David Weinberger has a fantastic post here, that says just what I want to say, about why I'm not keeping up with your blog.
I wonder at the people whose sidebar says "Blogs I Read" or "Blogs I Love" and then lists hundreds of weblogs. Do they think we don't know they are lying?
I read new posts from the blogs listed in my aggregator most of the time. Sometimes I skim; sometimes I delete them without reading. I visit a few other blogs that I haven't subscribed to, but like to check in on, from time to time. Sometimes I feel guilty about those I'm not reading -- there are certainly lots of good ones, worthy of my attention. I'm not going to feel guilty anymore.
All well and good for people whom you know mostly through blogging, but I doubt that it holds for your 'real life' good friends. Of the half dozen people whose birthdays I note and who have an online presence, I keep up with theirs more faithfully than any others, even blogs that are better written. Mostly not out of a sense of obligation, so much as a desire to know what's going on with them that they might not tell me b/c they assume I read it already.
Posted by: PG | June 21, 2005 at 03:37 AM
David Weinberger said it well, Sherry. Thanks for pointing to his post. I've been saying for a long time that there are far too many weblogs worth reading, and webloggers I like, to make keeping up with them practical, nor aspirational, as a goal.
I have stayed away from the RSS aggregator fad, too -- precisely because I feel it would compound the problem for me, by bringing far too many interesting posts to my attention. Just as I do not try to read every brief my lawyer friends write; nor ever book that seems interesting or important that is published and recommended by a friend, I cannot try to stay abreast of the weblawg (much less the weblog) world, even if it seems like I "know" many of the main characters. The "community" has grown far beyond the personal level.
It's a generational thing, I'm sure, but none of my closest friends and family members read my weblog, even though they know it's important to me (unless I specifically write to tell them about a post of particular personal interest to them). I'm pleased they feel no obligation to keep up with my posting, and haiku.
Posted by: David Giacalone | June 21, 2005 at 10:09 PM
This is why I have intentionally stopped adding blogs to my blogroll. I can't keep up and it's more important to me to keep up with a few good ones than it is to get whatever kudos or ratings come from links. Even now, I often will only get to blogs I like on a weekly basis (less often this past month, I must confess!).
Fortunately, for me, my family does read my blog, so I always know I have at least one faithful reader -- my mother! :)
Posted by: Denise | June 22, 2005 at 01:05 AM