Many of us have talked about why we blog. What we don’t often talk about is why we read blogs.
I started reading blogs many many years ago. I was fascinated by the “slice of life” blogs – the ones about the daily lives of bloggers all over the world. Sone were funny, some were sad, sone were inspiring, but all were interesting. It inspired me to try my hand at it. (I thought I’d be a lot funnier at it, but I guess I only make myself laugh.)
My blog was all over the place. I’d get political, philosophical, personal, and playful. I used to reveal a lot more about my personal life, but that came back to bite me. Still, I’ve kept at it for whatever reason. I’ve always envied other bloggers, who seem to be smarter, funnier, and more interesting. Despite my insecurities about it, I try to keep things as interesting as I can.
But even if I stopped blogging, I’d still read other blogs. I think of other bloggers as my friends, even if we’ve never met. I like knowing about their thoughts and opinions, their daily lives and antics. All the other social platforms offer quick snapshots of moments in people’s day to day lives. But through reading blogs, I feel I get to know people better through blogging: their sense of humor, their dreams, their struggles, their success and failures…far more interesting to me than any celebrity gossip or fake on line persona. My blogs are my touchstones. When my life is not going so great, I escape into the lives of others, often finding some kernel of motivation to keep going. When I’m unable to read them, I miss them. I’m far more interested in substance than style. When I read blogs, I hear real voices of real people, making themselves vulnerable and opening up to me (us) about their thoughts. It’s a wonderful, special, personal, and intimate experience.
So, that’s why I read blogs, why do you? And why do you read my blog?
Idle Eyes and a Dormy 
I enjoy following your blog. Your blogs are very well constructed and you do a darn good job of expressing yourself. I have been a lurker for a long time but have been commenting from time to time since last year at this time. You make me feel comfortable and I have grown to think of you as being a friend. We share a lot of the same opinions, and from what I have read over the years we have shared similar ups and downs in our personal lives. Your blogs make me feel good. Keep sharing and I will keep reading and commenting as the spirit moves me. Have a Happy 4th of July!
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Thanks for your response Woody. I’m glad you decided to Start commenting and I have enjoyed getting to know you through your comments. I appreciate that you’re hear.
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I read your blog because you’re an interesting guy that I know personally, and I like to keep up with what’s going on and what you consider important enough to share. Much of my time is not my own; I need to use the discretionary time I do have on important stuff.
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Thanks for responding Superman. You know you and Java hold a special place in my heart. I am honored that you choose to spend some of what little time you have reading my blog and I appreciate your comment.
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You’re my friend. I like reading the things you find important enough to post.
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Oh yeah? Well you’re my friend, too, and I like reading about things that are important to you, too, so there!
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I read your blog because it is interesting. I just like everything about it. I do wonder what the title means if you would explain that. We have absolutely in common, I suppose. Actually, our ideologies are similar. Your collections interest me.
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Thanks for your response Linda. While the details may be different, I often feel like our blogs are similar in that we both share the details of our day day-in and day-out. The name of my blog is a silly nonsensical word play. Because I have very low self-esteem and insecurities, I decided I wanted the name of my blog to be some thing that was the complete opposite, so I came up with “Idolize and adore me.” But I don’t like to be so straightforward and I love word play, so I tried to come up with a phrase that sounded the same but using different words. Hence Idle Eyes (Idolize) and A Dormy (Adore me.) I found the term “dormy” in an Internet search and it has to do with golfing. The homonym-like phrase “idle eyes and a dormy” makes no sense until you understand it’s just a wordplay on the actual title.
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Okay, I can breathe a sigh of relief and quit trying to figure that out several times each week. I really hated to ask and am glad I finally did. Thanks.
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Oh I wish you had asked sooner Linda. My blog is an open book and I try to be as much as possible. I explained the blog title a long time ago and was shocked at how many people had no idea that it was a homonym phrase. I guess if you don’t have any reason to say it out loud to another person it isn’t as obvious as I thought it would be. So sorry If it caused you any agitation.
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And right in your suggested related feature for reading… popped up a picture of Anne Marie with the biggest cat swallowed the canary look ever!!!!!!!!! She’s here!
I’m with you, and read blogs, yours included, for just about the same reasons. It’s nice to keep the community going and it’s hard I feel finding new ones to read. Many start and then drop off. Now like the old days of blogging. Many I know now have blogged for years. We all seem to have over laying interests.
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It is only apropos that she would appear, since she is the one that brought us together. To this day I regret that I did not get to visit her again and meet you in person before her passing. It is sometimes hard to read a new blog, especially if they’ve been blogging for a while and have their own followers and history of comments and conversations I don’t feel part of. Yours was easy for me to Jump on because I was familiar with your comments another blogs and felt like I knew you a little bit. Thanks for your response and for including me your blogger circle. I can feel AM smiling down on us and saying “I told you so.”
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Oh shit…racoon time. Your final comment made me smile but tear up.
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*HUG*
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I enjoy reading you because: I identify with your frustration with work; I’m intrigued by your collections; I appreciate your love for (and occasionally realistic depictions of the responsibility of caring for) your pets; it’s nice to see the happy relationships you have with husband and friends; and I like how you talk about your medical issues. I am not as articulate a writer, nor as even keeled. Thank you for sharing, and allowing me to read and comment. Olivia
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Thanks For responding Olivia. I’m always pleased to hear from you. It helps me to know why people bother coming back here is a struggle with what I perceive as a lack of interesting content. It’s nice to know others don’t see it that way. If your comments are any indication of your writing skills, you are as articulate as any.
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I look for bloggers who share my basic values. I love reading about the day-to-day of other people’s lives, to learn from them, and to see how they get through their days. To offer moral support when needed and to be grateful for the kindness I receive. Honesty and sincerity are important to me and I hope I see through the insincere writers. So, your honesty, kindness, warmth, openness, playfulness, humor all make me come back for more.
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Thank you so much Mitchell. What an ego boost. Just as I commented to Mistress Maddie earlier, Ann Marie brought us together (She bluntly told me I should be following Maddie and you and I was a fool for not doing so) and I was familiar with your commenting around the blogosphere. I’m not really sure what took me so long to connect to your blog and become a follower, but I did feel an instant connection and camaraderie with you And I’m so glad we are on each other’s radar now. All the qualities you see in me I also see in you.
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Your posts are always honest and revealing, interesting, intelligent. You are on my daily read list, I seldom miss a day of checking in to see how you are doing. We really should meet up some place for lunch one day. Just set aside time, I think lunch in MItchell was four hours.
I write for many reasons. I want to share photos I have taken. I committed to posting daily because I wanted to improve my writing. The more I do, the easier it is, and hopefully the better it is. I try to find the good, to encourage others to live well, to enjoy life, to not be destroyed by the day to day crap that comes our way.
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David that is a real compliment coming from you because I find your blogs to be one of the more interesting, articulate, and well written blogs, Not to mention all the fascinating photos you share. (My phone dictation to text changed “you share” to “of Cher” – ha ha ha.) I definitely want to meet you and your hubby When time and opportunity allows. It’s on my bucket list. I think it would be a wonderful visit, although you’d have to carry the conversation because you guys do so much more than I do. I also read your blog daily and try to comment as often as time and cooperating devices will allow.
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Oh SassyBear! What a terrific post. I love your observation that bloggers are friends you’re never met (at least yet). My answer to your question about why I read your blog is simple — I find in you a kindred spirit, a fellow traveler. And what do you mean you’re not funny?! You’re hilarious. Just saying that you’re not funny is funny. You’re a sincerely kind guy too. Unless you just haven’t blogged about the axe murdering and all.
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Thank you so much, Neal. The feeling is mutual. I have always avoided posting about my axe murdering habits because I think it’s such a thrilling topic everything else I write, by comparison, is bland, So I’m afraid I would lose Blogger’s after my first revealing post, especially if I’m unable to post as often behind prison bars.
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I hadn’t thought about the prison aspect.
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I think about it all the time. But it could be that I watch too much prison porn and have a missed notion about what it would actually be like. Ha ha ha.
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I’m Googling “prison porn” right now.
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Oh dear. That’s a slippery slope. I, of course, was kidding. I would never watch prison porn. Act it out? Yes! watch it? never! *smirk*
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Lol. I was joking too!
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I’m gonna need to see your browser history, Neal.
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I read blogs because I’m interested in people and what they think, enjoy, and create. Sometimes as a bonus, there are shared interests (like with you: gayness, superheroes and Skip-Bo). I blog simply because it’s fun and I enjoy it as a creative outlet.
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Debra our feelings are mutual about each other’s blogs. I was pleasantly surprised to discover your affinity for superheroes, and I can even over looked at your concentration is on Marvel ha ha ha ha. (I swear I love Marvel comics I really do.) Hands-down, you find and post the best Memes and your blog has made me laugh at times when I really needed to. It is probably presumptuous of me to feel this way, but I kind of feel like you’re the lesbian version of me and I’m the gay version of you when it comes to pride. And if I have missed labeled you in anyway, please accept my apologies incorrect me, and I will send you an apology basket of proper DC comics paraphernalia *smirk*
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Awwwwww, yes, we’re the lesbigay Bobbsey Twins! (You may not be old enough to remember that dreadful series of wholesome books aimed at beginner readers, but trust me on this one!)
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Oh yes…I’m quite familiar.
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I like reading blogs for the “slice of life” aspect, and I’m especially fond on ones that share my values and even hobbies like yours. They became even more important reading during this pandemic when I was isolated from my family for a full year.
Besides, Red and Green Lanterns are like Christmas colors.
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It seems quite obvious to me now, from all the responses, that those of us in our Blogger circle seem to read and write for the same reasons and enjoy the same type of things, and circumstantial evidence seems to imply that were all fairly like-minded to one degree or another. But you are absolutely right, we lanterns look fabulous together during the holidays. And pretty much every other day, too.
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Reading blogs is a bad habit of mine. I would probably be better off if I refrained from doing so, and so would many of the bloggers I read. I waste so much time on the Internet, and also I get emotionally involved, and then bad things happen in the lives of the bloggers and I feel sad.
Mostly I read blogs to vicariously experience the adventures of normal, well adjusted people who eat fancy foods and build jigsaw puzzles and such. I tend to be drawn to those who are thoughtful and witty, although looking at my blogroll I guess being handsome doesn’t hurt. As far as I am concerned you fit all those criteria. Also I was under the impression that you were feeling deflated by not getting many comments, so I selfishly commented more often in the hopes you would continue blogging. (Clearly, though, you have a big commenting community.)
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Is there life outside of the internet? I certainly wasn’t trying to guilt anyone into commenting more. I only mention my small following to point out I have no goals or expectations of having a large following. If I was going to stop blogging over few comments and few followers, I would’ve stopped along time ago. Having said that, you’ve now set a precedent of commenting more often and if you dare stop I’ll take it personally.
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I’ve been blogging for what 17 years now. My muses don’t care and i just do blurbs these days. I’m still very upset of the actions taken by conservatives on the ussc and i think Roe is the tip of the iceberg
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I still drop by an enjoy your blog.
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Me too
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I agree…the damn is breaking…
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Why do I read your blog? Let me count the ways.
How about… I love you and I like to know what my loved ones are doing/feeling.
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Well now that is the sweetest response so far, and I feel absolutely the same about you, Spo!
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Your reasons for reading blogs are the same as mine. I especially like reading blogs if people I have met in person. That would be you and Spo. Unfortunately I can’t keep up with reading blogs like I used too but when I have the time, lije I do now while I’m waiting in my doctor’s office, it is a source of pleasure for me to read about my friend’s lives. You, Spo and Jon in Tennessee are my favorites. Keep blogging!
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Ditto, Ron!
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Hi. I read your blog every day, but hardly ever comment. But this post got me thinking and here it is a few days later and I am ready to comment. Lol. Somehow or weather, I found Michael Rockwells blog years ago. I was so intrigued that I went back to his very first post and read the entire thing. Then I realized he had links to other blogs. Yours is one that I found. And, I went back to the beginning and read the whole thing. You’ve had quite an interesting life! I have tried a number of times to write a blog. I have no patience for writing. None. I would much rather read other peoples thoughts then try to make sense out of my own. So thank you. Thank you so much for sharing your life , the good days on the bad days. And I hope you get to retire soon!
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Thank you so much for stepping out of the shadows and commenting and sharing your thoughts. So glad to have you along for the ride. *hug*
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