Lockdown: #followonenewblog

~ beetleypete

Most of us already follow too many blogs to keep up with, I know.

I follow 112 other bloggers, and more than 60% of those are active, and posting regularly. Making sure I read their posts and make a relevant or pertinent comment takes up a lot of time. But it is important to me to be a ‘good follower’, and keep up the community spirit in our circle of bloggers.

I get asked all the time to follow new bloggers, and sadly have to decline. Sometimes it is because they are blogging about hair and make-up, something that is of no interest to me, or their blog might be evangelically religious, something else I have always avoided.

But the main reason I don’t follow when asked is because of the amount of blogs I already follow, and the time that takes. I am sure that this applies to everyone else too, in different degrees. However, following on from my earlier post about all those new bloggers who have decided to start blogging, ‘The Blog Explosion’, I have decided to do something.

I will choose one of those new bloggers, and follow them, starting today. This is the one I have chosen at random. It is a new blog, started by a lady in Russia.

Мой блог/My blog

And I am making a friendly suggestion that all of you who are able to do so, should do the same. Imagine the encouragement they will get from having even one new follower, especially if that follower is an established blogger who is already part of a great community on WordPress.

And at a time when we are unable to meet new people face to face, what better way to communicate something positive, to a complete stranger?

#followonenewblog

Let’s hope the idea catches on. 🙂

Best wishes to everyone as always, Pete.

78 thoughts on “Lockdown: #followonenewblog”

  3. I’ve reached what I think is the maximum that I can follow after only a year, but I occasionally add a new blog for the exact reasons you give. I remember those bloggers who were kind enough to offer advice when I was starting out, and I want to pay it forward, too. If I follow someone, it is because their posts connected with me in some fashion. There are some days I can only read others’ blogs and don’t have the time to leave meaningful comments. What I don’t understand are those who only are looking for follows and “follow” everyone in hopes that some of these people will return the favor. Talk about empty numbers.

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    1. Some people come to blogging from Facebook and Twitter, where ‘follow back’ is the norm. They don’t really understand that blogging is very different, so constantly obsess with follower numbers, and get miffed if you don’t immediately follow them in return. I wrote about that a while back.

      Blogging is not Facebook


      Best wishes, Pete.

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  4. I try to follow “Dunbar’s Theory of 150” on keeping under following that number of blogs – however, some of the folks I follow post multiple times a day or have more than one blog – and I rarely get ‘in to read/connect’ more than once or twice a week IF I”M LUCKY!!! :D.

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    1. I kept it to 100 for years, then it crept up to 112 when many I followed started to post rarely. I am one of those who frequently posts multiple times a day, and I appreciate it’s a lot for people to manage. 🙂
      Best wishes,Pete.

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  5. Great idea, Pete and a fine example. Although I struggle to deal with 200 emails a day, I do add a few new blogs every month or so – primarily fellow writers. I belong to two groups that blog regularly, plus every April there’s the Blogging from A to Z Challenge in which writers/bloggers post every day except Sunday, working through the alphabet from A to Z. Each letter is usually on their chosen theme. As a result, I’ve added a few new sites every April, even though the ones I follow make it hard to visit everybody during April – more posts for the backlog.

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  6. Great thing to support other bloggers, Pete. This is a great time for new bloggers. Trapped inside the house, and looking for contact with the outside world. I follow those that interest me, sadly there are a few that seem to have just stopped blogging, and I miss them. We all have life that gets in the way at times.

    I seem to blog in spurts, as something interesting catches my eye, or mind. I’m very thankful for all the bloggers that I can call friends now. All of you have been a big help to me.

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    1. Blogging opened up my life, just at the time when it could have become very closed down. I never forget that, and always try to support and advise new bloggers where I can.
      Thanks, Ron.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  7. That sounds doable. More to the point I will review my current list and weed out the ones who have disappeared. Maybe I can add a couple of new ones. I didn’t realize that many new writers had begun blogs during this time.

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          1. Right now I show 92. But just like yours many of them don’t post daily. I’ve also found after choosing to follow a blog, some aren’t really my type. Then do I unfollow or not? Becomes a conundrum. (I like that word.)

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  10. I’m new and it’s been overwhelming following everyone and reading everything. Particularly since encouragement is something I strive to do. Like you, I’ve been adding new ones that I focus on reading. The blogosphere is filled with so much uniqueness. And it’s incredibly satisfying if just one post stands out for my day. Keep it up! 💚

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  12. Is it better to blog persistently, and inspire routine visitation, at the risk of wearing out one’s welcome due to the time commitment involved? Or is it better to blog on rare occasion, demanding very little of a reader’s precious time, at the risk of being forgotten or dismissed?

    Is it better to eat a bowl of one’s favorite ice cream every day, at the risk of same old same old? Or is it better to only have a bowl of one’s favorite ice cream on rare occasion, which makes it extra special, at the risk of feeling unnecessarily deprived most of the time?

    Hesiod famously claimed that “moderation in all things is the best policy.” He wrote that in one of his weekly blog posts while enjoying his weekly bowl of ice cream. So he was a proud Greek who practiced what he preached. Or was he? In fact, each blog post ran at least 300 pages long in 9-pt. Times New Roman font, and he packed his 60-qt. pizza dough mixer bowl with imported spumoni. Hesiod was both a traitor and a cheater!

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    1. I will have some of what you have been taking to conjure up that comment, David! 🙂
      Might make me forget any virus exists.
      (I hope you haven’t been taking the advice of your ‘Dear Leader’, and injecting disinfectant!! 🙂 )
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. Although I wholeheartedly believe Nancy Pelosi’s claim that alcohol disinfects one’s liver and recharges one’s brain cells, I regret to report that I have so far neglected to patronize the local liquor store.

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  16. I don’t follow such invitations. So far, they have only been commercially motivated invitations or, very rarely, to private blogs which I wasn’t interested in.
    What I do: I quite often check out bloggers that either follow me or like mine or comment. And if that blog seems to be really interesting for me, I follow it. But I do that rarely now that I’m following (too) many blogs myself.

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    1. I never accept invitations or requests to follow either, Pit. The blogger I chose for this just followed me this week, so I picked her to follow back. One more blog can’t hurt, especially if they are not posting too much. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. Just picking yourself which blogs to follwo is the best way, I agree.
        For me, it’s not te plain following a blog that takes up so much time, but leavinng a comment – which sometimes developed into a long “conversation”. Plus the fact that, when I leave a comment, I usually click on the button to receive an email whenever there’s another comment on that blog. I do it so as not to miss an answer to my comment. But that – in well-frequented blogs – can lead to a real lot of email notifications. It can be quite time-consuming just to delete those I don’t really need.
        Take care, my friend,
        Pit

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  19. Reblogged this on From Cave Walls and commented:
    ..
    ..
    Pete has always been a supportive and generous member of this blogging community. This idea of reaching out and following at least one new blogger is a great idea, especially in this time of quarantine and isolation. Thank you for encouraging us to expand our community, Pete.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Thanks, Cindy. I thought it was something everyone could do. It takes little or no effort, and it might encourage someone, and give them a smile too. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete. x

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      1. So are you following one of the ones who asked you to follow them, or one that left a comment on one of your posts, Pete? I get peopl asking me to follow, and people that never comment but just ‘like’…..

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        1. No, I am following a lady who followed me this week. She didn’t ask me to follow, or leave any likes or comments. She is writing about her life in central Russia, and that appeals to me as something different, which is no doubt why I picked her today. It is up to other bloggers how they might decide to choose. But some of my long-term readers like every post and they don’t even have a blog to follow. 🙂

          Liked by 3 people

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