As I worked with my students this week during writers’ workshop, I told them about how important voice is in one’s writing. I used my own experience to inform my teaching — and I told them I don’t ask them to do anything I don’t do.
Image via http://www.826chi.org/programs/
It struck me that the words on the rubric probably apply to me, too. Most days I am just “informative and interesting” and some rare days I am “compelling and engaging.” Unlike my students, however, whose only audience is their parents, each other, and me, I put my work out there for the world to read — and comment on.
It’s probably a clear causal relationship between the number of comments I get and whether or not I have been compelling and engaging. Did I actually “force” you to engage with me?
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Since it’s National Delurking Day, I humbly ask you to engage. Leave a comment and let me know who you are. I know you stop by because I (feverishly) check my stats. And leave a comment at some of these wonderful writers’ blogs that I check daily via my Facebook feed. Once I created a Facebook page for Got My Reservations, it became very easy to skim down my Home page daily to check out what’s happening. If you are a blogger, I encourage you to create a Facebook page for your blog. It’s definitely increased my readership, if not my comments. 🙂
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Good morning all,
I am going to respond to your request for feedback to your post with some insight into why I don’t usually do so. Actually, I find your posts “engaging and compelling” most often–that is why I am a reader. But, I am also a writer and many ideas you posit provide for deep reflection. To toss off a few comments in the “good job” arena would be to say nothing at all of substance and actually be verbiage for it’s own sake. If I were going to take the time to respond with the reflective views I typically do then I would need the time and energy to craft a response that you put into your posts. Unfortunately, the time demands don’t allow for that. Consequently, I am mostly satisfied with my lurker status. But to conclude that a lack of response is equated to a lack of engaging or compelling work is what a friend calls “kangaroo logic”– jumping to conclusions.
PS. It occurs to me that you got what you wished for (smile).
You are so funny that I want to talk to you every day. Wait — I (almost) talk to you every day in some form or another. Thanks for jumping into the fray!
Hi, Aunt Jennie. You know me, so I’m not really delurking 🙂 so I leave you with this, which I think you will enjoy: yesterday, the same student asked me how to spell “DS” and “PSP” (sigh)
Jennie, I thoroughly enjoy your blog – even when I don’t comment. And you bring up a very interesting point – how accurate is the relationship between comments and compelling blog posts? My guess is not very, reasons for which are stated very well by the Michele above. After reading one of your posts, I rarely think of how I want to say what your post has inspired until hours later, like 3 am or some crazy hour like that. I can meditate on your posts – just like the books I read – and I feel completely engaged with you, even if you don’t hear from me. It just took me forever to tell you I think of you as a gifted and inspiring writer – and I love what you’ve created here.
Oh, and teacher! I think of you as a gifted teacher as well. You inspire me.
I’m very flattered to have received a shout-out from you and as a fellow blogger, yes I can relate to the appeal of National Delurking day.
However, I agree with both Michele’s about not believing in the causal relationship between compelling posts and comments. I know I have written posts that, as I hit publish, I feel rather happy with and then they get no comments at all (hello, hello is anyone out there). Then weeks later in some social media interaction I hear from people about what an incredible/amusing/informative/amazing post it was.
After a year or so of diligent 3 times a week blogging on an unlikely topic, I’ve now decided that it is the lack of certainty about what will garner reaction that is one of my favorite aspects of the whole process. Writing and then self-publishing to (potentially) the entire world is something I never thought I’d get comfortable with, but you know what they say about familiarity…now I press publish with few qualms.
So much amazing content is produced every day it is almost impossible to keep up, let alone reflect and comment in a thoughtful way. So yes, I do an awful lot of lurking to my fellow bloggers.
But I must say, speaking for myself…it is always deeply cheering to get a comment…even if it is only a generic ‘well done’. 🙂
Thank you, wonderful ladies, for taking the time to check in today. I love hearing from you.
I’m so glad you “delurked” the other day as I didn’t even know you were reading my blog!!!
I was going to try to do the “to be read” challenge, but lost steam on that almost immediately. Today I linked up my first Jen Lancaster book, and you recently reviewed her as well. I agree that she’s going to wear thin, but I’m still interested in reading at least one more. Thanks for stopping by!
I have a couple of excuses for lurking silently.
Firstly, as evidenced by this comment, I don’t read on they posting day. I read in bursts. I visit a friend’s block every once in a while and read several posts at once. Thus any response is untimely.
Secondly, I read with NetNewsWire, which aggregates all blogs and feeds into one app. Love this app, but to comment, I have to take extra steps to actually visit the blog and find the link to post. Lazy me, I rarely do that.
Thirdly, it’s just not an engaging dialog format. I can comment, but the post is now marked “read” in NetNewsWire; I’d have to make a note to find the post, open the comments, and check for replies. Posting a comment and then not bothering to return for response feels arrogant.