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Blogging Success

I've always found myself wishing for blogging success, but I'm beginning to realize that there isn't really a definition of that. Is it 1000 or 5000 followers? Twenty comments on every post? More page views than the New York Times? And then I started to think, does blogging success really even need to depend so heavily on how many people read and respond to what you write?

I mean, of course I would like to have more followers and more comments and more page views - anyone would. But does that mean that what I have now - 350 followers and 5 comments on a good post - isn't success?

Maybe blogging success is really just about putting forth what you think and getting any amount of feedback. I certainly have more people responding to my posts than I did a year ago, but maybe I've achieved blogging success a long time ago, when I got my first comment and my first follower.

There have been people who've commented on a review and told me that they didn't want to read that book before, but now they do after reading my words. There have been people who've told me they agree with what I said or they disagree, and that's started a conversation. I've met people through blogging and made friends, and my way of thinking has changed. I have different opinions and different views, and that's all stemmed from reading and conversing and interacting through the blogosphere.

So, sure, I don't have followers in the four digits or so many comments that Blogspot crashes, but I'm a part of a flow of ideas, and I've influenced and been influenced. I'm a successful blogger, and you are too.

8 comments:

Alex said...

That really is a much better way of thinking about it. Sometimes we can get lost in the numbers. But it's hard to define success. For some people lots of followers IS success.

Annette Mills said...

I'm going to make a confession. I blog for me. I'm happy that some other people like to read and comment on what I say, but really, I started this for me. I didn't do any research before I started, I didn't even know the concept of "marketing your blog." I've done a bit of that...but when I find myself reading things, posting things, or participating in things that I don't enjoy, but think will get me "followers" I have to STEP AWAY and re-evaluate.

I love writing about what I read. If others enjoy reading it, that's a wonderful bonus. But I blog because I need to do it for me. If I'm posting about 3 reviews a week, that's "success" for me....

Jennifer Hoffine said...

I like your perspective! I'd never want to go back to my beginning blogging days, with very few followers and even less of a clue...but now that I'm past that hump, I'm comfortable. The connections are more important than the numbers for me too.

Jen said...

This was nice to read ---- I agree with everyone that the connections are what's important. And I'm happy if I get one comment on a post. :)

Alyssa said...

Whenever I get caught too much up in the numbers of my blog, I have remind myself the REAL reason I started blogging because I think it's fun. Besides, I find that numbers don't always tell the truth anyway. I mean, I read some good posts that I absolutely love but I don't comment on it, or even follow that person's blog. Sometimes numbers just don't matter. :)

By the way, I really love your blog. You're one of my favourite reviewers out there. :D

Karen L. said...

I get caught up in blogging "success" too sometimes. But then when I remember how ridiculously happy I was when I reached even 50 followers, it puts things a little more in perspective for me. Loved this post!
Book Light Graveyard

We Heart YA said...

So true! When we started our blog, we had certain goals, but we made sure that they weren't based on numbers. It's so easy to get caught up in that game, and so hard to find meaning in it. But we want more than anything is to create relationships with our readers, with fellow book-lovers. We really do just want to talk about the stories and the characters that we fall in love with. It's as simple as that. :)

We Heart YA said...

*What we want more than anything... Whoops! :P

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