Sunday, January 17, 2010

Blogger ranks thin as we writers keep searching for connection

Raymond, I know, had to move this weekend as well as start preparing for the festival coming up in another theater in which Bohemian Cowboy is scheduled for four performances. He is now hoping to spend more of the winter months in Austin as he forms connections and receives enough support to make that possible. In the meantime, DB of Vagabond Journeys has tapped Raymond and 3 more actors to write about the moments of transcendence they have experienced while performing in theater. I returned to his blog several times to see if he was getting readers for this outstanding piece and found that only five have responded with comments so far, including myself.
I have e-mailed DB about getting enough comment from readers of your blog that you do not feel you are talking to yourself. Even if my sitemeter says there are readers unless they comment once in a while signaling to me they are there, I tend not to be comforted by the thundering silence. I am one who absolutely believes in reciprocation. In other words I owe you the reader a return to your blog to see what you have to say, if you are a blogger. And I also have a great deal of faith in the survival of the blogger as writer, but I expect there to be definite ups and downs in blog writing. I think we bloggers who migrated here from AOL have just been learning how to survive as bloggers.
I see great possibilities in some of the natural born writers who have taken to blogging, like DB. Others are not as literary as he is but are vigorous and entertaining as writers. And they are trying all sorts of things. I now am on Facebook and I enjoy that mainly because my kids are on Facebook and are always posting some interesting photos I love to see. I have also gotten the chance to make several albums of photos for them and other Facebook relatives.
I have also been writing on our family site now for six or seven years! Certain relatives are regular contributers with commentary, updates, and photos. We just had a photo shoot of a new baby born to my grand niece and the grandma put the overflow on Facebook, too, so that worked, especially for those who love photos as I do. We also do book reviews on there and pass books around we think others might like, so that's been another popular feature.
But I am always thinking about how to strengthen the blogging world which seems at times to be fading. Mind you, I don't think it will ever expire, however, there are too many bloggers who actually love to write. We just have to be able to chart the ebb and flow and figure out how to expand this world until we feel it is quite healthy.
So now I go to write an e-mail to the Arizona Republic's theater critic after spending my energies a week ago writing to and about the New Times theater critic. The subject to the Republic's will be on theater companies taking more of an interest in in their cities by doing plays each year by local playwrights reflecting the problems. Tonys and Pulitzers are fine, but they should always make room for new stuff that might be more pertinent to the people they serve.

3 comments:

kanyonland King 2.blogspot.com said...

I wanted you to know that these two blogs did not show up this morning before I downloaded the new internet. I was cut off! After downloading, I came back and here they are. Good things happen to those who try. I can connect once more.

LaRena said...

Gerry where do I find your blog list now days? Every once in a while when I had time I would read some of the different bloggers. Connie especially. I depended on your list to find people since I don't really have a blog list of my own except for my bookmarked favorites. I enjoy writing my blog now and then when I feel I have something to give voice too. Often there are other things that take my time and energy but I always do some writing and my favorites almost every day.

Lisa said...

I don't know if it is waning or we have to explore beyond our comfort zone of AOL bloggers. I visit blogs who have been on blogger since we migrated and they have hundreds of followers and dozens & dozens of comments on each entry. I often read through reader but don't comment. I will try to be a better commentor for you Gerry.
Lisa


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