One feature available on WordPress is that a blogger can ‘Invite you to follow’ their blog. During the past ten years of blogging, I have received an ‘Invite to follow’ email on more than sixty occasions. The latest one appeared on Sunday evening.
To this date, I have NEVER followed a single blogger who sent me an invitation asking me to follow their blog.
I might be ‘old school’, (and occasionally grumpy) but to me that is somewhere between begging, and bad manners. The bloggers I follow work hard to create good content. Most of them also follow my own blog, but not all. They write about things I want to read, publish photos I want to look at, or just ooze the kind of personality and character that makes them irresistible to follow.
Not one of them, to my knowledge, has ever emailed a complete stranger asking them to follow their blog.
Blogging is a community exercise. We look after each other, care about each other, comment on posts, make suggestions, offer useful links. We share experiences, whatever our differences of age, location, politics, or beliefs.
A good blogger DOES NOT email someone out of the blue, and ask that person to follow their blog.
So if anyone else is thinking of asking me to follow their blog by sending me an unsolicited WordPress email, I have two words for you. (In bold type.)
DON’T BOTHER.
Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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I get these, too, and treat them like spam.
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Glad to hear that, Jennie.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I’ve had some of those, but my attitude is the same as yours. Thanks, Pete, for saying it as it is, as you always do.
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Thanks, Olga. I don’t know any other way to say it. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Almost more upfront than the drive by friend farmers, though, hoping you’ll follow back a Malaysian Life Coach looking to bump their numbers who has a negative probability of ever reading your blog.
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The latest one was a ‘property consultant’ in Arizona. Maybe he wanted to sell me a patch of desert that he didn’t even own? They just churn these out without even bothering to notice where the blogger is based. Then there are the religious ones of course.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I’ve started getting “follow my blog” (demands, not invitations). They now got straight into spam. It’s taken a few years, but I’ve finally gotten over the politeness my parents drilled into me when I was a child. Rudeness begets rudeness.
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I don’t reply, as my reply would be rude. Just deleting them seems to be enough for now, Liz.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I agree. Best not to engage with them.
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100% agree. I’ve had a few of these and it has the opposite effect whereby I don’t even want to see it. Is that bad?
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Not bad at all, Wrookie. Anyone asking you to follow doesn’t even deserve a perusal of their blog, as far as I am concerned.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I think the fellow FR asked for a quote changed his strategy for he liked one of my posts and when I went to see what he was blogging about, which I o when someone likes a post of mine, I discovered he was simply selling blinds for windows in Australia. Warmest regards, Ed
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He was obviously checking out anyone who had commented on both blogs. I have seen that happen in the past too.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes, I get lots of those as well. Ditto ‘please buy my book’ …
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I rarely get ‘please buy my book’, and will not buy one if I get such a request.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Pete: Johnson: “Don’t bother to invite me to follow your blog.”
Marilyn Monroe: “Don’t bother to knock.”
Winnie the Pooh: “Oh, bother!”
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Yeah, I’m with Pooh Bear!
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Good bother quotes, David. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I ignore those invites and delete them from my email.
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So do I, Fandango. But they annoy me, nonetheless.
Best wishes, Pete.
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HI Pete, I delete those requests. I must admit, you always make me smile, you are always so honest about these irritations.
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I delete them too, Robbie. And I pride myself in being honest. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I only follow people of my choosing and I leave it to them if they should decide to follow me.
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And that is how it should be.
Thanks, Carolyn.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Amen! Although I might use two different words.
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I have to remember this is a family-friendly blog, Don. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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“Blogging is a community exercise. We look after each other, care about each other, comment on posts, make suggestions, offer useful links. We share experiences,” … couldn’t have said it better! 💕🙂
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Thanks very much, dear Harmony.
Best wishes, Pete. x
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I agree, Harmony!
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Thanks, Liz 💖
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You’re welcome, Harmony.
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I ignore invites too.
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Glad to hear that, Peggy.
Best wishes, Pete.
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My latest ‘follow me’ email was from an Australian blog selling blinds for windows. I wrote back and asked him to come an give me an estimate for the kitchen 😀 😀
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Great stuff! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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He hasn’t been though 🤷♀️
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Invites don’t work for me either, I wouldn’t send them, and I’m not moved to respond to them. I value real connection and genuine interest and diluting that can only devalue blogging. I suspect I am also old school and possibly (probably!) prone to a tough of grumpiness. But rightly so!
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Thanks, Helen. Nothing wrong with grumpiness when it is justified. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I can’t remember if I have gotten “invites” like these – certainly not over the last few years here. (which is fine). I DID get something similar on a different social media platform a few days ago, however – a website who has seen a lot of users migration from tiktok and twitter who don’t know that this platform (tumblr) works on an entirely different system. “Will you help me reblog my cat and then make her famous here?” Erm …. no.
It’s so weird asking for this. Do your thing and your people will find you.
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Exactly right, Julia.
Best wishes, Pete.
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There is a blogger out there called “Sound Eagle” who usually includes some kind of invitation to read specific articles on their blog …” but in this case, the posts that are recommended turn out to be worthwhile and that blogger is very faithful to follow and to comment on my blog as well …but as to your point, I agree and I do not respond to such invitations either. It’s kind of like people who comment on our blogs leaving their link at the end of their comments.
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Soundeagle is a fully-engaged blogger, John. Most of those ‘invitations’ come from those who are not.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I have always wondered if Sound Eagle might be a bot or an algorithm because he answers with such detail and his posts are terribly long .. who in the world has the time to do all that …and his blog is spectacular too …has to be a very special human being .. if he actually is a human being.
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I vote that he is genuine, John.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Maybe he is that billionaire I have been looking for.
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I am with you as well….I do not trust easily and that just does not sit well with me. chuq
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I think it is plain rude, chuq.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I agree, Pete..its bad enough getting the spam or comments with a link to their blog..nothing else so they get spammed…I always thank anyone who follows me if I can as many now don’t have a blog that’s up and running but I don’t do follow for following like you ..there has to be an interest in the blog not just because…I’ve rambled a bit here x
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Not rambling at all. Thanks, Carol.
Best wishes, Pete. x
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Thanks, Pete…Have a great evening 🙂 x
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Same here, Pete, email invites to follow blogs don’t cut it with me either 🙄
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Glad to hear that. Thanks, Chris.
Best wishes, Pete.
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