Excuse Me, Do You Have A Minute…
Imagine me channeling the guy at the mall kiosk that asks you whether those are your real nails or not… and then starts spouting about how the Dead Sea has healing salts… Okay, done?
I’m doing research into how to optimize the efficiency of my blog reading.
(READ: I do not have three hours to read blogs and as a result have read about 5% of the posts in my reader.)
1. How many blogs do you read?
2. How do you read them (i.e. GoogleReader) ?
3. How do you organize them?
4. About how much time do you devote to reading them?
5. How often do you comment?
6. How mad would you be if I stopped reading your blog? (KIDDING. No. Not really. How mad? Like, “Meh, whatever” or “I will stalk you and boil a bunny rabbit in your kitchen”?)
7. Do you have any suggestions to help me out? Other than paying more attention to my husband and abandoning the Internet completely, Tariq?
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Meta
If you need to spend more time with your family you should do that.
Spending too much time concerning yourself with other people’s lives and not concerning yourself with your own family life is not healthy.
Do you really still want the answers?
Ok.
1. 321 (but some are defunct)
2. Google Reader
3. Celebrity, Entertainment, Favorite, Personal, and Technology. I need more categories but just haven’t done it.
4. Maybe an hour a day. Two when I feel like it.
5. Only when I feel I have something to say, so maybe 1-4 comments a day.
6. I would be offended, because I would read into it that you don’t want to be my friend anymore, and that’s not even the truth. So, please feel free to not read my blog, it’s on me to not jump to incorrect conclusions.
7. Help you out how? Your in person life is the very most important. Do not take every cause into your heart as your own crusade. Be an observer and supportive, but your world to save is in your home. Doesn’t mean you aren’t a cool kid, cuz you are. (I really have no idea if I’m even touching on your concern.)
@Poppy, *3. and FOOD. how could I forget food?
I’d kill a bunny rabbit to be stalked like that.
1) I can’t say that I READ all the blogs in my reader all the time, but I follow just over 200 now.
2) I use an offline reader that syncs with my Google Reader account.
3) I have a “Must Reads” folder which is mostly filled with my personal favorite blogs that ALWAYS get read, no matter how busy I am (this is where you are!). I have a “Met” folder where I keep all the people I’ve met in person. I have a “Blargh!” folder where I put blogs I don’t necessarily like, but follow when I have time. And I have a “Commercial” folder where I dump everything that’s not a personal blog.
4) Depends on what I’ve got going on. Maybe a half-hour off and on when I am busy… two hours or more on days where I have free time or am sitting at an airport or something.
5) Whenever I am compelled to. I gave up feeling OBLIGATED to comment a long time ago. However, just because I don’t comment doesn’t mean that I didn’t like what I read… sometimes I don’t comment because I have nothing to add or nothing to say which would add to the conversation.
6) Not mad at all. I am a huge fan of your blog and I am a huge fan of you personally… I don’t think there’s much you can do to change that. If my blog isn’t something you feel like reading, that’s certainly not going to be the thing that changes my mind.
7) The only advice I have comes from experience in trying to manage an overwhelming number of blogs in my own busy life… don’t sweat it. Read when you can, and make no apologies when you can’t. People who matter will understand. Some bloggers I really like only get read occasionally… much as I’d like otherwise… because life just gets in the way.
By the way, I’m answering this despite the mental image of the guy at the mall kiosk. They live to be annoyed by for just a split second before you realize the bets way to handle them is to simply and firmly ignore them.
But, I digress…
1. Approximately nine of them (although a couple seem to be inactive as of late).
2. Google Reader
3. I let Google Reader do it for me.
4. Anywhere from 15-60 mins a day, depending on the preview, subject matter, and various other factors. (That applies mainly to the Comic Book Resources news-feed thingie, which I count because it’s in my subscription list. Actual Blogs like this one, I tend to read whenever it’s updated.)
5. Mainly when either something catches my attention, I feel I have something to say in response, or the occasional good wishes. Overall, not very often.
6. I’d probably be a little disappointed, but at the end of the day, that’s your call. I don’t sweat it that much. Some of what I write ain’t for everybody. Others are too busy to tune in regularly, if at all. I get all that. Short answer: I’m not the stalker-type.
7. Honestly…no, I don’t. I rather enjoy what I read from you and I think you’re doing a hell of a job. Keep up the good reading.
1. I am currently following 84 blogs, reduced from 210.
2. I use Google Reader – I found that this reader is the most efficient out of all the RSS readers I have tried over the years.
3. Although I usually have a nice mix of personal blogs and “business” blogs, I don’t organize them. If your blog isn’t on my reader, I am probably not reading you. It’s much simpler that way.
4. I am slowly cutting back on my overall time on-line, so probably 30-45 minutes a day, if that. I used to spend a couple of hours a night doing the blog thing.
5. I only comment when I have something substantial to add to the conversation. I realize this is not doing me any favors getting traffic to my blog….hee!
6. I honestly don’t know who reads my blog now – I am not uber popular and I rarely look at my blog stats, so I assume not a lot of people do. If you stopped reading, I probably wouldn’t know.
However, I would hope you wouldn’t stop reading only because we’re cool, you know?
7. Have a life outside of blogging, which you do.
1. I follow 150 RSS feeds at the moment, but some of those are tech (~10, like engadget) and humour (~20, like failblog), which means I don’t read/comment on most posts.
2. I use Google Reader both on my laptop and iPhone.
3. mothers, fathers, non-parent bloggers, tech, humour; the humour and tech folders can get unruly from time to time, and I just hit read all to lower the stack.
4. I put in maybe an hour in the morning, and a sporadic 10 minutes here and there throughout the day when I’m in the office, and maybe 30 minutes in the evening. When I don’t have internet during the day, I probably spend an additional hour between the morning and evenings.
5. I probably comment about 75% of the time on the parenting blogs I read; in all honesty sometimes I just comment because the blogger is a regular commenter of mine and I want to reciprocate, other times it’s because I have something to add/say.
6. I wouldn’t be offended if I didn’t make the cut. I’d still read, but I might not comment as much. (I find it hard to comment on a site where the author NEVER visits my site, kind of like I’m just showing up at their house uninvited and eating their chips and salsa… does that make any sense?)
7. Other than sleeping less, or devoting even less time to your husband/kids than you are already getting grief for (apparently), all I can suggest is that you cull the herd to a number you feel you can manage.
Not sure how this is going to help, but why not…
1. I currently have 110 subscriptions. I did a clean-up around a month ago, so I would say they are all current blogs that I enjoy.
2. Google Reader
3. Favorites – 52, New Stuff (really just a catch-all)- 29, Baseball – 14, Politics – 3, Sex (don’t judge me)- 2 and Beer – 10.
4. I work from home and I am constantly on the computer. So I take a lot of mini-breaks during the day to read the stuff that has accumulated. I couldn’t really place a time figure on it.
5. I comment when I have something to say when I have the time. There are a handful of blogs that I almost always leave a comment. Hi.
6. I’d be disappointed, but not angry. And besides, the person really losing out in this scenario would be you, so…
7. Did you ever see the Michael Keaton film “Multiplicity”? He clones himself a couple of times, and then one of his clones does it as well. Don’t do that. You’d wind up with an angry Faiqa, a gay Faiqa and a retard Faiqa. Sure, fun at parties, but…
1. Maybe 60, though not all publish regularly.
2. Google Reader
3. Awesome female bloggers (you’re there, now that I found you), random female bloggers, local bloggers, craft bloggers, businesses
4. An hour a day, I get behind, but I catch up on weekends. I have a FT WOH job, so I read some at lunch while scarfing down leftovers.
5. Not as often as I should.
6. Nobody comments on my blog (ok, lie, but not many people do) so I don’t care.
7. Don’t feel obligated to read more than you have time for, or comment more than you have time for. Reading blogs should be fun.
1. At the moment 37. Fluctuates between 25-40.
2. Feedly.com
3. Categories are: Curiosity (sex, food, crafts, etc,) Entertainment, Occult – Spiritual, Personals, Writing (I stalk writers, agents, reviewers, and more.)
4. 30-60 minutes.
5. 3-5/wk. I like to have something worthwhile to say/read.
6. Mmmmm bunny pot pie! I am not a daily blogger so I am not worried. I do not take much reader space ::big goofy grin::
7. I tackle a category at a time when it looks full and am in the mood for. I am sure a slightly late comment is better than none if I do. Feedly digest mode is awesome to see what I want to read.
* Subscription fluctuation is due to my need to have at least 2-3 posts a week from blogger and the moment they apologize for not posting for so long they get deleted. Nothing more annoying than being taken for someone who doesn’t understand there is a real life beyond the Internet.
1. I don’t know, not many really. I try to limit it to people I really enjoy reading. People I consider friends or just plain good writers. I also don’t read every single one of their posts, if I can’t relate early on, I move on.
2. Google Reader
3. Top Friends, Fun Peeps, Family, Occasionals, Tech Stuff
4. 30-45 minutes
5. I comment more than I blog. I don’t always comment though. Only when I have something to add, relate to, or come up with a funny retort to what they said. Well I thought it was funny anyway.
6. Do you read my blog? kidding! I would not be offended at all. You will still be considered a friend and seriously, we need to get together again soon!
7. You have to not feel guilt about reading others blogs. Read those you like to spend time with. Write when you have the urge and just let it be a hobby you enjoy. If something comes from it? Great. If not, so what? Blogging is a form of therapy, but it’s so easy to get so wrapped up in it you forget to stop and look around what’s within your physical grasp once in awhile. A blog will never hug you back, you may feel love and warmth from the words on the screen, but there will only be a screen when it passes. I understand the need to write and the satisfaction it brings when you write things that touch people. You just have to find the right balance for yourself with those you can actually touch. Each person is different. Just go with what your heart and mind tell you to do.
1. I subscribe to 120, but that includes probably 20 or so virtually defunct blogs of friends who may or may not come back.
2. Google Reader, baby. I am pretty strict about partial feeds – a blogger has to be really, really good for me to continue subscribing to a partial feed.
3. They are not organized, but I have no issues clicking through things and not reading them (in particular, some of the news feeds which get junked up quickly)
4. Next question? I probably spend WAY too much time doing this – an hour? Or so? This might explain why my kids grunt like cavemen and my house is a pit.
5. I tend to comment more on certain blogs than others (i.e. there are some blogs I rarely comment on, others that I comment on frequently if the commenting community is thoughtful. There is good conversation going here.) It takes very little time to comment and I love jumping into conversations. I do try to keep my subscription list small so that I can comment more frequently on blogs that I care about. Not sure if that makes sense.
6. Long ago, I accepted the fact that few folks will read my blog. No harm, no foul.
7. Read a site because you WANT to read it, not because you feel you NEED to read it. A site must keep me entertained or informed. If that fails, it had better be a good friend’s site or else it has no business in my feed reader.
1. How many blogs do you read?
123.
2. How do you read them (i.e. GoogleReader) ?
Google Reader.
3. How do you organize them?
by folders: Must Read, 2nd tier, If there’s time, WebComix, Sites I manage, Probation, Inactive Blogs.
4. About how much time do you devote to reading them?
I read as much as I can on the bus ride to work (about 45 minutes). Most mornings it means all of them. If not, I read some of them between tasks or on the way back at night.
5. How often do you comment?
I comment only when I feel I can comment something funny and/or something that will further the conversation and/or provide support. Some days I comment a lot, some days I don’t.
6. How mad would you be if I stopped reading your blog?
Honestly, I probably would not notice, unless you used to leave 5 comments a day and all of a sudden you’re gone. I don’t have any fancy trackers to see who’s visiting.
You mean you’re reading my blog?
7. Do you have any suggestions to help me out?
I can only echo what others have already said: Don’t sweat it, reading blogs should be fun, etc. If I can add one suggestion, it would be my personal rule about blog reading: I read blogs only when I have nothing more fun to do. That’s why I do it on the bus, when I’d just be sitting here doing nothing anyways. However, there is one exception to this “rule”: You are not allowed to read blogs while in the bathroom, because that’s just wrong.
1. I’m subscribed to about 100, but not all of them update regularly.
2. Google Reader
3. Alphabetically. Seriously. If I’m subscribed to a blog, it means I want to read it. If I find I’m not reading a blog, then I unsubscribe.
4. About one hour a day. If I have a busy day with no time, then I don’t read, I mark all as read. Family comes first.
5. If I read the blog, I try to comment, even if it’s a couple of words.
6. I wouldn’t be mad. I would miss my nemesis, but I would understand.
7. Read when you have time. Don’t read when you don’t. And don’t feel guilty about it.
1. How many blogs do you read?
Google Reader says “87″ but most of these are people who don’t update regularly, coupon blogs (yes, I know) and ::cough:: mommy bloggers.
2. How do you read them (i.e. GoogleReader) ?
Google Reader.
3. How do you organize them?
My coupon blogs are in their own folder. The rest are alphabetically.
4. About how much time do you devote to reading them?
I read them randomly throughout the day when I feel like being a slacker at work. I don’t read blogs on the weekends unless I’m seriously bored, which, hi, two kids, never happens.
5. How often do you comment?
I used to try to comment on my main peeps every day but now I only comment when I feel like I have something productive to put in or if said person is having a bad day.
6. How mad would you be if I stopped reading your blog?
I’m pretty sure you already stopped, lol.
7. Do you have any suggestions to help me out?
You should stop being so awesome. Then you wouldn’t have as many people reading your blog, which would mean that you’d have less blogs you feel obligated to read and comment on in return.
I’ve had a harder time keeping up with blogs since my work place started firing people for internet abuse. Please note that I am reading your blog from work. What can I say? I’m a rogue nation or a true bad ass or monumentally stupid. Whatever. I use google reader and I skim the posts and only read ones that grab me. I do that maybe once a week. Also, I read some posts from blogs I don’t usually follow when I see an interesting tweet about them.
1. How many blogs do you read?
Depends on the day; usually about 50 per day, I guess.
2. How do you read them (i.e. GoogleReader) ?
Google Reader, here.
3. How do you organize them?
I’m supposed to organize them?!
4. About how much time do you devote to reading them?
Again – depends on the day. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I don’t actually “devote” time to them. I just squeeze a few in here and there.
5. How often do you comment?
I try to comment pretty often – certain people every time they post (if I can) and others – eh.
6. How mad would you be if I stopped reading your blog? (KIDDING. No. Not really. How mad? Like, “Meh, whatever” or “I will stalk you and boil a bunny rabbit in your kitchen”?)
I wouldn’t cry over it but I would feel kinda sad, honestly. I mean, if you were just like, “Oh EFF Sybil!” and never came around again – that would hurt.
7. Do you have any suggestions to help me out? Other than paying more attention to my husband and abandoning the Internet completely, Tariq?
BJ’s work wonders.
Hahahahaha
1. Hm…10-20? Oh My Lord…I just counted. I read 40 blogs. wtf!
2. I keep a blog roll and have my favorites bookmarked and synced onto my phone so I can read them on-the-go, or secretly at work.
Oh, and top sites, I top site a couple of places.
3. By recently updated.
4. I go to bed late. Like stupid late. Most of the blogs that I read are people I care about or feel passionately about. They are people that inspire me or teach me something new so they’re kinda special to me.
I spend an hour or two a night for blog reading/emailing/crackbooking/twitter whoring/winding down. Also, I just moved half a world away so staying up lets me talk to my friends too.
5. Heh.
I comment when I feel passionately about something but generally, I just listen and learn.
6. I hate bunny rabbits so I think you’re okay.
Also, Faiqa, you have a life, with responsibilities, with priorities. Why the hell are you apologizing for it?
It’s an honor that you read my blog, but like we talked earlier, for me my blog is my safe place, an outlet. To write for someone else, to write just for the sake of someone else reading it, to write for hits, would make it a different kind of blog.
I publish books all day long, this is for me damnit.
7. Do what feels right. Do what you need to do. Take time for you, take time for your family. Stay in touch, but if the only reason why we’re friends is because of how often you comment on my blog and vice versa, than we’re not really friends at all are we?
…well that was a rant and a half..see, I make up for not commenting w long ass comments!
1. How many blogs do you read?
About 4 regularly, but over 100 in the reader – plus sometimes the recommended items if I have extra time.
2. How do you read them (i.e. GoogleReader) ? Google Reader
3. How do you organize them? Daily Friends, Nursing/Medical, Fun Stuff and a few Misc.
4. About how much time do you devote to reading them? about 20 minutes a day – hence only getting to about 4 per day.
5. How often do you comment? I usually just comment on yours, Britt’s, Lisa’s, and Adam’s.
6. How mad would you be if I stopped reading your blog? (KIDDING. No. Not really. How mad? Like, “Meh, whatever” or “I will stalk you and boil a bunny rabbit in your kitchen”?) I don’t have a personal blog. So I can’t be mad. Besides I talk to you!
7. Do you have any suggestions to help me out? Other than paying more attention to my husband and abandoning the Internet completely, Tariq?
Get rid of that stupid phone, get an iPhone and read blogs on the toilet like I do. True story.
1. How many blogs do you read?
At last count, I have 770 blogs in my feedreader.
2. How do you read them (i.e. GoogleReader) ?
I use Google Reader exclusively.
3. How do you organize them?
I have several categories: Always, which are the people I always read and always comment, Must Reads, which are the ones I always read and comment if I can, 2nd Tier, which are the ones I try to read and comment if I have time, Read If Time Available, which are the most likely to get marked as read, and then a bunch of smaller categories that I filter through (like “New blogs I found from BlogHer”, where I’ll read them for a bit and see where to file them).
4. About how much time do you devote to reading them?
30 minutes to 2 hours a day.
5. How often do you comment?
Already explained.
6. How mad would you be if I stopped reading your blog? (KIDDING. No. Not really. How mad? Like, “Meh, whatever” or “I will stalk you and boil a bunny rabbit in your kitchen”?)
Boil a bunny rabbit.
7. Do you have any suggestions to help me out?
Categories, labels, and filters are the way to go. Priorities the ones you want to read, and mark the others as read.
I actually struggle with this regularly.
I have a special section in my reader for people that also read and comment on my blog regularly, and they generally receive my first priority for reading time. My “bloggy friends”.
I often do not comment on wildly popular blogs. For example, I have been reading Heather Spohr’s blog since Maddie was a little baby, and used to comment quite a lot. I am less likely to do so, now. She knows I adore her and read every post, no need to be lost in the sea of 200 other comments.
I try to comment on less popular blogs, where each comment received really means something special to them. I also comment on new (to me) blogs that I begin following. To me, the main purpose of blogging is the community and interaction, and if I comment on every post, and am never acknowledged or responded to on occasion in any way, then I generally stop commenting so regularly (although I’ll still read). I like to put my efforts where I feel like they mean something.. where they are appreciated. Every person that comments on my blog I either answer through email or visit their blog in return, and more often than not begin reading them regularly. I like the community.
I bring my reader back to zero on a daily basis. If I don’t, it blows up in about 2 seconds flat. If I don’t stay on top of it, it becomes unmanageable. If I get to the point where I feel like I’ll never catch up, I try to hit the places where I feel like I’m most appreciated, or the ones that are most important to me, and then I zero out my reader and start over again. It’s the only way I can deal. It becomes overwhelming, otherwise. Like right now, after having read this post, I’ve brought my reader back to zero for the day.
It’s the system that works for me. 
1. I have about 80 or so right now that I read through regularly.
2. Yep. Google Reader.
3. They’re not organized. At all!
4. I spend about an hour, sometimes 1.5 hours, reading through them.
5. How often I comment really depends on what’s being discussed. I do sometimes get wrapped up in commenting and reading comments if it’s a good discussion but that’s not usually the norm.
6. Since I’m a fairly new blog, I don’t get much traffic and don’t know who is stopping by and who isn’t. So there’s no hard feelings although I’d have lots of good feelings if more people would read me!!! This is my path to a million dollars, don’cha know!!!!
7. Don’t get bogged down in what you’re reading or not reading. If you have a few faves, set them apart from the others so you always read them first. If you use Google Reader, you can check off an entire folder as ‘read’ even at the click of a button and just like that those posts are gone. I use this for the blogs from The Consumerist. Shhh. Don’t tell them! I love them but sometimes they wear me out!
If you don’t want to totally wipe those blogs from your read history, just save them for rainy day and promise yourself not to stress over them.
1. Consistently, only about 75-100. I’d like to add more but I feel stretched thin
2. Google Reader
3. Uh…Google Reader? The fact that this is its own question leads me to believe I am doing something wrong…
4. Not enough. I just skim these days, and I almost never have a chance to comment. Sometimes a window will stay open in my browser all day while I hope to have time to get back and comment, but then at night I just accept it and close it out.
5. Whoops. Not enough. Rarely. And not even on my own blog unfortunately. I’ve been trying to fix that.
6. Not mad. At all. I can imagine it would be boring to read about something you already know all about. If not boring then certainly not at the top of the list. Prioritization is fine by me
7. No, but I’ll peruse your comments and hope to glean some help for myself.
1. I assume you mean subscribe to – 66 at the moment, although I’m preparing for a major reshuffle when I get some downtime.
2. Google Reader usually, but I also click over from Twitter.
3. Folders by topic, and then a “Daily Reads”.
4. Lately? About 15 minutes a day, that’s all it takes to get through the handful in my Daily Reads.
5. Rarely. I’m a horrible commenter.
6. I wouldn’t be mad if someone stopped reading my blog, but I’d stop and take a closer look at what I’d been putting out to see if I’d been sucking lately. Honestly? It’d probably take me a while to notice if someone – even you – stopped reading my blog.
(I don’t know which of the previously discussed categories that puts me in.)
7. Here’s my current guideline: I only read blogs/follow Twitter streams that teach, inspire, encourage or enrich me PERSONALLY in some way. There is some really great stuff out there that doesn’t do anything for ME. Some blogs I read because the people teach, inspire, encourage or enrich me… even if only a tiny part of that occurs on the blog itself.
I have about 30 in google reader, and then I have ones not in google reader that I read less regularly.
I have no idea how much I devote to reading them, probably a lot. I check google reader SEVERAL times a day and then click on various links that come up twitter.
I have no idea how often I comment, whenever I have something to say?
Um, I don’t think you read my blog? At least not often.
I think you have to do whatever you have to do. My reading list kind of rotates. I have blogs I read daily, some I read weekly, some I check in here and there. If you need more time, parse your list down to the blogs you want to read, not the ones you feel like you have to.
Ok, this required homework which I would like to point out… Is just flat wrong! Anyway, I read between 35 and 40 blogs. The first 25 populate on my blog whenever new posts come in. The last 5 or 10 I check daily by looking them up. This just means I’ve been too lazy to add them to my following list.
I comment only on 15 or so regularly, but I would comment more on Avitable, if it would let me from my regular pc. It sucks that the only place I can respond to Adam is on my iPod.
I get up 15 minutes earlier every day to read and respond, and I would miss your comments on my blog posts a lot!! Everyone that comments on my blog seems sincere, which I appreciate greatly.
1. 34, but some of them don’t exist anymore.
2. the dashboard thingie on my blog
3. organize?
4. hour or so a day
5. whenever i have something to say
6. lol – you’ve never heard of me before, why start now? your bunny rabbits are safe from me. (i wandered over recently from mom-101.)
7. sorry. got nothing. maybe start by weeding out some of the ones you’ve not commented on ever and go from there?
I’ll have a go – looks like fun
1. 24
2. NetNewsWire
3. A folder titled “Personal Blogs”
4. 15-20 min a day
5. When I feel I have some good input to the post.
6. Not to many people read mine so it would not bother me
7. Pay more attention to your husband for sure! Your blog is awesome and I couldn’t possibly have anything to offer – how about helping me out??
ive been getting progressivly worse about keeping up with people’s blogs, and i feel bad about it.
i usually get to post about 2 times a week, and usually thats ALSO the time i have to read as many other blogs as i can. i’m lucky to check peoples blogs 2 times a week, but its usually once max.
and if you stopped reading me, i’d be crushed. you complete me.
I just want to point out that I agree with everything Poppycede says up above me.
1) Way too many, and it is true I can often be late to a post… such as this one.
2) GoogleReader
3) Folders organized by both Genres and further sorted by MUST Reads, SHOULD Reads, and AT WILL Reads
4) I don’t devote any time, I read as I can
5) I think that depends on three things: A) The level of emotional pull towards commenting B) The content of the comments already there and C) My current mood. I just don’t see why there is a need to set “quotas” and “limits” on commenting too? How authentic would each comment be then if I had to “make quota”?
6) Oh I wouldn’t be mad at all! The real question you need to ask yourself is how mad would YOU be at yourself for missing out on something? If you can live with that level of anger at yourself, then I say UNSUBSCRIBE!
7) Sure, building and maintaining relationships takes effort, but I think people over think and therefore complicate the entire blog reading/commenting process. I suggest the KISS methodology of blog reading: Read when you can, comment when you want.
1. How many blogs do you read?
12
2. How do you read them (i.e. GoogleReader)?
Some are in Google Reader, some are bookmarked, some are off a blogroll.
3. How do you organize them?
I have two lists. Blogs I like and blogs I don’t. Yes blogs have moved from one to another. usually if you’re shit-canned then you’re gone.
4. About how much time do you devote to reading them?
It varies. If it’s the same old crap I don’t finish reading & just walk by. If the writer has hooked me I can spend a lot of time there.
5. How often do you comment?
If I read you and comment most every day that means I either like your writing, I like you personally, you’ve challenged me, or a shade or combination of all the above. If I read you and don’t comment I’m either sick of the fact that you’re regurgitating the same crap day after day but I like you as a person and I wish you’d break the hell out of it already, or you don’t answer back. I like it when bloggers answer back though I understand they don’t have to – and I don’t always – but I like to know I’ve been read EXCEPT if they answer back with a trite bit of nonsense just to let me know they heard me. I hate that. I like to believe that when I answer a commenter on my blog it’s because I’m engaging them and hope to hear back again from them again etc. and I like it when bloggers answer my answer that way. If I comment and somebody says “oh hahaha that too” or something I feel like they’re patting my head and telling me to go away. I’d rather they not answer at all & we move on. If they take what I’ve said and say the perfect thing that’s beautiful. That’s all we need to say. But you know what it comes down to?? If you and I are sitting there and you trite me I’ll smack you one. If you top me I’ll bow down and kiss your toes. If you have nothing to say it’s better to say nothing then and move on (Faiqa – the “you” here is generic). So the answer to your question is “when I have something to add that enhances the conversation” – just like real life. Because if you knew me face to face you’d know that when I’m silent that’s it. Last comment did the trick. What was the question?
6. How mad would you be if I stopped reading your blog?
I wouldn’t be mad. If people stop reading my blog – and MANY have – it’s their call. But I would be disappointed if YOU stopped reading me. I value the fact that my blogs over the years have not been massively popular, but that bloggers who ARE massively popular frequent me. Almost like a private club in a way. I also value readers who are not a stereotype, who are not a robot, who are intelligent, who get the subtle stuff, who see the references without having to have it all drawn up for them. I value readers who aren’t sycophants. Who aren’t afraid to call me out or disagree. AND who can take my lapses into 4chan-tactics and shrug their shoulders and come back tomorrow. The people I’ve eviscerated – whether deserved or not – who decided not to return because they were offended are dead to me. The people who took my assault and flipped me the bird and return anyhow are people I ab-so-lute-ly LOVE. In short, if you stopped reading me, I would figure you’re either too busy or you just don’t get it. But I’m sure you get it, so I’d be disappointed more than mad.
7. Do you have any suggestions to help me out?
This depends on what you want your blog for. If you want to make money from it I have no problem with that but also no advice, as I would rather have six stalwart regulars who were ubercool than 66 sycophants who just LOVE everything I post. I think you should do what you feel is right. But your family comes first. That’s everybody’s rule.
1. How many blogs do you read? I honestly don’t know. I have a bunch on my blog roll that I try to read as regularly as possible, and a bunch bookmarked, and a bunch that I officially follow. So, um, 250? 300?
2. How do you read them (i.e. GoogleReader) ?
I don’t use GoogleReader or any other reading anymore because I just like going directly to the blog itself. Somehow I feel like I’m missing out if I don’t see the whole layout at the same time.
3. How do you organize them?
4. About how much time do you devote to reading them? I’d say about two-three hours per week on average.
5. How often do you comment? I try to leave a comment almost always, unless I just can’t think of something to say. Usually I can think of something to say.
6. How mad would you be if I stopped reading your blog? Oh, I wouldn’t be mad. I would be disappointed though because I highly respect you, your blog, your writing, your perspective, and your opinion.
7. Do you have any suggestions to help me out? I wish I had a way to read all the blogs you want without taking away from your family time. I don’t think it is possible.
I use FeedDemon as my blog reader. I’ve tried 3 or 4 others and I like Feeddemon the best by far.
I read abouut 45 blogs so far and FeedDemon has them organized alphabetically. I don’t have them organized any other way.
I spend about a half hour a day reading blogs… but again, i only have about 45 that I read.
I comment when the spirit moves me. Eventhough my blog is new and I’m trying to build readership I do not feel the need to constantly comment on everyone’s blogs.
I am fairly certain you do not read my blog now, so… no skin off my back if you continue not to. Does that help? You don’t have to ADD my blog to your list. You’re welcome.
HM
1. I read approx 120 blogs
2. GoogleReader (on my iPad, i use an app called Reeder, which is exclusively Google Reader)
3. Alphabetically
4. Approx 10 hours a week, sometimes more, sometimes less
5. about 30% of the time I leave a comment
6. Not mad at all. I understand people’s time.
7. Other than adding extra hours in the day, the only suggestion I can make is to use a mobile device to read blogs. Since I got my iPad and started using Reeder, i’ve found that I read more blogs, sneaking in the extra time to read a few blogs.
1. How many blogs do you read? Too Many
2. How do you read them (i.e. GoogleReader) ? Yes, Google Reader
3. How do you organize them? My Friends. That’s my only category, so if you don’t fit in it, I don’t read you.
4. About how much time do you devote to reading them? When I can, however much time I have and when I feel like it.
5. How often do you comment? When I feel like I have something to add that hasn’t been said and it’s relevant.
6. How mad would you be if I stopped reading your blog? (KIDDING. No. Not really. How mad? Like, “Meh, whatever” or “I will stalk you and boil a bunny rabbit in your kitchen”?) I don’t think you currently read my blog. Although, I think you’d like the post that’s up right now.
7. Do you have any suggestions to help me out? Other than paying more attention to my husband and abandoning the Internet completely, Tariq? A friend once told me that if this becomes a job and it’s not fun anymore, then what’s the use. It’s supposed to be a hobby. Well, for most it is anyway.