Book Blogger Confessions is a meme that posts the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month, where book bloggers "confess" and vent about topics that are unique to us. Feel free to share, vent and offer solutions.
Just keep it respectful - no bashing authors or other bloggers! If you want to participate just grab our button and include it in your post with a link to either Midnyte Reader or For What It's Worth. We will be providing a linky at the end of our posts so people can "hop" to see all the participants answers.
Question: How do you follow blogs? Do you use Google Reader? Are you on an e-mail list? Are you more apt to follow people who have less followers? Would you follow a blog to enter a contest? What makes you unfollow a blog?
Answer: I use Google Reader. I do follow a few blogs through Networked Blogs, etc, but honestly I never check. I only subscribe to a few blogs via email. I already get too much email so I don’t want it clogged up with blog feeds.
Recently I’ve been visiting blogs – not necessarily following them – through Twitter links. So many people have lost their Google Follow button from the switch to Wordpress that I find myself following them through Twitter instead.
I do tend to follow blogs that have less followers. I still have to enjoy their blog and find their reviews interesting but I like to support newer bloggers just like people did for me when I was starting out. There’s a lot of negativity in the community right now and I’ve heard new bloggers say that they are intimidated or turned off by the hostile environment. There was nothing but blogger love when I started over 2 years ago and I want to help be supportive. Having said that, I follow the big guys too. It’s about personality and content for me. If you have both then I follow, regardless of size.
I rarely enter contests. I won’t follow specifically for a contest. If I’m already a follower then fine, but like I mentioned above, the blog has to have good content for me add yet another blog to my Google Reader list. I don’t require anyone to follow for my giveaways any more either. Some giveaways have it as an option and I find I get more followers by giving people the choice instead of requiring a follow.
I have never unfollowed a blog. Because I don’t know how to. lol
I was just going through my reader the other day and I see a few blogs that I just don’t visit anymore but I’m too lazy to figure out how to remove them. I just scroll by them and visit the blogs with interesting posts and I don’t worry about it too much.
So I guess for me the question would be “what makes you scroll past a blog?” If a blogger is reviewing books from a genre I don’t read (unless their reviews are still interesting in their own right), if their review style has changed to a something that I don’t enjoy reading anymore (this has happened a lot recently), if reviews feel overly positive all the time (as in I’m not getting an objective review so that I can make a good purchase choice – I don’t mind positive reviews of course), blogs that post only cover reveals or publisher hyping, and bloggers that behave badly online – usually on Twitter.
I’m not too picky when I visit blogs. I’m looking for personality more than anything. They can post all memes, make spelling errors (within reason), even blog about things that don’t necessarily interest me but if their personality comes shining through I’ll probably still follow the blog.
How about you? What makes you follow/unfollow a blog?
Get your future Book Blogger Confession topics right here!
I think Twitter is the best tool for keeping up on people's Blogs. It's so current and very easy to make connections. I agree with you about a blog only posting positive reviews. There's nothing wrong with that, but I need/like more of a discussion.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't bother me if a blog has all memes or fun stuff. I don't mind spelling errors too much. What really bugs me is if I can't physically read a blog because of font color, etc.
Twitter helps me find blogs/posts that I wouldn't normally find any other way.
DeleteI might not follow a certain blog but if they tweet (or even a RT) a link I'll click on it.
Hmm, I can show you how to unsubscribe in Reader - you just click the little down-pointing arrow at the end of the blog name on the left-bar. One of the options there is to unsubscribe!
ReplyDeleteI'm an old follower, and just stopping by to say hello :D I liked this post idea, and I'm writing my meme post right now!
Dee from www.readseverything.blogspot.com
Thanks!! That sounds super simple :-)
DeleteThanks for joining in this week.
Twitter is definitely a great way to stay on top of things, but I'm not always on it so it's not the best way, for me. I would miss a lot, methinks. As with anything, I think personality wins a lot!
ReplyDeleteTwitter isn't the way to regularly follow posts but I find I'm more likely to click on a review for a book outside of my regular genre that way. Not sure why but I've found some great books.
DeleteTwitter! I have just discovered this weekend that two book bloggers I follow are also Doctor Who fans and I always find it exciting when a fellow book lover shares another of my geekisms ^_^ and that's often found through Twitter, so I like to follow bloggers through there as well as on their blog.
ReplyDeleteSandy
Twitter lets you expand your personality a little more - past the blog.
DeleteLOL -- I agree with Deepali. Unfollowing is pretty easy in Google reader! You can do it!
ReplyDeleteI don't consider myself a "big" blogger by any means and am just coming up on my one year anniversary, but I also try to support bloggers who are just starting out or trying to build followers. I try to link to them, I share ARCs, and try to follow and leave comments.
I think it's really important to support each other and anyone new coming in to this. I don't think it's really about big or small - just helping each other out and having fun conversations.
DeleteInteresting post. Like you I don't even know how to unfollow blogs though it is is something I should perhaps learn as there are several blogs that I 'follow' that no longer exist.
ReplyDeleteI figure if they're inactive then they aren't really clogging my reader lol
DeleteI understand the Twitter thing. Lately I do a majority of blog hopping through that as well. If it looks interesting, click. It seems quite a few blogs are on Twitter. I follow way more people through Twitter the GFC.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason it's easier for me through Twitter these days. I can even click a link on my phone while I'm out. It's just faster.
DeleteFor me when I pull up google reader it means I have to set aside the time to read and comment.
I do check my blogs now and again *coughs* Ok like once a year and try to remove the dead blogs :( But only then.
ReplyDeleteI follow, well if I like their blog. They do not have to like the same books as I do, as I am way too eclectic anyway and like all ;)
I tend to stick to a few genres for reading but I still enjoy following a variety of blogs if they have a fun or interesting review style.
Deleteyes I remove blogs that aren't active any more or that my tastes have changed. I like twitter to find new blogs too.
ReplyDeleteI think I click on more reviews through Twitter than google reader theses days.
DeleteUnfollowing isn't too hard, and I do it because a large reader really stress me out when I see all the unread posts I have. When I first started blogging I literally followed everyone, and that was a very bad plan.
ReplyDeleteI know that twitter is great, but I am not very good with it.
Ahhh!! I used to follow everyone too. Now I'm more discriminating. There is no way you can actually follow up and visit that many blogs.
DeleteThis was a wonderful thread really enjoyed the information !…
ReplyDelete