Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Don't Get Me Started



Another WW swap item today! I'm wearing Alyssa's shirt, which is pretty much the cutest shirt of all. It has a peter pan collar and puffed sleeves. Oh my heart. And yes, I am wearing this skirt and this sweater again. I wear them a lot. The skirt goes with so many things, and is just so comfy! So judge not! For you would do the same. He who throws the first stone... or whatever. You know you wear the same things over and over too, don't lie. Everyone does.

Except for bloggers who don't. And then when they do wear the same thing more than once it becomes a cutesy "remix" as though you can't just say you're wearing the same article of clothing again in a different outfit. No, it must be a ~remix~ with a ~pop of color~! Don't eeeven get me started. Oh wait, too late. I've started a rant.







I'm wearing: Aly's shirt, H&M skirt, UO cardi, earrings from Rose, necklace from Mom.


So Heather and I were talking (not to implicate Heather; all of these thoughts are my own and if I come across as a prick, please know that she is innocent), and we started discussing other blogs and how many followers they had. Bitterness ensued, at least on my part. I realized how much stock a lot of bloggers, myself included, put into how many followers they have and how many comments they receive, etc. But then I started looking at some of the blogs with a ton of followers, blogs that had mediocre content (at best) and yet still managed to generate what seemed like a lot of traffic. What's the deal with that? How are these blogs with crappily edited photos and tedious blather getting so many follows and comments? I can only deduce that the previously mentioned comment whores are behind it. Presumably their only means of obtaining comments is by guilt-tripping their fellow bloggers into following back, and leaving comments regularly. I can't begin to fathom how many hours these people spend at their computers, leaving brief yet demanding comments, expecting the same in return.

So, considering all of that, what exactly does a certain number of followers mean, then? That you're really good at making people feel obligated to follow you? Not always. Well, maybe, for some blogs. But for other blogs it means people generally enjoy the content, they want to read what you have to say or see what pretty pictures you share, and that's that. So why, then, do we put so much meaning in the number? There are blogs I can hardly stand to look at for the two seconds it takes for me to close the tab, and yet they have more followers than some of my favorite blogs. So clearly, a number doesn't mean everything. In fact, I'd venture to claim that it means absolutely nothing. Some of my favorite blogs, run and written by some of the most interesting and genuine people I've met in the blogosphere, have very few followers compared to the "popular" style blogs. But I'd much rather read those lesser-known blogs than most of the ones with 10k followers and a billion comments.

Really, I guess, what I'm trying to say (and convince myself in so saying), is that the number of followers on your blog is a giant pile of warm poo. It means nothing! Show me your thousand followers and I'll show you 268 (as of writing this post), and a badass blog besides. Who wins? WHO KNOWS. It is up to the reader. We like what we like. Not everybody can be a Harry Potter or a Twilight. And who said those were the greatest works of prose, anyway?


33 comments:

Two Happy Hearts said...

loooove it! super pretty little outfit.

kate maggie said...

I know what you mean. Ugh, sometimes I get so caught up on the amount of readers..and I used to ask myself "What the heck am I doing wrong?! I think I have decent pictures/content" but really - some people just spend ALL of their times on blogs..commenting, its their entire life. If thats what it takes to get a million followers, count me out. I would much rather hand a small handful of followers that actually look forward to coming to my blog. I love your blog btw :) I am a happy follower of yours!! Love you Meg. xo

The Semi Sweet said...

I enjoy my small little follower blog. I'm not popular in real life, so why should I be mega popular in the blogosphere? Popularity is vastly overrated anyhow. But I will admit, sometimes my ego gets a little bruised when I lose a follower or my comments dwindle. It's like we're all back in high school and we were all clamoring to find out what was said about us in the SLAM book. Or was that just my school who had a SLAM book?

gloomy said...

dude. you are so cool.
but really, you make awesome points. i guess people should really stop caring about numbers and all that. i blog for fun, and honestly, i don't do it often anyways, so it's just a hobby for me..i don't obsess. ugh and i HATE those "cute skirt f0lloww me back x" like..really..?! how lame can you get? it's sort of reminiscent of that myspace pc4pc stuff. it's like. no.

anyways. i like your earrings! they look really cute, they frame your face very well.. (does that make sense. haha.) and i love that skirt! it's adorable on you.

Heather said...

This was very well written my dear Meg! I would much rather have a fewer amount of followers who actually read and relate to my blog than thousands who merely skim my content and photos. I work very hard on my blog, but I also have a very busy life! I'm perfectly happy with my blog and audience. I would also be just fine if only my blogging pals read my blog, because they are all the BEST! :)

Rhitbee said...

Oooh I had to stop caring about how many followers I had a little while ago because it just drives ya crazy. I don't have very many at all and I think I have pretty good content and pictures compared to some other blogs out there but yah, what it comes down to is the fact I don't want to and don't have the time to comment on every single blog out there! I know at least half of my followers and I know they follow me because they enjoy my blog and not because I'm following them back or whatever.

The main thing is that I have fun blogging and in large part it is because of the community surrounding it but it's also because I have fun doing it for itself and I would probably do it even if no one was watching.

Anyway, I love coming to your blog, and I love this outfit.

xo Robyn

gee said...

meg!
you wrote this post perfectly.
blogging is suppose to be fun and inspiring NOT a competition.
i am telling you, you ALWAYS say what i want to say but i never know how to say it.
thank you.
you are amazing. <3<3<3

plus, you are rocking Alyssa's shirt. i am a slacker..i haven't even done one WW outfit..FAIL. i am going to blame it on the husband.

xoox

Heather said...

I forgot to mention how freaking adorable you are. I love that skirt and cardigan, so wear it all the time...I love seeing it! Also, this shirt is adorable...and stop being so stylish and cute all the time. You're making me feel like a slacker! xo

Amanda said...

You are a genius. Having a lot of followers can be a good thing in some aspects I suppose, but I've realized that the numbers don't matter. I have that intimate group of readers whose comments I look forward to on each post. As I've gotten more followers, I've noticed I've also gotten a lot more comments. But to tell you the truth, a lot of those extra comments are just "oooh cute outfit. Follow me.". And I could care less about those. The thing the number of followers doesn't say is "You have x number of real followers and x number of followers that only follow you so you'll follow them". I dunno, as long as I have people like you still reading my blog, that's all that matters to me.

chloe said...

I love the shirt!!!!!! It's so cute, I'm mega jealous right now. The print is fantastic & the peter pan collar....yes!

Alyspank said...

Hi shirt!!!! It's kind of surreal seeing it on your blog! Almost like I forgot I even sent it to you-- hehe, LOVE how you worked it!

My pictures on my blog aren't of the best quality (as of now) but I don't really have the finances to afford a pimped out camera. However, I'd like to think that my personality comes out a bit in my writing, and that plays a part in people following me (maybe?) I'd rather have a smaller number of followers who actually followed me because they enjoyed my content, rather than following me in hopes that I'd follow them back.

Ohhhhh comment whores. They should invest in a pimp.

Alyssa

Nicole Martin said...

hahahaha I'm almost wrote "pop of color" in my post today but changed it because of YOU! hahahahahahaha!!!!

And I'm with you... not really sure how some of these blogs get ridiculous followers. Plus, followers don't take into account those dear, loving lurkers. As a former lurker of many blogs, I know first hand that lurkers have lots of love to give ;)

sydney said...

oh man. this gets to me all the time. i play the comparison game all the time. it makes me mad sometimes, but then i just think about how much i like getting real, thoughtful comments. because on the blogs with thousands of followers and comments, so much of it is just "great look!" "cool blog!" and i hate that. so i remind myself that it's way better to have a few followers that actually pay attention to what i'm posting and possibly care than a bunch who don't!

also, HARRY POTTER IS THE GREATEST AND DON'T YOU EVER THINK OTHERWISE. :)

Amanda said...

Oh, and I forgot to say, you're right. Not everyone can be Harry Potter or Twilight, but those who are a Harry Potter...well let's just say they are about a million times better at life than those who are Twilight.

;]

callie said...

Ick I know exactly what you mean! I don't have time to be a comment whore (not that I would be anyway!! haha) & it's totally not about the # of followers anyway. I get way more enjoyment out of reading your blog then a ton of other blogs i've seen with 3 skillion followers or whatever. WHY DO YOU ALWAYS WRITE EXACTLY WHAT I'M THINKING. lol no but seriously. Your posts are great. Love ya.

PS I have that shirt in another pattern & I really wanted that one but it was sold out. Aly has good taste. Also you pull it off well with that snazzy skirt.

Amber Schmidt said...

I love it when you do posts like these. You talk about the things we all think but don't talk about for fear of offending others.

There are SO many incredible blogs that don't get the love I feel they should and then there are the generic "look at this polyvore set I made" blog with thousands of followers. It's difficult to NOT compare. Not gonna lie, I do it.

But you are so right. It's about content and building a community of people who are genuinely interested in YOU, not just the number you represent.

ps: I love your facial expressions.

Jenny said...

Your outfit is the best!

I 100% agree with your wonderful post. I don't have time to aimlessly leave comments all day long. But I enjoy writing and taking pictures and sewing and I want to blog about it. I think that is the most important thing.

Love your blog! Following now!

xoxo

Stacey Kay said...

I love that top!

xoxo
Stacey Kay
“Runway Inspiration, Vintage Decoration”
www.GoodwillHuntingg.com
Women’s Fashion Examiner-Cleveland

Alison-Claire said...

screw both of those. dont be a potter or a twilight. im a scary stories to tell in the dark. that shits real. ; )

Unknown said...

Very cute outfit lady! Love the cute collar on that top! xxxxxxx

alwaysxbeing.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Lovet the top and the whole outfit is so cute!!

Georgie
xx

http://styleprincessdiaries.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

You are completely right. I am (/was) not much of a commenter but since I was so inspired by all those wonderful bloggers and their uniqueness, I decided it was important to comment once in a while to show my appreciation. I like your style (and the fact that you wear things multiple times) and your writing.

So I think you can be very proud of your blog and your loyal followers ;)

Mary Taranta said...

Ha ha - after three+ years of art blogging, I only have 15 followers. Once upon a time that might have made me really doubt myself and my abilities, but I've come to accept that numbers are meaningless. I post because it gives me personal satisfaction and as such, I'm happier now than I ever was when I was getting tons of hits for fanart or whatever. I'm also more prone to think before I post because I want to improve myself for myself, not to impress a faceless internet.

But for reals, Meg, you're gorgeous and I always love reading your thoughts. I live vicariously through your ability to wear skirts daily, and wish you all the very best with your grad school goals. <3

Victoria / Justice Pirate said...

I love you and your rantings so much. This is great. I always though it was insane how some very popular bloggers have over 1000 followers and they've only been blogging for 6-12 months while I've done fashion blogging for 10 years (but moved around and lost people like crazy when I moved 3 years ago to my now blog. . .which I have since deleted LOADS of entries I used to have on, because I didn't like clutter so much). It took me 3 years to get the 320 followers I have, and that's fine and dandy because I think that a LOT of the people with over 1000 followers tend to have just people who don't comment, look just because they want others to see their blog too so they became a follower but don't really comment, people who just comment to get others to get to their blog "follow me too!" types. While I think most of my followers have talked with me over the past few years or I've built relationships with them or have been able to get to know them. I really really don't tend to see many of the bloggers I've followed for a year and a half who have over 1000 commenting to anyone at all, and if they do it is to only the very top bloggers so to me they have become elitists, granted not all of them are. I think there is only ONE very very top blogger who has sent me personal messages back and forth and commented often on my blog too, and that is really kind. I know I have a hard time keeping up but I tend to leave comments because it's respectful to do so especially if someone took the time to leave me one.


love the shirt on you by the way and I think you are amazing because you're honest. this outfit is great. I wear a lot of the same things over and over, but I'm not much of a remixer when it comes to my blog at all. I think I've remixed only 2 times. . about to make a third one in my next outfit but looking nothing like what it was before.

Chez said...

Haha you know, I do agree with you, my blog is really for my Mum and family and friends to read although i'd love for it to become a way to meet people with similar interests. Though it's sad that 'hierarchy' does come into it, and i'd like people to be interested in my content as I aspire to publish work one day. I disagree that 'mediocre content (at best) and yet still managed to generate what seemed like a lot of traffic', as I find my blogging favourites a lot different to my friends! Some of them love the pretty pictures on one end or the long long entries on the other. I love your blog because you are a girly gamer who loves Dr Who and your sense of humour is awesome (coming from someone very british), but I hope that you don't feel that my leaving you lots of comments means I want you to comment back or follow, just love yer writings. I also love that your posts instigate long comment responses, proper discussion, and thats the sort of daily read I love. And reading about your moving to England will be really interesting to see :)
Chez

Chez said...

It's also sad that some people don't blog because they don't feel they can contend with others followers and fame.

Imaginary Confetti Club said...

That is sooooooo cute!!

Katrina said...

First, that shirt is so amazing I can't even contain myself. I want it. Florals? peter pan collars? Swoon.

Second, I really enjoyed your thought on followers/comments. I think you're totally right. I'm totally fine with the few followers I have because I like to think they're genuine. I never follow anyone who sends me "Cute blog? Follow?" comments. I wouldn't panhandle for followers and I don't respond to people who do.

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

Haha, what a great rant! It's insidious how "followers" work their way into your head on this level (and mine too, I mean, I think the grammar was a bit dodgy there).

I think there are loads of people who just go around getting people to follow them, and people will to be followed in return. One reason I quite like bloglovin' is that following is anonymous, and people are not doing it to prove something to you. And you'll notice that quite a few people with 500 or so google followers will have 10 bloglovin followers, which tells you quite a bit.

I also am not sure what these follower whores are trying to prove. It's really only the girls with lots of followers AND good content who are getting sponsored and such. The polyvor set creators don't. So who even cares? Bah...

Nik said...

I'm hella feelin' the top and skirt. I love your rant by the way and can totally relate. I basically just started mine because I didn't want to start looking like the haggard old wenches that I work with (call me vain). They rock an ugly Christmas sweater like nobody's bizz.

Rosie said...

Hey :) I've featured your blog on my spotlight on... post this week! Check it out on my blog!
xxx
www.rosie-glow.blogspot.com

Kat said...

i agree with you both completely... i've started un-following people that just aren't actually that great anymore.. i don't have much more to add but it's really great for you to say what you think. i hate when people hold their tongues.

Anonymous said...

and plus there are those that are daily readers (because you're freakin awesome) but can't figure out how to follow and stuff...
mainly because they chose the wrong blogging tool and have invested too much time to change now...

but i love your work - and your pictures always look gorgeous.