Let me start this off by saying I typically love blog hops. It's a great way to network and meet some pretty amazing friends. Especially when you make the effort to get to know the person. Whenever I join a blog hop, I make it my personal mission to actually visits blogs. I'm not kidding when I say I like to get to know a person. I tend to make myself at home on a blog for a while and peruse a nice bit of content before hitting that little follow button.
I also make RELEVANT comments on your posts. You see, the way I figure, if you took the time out of your day to post, then I owe it to you to actually read your post before commenting. What I do not do, what I will NEVER do, is go straight to your first post, and without ever having actually read your post, leave a generic message such as "Hi there, just stopping in from the blog hop. New follower. Be sure to follow me back at www.desperatetoincreasefollowers.com. Looking forward to getting to know you."
Seriously???
You might as well have just written "Hi there I'm super excited to increase my follower count by any means necessary. Oh, and by the way, I don't care about you or your blog, but be sure to follow me, read my posts, and comment daily. XOXO"
Today's word of the day is rude. I have taken the liberty to highlight the most appropriate definition for this situation.
The second reason I will NOT follow you back, is something I have begun referring to as the follow-dump method. If you follow my blog, with the express purpose of getting me to follow you back, and as soon as I do, you decide to unfriend me, that is basically the equivalent of slapping me in the face. I can attest from personal experience that I do not like to be slapped in the face. Please don't do it.
Another common variation of this is joining a blog for a few days, and then unfollowing the person when you find that they have not reciprocated your follow within a timely manner. People are somewhat busy little creatures. It is quite possible that they don't sit in front of their computer for hours, anxiously watching to see in their follower count has changed. Be patient. It pays off in the end.
So to the girl who followed me from the GFC hop last week, and left that generic comment on my sponsors guest post (which was a really great post by the way) and then unfollowed me a few days later because I hadn't reciprocated, there's a reason I did not follow back. I saw your comment, I even visited your page for a while. It's a shame, had you even pretended to take a general interest in my blog, I would have loved taking the time to truly get to know you.
To me, blogging is seriously not a popularity contest. I wasn't popular in high school, and I certainly have no illusions that the blog-o-verse will be any different. Sure, it's great to have a nice amount of followers. But at the end of the day, having 2000 followers means nothing if they don't interact with you and vice-versa.
Here endth the lesson.
XOXO Reese
I love this. AMEN! I started blogging to actually connect with people, the numbers are secondary!
ReplyDeleteMe too! I remember back in my pre-blogging days I would read all these amazing blogs and think, "wow, these ladies have such fantastic stories to tell." I truly had no idea that the blog-o-sphere could be somewhat cliquish. The genuine ladies that I have met so far are wonderful, so they keep me going.
DeleteLike most things in life blogging is a process. I don't expect to have such profound posts that I immediately gain tons of followers overnight. I'd rather take my time and build long-lasting relationships. Those "new follower" commenters are not the bloggers I'm looking to build relationships with.
Thanks for reading/commenting. It's good to know I'm not alone.
Reese
Love this - :) I hate when people do that on Twitter and Facebook too! I work hard on my posts so I want to make sure people are reading them and actually enjoying my hard time and work!
ReplyDeleteKait
www.highheelsandhotdeals.com
*ugh* Facebook is the worst. Especially since they started doing that whole pay to promote deal. Most of my fans don't even see my posts, and the ones who do rarely engage in dialogue unless I'm offering up a reward.
DeleteJust remember for all the generic "new follower" comments you get, you probably have tons of people who read and love your blog. Don't let the copy and paste commenter get you down ;)
These are all reasons why I haven't been participating in as many hops as I used to! Great post!
ReplyDeleteSadly, I'm starting to feel the same way...
DeleteLove it! I'd seriously give you a high five or fist bump if I were there right now. Ha! I couldn't have put this any better myself-- some bloggers are just plain rude.
ReplyDeleteI get people on my hop that just plug their own hops RELENTLESSLY. I even had one of the said girls unfollow and then eventually re-follow me-- noting that she was a new follower, and had no idea. And then she proceeded to plug her hop with an entire paragraph on the comment she left. Same plug everytime. It's crazy!
Oh my! The next time she does it, take a screen shot, save it, and then when she joins again under the guise of being "a new follower" send her the screen shot with the date highlighted.
DeleteAnd joining a hop for the express purpose of promoting your own hop...that's just low. I should update this post and add this in there as well. lol. I seriously had no idea people did that.
Still even with all the rude ones out there I try to remember that there still are some really genuine bloggers who have amazing stories to tell.
Reese
Yeesh! This doesn't sound good. Hope whatever comment I made wasn't too generic...
ReplyDeleteI just try to not let this stuff bother me too much. Just delete their comment and don't worry about it, that's my motto. Not worth the stress.
Jamie
http://chatterblossom.blogspot.com/
bahahaha...Reese, you are too funny! I get those too occasionally. I had someone unfollow me but didn't realize when it happened...so who knows who it was...oh well. :) Hope you have a Merry Christmas!!
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, and YES! I want genuine readers who enjoy reading what I have to say and who participate in the discussions we have. Forget about the "Hi, love your blog, please follow me back!" comments and that "you must follow these 16 hosts in order to participate" blog hops. I'm a blogger because I want to meet new people and make new friends. That doesn't happen by following aimlessly.
ReplyDeleteI have a teaching blog and started to realize that people are ONLY following me when I host a giveaway. If you honestly do not want to follow me for what I have to say, don't follow me just to win the giveaway - I notice these things and to be honest, I'll tweak the outcome of the giveaway because I know of dishonesty and how some people strictly only follow me because of the giveaways I've had or do. Also, since I have a teaching blog, many people only follow my Facebook page because I'll do random "first person to tell me... blah blah blah" posts and that's the ONLY time I receive any sort of interaction. You go, girl, for posting your true feelings and honest reactions to things that are happening in the blog world. I joined for networking, to meet other teachers, to expand my horizons, but I'm now careful of WHO I am expanding to... is it worth it in the end for me to put my time & effort into getting to know you to have you unfollow?? You know? AMEN to your post :)
ReplyDeleteSara
Miss V's Busy Bees
This is a great post. The spammy comments bother me so much that I won't even post them. Well said! Best - Monica
ReplyDeleteHere here!! I love it when they join a blog hop yet there's no way to followe them... helpful
ReplyDeletehaha Reese. I so agree! I think I may have gotten that comment mentioned above with the blog hop promotion...she just copies and pastes it into all the blogs she goes to...maybe.
ReplyDeleteI like meeting new bloggers and when they read my recent post and comment on it, then mention they are a new follower, that is ok with me! when I personally follow new blogs if I leave them a comment, I don't usually tell them to come follow me back! that's up to them!
I also don't like when I get invited to follow a blog that is basically full of spam or sales pitches!
Wow, feels like you are speaking for me instead of to me. I agree with you. I'm new to blogging as well and had no idea I would feel like the new girl at school. It really feels like a clique you can't get into so I don't try, I just blog.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Amen, Amen!! I always feel that a blog post that clearly took effort to write deserves reading and a comment that shows it was read. Copied and pasted comments are the worst. It really is like a slap in the face. Oh well, I won't be playing that game either!
ReplyDeleteHi!!!
ReplyDeleteNew follower here! Please,please, please follow me back! :-D
Kidding, obviously! I can relate to this from both sides, actually. I think in the beginning of blog hopping I was guilty of leaving a few of these, although I did read the post and leave a relevant comment as well. I get it now. And I, like you, enjoy taking the time to get to know fellow bloggers. The support that you get from actually getting to know and truly follow one another is what it's all about.
Thanks for the post. It may be the eye opener that some bloggers (like when I was a newbie!) need.
Happy Holidays!
alli.
This is exactly why I stopped participating in blog hops. I will only do them now if it's a really fun one that I'm doing because I like the content or I want to share an outfit that I wore with a hop. The spammy messages killed it for me. You hit the nail right on the head with this post! Preach girl!
ReplyDeleteI love your genuineness! People do write the most generic comments ever, and it just feels crappy. Go you for actually taking the time to read and follow people. I am visiting you from the #MTMmixer, but just saying that so you know how I got here, not to beg for a follow!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with this more. There are few things more aggravating when it comes to blogging than the "Hey I'm here from the such and such blog hop, please follow back". Blah! It's why I seldom take part in blog hops, which is kind of a shame.....
ReplyDeleteHahahaha so much of what you said resonates with me. I always follow everyone back who joins my blog hop because I feel as a host, that's something I should do. However, I do read through their posts and actually leave a comment that I thought out after reading a post in the blog. I do follow up with the "thank you ...etc. " with a link to my blog. Nothing irriates me more than someone who just comes and leaves the generic "i'm from here follow back" comment without even reading a post. I also can't stand the follow and dump people. If I follow someone, it's forever unless they write something that truly disgusts me as a human. I try to follow everyone back by Tuesday following my Fri hop and then I actually read their posts throughout the week. Bloggy friends should be less generic and more authentic.
ReplyDeleteThoroughly loved that post. And with that said, here's my generic thank you to follow my honest and thought out comment :)
Thank you so much for participating in our Aloha Friday Blog Hop!! I am following you, of course!! Wishing you and yours a lovely week!!
Aloha,
Jean {What Jean Likes}
I agree. I feel like if you're going to take the time to link up and then visit my blog, why not at least read the post that you're commenting on and say some meaningful. Life's too short for all these number competitions unless you're trying to win the lottery or the election!
ReplyDeleteReally great post. I can really relate to this. I know how it feels to get a lot of meaningless comments or comments that clearly suggest the person did not read your post.
ReplyDeletei really agree with what ur saying. that happens to me all the time i get comments and I get excited then i realize the person doesnt actually care about my writing
ReplyDelete