Comments on: Confidence

By: sya

sya — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:06:43 +0000

I don’t think blogging is about confidence at all. A blog is nothing but a bunch of electrons arranged in such a way that they form words–the product of your thoughts and amusement. As such, one shouldn’t really give a damn about how one is blogging either in comparison to other bloggers or some imaginary ideal.

Online life is sort of weird. I get how you feel lonely because in reality, it’s nothing but you, a computer screen, and some output that looks like other people responding (although who knows, maybe we’re all just the equivalent of an infinite number of monkeys banging on keyboards). In the end, I think you can only look on this as a tool to help you get in contact with other people rather than a substitute.

Feel free to disregard all of this rambling if this has been said in a much more eloquent manner in one of the above comments.

(Besides, judging from all the comments, are you sure you’re not famous?)

By: Betsey

Betsey — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:39:00 +0000

I didn’t lose respect for you when you emailed. And Dooce has never emailed me either.

I just lost respect for myself.

By: movin' down the road

movin' down the road — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:32:05 +0000

you still need to come to boston. i hear you. i am wicked lonely. and i’m at my own home! (btw, go visit the video on my blog and tell me if I reek sadness or confidence, I got an email from someone who saw the video and said I look really really sad. Was I too emotional? Whaaa?)

By: mamatulip

mamatulip — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:25:33 +0000

I can relate to this post, in several ways, and I think there are a lot of bloggers out there who can. For me, sometimes blogging can be the best thing in the world and other times, like you said here in the comments, it kind of drives me crazy. It’s a mixed bag, all right.

By: molly

molly — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:15:53 +0000

I’ve found that New York can actually help with the ‘invisible’ thing – not to put words in your mouth, but online, it can seem as if everyone knows everyone and there are just concentric circles of blogging BFFS…but living in New York pulls me out of that, and I love that in this city, there are millions of people living all sorts of lives…some lonely, absolutely. But I’ve found that NYC allows for single people to be alone without being lonely in a way that other more ‘traditional’ places don’t…but I say that as someone who gushes about the city even when it shits on me, so take that with a grain of salt. But I know how hard it can be, both online and off, when things fall apart.

By: floating princess

floating princess — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 03:23:11 +0000

I’ve felt this way myself many times. Most of the time I can stay in the “I blog for myself” mindset, but sometimes I get the itch for something more. I haven’t put enough effort into it lately though to make that shift. Great post! And nice to “meet” your blog. I’m a first-time reader through a share from Hilly.

By: Postmodern Sass

Postmodern Sass — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 19:53:48 +0000

Hear, hear.

(Is all I’s got to say. Please don’t email me back or I’ll lose respect for you. )

By: Lady Fizzlebottom

Lady Fizzlebottom — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 18:35:38 +0000

I’m tired of the self-congratulatory name-dropping that I see on some blogs – I’m more interested in reading something genuine that isn’t influenced by a desire for popularity. Admitting that you care about reader feedback, in my opinion, is not a weakness.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 11:04:39 +0000

Maybe it gives you something to shoot for. Am I wrong? Sometimes, a new blogger will make a comment on my blog, and I will immediately email her back. And then something odd happens. I seem to lose this person’s respect for me, as if I showed my cards too early in the game.

I am notorious for not emailing (or sometimes responding to) commenters. It’s not that I don’t want to, or even intend to, it’ s just that I’m usually not tethered to my site for hours a day and I forget to. I’m pretty sure this is one of the reasons why they don’t come back.

By: Christine

Christine — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 06:55:08 +0000

Just write, Neil. Do what you do.