Given my limited readership I suppose it’s easy for me to say that I think we *should* be able to walk away from all of these relationships if that is what we’re called to do.

Does anyone really write because they’re worried they’ll be missed if they don’t? Hopefully all of the writers are writing to scratch that “itch.” Even if the product is a somewhat disturbing fantasy that involves Hello Kitty. I’d still come back later to see what else that creative mind has produced.

And I don’t think all audiences are fickle, I think blog reading is a progression with ebbs and flows, but ultimately your getting a glimpse into someone else’s perspective, which I enjoy. I don’t typically have a flavor of the month, but I do continually add to my reader.

That was funny, because when I tweeted that, I meant it exactly how you took it. I meant what you said. I was trying to be rhetorical, I guess, in fewer than 140 characters. I was trying to say that I get it. That all these people I’m close to now would probably forget me pretty easily if they had to. I know because I’ve quit before. I honestly wasn’t fishing, I’m way past that now.

So I completely agree with Jurgen Nation (who, by the way, I never forgot). And I hope I haven’t offended anyone I adore by saying what I did. It was basically a commentary on the current blogging craze, of which I am very much a big, happy part.

I’m sorry everyone ganged up on you when you said it. Well, a little sorry.

Also, Hello Kitty frightens me.

Also, I agree with Mindy – blog for yourself not for others. it’s great if you find people that you connect with, and that is just an added bonus.

I stopped blogging – I call it a hiatus now, but when I stopped I thought it was for good. As much as we don’t want it to be true, as much as we want to think every friendship we make online is real and won’t be forgotten, some of them are. I wish I would have seen that Tweet because I would have told that person that, whatever s/he chooses, be prepared. The loneliness is crushing. You blog for so long that your identity is somewhat dependent on the online world. When the emails dwindled and finally stopped altogether, I didn’t know what to do. I missed it. I missed everyone. And now, even though I know I needed time to have a quiet, private mental breakdown, I sort of wish I had done more to stay in the game. Now that I’m back, everyone has moved forward, moved on, made new friends. And it’s fine – I’m not bitching about it – it’s just weird thinking about the depth of emails exchanged with certain people that don’t even acknowledge me now. So, if the Tweeter is reading this, be sure it’s what you want and that you’re prepared should the same thing happen.

Again, I don’t think any of us want to stop talking in the face of an absence, it’s just so hard sometimes to keep up unless your online friends are always milling around in your orbit in cyberspace. When someone falls out of the orbit, it gets harder and harder to keep up because IMO the entire framework of the friendship has changed. It’s hard enough to do that with friends in “real life” much less online. I just really miss everyone I used to talk to. So, Tweeter, listen to your heart about what you need at this moment (for me, not blogging a nervous breakdown), but be ready for the difficulty. It can get really lonely when you stop writing.

Sorry to hijack, Neil.