Are you struggling to keep your blog alive?

...and does anyone really care?

I started blogging almost seven years ago...in October 2003...and, for better or worse, this blog is still here.

That's despite fairly long bouts of lethargy about blogging, and my current blogging situation--which includes a lot of delving into the archives for posts I think deserve a second, or even a third, outing.

But I've made the decision: I'm hanging in there. I'm not going to abandon the blog. WHY do I feel it necessary to continue? Well, coming up with the answer to that one will take some navel-gazing.

Do I still have things to say that are fresh, engaging, worth reading? Can I speak some good and positive things into the internet that could cause a ripple effect of good? Can I use this blog to be what the Bible calls "salt and light"?

I think so. So here I stay.

What About You? Has your blogging suffered?

I posed this question on Facebook--which, ironically, is often cited as the reason many people have stopped or slowed in their blogging--and got some interesting answers.

Randy wrote: "I gave it up a year ago. I read a survey that 99 percent of blogs don't get read. So, why do it? However, if I write out of some online journal for my own pleasure it might be a different story. Even when I did write I had maybe three people that even read it. Now, I just journal in Word. However, I had thought of starting an official Peter Strauss blog. But, even then, how many people even know of him? Well, those of us from my age group maybe.."

Donna-Jean responded: "I have that struggle, too. Part of it is that our lives are full with love for our foster granddaughter, and it's not appropriate to post pictures of her. Pictures are such a part of how I've blogged in the past.

Also, I have been working... on a novel that is now complete. (It's a novella, actually.) That took my writing time.

Facebook let's me throw out a sentence or two, and stay connected."




A bloggy graveyard?

Confession time here: I used to try to faithfully read all or most of the blogs in my Bloglines feed, but I must admit, I pretty much lost interest in reading blogs too!

Sure, there were a few that I would check up on here and there, but others I haven't visited in ages. Perusing the Christian Women's network of bloggers last night, I found that quite a few of the blogs I used to read no longer exist, have become invitation only, or are on a self-imposed, indefinite hiatus.

BUT...blogging is still fluorishing in many circles. In an April 2010 post titled "Is Blogging Dead?," this writer addresses the issue from a political perspective:

While the shear volume of people blogging may have decreased over the past few election cycles, blogging is not dead and in some cases social sites such as Facebook and Twitter have actually helped grow readership. The Facebook RSS Feed applications and sites such as TwitterFeed are able to instantly pull blog posts out to reach an information hungry audience on those social networks.

This writer makes the point that blogging isn't dead at all--it's just that short thoughts, that don't need to be fleshed out, are now more suited to Facebook or Twitter.

What blogs do you go back to?

I find myself returning to blogs for several reasons:

1) I love the writer's style and/or personality--i.e., 2nd Cup of Coffee, The Left-handed Rabbit

2) They fill a niche area in something I'm interested in, like beauty and personal grooming--i.e., Pixiwoo, Kandee Johnson, Beauty Broadcast (Some people cite blogs about their favorite sports teams, technology, or a favorite TV show)

3) I know they're going to have something fresh, interesting and/or inspiring to say--i.e., Robin Lee Hatcher's Write Thinking, Angela Hunt's A Life in Pages, Stars and Stillness

4) They affirm my own values and convictions with intelligence and articulateness--i.e., La Shawn Barber's Corner, The Seventh Sola

5) They are a place I enjoy visiting, like a favorite shop or library or friend's home--i.e., The Rabbit Room, As I See It Now, B.J. Hoff's Grace Notes



If you came all the way to the end of this post...

...then you're probably in a tiny minority of people who read long posts! And I truly thank you for taking the time to do that.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on blogging. Do you blog? Did you, and have you quit, or slacked off, and why? Let me know!