Wednesday, May 30, 2007

The Post That Should Have Been Written on May 15th (My One Year Blogging Anniversary)

The QC Report was noting in her most recent post how annoying it can be when your blog and real lives interact (or don’t, as the case may be). I could certainly sympathize when she observed the frustration she feels as she relates an anecdote to a friend only to be met with a barely stifled yawn and, “I know. I read your blog.” Then, because someone (someone, mind you, I had no idea even knew my blog existed) has rolled her eyes and said that to me, I’ll encounter another friend and preface my story with “Let me know if you already read this on my blog,” only to be told, dismissively “I don’t get blogging. So, don’t worry. I haven’t read your blog” (this being the friend who works in the IT department and is the master of text messaging one-handed on a cell phone that’s in his pocket. Why Tech Whiz doesn’t “get blogging” is beyond me). Anyway, I was glad to read that at least one other blogger has such friends.

This may sound like I have obnoxious real-life friends. I don’t. It’s just that, after a year of doing this, I’m still not sure how to blend my blog into the rest of my life. I mean, it does seem pretty obnoxious to assume people are logging on and visiting my blog first thing every morning. By the same token, it seems that one of the nice things about having a blog is being able to say to friends I rarely get to see, “If you want to keep up with what’s going on with me, just read my blog.” But then Ms. Accuracy who resides with all those other characters in my brain (the ones some of you have been reading about for a year now) will worry, because my blog doesn’t exactly relate my day-to-day activities. This means I usually end up saying something more along the lines of “I have a blog, and if you sort of want to keep up with what’s going on in my life, you can read it.” Then, of course, I immediately forget I’ve said anything about it. One day I get an email from someone of a certain age who used to go to church with me, and when she mentions my blog, I realize she has access to such things as what I think is the sexiest part of a man’s body (okay, that hasn’t actually happened yet, but I’m always fearing it’s going to).

For a long time, I just assumed none of my real-life friends (well, with the exception of you, Danny, at whom I practically threw my URL) were reading my blog. I found out the hard way that this was a stupid assumption on my part. Let’s just say, don’t tell one friend about your blog without telling all other friends and acquaintances you share in common, or one might just get a little pissed. I’d still wager a large sum of money that most of my real-life friends don’t read my blog, but I’ve come to realize some do, and a few of those have even come to rely on it.

That adds pressure of the, “Ohmigod, if I don’t hurry up and blog about the fact Bob and I are moving, nobody’s going to know” sort. Believe me, blogging creates enough pressure for someone who teeters on the brink of an OCD diagnosis without adding more, but then there’s this one, “If I blog about this before calling everyone in the family, are they going to be upset, because they had to find out about it through my blog?” My family members, whom I initially thought would be the only ones who read my blog, haven’t let me down and, I’m pretty sure, are still my most faithful readers, which introduces a new pressure. Are my siblings and I being too cliquish, as I’ve been told by real-life friends we’re wont to do, making others who visit the blog uncomfortable?

Then, of course, I’ve complicated matters further by turning blogging friends like Dorr and Hobs into real-life friends. Actually, I highly recommend these sorts of friends. They comment on your blog; you comment on theirs. No one ever has any doubt about what the others do or don’t know. One of the first things we say to each other, if it’s the case, is, “I didn’t get to read your blog post yet today (or this week or whatever).” It’s those sneaky friends who read your blog and never comment you have to watch out for. And what’s with these people who visit my site on computers that don’t register location on my site meter, so they remain complete mysteries. Sitemeter even denotes them as ?Unknown, like I’ve got some CIA agent on my trail or something.

Oh yes, and then there’s the other thing I do. I’m like an overzealous reformed smoker or drinker who’s had her corpus callosum cut or something. One part of my brain doesn’t know what the other part is doing, and instead of telling everyone to quit, I’m telling everyone to start. I beg my friends to start blogs (as if I need more blogs to read). I’ll tell complete strangers on the street that they ought to start a blog. I tell everyone I know that the best thing I ever did was start blogging, how good it’s been for my writing, what great people I’ve met. I’m beginning to judge people, people about whom I know absolutely nothing, based on their answer to the question “Do you have a blog?” I’m completely obnoxious, I know, but I just can’t help myself.

If you’ve been blogging for a while now, and you recognize yourself in any of this, I’m hoping I’ve provided the same service for you that Ms. QC provided for me: you are not alone. You are in the company of at least one other crazy fool who is still trying to figure out how this blog life fits in and around the rest of her life. If you don’t recognize yourself in any of this, could you please let me know where you went to get help?

12 comments:

Rebecca H. said...

Oh, yes, some of that sounds familiar. I'm sensitive about telling real-life friends about the blog because I don't want them to assume I expect them to read it regularly (and most of them don't, actually), but sometimes I'm caught up short when they HAVE read it. I'd love to say read about the story on my blog, but sometimes I'm afraid that sounds dismissive, like I can't bother to shape a story for this one particular friend. And I've started to tell more people at work about it, and that makes me nervous too ... it's very complicated!

Anonymous said...

I completely recognise myself - I tell people to start blogs, I'm mildly puzzled that friends who've encouraged me to write don't read my blog, I'm thrilled by my new blog friends, and I'm totally touched when any of my real-life friends read AND comment.

Emily Barton said...

Dorr, oh yes, I didn't even dare discuss all the anxieties attached to telling people at work. Most of the time, I just console myself with the fact that I work with a very forgiving bunch, most of whom have no time to read blogs.

Charlotte, yes, why is it that people encourage you to write and then never read your blog? I find that sort to be the most confusing of all.

IM said...

I read your blog to keep up with Emily the person, not Emily's life, if that makes any sense, allthough your life is cool too!

Marissa Dupont said...

I totally understand. I have the opposite issue with my blog than with yours though, I refuse to tell my family to read my blog (even though I'm sure they've found out about it in one way or another), and I tell nearly EVERYONE ELSE about it. However, NOBODY comments (except my best friend) so I have no idea how many readers I have. And checking the clickthrough statistics shows me nothing. :D

Anonymous said...

i absolutely recognize myself in this! The weirdest thing to me is when people apologize for NOT reading my blog if they often do, like, "I'm sorry, I haven't read your blog yet this week!" as though I keep score or something, and then there are the people who, if you speak to them in real life, are surprised anything happens BUT your blog, as in, "but - you didn't blog about it yet!"

Count me among the blog-lovers. In fact, I've been thinking of how over the summer I can expand and make my blogging presence bigger, yegods.

Anonymous said...

Happy belated blogiversary!

I try to keep my blog a secret from most people I know. Not that writing mostly about books is a naughty thing to do, but I feel like if people I know in real life know, then when I am writing I will worry about what so-an-so will think if they read it. I have a couple of friends who read my blog but we are on a don't ask, don't tell basis. I won't ask if you've read it if you don't tell me what you think about it. Works out pretty well.

mandarine said...

Happy blogging anniversary! Thank you so much for everything you write.

Anonymous said...

Oh boy yes, this sounds like me. I say in one breath to friends, I have a blog, and in the next, but don't feel obliged to read it! In fact, not so many people know about it, although I do like to keep in touch with more distant friends through it. The best friends to have visit one's blog are one's other blog buddies, however. They're the most satisfying.

Emily Barton said...

Ian, well, yes, that makes perfect sense to me.

Marissa, I'll have to start commenting on your blog!

Court, now how did I know YOU'D recognize yourself in this? (And how many times have said something like that over the past year?) What fun: a BIGGER blogging presence from you!

Stef, I like the "don't ask, don't tell" model. I think some of my friends and I follow it, although I, of course, haven't asked.

Mandarine, as always, you're welcome.

Litlove, you're absolutely right. I so enjoy having my other blogging buddies over for virtual cups of tea and glasses of wine.

mandarine said...

My cup of tea when I read you is anything but virtual.

Emily Barton said...

Mandarine, okay, but the fact that I poured it for you from my marvelous little tea pot is.