Le sigh: on blogging
Everything is Le Sigh.
Work is work, the weather is the weather, and sleep is disrupted or not enough. Running has become Le Running; it’s normal to feel depressed after a (marathon) achievement, but I’m feeling lethargic and my resistance is steep.
I have been getting inspirational running quotes through one of the feeds on my Facebook page.
I wonder if I can apply this to blogging?
“What defines me as a blogger is that I sit down at my computer and start to type. Later I will hit publish and I am a blogger.” Somehow this doesn’t have the same ring or sense of satisfaction to it as just going out and slogging through miles without an audience.
All of Le Life is bloggable. But as bloggers we are on the lookout for inspirational material, followers, and high stats. I have one post that consistently brings me half my audience per day. It is encouraging to see the high numbers, but also depressing. Am I a one-hit blogger?
I want to look beyond my one-hit subject; I need blogspiration. With my chai latte in hand, today I had Le Day. Walking to work I looked both ways before I jay-walked across the street. Sprinting to avoid being hit by a bus, I leaped onto the curb landing in a fresh pile of dog doo. This stupid Autumn season; the leaves hide the dog doo and all brown muck looks the same. I should know better than to even try to step near anything brown, but my sights were on the bus I was playing chicken with.
I stopped to try address the fresh muck on my shoe. As I lifted up my foot I also lost my balance and the infected foot brushed against my opposite pant leg. Hurrah. Now the poo is almost off my shoe, but smeared in layers along my pant leg. Thankfully (let’s look at the bright side) I wore black pants today. I am dirty and I stink. And I’m going to work like this.
I can still smell the smell on me, hours later.
So blogging is about recounting your day, or an event, or commenting on what you feel. I think it’s more than just sharing information or being funny. It’s about interacting with an audience of readers as well.
I am learning more and more that to gain a following you must be a follower. You need to comment and interact with others. Read what they write and be a part of their world.
Some blogs it’s the comments that really make the post. If I can’t be a part of a comment share-down, it won’t entice them to read MY blog.
And so.
I comment. I leave Le Comment. And I still smell, but not so much if you don’t stand close to me.
* * *
I added the tag “coffee” to this post because it seems like this is how everyone finds me. So now that you’re here, have your own coffee and leave me alone! No, I’m kidding. Leave me Le Comment!
28 Responses to “Le sigh: on blogging”
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- - November 21, 2012
- - December 22, 2012
Have at it! This box is for you.
Then I met you
You can get La Fabreze in purse size containers. (smiles)
Now *this* is good information to have. Just in case… you know…. you get into trouble.
I have that’s why I do know! LOL!
I take comfort in your experience, knowing that someone else has survived!
I like how you wrote.. Le post.
I’m liking you leave le comment.
I loved this phrase ” I am learning more and more that to gain a following you must be a follower. You need to comment and interact with others. Read what they write and be a part of their world.” Keep up the blogging!
Testing NYC,
Thanks for your encouragement. It’s nice to see you here and chat a little.
Hi, It is a challenge to write something that is interesting to others and catches the eye of people surfing for something interesting to read. I try to write interesting posts but sometimes they are too long or are really only interesting to people who know me.
It is a learning process and I’d like to think I’m a better writer now than I was when I started this in April.
It is interesting to see what topics or words attract the most attention.
Hello imarunner,
I think you can have a niche topic and audience or you can write what interests you and then see who follows.
It *is* fascinating to see what people are attracted to, often the complete opposite of what I would normally read.
Finding your voice as a blogger is definitely a journey but you make such a good point – interaction is essential. We all want blogger love and to know that our posts make a difference. I admit that I am not so great at commenting when I read posts. But I always love when I get comments (thank YOU for being a commenter
) Lately I’ve noticed a decline in hits and I’m trying to figure out why. It’s a never ending journey but that’s life. 
On a side note – do you mind sending me your email address? I’ve been working on something and your post goes along with what I’ve been thinking about – inspiration and running. I’d like your input/feedback.
Email address: iruninspired@gmail.com
Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!
Tracie
Yay! You commented!
I think it’s tricky to know what people are reading and what is interesting to others. Of course, we also want what we are writing to be what *we* are interested in. We don’t get paid to blog, so we should like what we are doing.
I’m sending you my email right now.
PS I’m in Canada, so we’re done Thanksgiving. But Happy Thanksgiving to you!!
How about le wipes?
YES! yourothermotherhere commented earlier that La Fabreze makes purse-sized le wipes. Who knew?! Now I can go research the most economical and environmentally-friendly le wipes to help clean up after my many le disasters.
LOL! I keep a sundry of le things in my desk drawer at work. I am like Le Girl Scout — prepared for any le disaster.
You would have to be *LA* Girl Scout, given you are la feminine.
However, I suspect you are strong enough for both genders and their minds, so maybe Le Girl Scout fits. Ready for any le quandary.
Nice grammatical catch.
Le Thank you.
I love the quote you posted at the beginning of your blog!
“Lace up your shoes, get out the door and run” — I need to remind myself of this now when the weather is crap.
Ja. It’s true. You can have 3000 followers, but if you never leave comments (or respond to those who do), people will stop commenting. Different people have different theories on this though, and it’s ALL time dependent.
I think I would have been buying pants on my lunch hour. I definitely would have been mortified about smelling like dog poo.
I was mad; I liked those pants. Luckily my cubicle was far removed from anyone else that day — my nearest farm friend was away that day.
I agree that commenting is very time dependent, as is posting. If you live in a different time zone than most of your readers, you need to target when you want your readers to receive your posts. I’m just learning this now….
You made the chronology of your craptastic day way more dynamic/ funny/ interesting than I made the chronology of my first trail race. You are a superb writer. You could write a minute-by-minute account of your six-hour wait for a B.C. ferry and it would still be a good read.
You flatter me with comments, for which I thank you and thank you!
Let’s hope I don’t ever have to experience that 6 hour wait for the ferry. I did that once; I think that’s why I have six grey hairs now. It was either the wait, or the kids constantly eating wood chips from the doggie play zones.
But really: your comment just *made* my day!!
I can’t believe you got dog poo on your pants – how annoying! I thought that kind of thing only happened to me
Pepe Le Poo
Oh, I am very lucky that way. Unfortunate incidents are drawn to me.