frustration and weirdness so… i can’t really be concerned with the reader very often. what makes me a 2 is that once in a very blue moon, i post something i feel is important and/or informative. but it’s very rare.
1-3 I mostly blog like a Diary… On occasion I’ll Blog something and submit it to Mommaroo.. or Healthkicker… Not very often though…
How can you not think of the reader at all while blogging on a public forum?
Dear Dan,
I blog for you and the cool kids.
No, seriously, my blog is a part of my “online universe” and it’s stated goals back in 1999 when I created it was to present my “art and literature” to the masses. So by very definition, it was hoped that there would be a “readership” for my site and blogs. I switched from Blogger to Xanga specifically for the comments feature which was only offered here and on a few other blogging platforms back then. So I craved some degree of interactivity all along.
You should have provided a link to the person to whom you are the only commenter. I’d surmise that they’d get lots of comments at least from the readers of this entry. I would have left a long one, I’m sure.
I’d say a nice “even” 3. If I thought more about the reader, I wouldn’t “hiatus” so much!
Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool
I’d say a 3. I wouldn’t see much of a point in writing if no one reads it. Otherwise i’d keep a close personal journal with myself.
I don’t write for the reader. This blog is about my personal life. I rarely get comments or readers. I’m not here to attract a following.
2
2 or 3
I enjoy blogging just for me, as a release. Having someone come by every once and a while is nice. But, not a huge deal for me. I would say a 2, because I wonder if my parents ever read my blog haha.
I’m 1. And you must think about the reader because you put a number system down in most of your posts.
I write as I would when I write a diary. I know perfectly well that people are not likely to read it, but I write as if I am talking to someone. The content, however, is for me.
Some people have to blog with the reader in mind because most don’t understand bloggging even in 2011 and what the blogger writes can get them in serious trouble in their real time life. And can cause unneccessary serious problems in their life. I went through this in December and still might be facing the music concerning what I wrote was true and was not about anybody I knew but wwas in fact about a shoot-out that happened in the building next to mine some people that know made my life miserable for a couple of weeks and still carry with them….unfortunetly. The world is not as enlightened as most bloggers would hope.
@Tallman - And these are legal documents that we write and can be used against us in the court of law if we violate….especially slander.
2.5
Three or four, depending on the topic.
For the most part, I don’t think about the reader much. If I don’t want any readers, I keep it private (most of my posts are private). I blog for myself – it’s easier here than writing in a paper journal. If it is not too personal, I’ll post in my blog with the reader in mind (meaning, knowing that there’s a possibility that someone may read my entry.) For a while, when I was having doubts about my marriage (that, incidentally, ended in divorce) I was posting on protected because sometimes I WANTED feedback, but only from people I trusted. After my divorce, I turned all of my protected posts private and opened my blog up to the public. Now when I post something that I don’t care if someone reads, I post public. Otherwise, the reader is me only, and I post private.
Blogging would feel like work if I think about the readers. My page is anonymous anyway so I have nobody to impress. I blog for my own pleasures.
One because no one reads my rants and its mostly for me to read back one day.
Well, usually the posts are about even. I generally write as though someone were reading, although many times, no one really does read. My last blog was catered to both the reader and I. I love to hear feedback on their experiences on the subject I am discussing!! I try to ask a question to them at the end to get them involved. The things I write to myself and only me are in my personal hand written journal.
i usually just write.
I always do, to some extent. “The Janus Files” was the name I had picked out if I ever became a syndicated columnist, and more than a few entries are written as if I were writing a column. So in that sense, yes, I am writing for an audience. Even though it feels as though I’m hearing the sound of crickets in response.
It varies. Sometimes I care, sometimes I don’t. Most of the semi-regular readers I have read me without my having to cater to their specific whims, so I assume they like what I’m doing. If not, oh well. ::shrug::
I think about the reader in the sense that I pay attention to my style of writing and the amount I’m typing out (we all know no one likes to read a super long blog!) but when it comes to the content, I usually write for myself.
You may be gaining results with these daidaihua capsules but if you study well about the content then I am sure that you will stop taking these pills any more. The obvious thing that you would be looking forward in this case is an for an alternative which will help you not only to loose weight and getting into shape but will also help you to keeping a good health.
Mine is usually #4. Very careful as to what I write as not to start a riot.
my future self is the reader I think about.
I post photos of things that affect me and hope that they will bring a smile to others who see them.
I think it depends on the subject, but for me I think I’m in the 2-4 range. I want to try making longer posts, but lately I’m mostly doing semi-short updates, mainly with whatever craft I’m working on, or random things I’ve thought of/tried (like smoothie recipes or something). and like a few others here, I started xanga after being prodded by friends (who most of them seemed to have deserted the place), but for those that are still around, it’s a nice way for me to let them know what I’m up to.
basically just use mine as a journal.