I visited one of my favorite blogs last night, My Charming Kids, and found out that Jennifer wrote her last post four days before.
I usually read her blog every day or every other day, but I had been too busy to check in on updates and totally missed her ending her blog.
It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are, but I guess she won’t renew her URL, someone else will buy it for the larger traffic she had, and all those beautifully written posts with stunning pictures of her five kids will be gone.
Wow.
I’m going to miss McKMama’s blog. Remember my Not Me! Monday posts? I wrote 40+ of them. They were her idea and I loved reading her posts and writing my own over the last two years. Maybe she’ll let me continue to write them — I have to ask her.
All throughout today, Jennifer closing her blog has been kind of on my mind. I even told Don about her last post.
He is familiar with her son Stellan’s story, and over the last two years I have been telling him a bit about the nasty comments she kept getting. They kind of prepared me for what trolls in the blog world are capable of. And I always wondered how I would react to such scrutiny. I have nothing to hide and am pretty immune to criticism, but that kind of constant nastiness must wear on you after a while, even when you know that those people are wrong to be so mean.
I haven’t met Jennifer in real life so far, but we have become blogging friends, and I even hosted a live chat in her BlogFrog community for her about breastfeeding. It was easy to feel connected to her since we have so much in common: we are both devoted breastfeeding moms, our husbands are carpenters, and Jennifer knows German after having lived there as a child. We are both into healthy living, love taking picture of our kids, plus a bunch of other similarities.
I have no way of knowing if any of the nasty rumors about Jennifer are true. Her private life is her private life as far as I’m concerned — I only know I enjoyed her blog and her photographs. We all pick and choose what we put on our blog. It doesn’t — and can’t — show all of our life or personality.
All day, I have been wondering, what would I do if I couldn’t blog anymore?
Would I miss it? You bet ya! I have so many other interests, my days would still be just as full. I’d love to be a home stager or lactation specialist. But I’ve never really thought about the future of my blog — because I don’t have to. I don’t intend to stop blogging as of right now.
My blog will keep evolving, subject matters I once wrote about frequently might move into the background, but I think my readers will stay with me on this journey.
I might not always blog about Landon or breastfeeding — that day will come when he’ll asks me not to blog about him anymore — but blogging and tweeting and instagramming has become a huge part of my life. I think in tweets and now view my life via Instagram.
I call myself a “reality show on Twitter” — I love sharing my life in this way with others. I guess I like to entertain — with my words and photos. I’m a writer, and thanks to my iPhone and Instagram, I’m now also a kind of photojournalist, journaling my life.
It’s unfortunate that only another blogger can really understand why I like sharing my every move by writing about it, tweeting, and taking pictures.
Someone at the BlogHer’12 conference said something that kind of shocked me with it’s truthfulness: “This is the only place where I feel like people get me, where I don’t have to explain myself.” I felt the same way! The people closest to me, my family and friends, don’t really “get” my passion for blogging, can’t share in my enthusiasm for it, and sometimes even get annoyed with it. They don’t really get me — that’s kind of devastating to think about.
But I know that people who don’t blog can still enjoy my blog and photos.
I “get” Jennifer, and she gets me, and I will miss her blog very much. I wonder how much she will miss writing it. Blogging is such a big part of our life.
Have you ever considered to stop writing your blog? Would you ever delete it? And what do you think our kids will think of our blog once they are older?
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
yes. i had many blogs one of which i had given up in January 2012, it was the best ever, full of life and very popular. however, at renewal time, i decided to drop it and leave my online world. come to find out, i was missing something very important by not having this online world of blogging and networking it was like something was drastically wrong with me inside. therefore i took my time and prepared and started a new blog http://www.worthcommenting.net back in August. Now, flourishing every day with more to come I am glad I am here again. thank you very much for sharing your wonderful story and I feel that most of my online friends are probably better people than the real people i deal with every day. good luck…..send me a line if you choose.
Hi Dagmar – gr8 q. I sometimes think abt not blogging, but I do really love the catharsis from writing and also the huge amount of support I get from the blogging community. It’s hard to explain to other people and yes other ppl think its weird….sometimes I get discouraged as I dont get alot comments, but I do get alot of views..glad I met you blogging! take care, Kathy
There have been times when I considered deleting my blog, especially during a troll attack early this summer, but that would have been letting them win. And I won’t do that. I spent a lot of time doing some very deep, very serious, very self-centered writing tonight and I realized that as much as I love when someone enjoys my writing, it’s something I do for me.
On the other hand, I can understand the need to call it quits. I think it’s something that we may not see coming, but like Jennifer, we’ll know when the time is right.
Oh gosh, so many thoughts here. I never really thought that far ahead. I never expected to love blogging, but I do, I really do. I’m passionate about my biz. I’m part of an active community that blogs and comments, and you are so right that outsiders/non bloggers just don’t get this But, they have become my family and friends. And, several of them are close friends and I talk to them on the phone. And, now we are having local meet ups every 4 months, and they are a blast (and very productive, too).
For me, my blog is not my biz…so I don’t quite think about it the same way you/others on her might. But, for me, my blog is my largest business generator. So, as long as I have my biz, I do intend to keep blogging. So, I guess really the question is about retirement for me…which is a LONG way off.
Hi Debbie, thanks for your comment! Glad you love blogging so much.