It got me thinking about comments. I have had more than a few run ins with bloggers taking me for creepy because if I feel a connection with a blogger I am overzealous about letting that blogger know. I always feel scorned if my comment is taken the wrong way or worse, deleted. That actually happened the other day when I told a blogger I knew of an awesome knit shop I'd love to show her and then get coffee if she was ever in Chicago. She seemed awesome! =\ i always feel like a 5 year old when i get shunned online. Like, "why don't you wanna be my friend? I'm a nice person."
Another time happened with Smitten Kitchen (who I stopped following after I got shunned). She had a pizza dough recipe that Joy the Baker used on her blog. I asked her if she doubled the recipe (as Joy had done) would it still turn out thin and crispy? I mean I'm sure she had doubled her own recipe on occasion. She responded snippily, "Well I wouldn't know because I'm not Joy." Slightly confused... I told her the recipe Joy used WAS HERS but never got a response to my question.
Blogging is like having an open relationship with everyone who reads. There's a subtle dynamic, a push and pull, between blogger and reader/commenter. I feel like I cross that line too often because of my bubbly personality. I love communicating through text and writing so I'm usually very eager and willing to say, "hey! you should come to Chicago!" but apparently that's extra creepy. I don't know these people! They have no idea that by nature I'm happy and zealous and secretly a 5 year old. It's one thing to do it on a friends blog but for the people I don't know (but still feel a connection with, obviously because I read their blogs) I have to be careful. In my brain, I'm best friends with Joy the Baker and Tracy Shutterbean but in real life they live across the country and wouldn't recognize me on the street. *shrugs*
the internet is so weird and interesting. What are your thoughts on commenting? (lol essentially i'm telling you to comment. GAH INTERWEBZ.)
HOLY moly, where to start?? haha
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the "push and pull" of blogging you described... In my opinion, blogs are for sharing opinions, getting feedback, etc. The blog world is such a huge online community, especially for artists and craftspeople. Some of my favorite (non-friend) bloggers are the ones who respond to my comments, or comment on my blog posts after I've visited theirs. Why bother to share your opinions if you don't really care who's reading them?
I mean, sure, some people have personal journal blogs, but for the most part, people blog with the intent of others reading their posts. Blogs encourage sharing... so I don't know why some people get so weird about commenters. Obviously, there are a TON of creepers on the internet, but I think they're lurking around chat rooms, forums, and FB more so than design/lifestyle/whatever blogs. I could be naive, but.. just saying.
I don't know if I've ever told you about the time some "anonymous" commenter very rudely pointed out a spelling error of mine once upon a time, but I was livid. I thought about lashing back at the random person on my blog, but I want my GH to be an encouragement to others.... so I decided against it. I hate how people can use the internet for such negative things.
Anyway, off my soap box for now. :) That's just my two cents... I feel like we could have a very long discussion about all of this! haha