The other day, a blogger I follow on Twitter asked her readers what meal we were planning for 9/11. There is no 9/11 feast! It is not a holiday! She disgusted me, and since she has turned me off with previous rantings, I guess it's no big deal to unfollow her. Sorry, sweetheart, things just didn't work out.
On my end, I have watched the increasing absence of replies to my tweets and Facebook comments. I guess people got exasperated with me and yanked me from their network. My feelings are hurt, but maybe we weren't a good fit, and... sorry, sweetheart.
It can get dire and nasty, too. One blogger reports that her enemy list is so vicious, they have created shadow blogs, parodying everything she writes. I think that's really mean. Fortunately, I'm not famous enough for that kind of mistreatment.
Most of my encounters with commenters and tweeps and FB friends have been very nice. But I'd like to talk about more than "what I ate." I'm sick of writing about food every day, even though I almost always have a topic, because I almost always eat. Again, though, I want to be cautious. I like to write, but I don't reveal too much of myself. Or bore you.
So I'll just put out some questions. Are you tired of this medium? Are you sorry about the name you gave your blog? (I still like mine.) Are you embarrassed by the nickname you gave yourself? (Yes.) Do you sense a dwindling in the power of blogging? (I know, it's dead as a doornail, but it'll never go away.)
Talk to me. If I feel a little less shy, maybe I'll tell you about my first day at school. Or the three years in a row I was required to take Home Ec. (Yeah, we might be talking about food.)
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30 comments:
I have been thinking a lot about why blog etc? Is it the fall and the start of the school year that lends itself to such existential ponderings? Why BE on the internet in this fashion?
I don't have an answer, I still enjoy blogging, so I'll keep doing it. And I enjoy your blogging, I enjoy your "voice" even if it's not talking about food. So, there's that. :)
I'm not tired of your blog, cookiecrumb, and I love the nickname you've given yourself. I wish I'd been so clever. I'm decidedly lukewarm on the name of my own blog, but I was in a rush to get started.
We all have our ups and downs with the blogging thing. I've been in a blogging funk much of the summer. The inspiration, it comes and it goes, y'know? I find it's better to post when I'm in the mood and have something useful to report rather than post because I feel obligated to keep on with it, though I sometimes do the latter, which is how I know it's better not to.
I don't do social media so obviously my advice is biased: if it's making you unhappy, chuck it. There's no rule that says you have to participate. That includes the blogging, though I'd surely miss your fine wit.
I like your blog. More importantly, I like the way you write. But I can understand wanting a change or maybe questioning it altogether. Maybe blogging is passe now. I'm definitely losing interest in mine and as a result my posts aren't as good, and my readers and commenters are really dropping off. So, what's the point?
I just can't get on board with twitter.
I like your blog. I've had it on my reading list for a couple of years now, but I don't think I ever commented before.
I've opted not to have a nickname online, but then I'm not sure what I do is proper blogging although I have several blogs - on the artlog I share scans from my sketchbooks, on the cooking blog I share recipes from my kitchen and on the photo blog I (infrequently) share photos, but I don't really write much about anything in any of these places.
I like your writing though, without being able to analyze just what hits the spot. I also don't feel that I know enough about you to be alienated, so we'll see how that goes if you start diversifying!
Do it in a way that makes it meaningful to yourself. Never mind us - we can just click away, and the world is full of people so you are sure to hit it off with some of them.
I love to share and read about your madness. Please dont stop believing. (Journey). I always wondered about the Cookiecrumb name. I think you would better be suited as Cranky. Speaking of Cranky how about twistin his arm to do a guest post once in a while.
I seem to remember somebody very close that had a shadow blog for a short time.
I love the name of my blog. Somebody very special gave it to me. Peace, Paul
I feel your pain. I too struggle with the relevance of blogging. I continue to love the food and photo taking so I go on. I have always found your words to be eloquent, relevant and perceptive. I will read what ever you write about. Ignore the shite.Do what makes you happy.Be all that you can be...no wait that's the Army.;)Feel the love.
I'm in a blogging slump too. My physical therapist tells me that everything's out of whack these days, due to Venus being in retrograde or something like that.
That said, I'm going to be starting another blog, a non-personal one, so I'm hoping Venus gets her ass in gear soon.
Happy (noncommunicated) eating to you!
You know I like to reinvent myself every now and then. I've always admired your stick-to-itness and would read your words even if they were not about food. I mean it was a photo of a dog that brought me here in the first place.
blogging- i have a love/hate relationship with it but i still read everyone's posts on my blogroll- its my infotainment and sometimes my informal education. just can help but log in but my own blogging drops off depending on my busyness. I'd read anything you wrote about- your style is good, so go for it, branch out.
Are you tired of this medium? No, it
may look like I am but I've gone quiet for a "real life" reason.
Are you sorry about the name you gave your blog? No, but I'm not in love with it either.
Are you embarrassed by the nickname you gave yourself? Nup, it's been mine since I could talk ;)
Do you sense a dwindling in the power of blogging? I do, perhaps blogging was a fad afterall! I've noticed dwindling in my feed and have been able to keep up with my reading, which I couldn't at the start.
I'd love to hear your Home Ec stories, I'd share mine as a swap.
xx
you are the one blogger i read that i can guarantee will make me laugh. it doesn't matter to me if it's about food or not. the george bush countdown clock cracked me up and you still do. and your food is great and it's you and reading about what you and cranky do is so fun. but blogging is a chore and i've been such a slacker. i still love the name of my blog. i love the rush i got from it when i started it in 2007. but that was then and a totally different life from what i have now, so time doesn't afford me the luxury of writing like i used to. but i still enjoy yours. but write about what you want to and i'll read it and laugh.
I read your blog because I enjoy your personality, so post about whatever you'd like. Heck, take a vacation for a while. Sometimes that helps. I'll still be here.
Hi CC -
My answers:
Are you tired of this medium?
Blogging? No. But ever since health and extended family issues intensified a little over a year ago I have less that I feel comfortable writing about on my blog.
Twitter? I still love it. The friendly, funny, encouraging, serious messages and connections are wonderful. And I still love the yeasty politics e.g. #F***YouWashington!
FaceBook? I'm delighted I finally joined at the end of July. It turns out it is not all evil. There are kind, lovely clusters of people there. But some of the silliness and pettiness of high school creeps in and sours it. Plus politics matter to me and I think sometimes my "friends" consider me a bit of a boat rocker. Ah well...
Are you sorry about the name you gave your blog?
No, I still love it!
Are you embarrassed by the nickname you gave yourself?
No, I still love it!
Do you sense a dwindling in the power of blogging?
I don't think it's a dwindling of power so much as I think it was a marvelous release; an outlet for so many of us. Whether it was politics or food or art, blogs were a place to express ourselves and be heard. I began in 2006. I've grown. I will be forever grateful for all the ways my blog helped me do that. And the friendships I have made are my treasures. But sometimes I feel as if I have less to say now than I did at the beginning.
Will I stop?
Nope. None of it. Even if I have to dust the cobwebs off some aspects of my social media I am keeping all my options open. Besides, the 2012 election is well ramped up and I need to psych myself up again to help save the USA from insanity!
Hang in there Kiddo.
Your voice matters - no matter the topic.
;o)
- Lee
The only blogs I now get through Reader are mostly about food and technology. I dumped a lot of political and social ones because I am pretty fed up with all of them.
I like your blog because your truthful without being a jerk and when you do food you make it sound comfortable and easy.
I stopped blogging two years ago as it seems most folks now use it just to be vicious or are trying to get over as a celebrity blogger.
I don't use twitter or face book because I feel the same about those things as I do about people who are on their phones 24/7...nothing and no one is that vital to my everyday existence and 80% of what they post,tweet and talk about is garbage.
I still have a personal life which I value and I don't feel the need to share my every waking moment with half the world while being electronically tracked wherever I go. I don't much like the other half of the world anyway.
So you do what you feel is best for you. I do and that's why I am relatively content and happy and still mostly sane.
It was the title of your blog (on someone else's blog roll) that brought me here and your whit and snark that kept me coming back. I actually followed along for over a year before I posted, I shed a tear when your previous dog died, and something (hmmm don't remember what) actually prompted me to leave a comment. Definitely not tired of commenting here, from the comments already, everyone is interested in keeping the conversation going. Doesn't matter about what.
I've been in a blogging funk as well for my company blog, and I need to kick myself out of it (my new smarter-than-me-phone with a working camera when it arrives hopefully will help trigger this).
Maybe it's just the time of year... soon it'll be dark and dank and we'll need something to reach out and snark with someone...
Oh, my dear goodness!
Thank you all for your answers, somewhat varied, but ALL tender and gentle, and I feel like I just did one of those Human Potential Movement acts of falling on your back into a crowd of comforting, supporting hands. Therapeutic pit diving.
I might have been coming across as needy. Blush, if so.
I feel as if I have a bit of work to do if I want to change lanes on this blogging highway.
I do have some books I want to talk about.
Again, thanks to everyone. Personal lovey fist jabs coming later, especially to you darling people who delurked.
xxx CC
I started blogging as a way to preserve my writing skills on a daily basis and food blogging made sense because what the hell else can you talk about every single day? Plus, I love to cook and to eat. Since you don't write every day, anyway, why not branch out if that's where your heart is?
I like reading blogs that are well written - hence my interest in yours. I started reading yours because you're a Navy junior, too, but I continued for your marvelous word choice and creativity. I snicker at the snarks but I don't need that part to keep coming back - it's your marvelous writing that I envy and would wish to emulate.
I'm often feeling pressured to produce a post every day but I find that I don't want to stop. Not everything I write is brilliant, insightful and funny but it pleases me (even the less-than-perfect ones) and I figure that's enough. It's really for me - it's just fun that others seem to enjoy and join in, too.
I do sense that the herd has moved on from blogging, as it does from every fad. But the ones for whom blogging is meaningful stay, either as writers or as readers. My guess is that there are people out there who still treasure their Pet Rocks and Beanie Babies. A chacun son gout, baby. I'd ask, "Is it important to you to take part in something that is au courant?"
I don't share all of myself on the blog, either. It's partly due to shyness but it's also because I don't want to put negative stuff out where it can do harm or attract ugly people. So, my blog is admittedly a little middle-of-the-road, plain vanilla. That's okay, I can share my more controversial self with people I trust - and in person.
You and I have pretty opposed views of what constitutes healthy eating, but I still like reading about your diet since it often suggests more progressive alternatives to me. I'd like to think my blog does that for you from time to time, too. Idea exchange is a wonderful thing, in whatever form it comes. And I have gotten interesting non-food-related insights from reading your blog, too. It's not all about the food.
I'm not into Twitter - tried it but couldn't get excited about it. FB is fun but not essential to my day. I mostly read FB to see what fun Pat Fusco has found today. :-)
I'd still be reading your stuff if you stray off onto other topics for all the reasons outlined above. And if you decide you don't want to write at all (a la Cranky), I would be sad. But I'd understand and I'd hope we could retain some sort of friendship outside of blogging.
I love your name and Cranky's name too (although he doesn't seem all that cranky to me!)
I still love blogging, even though it's now a job for me. I like the feeling that my blog is helping people eat healthier food and have better lives, and I do get a lot of nice feedback.
However, I am starting to view Twitter more and more as a PITA. I find Facebook much more fun, and more conducive to real conversation.
And even though I'm not that good about commenting often, I always read your posts!
I love your blog and envy you your clever repartee with us less witty writers. I had no idea where my blog would go when I started writing it but I'm not unhappy with what I've produced. After all, it was my blog writing that got me my writing "gig" at the Exam.com. In turn, that's opened lots of doors in the local art world. I get to preview all the museum shows, get to meet fantastic people and get coffee and catalogs. When I write about local artists, they couldn't be nicer to me. I have never held myself to one format so I make room for other topics. But I do debate on how personal to be; I've got a post on weight up at LJ and I am not sure I will post it here as I have more readers on the blog than I do on LJ. I've only attracted a few nasty comments, mostly anti-Semitic whenever I review any show at the Jewish Museum or any Jewish artist. Even posts about dead Jewish artists can attract a level of hate and venom that is unbelievable. My post on Charlotte Salomon got some of those but I moderate my comments and love doing my little mantra as I delete the hate, "Be gone, be gone, be gone thou venomous scab of vile purulence." Then I do the dance of eliminating intolerance from the world. Now THAT will never be done in public.
Oh, and please don't go away. We will miss you too much and I, for one, will be doing the dance of mourning and sadness. But if you are tired of blogging about food, why not branch into other areas? I am sure that you have barely scratched the surface of what you could share with us, starting with your constantly evolving art skills. Today's painting, I believe, owes a bit to late Joan Mitchell. So, leave us not, darling Cookie for we will all be bereft.
I'm just an ordinary person who feels she has nothing interesting to offer in a blog; but, oh, am I an avid reader. I read your blog every day, and I really can't explain why; I just know I hope that you decide you can keep writing - whatever it may be about!
Again, big thanks, all. Joan S, you made my day. Thanks for giving me courage.
Are you tired of this medium?
No, not yet. THat might come, though.
Are you sorry about the name you gave your blog?
Yes and no. After giving the name I realized it is a bit too similar to one of the most famous American blogs, Smitten Kitchen. Maybe I should have chosen a different name, but I do like my choice.
) Are you embarrassed by the nickname you gave yourself?
No. SallyBR reflects my Brazilian origin, and I like to keep it that way, even after my naturalization. ;-)
Do you sense a dwindling in the power of blogging?
No, but I am probably not too perceptive on a this issue.
Now, let me say I don't participate in Twitter, never did, and never will. Online interactions are already dicey enough when you don't limit the number of words per phrase. I suspect that more than 50% of the people we "like" online would rub us off the wrong way on a real life interaction, and Twitter exchanges might take this proportion to a much higher level.
You know that I've been reading your blog for years, long before I ever imagine I would be blogging myself, so it goes without saying that I really enjoy what you write.
I started blogging to keep a record of my cooking for myself and close friends - now a bunch of graduate students from my department started to read it and tell me it's been a great influence to get them cooking. This was the best stimulus for me to keep going, so... that's what I'm doing.
If it ever stops being fun, I'll take a break and/or quit.
I guess each person must find balance and do whatever feels right.
can I send you a virtual hug?
Your blog is the only blog I actually READ. I just spacebar through the rest in my google reader, barely glancing at the photos. I was going to write more, but maybe I'll just leave it at that.
I enjoy reading your blog very much. I am not creative enough to actually do a blog, however I read 25+ different blogs a week. They all are entertaining and educational. I like yours because you are consistent (some do good to post once every 6 months) and have wonderful topics from food to the lovely little dog. I will read whatever topic you write except for politics. All of the comments have points I agree with so please keep going.
I feel better already. I really do. Merci!
hehehe ~ Hence why my lovely blog, which I used to be ...well, MORE devoted to is now called blurt blogger ~ cuz it seems I only blog in blurts anymore. Oh, hi, by the way, I just happened across Your lovely blog whilst looking up some recipe ideas for a mountain of pears. ( I am always a happy recipient of free fruit, & some friends have agreed to let me help divest themselves of perhaps a bazillion pounds of pear... the branches are breaking..) Anyway, it was a convoluted meeting, but a happy one, I like your blog quite a bit! :-D But I'm new, soooo... I think the opinion may not be entirely valid.... ~ regardless ~ have a lovely day, & thank you ~ :-D
Redhead: Oh, I like you too. Please come back!
Facebook leaves you jilted. It keeps no real record and it's messy. I love blogs and blogging because there is such personality that bleeds throughout the authors thoughts. You can't escape or become distracted (that is unless that have GOOGOBS of ads along the borders...) I have to say friend, this evening was my first time reading your blog and I especially enjoy your style. And I say Screw the social networking... Blogging is alive, and not just in the sense that people are doing it. It's alive because the stories, anecdotes and voices heard blow the living crap out of one-liners about pets, or runny noses.
Ok. I'll stop now.
And by the way... I started my blog as a type of Baby book that my family far and wide can see. I copied the idea of my sister-in-law, who incidentally lives far away. We keep up that way. I also have no motivation to make money blogging. Though the words have dwindled on my blog due to two small kids, I will one day have more than 5 mins to spare for the thing. (And yes my kids say the funniest things. Don't they all?)
I like knowing it will always be there for my kids.
Onna: Thank you for your wise and kind words. Thank you for taking the time to write! I will try to locate your blog for a little lurk action. You give me strength.
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