Today's blog post is somewhat of a departure for me and the title very much tongue-in-cheek. I have noticed recently that there has been a decline in the comments I receive but that the number of visitors I receive daily has increased. I find this curious and intriguing; I wonder how many readers I have that don't comment and whether there is anything I can write or do that will induce them to introduce themselves. I also worry that I am somehow losing regular commenters through something that I am writing or not writing, as the case may be. Now I know that some of the familiar faces amongst my readers are no longer regularly blogging due to life commitments, which is perfectly reasonable but I do worry that I am engaging others less in recent Paperback Reader posts, hence the lack of impetus for them to comment.
As an example, yesterday I wrote a post on Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, which promptly garnered a response of seven positive comments that were enthusiastic about my thoughts but those were the only seven comments that I received to date... Now I know that this could have been for a variety of reasons: the subject matter of the text, the fact that many people have reviewed it previously, that it is a book-review as opposed to bookish chat post but I am concerned that I am not engaging my readers enough and this is reflected in the lack of interaction. I chose the Wolf Hall post because the feedback I received complimented me on the review I wrote but I also know that one of the posts I have received the most comments on was my most controversial (and negative) post yet. There seems to be no correlation between popular posts (in the terms of writing and promotion of a book) and the number of comments received - is this normal or coincidental?
I do not blog for comments. I blog for myself as I enjoy a personal-space to write and to share my thoughts on books but I also enjoy being part of the bookish community. Am I alienating myself from that in some way? I suppose I wouldn't have a high readership if people weren't enjoying what I had to say but I would like to hear from you and what you do and don't like about my book blog. I will not compromise the content as I write honestly about books and bookish matters that interest me but I am willing to read constructive criticism and learn why you do or do not comment on my blog. Feedback of any kind is always accepted and if you are too shy to comment then feel free to email me.
eta: I'd like to say a big HI and thank you to Diana who sent me a lovely email to say that she enjoys my blog. I am thankful to everyone who takes the time to read my posts daily or saves them to read later, whether they comment or not.
As an example, yesterday I wrote a post on Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, which promptly garnered a response of seven positive comments that were enthusiastic about my thoughts but those were the only seven comments that I received to date... Now I know that this could have been for a variety of reasons: the subject matter of the text, the fact that many people have reviewed it previously, that it is a book-review as opposed to bookish chat post but I am concerned that I am not engaging my readers enough and this is reflected in the lack of interaction. I chose the Wolf Hall post because the feedback I received complimented me on the review I wrote but I also know that one of the posts I have received the most comments on was my most controversial (and negative) post yet. There seems to be no correlation between popular posts (in the terms of writing and promotion of a book) and the number of comments received - is this normal or coincidental?
I do not blog for comments. I blog for myself as I enjoy a personal-space to write and to share my thoughts on books but I also enjoy being part of the bookish community. Am I alienating myself from that in some way? I suppose I wouldn't have a high readership if people weren't enjoying what I had to say but I would like to hear from you and what you do and don't like about my book blog. I will not compromise the content as I write honestly about books and bookish matters that interest me but I am willing to read constructive criticism and learn why you do or do not comment on my blog. Feedback of any kind is always accepted and if you are too shy to comment then feel free to email me.
eta: I'd like to say a big HI and thank you to Diana who sent me a lovely email to say that she enjoys my blog. I am thankful to everyone who takes the time to read my posts daily or saves them to read later, whether they comment or not.
