Nobody gives a @#$% about your blog
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Loading ...This is the new shirt from DespairWear, and I thought it was apropos:
That’s how I feel about this site right now. Of the handful of regular readers I have, a small percentage actually comment. Both the comment % and total traffic here is steadily diminishing, and there’s no really good reason why. I don’t submit to Grand Rounds weekly like so many other bloggers do, because I actually have a personal standard that I maintain before I’d think someone else should feature my writing, but that’s another topic. Because of this, I don’t have that near-weekly resurgence in traffic and exposure that many other medbloggers take for granted.
Med blogs are popping up left and right, but there are also many that are dying on the vine, their authors obviously too busy or uninterested to keep up. I know I’ve been guilty of blogrot several times, but never for more than a month and not without at least an “update” post letting readers know I’m just in the weeds.
As I scan other sites, with a few notable exceptions, many are suffering diminished activity. Tiny Shrink voiced her complaint about this last week, and I replied in the comment section about my theory: Facebook. The last 2-3 weeks has seen an explosion of medbloggers on Facebook, and I think that whatever time that was left for blogging is being channeled there instead. After all, it’s a lot more fun to get and receive virtual tequila shots, have sheep thrown at you, or finding out if you’re the hottest in your circle of friends (survey says that I am not HOT, but I am smart 
) than sitting down to the solitary activity of writing something. Compound this with getting hardly any comment feedback, and the incentive to write when you can just have fun/waste time dwindles.
Facebook is fun, but it doesn’t impact my blogging one way or the other because each satisfies a different purpose for me. Blogging isn’t as fun without the feedback, though.
Tags: blogging comments apathy facebook
Blogging/Web2.0 | enrico | 
October 16, 2007 8:04 pm
By Ribeye of your Dreams, October 17, 2007 @ 1:20 am
I’ll do my best to start commenting more, I usually just read my blogs in Google Reader, which doesn’t give me a comment area. I also spend a lot of time working on RagingServer.com and less time reading like I did before. Please accept my apologies on that, and keep writing, it’s an awesome page.
Ribeye
By Ribeye of your Dreams, October 17, 2007 @ 1:21 am
As an add-on to the previous comment, I’ve just added a link to your page on RagingServer.com as my readers have so far loved all my medi-blog links.
Hope it brings in some more traffic for ya.
Ribeye
By A, October 17, 2007 @ 5:20 am
Great t shirt ! especially the counter at the bottom. do keep up the good work. i enjoy your writing and keep lurking around. lll(long time lurker)
By Dragonfly, October 17, 2007 @ 6:54 am
I shun Facebook. But then I am only a recent blogger, so will probably cross over to the dark side in ~ 2 years or so.
I love the T-shirt, but would rather make snarky Facebook/Myspace comments personally.
I also am a “lll” who enjoys your writing. Keep it up!
Dragonfly.
By Rob, October 17, 2007 @ 7:32 am
I agree with you to a degree, but getting to know you on facebook makes it more likely I would comment on your blog. I have it up in my reader, so I do follow you. My main problem is the high number of blogs and trying to write enough. You do need to comment on people’s blogs, I believe, but it is hard to comment on all the blogs you support.
Keep it up. I went through high spells and very dry spells myself (obsessed as I have been with my numbers). You need to be blogging mostly for yourself, and perhaps 1/3 or 1/4 for your readers. That makes things most satisfying, in my opinion.
By frylime, October 17, 2007 @ 8:14 am
ok, i admit it. i read your blog a lot and haven’t commented…please forgive me!
also, i’m lucky to get around 10 hits a day…hahaha. maybe whenever i’m not an M1 and have interesting stories to tell people will visit me more often…
By Celeste, October 17, 2007 @ 10:22 am
I want nothing to do with Facebook.
I think you should look at getting linked more places. JMHO.
I like the shirt, but I’ll read as long as you blog.
By enrico, October 17, 2007 @ 10:42 am
Wow, it’s my comment quota for weeks!
heheh The main point of the post was to 1) showcase the hilarious shirt, and 2) mention on this site how I thought Facebook might be detrimental to the existing medblogger read/comment dynamic, not a “poor me” thing. Have I felt like it’s been a dry spell? Absolutely. Does it make me lose sleep at night? Nope. I’m already an insomniac, you see. 
By Tiny Shrink, October 17, 2007 @ 8:31 pm
Love the t-shirt! And I agree that more people should comment (myself included). I get less than 1% comments from my weekly readership. At least you are a good schmoozer and frequent commenter, you put me to shame!
By Debby, October 21, 2007 @ 8:08 pm
I very rarely comment on anyones site. But I really like yours..the struggle of balancing real life and school really speaks to me. Please keep blogging!
By Zac, October 21, 2007 @ 9:54 pm
My sentiments exactly, Enrico. I just went on an 18-day hiatus myself and wrote about it. Like you though, I don’t usually go for more than a month without blogging.
By Antonio, October 21, 2007 @ 11:11 pm
I used to read your site more since it is one of the few sources of information on UAG and living in Guadalajara. That information is invaluable to me. I used to be a hardware/software engineer that also ran sites on my own network, so I am able to appreciate the computer stuff, but the real reason that I read your blog is to learn about UAG and the hurdles you face. I used to read crazy things like you need to pay your prof off to pass some class at valuemd and not know what to believe.
Also, what ever happened after that accident? I was not able to find an entry that discussed that.