Monday, January 11, 2010

About Those 120 Followers...

It probably breaks some kind of record, but I'm already dropping one of my goals for the new year.* I wrote here how one of my goals was to reach 120 followers by year's end. But then I realized I'm still on 60, and I started thinking about what all I'd have to do to get to 120. I'm just not prepared to do those things.

Those Things:

1. Read and comment on more blogs---I like to read blogs, but there's really only so many I can realistically get to in a timely way. And, let's be real, how is anyone's blog going to compare to the ones I already read? I mean, you're not going to get this just anywhere.**

2. Follow more blogs---Here's how it works. To get more followers you generally must do one of four things. If you get published, there's a good chance your follower number will go up because unpublished writers think they might a.)learn something from you or b.)get in good with you in the hopes that you'll help them realize their publishing dreams.

If you don't get published, then you must either a.)be really, really consistently entertaining (rare) or b.)provide useful information (Exhibit).

If you don't do any of the above, you're duking it out in the muck with the rest of us and then it's the old "I'll follow you if you follow me" routine. And since I don't really want to follow any more blogs and I don't want to do the research required to provide helpful information, and I lack the creative genius to be consistently entertaining, I'm pretty much left with getting published, which I kind of want to do anyway.

3. More self-promotion---I suppose I could increase my follower number by collecting more Facebook friends and linking to the blog. And I could join Twitter if I didn't think it the scourge of the universe. Or I could join more message boards and post stuff all the time. But I don't have the time or energy for that stuff. I've got a book to write, and many to read.

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*It actually doesn't even break a personal record. That record was set in 2007 when I pledged to use the treadmill five days a week. I made it two days. Treadmills are boring and they make me sweaty.

**I should also admit to becoming a lazy commenter. I'd apologize, but I don't feel like it.

20 comments:

Lily Cate said...

I was just thinking today that it's about time I made an effort to get some followers.
So far, I have pretty much not cared, but now I suddenly...do.

Lisa said...

Hi. I like to follow writers because I can learn from them and they are entertaining. And I would like to be a part of their journey. But I also know that writers are the busiest and they have to focus, therefore I do not expect reciprocation. In fact most of the times I do not leave any comment because I feel like a party crasher.

The blogworld is a potential research material for writers but it does take a lot of time to find one's interest, same like finding a book. In my case, not because of lack of good books but because of my chasing mind.

Unknown said...

Likewise. I've got another damn book to write and a ton to read. After work, family, and the aforementioned, there's little time for milling around in blog land.

Paul Michael Murphy said...

Whoever just unfollowed me has a cruel sense of humor.

Anita said...

Oh man, that unfollow is soooo funny!

Anita said...

P.S. Thanks for sporting the NO NUTS sign.

And why worry about followers #s? Just write an awesome book.

I do think you should run, though.

Heather Kelly said...

Twitter and I do not get along. And that unfollow thing had me laughing. Thanks for the good morning start.

Tina Laurel Lee said...

I wasn't going to comment, and then I realized I wanted to hear what everyone else had to say. Time or not, you do the community thing really well.

December said...

My goal was 40 followers, but then I realized that was kind of dumb. My goal should be to write a great book.
But I still secretly want more followers.

Jonathon Arntson said...

Wow, that was a lot of perplexity, but I agree with Anita. I just started my blog a month ago and I only have one follower, well three, but the other two are my sisters. At first, I only cared about follower numbers. I have become a follower of lots of blogs and commented on many of those, but my numbers have not gone up. it could be like you said, maybe I'm just not entertaining, but then I realized a few weeks ago that I don't actually care about my follower #'s all that much, because the brilliant information and advice I have obtained through blogs, like yours, has drastically made up for my original intention behind getting a blog - to get fans, so that if, and hopefully when, I publish a book, they'll go buy it. Now what I have is me, being the fan, and my virtual comments floating out there, waiting for someone to reply or add me. In the end, I have gained great advice about and from literary agents, authors, readers, and other humans, but not because they followed me, just because their blog is great and caters to a whole variety of people.

Casey Something said...

You could do a contest where people get an extra entry if they follow you. I'm weirdly proud that I haven't done that to get followers but I probably would if I wasn't gaining them another way.

I'm already following or I'd get you back to 60!

Casey Something said...

Oh, and if you get a few new followers today (I hope!) you can thank the scourge of the universe.

; )

Anita said...

Also...it's quality, not quanity. You've got QUALITY people here.

I like Jonathon, for instance, because he specifically mentions that I'm right. I cannot figure out how to comment on his blog though. And he's got these adorable puppies and I can't even let him know I think they're adorable, because I can't comment.

Paul Michael Murphy said...

Huh. I was pretty sure Anita was wrong, but she's not. You can't comment on Jonathon's blog.

Monica said...

whoever unfollowed you is freaking hilarious. Damn i wish it was me.....

Jonathon Arntson said...

Oddly enough, my best friend just complained to me that she couldn't comment on my blog either. Thanks for saying that, guys, I may have never known.

Now to fix it presents an even bigger problem.

Jonathon Arntson said...

Okay, so I just went into comment settings and just changed a few things.

Being in the top 10% of computer illiterate people in the world, yes, the whole wide world, we'll see what happens.

Meaning, can you test it for me?

Paul Michael Murphy said...

Works now. Nice troubleshooting hot shot.

Jonathon Arntson said...

Awesome, thanks a ton! I shudder at the thought that I have gone a whole month and not gotten any comments. I just thought I was lame. While that is still probably true, I can at least find out now by how much.

Jonathon Arntson said...

BTW, I have absolutely no idea what I did, but like beating my sister in Mortal Combat ten years ago, sometimes randomly pressing buttons goes a long way.

I vow to never work in a nuclear plant.