Read. Savor. Comment. Repeat.

by Robyn Wright on August 14, 2012

in Social Media

women reading at computerSomeone, and I wish I remembered who, at BlogHer said something to the effect of she has lots of friends who know her, will RT her on Twitter, like her on Facebook, +1 her stuff on Google, and so on, but she wonders sometimes if anyone actually reads her blog posts.

I heard it. I sat and thought about it. I do read blog posts, but I also realized I had slacked off on reading many of them lately. Too busy, or that is the excuse I gave myself, to read them all. Knowing this made me realize that other bloggers were probably doing the same thing. We love our blogging friends for many different reasons, but how many of them do we stop in and just read a blog post or two occasionally?

Some of my blogging friends are fabulous writers – I truly am amazed at the talent that some of them have. They make me think, cry, laugh, nod my head furiously in agreement at the screen, and just feel a part of their life in their words. Not all write that way, there are some who tell me about really cool new tech and geeky ideas, some who post instantaneous wipe-the-drool-off-your-chin photos of these fabulous foods and the recipes for them, many of my blogging friends give me the low-down on what new products to buy now and which ones to avoid. Regardless of what they write about, they write, and I promise to keep reading, and reading more. And then comment, and comment some more.

So my blogging buddies, think about all those cards you collected at recent conferences or new bloggers you’ve found online and make them a priority in your day. That’s right, put them on the A list of things-to-do. We all know we are busy, that’s okay. No one expects us all to read every blog post by everyone we know every single day. Just set a timer or a number of posts that you will pledge to read each day. Skip around through all your favorite blogs, find new ones from time to time.

Yes we all love that someone takes the time to retweet or share our post somewhere, but honestly it is when you spend the time reading what we have written that it means so much.

Read. Savor. Comment. Repeat.

© 2012, Robyn Wright. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: blogging, social media

  • Kecia

    Reading and commenting are something I wish I had more time to do! I need to start making it a priority…if only to say something like, I’ll comment on 3 blogs each day. Anything above that will just be icing on the cake! :)

  • http://twitter.com/itsjuststarla Starla Mint

    This is a fantastic sentiment for any style of writer. Any writer, regardless of topic, should keep in mind that they’ll only grow as a person and as a better writer through reading and gaining knowledge, not strictly sharing it and their opinions associated with it.

  • http://twitter.com/ByWordsMusings Nicole Morgan

    LOVE this … I used to get to dozens of blogs a day and read them … and couldn’t tell you when I had last read a good book since my time was filled with bloggy goodness .. good reminder!

    • http://www.RobynsOnlineWorld.com/ Robyn’s Online World

      We need more hours in the day to read our favorite blogs and to read books! J

  • Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell

    I think I was born a blog commenter and I’ll never change that. It’s just a part of who I am. I like visiting those who comment on me and commenting back. It’s so fun to read what other people write, but yes, it’s very, very time consuming!

  • terrik

    I have about a half dozen blogs in my “daily blogs” favorites folder, and another 50-70 blogs in my “blogs” favorites folder. I’m subscribed to about 10 blogs, and a few of those overlap my “daily blogs” folder.

  • http://twitter.com/lexiquin Natalie V

    I know this was directed towards bloggers, but I just wanted to say that I do enjoy reading your posts. I first commented when I saw you write about your son and I was so impressed that you took the time to respond directly to me (who has many concerns about my daughter). Periodically I would leave a comment on a post [elsewhere] only to receive an automated response–which made me decide it wasn’t important to comment on posts (and maybe not even so important to read them)
    Keep writing, Robyn, you’re easy to read and enjoyable!

    • http://www.redneckrosie.com/ Rose

      @twitter-21693811:disqus I have been fortunate to have gotten to meet Robyn twice face to face. The first time I lunged to sit beside her as she was a friendly face and a friendly person. She made me feel welcome when I felt so very awkward!
      As a blogger and one that enters giveaways and comments on blogs, I also very strongly dislike the auto-reply things. So impersonal!

  • http://www.facebook.com/tiffany.winner.9 Tiffany Winner

    i usually read blog posts in emails but ended up with hundreds of email subscriptions- yikes! Took me days to unsubscribe from all but my very favorites.
    thismomwins@gmail.com

  • http://www.redneckrosie.com/ Rose

    It’s a task to keep up with our own sites and then to remember what other blogger we want to visit. This is actually one of my post-conference goals. To make it a point to visit other blogs, AND leave them comments. Somewhere in my heart of hearts during BlogHer I realized just how important this is. I need to find a way to organize who I want to visit on a regular basis, organization is not my strong suit. :/

    I’m actually wanting to learn how to engage our readers more so that they feel more inclined to comment. I know ending with question is a great way, however that hasn’t been real effective for me.

  • http://twitter.com/geekbabe Jean Parks

    I enjoy reading posts, there are so many talented bloggers out here! What makes my favorite blogs different is that they tend to be on several platforms. Can’t speak for anybody else but I’m more likely to read & comment on posts if I “see” you a lot :)

  • Jessica Cohen

    Read. Savored. Commenting. Will repeat. <3

  • http://twitter.com/rkosully Robin

    I love reading blogs. This is actually a good example of the perfect blog post length. I only skim when the entry is super long. Blogs are a nice way to glimpse what is on the minds of others!

  • Ravzie

    It’s true that there is just so very much to read and so little time in our daily lives sometimes to look at everything we want to see. And frankly, there is a lot of mommy stuff that just doesn’t interest me at all. You have a wide variety of interesting stuff for someone like me, so thank you for your hard work creating that content.

  • slehan

    Read. Savored. Commenting. Will repeat. <3

  • http://profiles.google.com/dwalline Diane W

    I do the same thing. Especially lately, I have been busy and have really been slacking on my reading and commenting skills.

  • tannawings

    Not a blogger either, but as a reader there are blogs I enjoy quite a lot and always try and make a comment. So much of it depends on the post too….. some are easier to comment on than others. You give a very good example of how to engage your readers- this post is somewhat of an exception in that it doesn’t end with a question and most of your posts do :) The other way a blogger gets folks to comment is to make the reader feel they are valued, and some are better at that than others. This is a nice post, and I hope people see it!

  • GlArthy

    my fav blogs are always techie related. I’ve learnt much, and many times have had the opportunity to share the lessons gained. Lately though, like others here, not much time – many little slices of ther pulls. But I can start now and go back to where I left off.

  • Shannon Whitfield

    I’m not a blogger either Robyn, but I just wanted to say I really like reading yours. Your writing is very articulate and relatable, very enjoyable! I’ve never really commented on posts in general before, but I’m having a lot of fun and learning some stuff along the way! Thanks!

  • Ashley – Embracing Beauty

    As always, fabulous post, Robyn!

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