I’ve been trying to decide for a while if I should publicize how many followers I have. I’m not really sure why it’s an option, because why does it matter if people know how many you have? If I have a lot, will that make people feel like it’s cool to follow me and I’ll get more followers? Or maybe if I don’t have too many, people will pity me and follow my blog. I don’t get what it’s supposed to accomplish exactly.
There’s this way that being a new blogger is kind of embarrassing. It’s a struggle to get people to read your blog, especially really early on when your archives consist of like a dozen posts. I’m beyond that point now, but I still feel like it’s tough. And I have a nasty habit of comparing myself to other people. So I’ll look at how many followers someone has, and I’ll feel like a failure if they’ve had a blog for less time than I have (about 6 months) and have more followers. Of course, if they have fewer followers in the same time, I pat myself on the back. Which is kind of dumb because I shouldn’t compare myself to other people, and I don’t want to put other bloggers down.
This is really all just a way for me to launch a complaint about the new Reader on WordPress and the Topics page that it replaced. To put it simply, the new Reader sucks. I won’t tell you all the reasons I hate it (you can find plenty of message boards about that). But here’s the primary reason I hate it: as a fairly new blogger, a lot of my blog traffic came from people finding me on the topics page. I know this because 1) I got the most hits in the hour after I posted and 2) only like 5 people find my blog with a Google search in any given week and 3) now that the Reader has replaced the Topics page, very few new people are commenting on or “liking” my posts or following my blog. Boo, WordPress. You make me sad and hopeless.
Full disclosure: I have 51 followers. And that includes my mom.
And you, my dear followers, make me feel very hopeful even when WordPress beats me down. You see, because there aren’t a whole lot of you, I am able to check each of your blogs once in a while, even the people I don’t also follow. And every time one of you clicked the ol’ follow button, I got reallyreallyreally excited. All of you are equally important, but since I can’t list all 51 of you, I’ll single out Old Jules, my first follower, and ashsilverlock, my 50th follower. Thanks for caring what I have to say! It helps me to keep writing.
Now u have 52 followers…
Yay, 52!
I’m a first time visitor Aubrey and I have to say I missed the topics page too at first but now with the reader page I get all the topics I want and I don’t have to look through a hundred topics to find the ones I want. I have a list predetermined and it’s always there for me. Have you tried adding only the ones you like? I think a lot of people are doing it too.
I’ll give it a try!
Did you see what I meant and also see the Topics page?
Yes, I think I see, but it doesn’t update them often enough. Sometimes the same posts show up for days or more =/
Hmmm, but my reader page has a topics section? I didn’t notice anything change? Though I have been ill for a long time, maybe I just missed it and then thought it was always the same way hahaha. But I know I still get a few new readers who stumble across my blog when I publish a new post in that first hour or two, like you say.
Anyhu, I know how you feel about comparing your blogs to others…I did this initially (I mean my blog is only 5 months old, but my first 2-3 months were very slow to build up). It’s hard to stop doing that but I think I have now and I enjoy it all a little bit more without putting that pressure on myself (and of course, as soon as I stopped worrying about it, the hits and followers sky-rocketed for reasons I still have not determined). But you have an awesome blog, and I always enjoy your posts! And it’s better to have a small group of followers who really enjoy your posts, than lots of followers who just ignore what you write (I know of one or two cases where this has happened, for one reason or another).
Oh geeze I rambled on too long again…
Thanks, I appreciate it! And you’re right, quality is better than quantity. I have some really high quality readers =)
Damn straight!
Hahaha kidding. But yes, quality is better than quantity…something I should remind myself with some of my own posts from time to time 
For what it’s worth, I made my follower amount public when I hit 600. I think it became a “oh, it’s not weird if I follow her because other people follow her too” type deal.
When your blog has the name mine does it is a good idea to publish the amount of followers you have. I did it for the same reasons.
One follower or a hundred, I’ll keeping talking out into the web whether anyone listens or not. It’s not like I talk all that often.
Strange, the complaints about the reader. It’s how I found you and the myriad of others I follow. I have the tags “writing” and “books” on my list, so when I’m done with the subscribed blogs, I peruse each one of those.
The only thing that makes me sad is the sheer amount of interesting bloggers out there I’d love to comment on and the sheer little time in the day to do it.
I know! I could spend the whole day reading blogs and not read all the ones I’d like to. It’s hard to choose.
I only have a few followers myself, but like J.R. it’s not stopping me from yammering on about things. I’m even thinking of transferring my old Livejournal blog that I hardly ever update just so I’ll have another place to talk to myself.
I think you’re interesting because you write about the process. I like the whole meta, writing about writing vibe here. So keep up the good work.
Thanks, I appreciate it!
I hate the new reader format, too! It’s a pain in the ass to look at, and I liked being able to check out a bunch of different blogs as if they were newspaper headlines.
I’m with you, sista! And don’t worry about followers; it’s not how many you have, it’s how loyal they all are!
I use Bloglovin – I find it to be easier.
You’re beating me by the way lol – we should trade tips.
I know you’re busy, but I nominated you for a Reader Appreciation Award. Thanks so much for all your helpful posts!
http://journeyofjordannaeast.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/holy-blogger-awards-batman-last-one-scouts-honor/
Thank you thank you thank you!
53.
I have only a handful of followers, but I just started. It is nice to know SOMEONE reads your posts, even if it just your mum.
I compare myself to others at the gym. I need to stop doing that.