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This Week's Question
Do you visit every blog listed in
the Linky list when you
are participating in a meme?
(Submitted by Elizabeth @
My Answer
For me, this really depends on a couple of determining factors.
The number of participating blogs is very important. If there are a lot of them involved, then I know I won't be able to visit every single one. I'm specifically referring to memes that have anywhere from 50 to 100 (or even more) participants.
An example of such a meme is "Waiting On Wednesday", which used to be hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine.
Of course, if I'm participating in a smaller meme, it's far easier for me to visit each and every blog. One such meme is "Can't Wait Wednesday", which is hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings. This meme serves the same purpose as "Waiting On Wednesday", and has actually replaced it. It only has about 12 to 13 participating blogs linking up to the hosting blog. However, I still don't visit all the blogs.
Another meme I participate in is the Book Blogger Hop, which has roughly the same number of blogs linking up every Friday. Yet, I don't visit all of the blogs participating in this one, either.
Why don't I visit all the blogs linking up to these two memes? Well, here's the thing: in the past, I've made sure to visit each and every blog that has linked up, including the hosting blog, naturally. And I always comment on the day's meme post when I visit a blog. I no longer visit all of the blogs because, from my experience, I've noticed that certain bloggers just don't comment back. Nor do they reply to my comments on their own blogs.
I've mentioned this in another BBH post, in reference to reading challenges, which also have bloggers linking up to a hosting blog.
Now, I understand that other bloggers are just as busy as I am. However, if someone goes to the trouble to comment on your blog, the courteous thing to do is to comment back on their blog, at the very least.
So, what I've been doing is waiting to see who comments on my post first. I will then comment back on those blogs. This is not the ideal situation, I know, but I just don't want to waste my time visiting and commenting on blogs whose creators are not willing to interact with me.
Blogging is supposed to be a community effort, and this involves interaction. Blog hops, which encompass book memes and reading challenges, make it possible for bloggers to meet each other, and perhaps become friends. But how can friendships even get started if bloggers don't comment back?
I know which blogs will ALWAYS comment back on mine, so those are the blogs I visit. Sometimes I do visit these bloggers before they visit me. Bottom line: I can always expect interaction from these bloggers. We don't have to agree on certain topics, which is just fine. However, we DO react to each other's posts.
Another point is that I am not the type of blogger to leave a "one-liner". I like to leave meaningful comments. So I don't see why I'm not getting the same back, even if the comment is shorter. (Mine tend to be a bit long, lol.) I greatly appreciate a thoughtful comment back, and it doesn't have to be a long one, either.
I realize that perhaps some bloggers never comment back on certain blogs because they might not like the books being reviewed at that blog. Maybe they read different genres. Heck, maybe they don't even like the blog design. However, with a book meme like this one, which involves mutual discussion, I do feel some effort should be made to exchange viewpoints with each other, whether or not we review the same genres. These discussion posts don't necessarily deal with specific genres, after all.
In conclusion, I want to state that I do enjoy participating in blog hops and book memes. In an ideal world, I would get comments back from every blogger whose post I have initially commented on. Although this is not the case, I do enjoy interacting with those who are willing to interact with me.
Happy Hopping -- and Interacting -- to all!
The number of participating blogs is very important. If there are a lot of them involved, then I know I won't be able to visit every single one. I'm specifically referring to memes that have anywhere from 50 to 100 (or even more) participants.
An example of such a meme is "Waiting On Wednesday", which used to be hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine.
Of course, if I'm participating in a smaller meme, it's far easier for me to visit each and every blog. One such meme is "Can't Wait Wednesday", which is hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings. This meme serves the same purpose as "Waiting On Wednesday", and has actually replaced it. It only has about 12 to 13 participating blogs linking up to the hosting blog. However, I still don't visit all the blogs.
Another meme I participate in is the Book Blogger Hop, which has roughly the same number of blogs linking up every Friday. Yet, I don't visit all of the blogs participating in this one, either.
Why don't I visit all the blogs linking up to these two memes? Well, here's the thing: in the past, I've made sure to visit each and every blog that has linked up, including the hosting blog, naturally. And I always comment on the day's meme post when I visit a blog. I no longer visit all of the blogs because, from my experience, I've noticed that certain bloggers just don't comment back. Nor do they reply to my comments on their own blogs.
I've mentioned this in another BBH post, in reference to reading challenges, which also have bloggers linking up to a hosting blog.
Now, I understand that other bloggers are just as busy as I am. However, if someone goes to the trouble to comment on your blog, the courteous thing to do is to comment back on their blog, at the very least.
So, what I've been doing is waiting to see who comments on my post first. I will then comment back on those blogs. This is not the ideal situation, I know, but I just don't want to waste my time visiting and commenting on blogs whose creators are not willing to interact with me.
Blogging is supposed to be a community effort, and this involves interaction. Blog hops, which encompass book memes and reading challenges, make it possible for bloggers to meet each other, and perhaps become friends. But how can friendships even get started if bloggers don't comment back?
I know which blogs will ALWAYS comment back on mine, so those are the blogs I visit. Sometimes I do visit these bloggers before they visit me. Bottom line: I can always expect interaction from these bloggers. We don't have to agree on certain topics, which is just fine. However, we DO react to each other's posts.
Another point is that I am not the type of blogger to leave a "one-liner". I like to leave meaningful comments. So I don't see why I'm not getting the same back, even if the comment is shorter. (Mine tend to be a bit long, lol.) I greatly appreciate a thoughtful comment back, and it doesn't have to be a long one, either.
I realize that perhaps some bloggers never comment back on certain blogs because they might not like the books being reviewed at that blog. Maybe they read different genres. Heck, maybe they don't even like the blog design. However, with a book meme like this one, which involves mutual discussion, I do feel some effort should be made to exchange viewpoints with each other, whether or not we review the same genres. These discussion posts don't necessarily deal with specific genres, after all.
In conclusion, I want to state that I do enjoy participating in blog hops and book memes. In an ideal world, I would get comments back from every blogger whose post I have initially commented on. Although this is not the case, I do enjoy interacting with those who are willing to interact with me.
Happy Hopping -- and Interacting -- to all!
What are your thoughts on
this topic?
Please leave a comment!
If you're participating in this meme,
I'll go comment on your
own BBH post.
If not, I will then comment on one
of your blog posts!
Thanks for visiting!!!
Great post Maria. You raise all sorts of points that are relevant to blogging and visiting blogs.
ReplyDeleteI agree that leaving one liner comments seem not worth leaving.
Reading blogs and leaving comments takes time. I also used to get frustrated that folks did not comment back. On the other hand sometimes our blogs are not for everyone. Maybe it is better that someone does not comment back rather then forcing themselves to read a post that they are not interested in.
On the other hand, you are correct, if one are involved in a meme, one would think that one would be interested in the topic at hand to at least leave responses.
I tell folks who are interested in blogging that they need to make time to both blog, as well as to interact with other bloggers.
Have a great weekend!
Hey, Brian!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good word!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)
I'm glad you agree on the leaving of "one-liner" comments. I think it's not really worth it to do that. I always try to leave longer, more meaningful comments, as you know.
Yes, reading blogs and commenting on them does take time. And you're right that our blogs are not for everyone! I can understand someone not wanting to comment back if they're not interested in a post, but, in the case of a meme, which is also a blog hop, some effort should be made to interact with a blogger who has taken the time to comment on one's blog.
Of course blogging includes interacting with other bloggers. There are some bloggers out there who have intentionally disabled blog commenting on their blogs, but I think that this defeats the whole purpose of blogging. It's not just the reading, but the interaction, that makes blogging so rewarding! I greatly enjoy my interactions with bloggers such as you! We might not agree on everything, but we're still able to react to each other's posts, as well as compare notes. I think this not only makes blogging very rewarding, but also interesting and exciting!
Thanks for always commenting back, and leaving such interesting comments!! Thanks as well for your own fascinating, well-written blog posts!! <3 <3
Hope you have a great weekend, too!! :) :) :)
While I haven't done it consciously there are a few blogs I stopped visiting because they never visited back and it felt a bit too much like commenting into a vacuum. I don't need regular visiting when it comes to memes but SOMETHING occasionally is nice! I do always try to visit those who visit me though some days I'm better at it than others.
ReplyDeleteHi, Katherine!
DeleteYeah, I feel the same way. You put that very well, too: "...it felt a bit too much like commenting into a vacuum." Precisely! The very purpose of blogging is to exchange views regarding a given topic -- in the case of book bloggers, books -- with fellow bloggers.
In the case of book memes, it's even more the case that bloggers should return comments. That's the reason we link up on a hosting blog! It's actually pretty sad when the participants in these memes don't comment back. Then WHY did they even link up?
I know....some days are busier than others. I don't always try to comment back on all the blogs on the very same day I get their comments. Sometimes I comment back 2 or 3 days after they comment on my own blog. But the important thing is that I DO comment back.
So yeah, why keep visiting and commenting on blogs whose owners never interact with you? It's like saying "Good morning, how are you?" and trying to strike up a conversation with your next-door neighbor, several days in a row, and getting ignored each and every single time! Lol.
Thanks so much for visiting, and leaving such a thoughtful comment!! Have a great weekend!! <3 :)
Another marvelous answer with terrific points.
ReplyDeleteLove your thinking, and I ALWAYS love stopping by your blog and love your comments here and on my blog.
I always visit every blog on the Blog Hop, but I do notice that some folks do not do a return visit and never have. :(
I really enjoy visiting those bloggers who interact and stop at those bloggers who rarely visit just to see what they have to say. :)
HUGS and enjoy your weekend.
Happy Hopping!!
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My Blog Hop Answer
Hi, Elizabeth!
DeleteThank you so much for the compliments!! <3 :)
I'm glad you like my thinking! Dashing off just any old answer is not my style at all; I do enjoy putting some thought to these questions. This particular one is deceptively simple, but I felt if did require some reflection. It invited me to explore the reasons I do or don't visit all of the blogs in book memes. So it's a GREAT question! Kudos to you for submitting it!! :)
I think it's unfortunate that some bloggers never visit or comment back.... This defeats the whole purpose of joining a book meme. Sometimes, in the past, I did visit these blogs just to see how they answered the weekly question, but I've stopped doing that, too. I'm just sick and tired of wasting my time, you know?
You're a very sweet person, and it's such a JOY to interact with you!! Your comments are WONDERFUL, and I always look forward to them! Thanks!! :) :)
And thanks for this one, which is as lovely as all the others!! HUGS BACK!!!! Enjoy your weekend, too, and Happy Hopping!! <3 <3 :) :)
That seems fair enough to me. When time is limited, you have to be selective.
ReplyDeleteHi, Nicki!
DeleteI'm glad you agree. Time is much too precious to waste on visiting and commenting on blogs that never do the same in return. As Katherine put it in her comment above, it's like "commenting into a vacuum."
After all, in real life, when we try and try to interact with people who don't seem interested in being friends, or romantic partners, there comes a point in which we have to step back, and realize that they are, in fact, just NOT interested in having any kind of relationship with us. The same is true of blogging. So we need to move on and enjoy the interactions we can have with people - and bloggers -- who DO reciprocate our efforts to create relationships with them.
Thanks for dropping by and commenting!! <3 :)
Awesome post! I also get annoyed whenever I comment on other people's blogs, but they don't comment back. It sometimes feels like I'm wasting my time on commenting on blogs if the people doesn't respond back in some kind of way.
ReplyDeleteHere’s my Book Blogger Hop!
Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog
Hi, Ronyell!
DeleteThank you so much for the compliment!! :)
Yes, it is indeed very annoying to comment on a blog post, and never get a comment back. It's even MORE annoying when this happens more than once. Eventually, you have to come to the realization that the blogger in question is simply NOT interested in interacting with you. Then you just go to the blogs whose owners WILL comment back, and enjoy your interactions with THEM.
Thanks for the nice comment!! Have a great weekend!! <3 :)
A great explanation! I will admit I am absolutely horrible at balancing my blog, my reading, my teaching, and my personal life. I've lived from a suitcase the last two years and been on the road every weekend (with pet in tow). The time I had before was reduced drastically. I do what I can now and try not to stress about what I can't. When I first started blogging and figured everything out (about a year in), I visited all these blogs and commented...and they never returned. Like you, I eventually stopped. I have my regulars I visit and who visit me. When commenting, sometimes I agonize over what to say because I don't share the same interests whatsoever or have ever heard of any of the books or authors that make up the post. Crafting a meaningful comment gets to me then that I visit, like, and move on. I will say I'm not very good at even linking up on my Friday hops. My longstanding Friday hop is going defunct, I think. I joined Blogger Hop this year.
ReplyDeleteHi, Charlie!
DeleteI have problems balancing things in my life, too, lol. It saddens me to realize that I'm actually spending more time in blogging than reading, for example. Work is work, though....I have to go and spend the time at my job, which I do enjoy (I'm an ESOL teacher), but it takes up SO MUCH of my day....sigh....
I hear you when you tell me that you've been living on the road, pet and all. Gee, that must be a bit rough. But life is like that sometimes....so I really appreciate your taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment today!! <3 :)
It's normal to feel annoyed and frustrated when our efforts to interact with other bloggers are met with total silence. I think it's so rude to not comment back. Heck, it's like trying to make friends with someone in real life, only to be met with total indifference. So yeah, eventually we just have to shrug our shoulders, accept that not everyone will want to interact with us, and move on to people who WILL reciprocate our efforts at friendship.
Sometimes I, too, agonize over what to say in comments. I try to be honest if my reading taste is not the same as that of the blogger I'm interacting with. But I also always try to find something positive, and even funny, to say in such cases. For me, the important thing is to react to a post in some way, especially when a given blogger has taken the time to come over and comment on my own post.
I used to participate in the "Feature and Follow Friday" meme, but that hop is too demanding. It requires that you follow the two blogs featured each week. When I used to participate, I did follow the featured blogs, and, of course, didn't get a follow back most of the time. Nor did I get comments back when I commented on many of the participating blogs. Eventually, I stopped participating at all.
I hope you continue to participate in the Book Blogger Hop! This meme is a far less demanding one, and the questions are usually very interesting. I will be looking forward to your posts, as well as to your comments on mine!! <3 :)
Thanks so much for the great, very thoughtfully written comment!! Have a great weekend!! <3 <3 :) :)
I also consider who comments and who doesn't. On smaller linkies like this one I do click through to everyone's blog so they get a blog hit. :)
ReplyDeleteHi, there!
DeleteI'm glad you agree! Time is just too precious to waste on people who are not interested in interacting with us.
Sometimes, in the past, I did visit all the blogs, even if I didn't comment because I knew they would never comment back. But this is really a total waste of time. I KNOW that, if I leave a comment on those blogs, I won't be getting one in return, so why even bother to read those posts? Consequently, I have stopped doing this.
It's so MUCH better to focus on those very nice bloggers who DO return comments!
Thanks for dropping by and leaving your own comment!! Have a great weekend!! <3 :)
Great post! I also try to comment on as many as I can, but get a bit irked when people don't comment back. Though my biggest peeve is when people don't even have a comments section available!
ReplyDeleteHi, Erica!
DeleteThanks so much for the compliment!! :)
I have stopped visiting every single blog in the Book Blogger Hop, which is something I used to do. I would not only visit, but leave a comment, as well. But then I felt SO disappointed when these bloggers did not comment back on my blog.... So that's why I now wait for the other participants to come and comment on my post first. I then go and comment back on theirs.
Yeah, I've seen some blogs on the Internet whose owners have disabled the comments section. That strikes me as counterproductive. But then, there are blogs that deal with politics, religion, and other controversial topics. Those bloggers must have disabled the comments section because of the sheer amount of negative and troll comments they've gotten in the past. I guess that's understandable. For book bloggers, though, not having a comments section just doesn't make any sense at all! A lot of the fun of blogging about books is in interacting and exchanging opinions with other book bloggers. Otherwise, blogging can get very tedious after a while....
Thanks for leaving such a terrific comment!! Enjoy your weekend!! <3 :)
Hi, Maria! It kind of defeats the purpose of participating in a meme or blog hop if you do not make a point of commenting on other participants' blog, doesn't it? I do understand not being able to get to them all--like with the Top Ten Tuesday one I sometimes participate in. There's no way I can get to them all. I do try to comment on as many as I can, though, especially on those who comment on mine.
ReplyDeleteWhen I am really short on time, I aim for just commenting on the blog posts of those who have commented on mine. I sometimes have to do with that with Tuesday Teasers and the 1st Paragragh/1st Chapter meme.
Erica mentioned when others have their comments turned off - - I tend to get annoyed when I cannot find a person's blog who commented. I feel guilty because I can't comment back on their blog and try to search every which way to find it. I guess that is a reason people should leave their links with their comments (which I never do). Another pet peeve of mine is when people just leave their link and don't actually say anything in their comment about my post.
I hope you are enjoying your weekend! My response will go up in a few hours in my Sunday post. :-)
Hi, Wendy!
DeleteIt DEFINITELY defeats the whole purpose. That's precisely my point! So it really baffles me how people can join in a book meme/blog hop by linking up to the hosting blog, and then NOT visit or comment on other participants' blog posts for that meme! WHY do they 'participate', then?! They're actually not participating -- at least, not fully.
I can understand not having the time to visit each and every blog in the meme, especially in large memes. What I find so puzzling, as well as irritating, is that some bloggers don't comment back on those blogs who have already commented on their own. THAT is what I don't understand at all!
Not everyone has the time to do what you and I do -- reply to comments on our blogs, and then go and comment on the blogs of these commenters. If there's no time for both, then these commenters should just comment back, and forget about replying to the comments on their own blogs. Right? So this is why I now wait until someone comments on my BBH blog post. Then I go comment back on theirs. Of course, I also reply here on my blog, but again, I understand if not everyone does both. I do prefer that, if they can't do both, they at least comment back on my blog.
As for bloggers who have their comments section disabled, I haven't found too many of those. Not book bloggers, anyway. But there are times when I can't find a blogger's blog so that I can return their comment. Yeah, I tend to feel annoyed and frustrated by this, too. But what can you do? If their blog is hard to find, well, that's really their own responsibility. They should leave a link to their blog in their comment.
As for leaving a link to a blog, without saying ANYTHING about your post, I've had that happen to me a few times. Now that is another example of rudeness. What they're REALLY doing is leaving a spam link. There used to be a 'participant' in the Book Blogger Hop who did that. When this first started happening, I would go to their blog and leave a comment, to see if they got the hint. Nope! So then I just started to delete their link, and did not comment back anymore. After a few times of this kind of reaction, this person stopped leaving their link in my comments section. They eventually ended up leaving this hop. I imagine they tried the same stunt on other bloggers, and probably got treated the very same way! Lol.
Since I'm replying to this comment after midnight on Monday, 4/3, I will report that I had a VERY nice weekend! I'll be heading over to check out your Sunday Post, which I always enjoy reading (and commenting back on)!!
Hope you and your family have a WONDERFUL week!!! HUGS TO YOU & MOUSE!!! <3 <3 :) :)
I definitely agree with you about commenting back! It always bothers me when people ignore others who take the time to reach out; like you said, how do they expect to make new friends? Maybe they don't want any, who knows? lol. But you made some great points here! Excellent post!
ReplyDeleteAlso -- thank you so much for your sweet, sweet comments and concern for Mom. She is slowly getting better and wanted me to give you this hug -- *hug* -- and let you know she'll be in touch as soon as she can.
Hope you have a wonderful week!! *big squishy smooshy hugs* <3 <3 <3
~Mckenzie
Hi, Mckenzie!!
ReplyDeleteThank you SO VERY MUCH for this SUPER nice comment!! <3 <3 <3
I'm glad you totally agree with me on the importance of commenting back! Yeah, that's one of the main reasons all of us blog. We want to express ourselves, true, but we also want to exchange viewpoints with our fellow bookish bloggers!! And you know, if book bloggers are participating in a book meme/blog hop, then it just defeats the whole purpose if they don't exchange opinions on each others'posts!
As for the comments about your mom, you're more than welcome!! I'm SO glad she's getting better, and am looking forward to hearing from her soon!!
You are both like family to me by now!! LUV you both!! And....I'm sending you guys SUPER SQUISHY SMOOOOOISHY TACKLE HUGS!!!!!! Many blessings, too!!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)
Thanks SO MUCH for your WONDERFUL comment!!!!!