Monday, June 14, 2010

I've lost a follower

Last time I looked, I had 285. Now, 284. I don't handle rejection well. Just ask any of my ex-boyfriends or Axl Ganz.

I'm obsessed with knowing why. Do I post too frequently? Not often enough? Is it because my writing is boring? Too personal? Not personal enough? Superficial? Do I offend? Am I more funny sad than funny ha-ha? Am I not thin enough?

Did my former follower think, "why am I, a 17-year-old girl, following this old lady?" Or maybe, "why do I, stay-at-home mom, subject myself to giddy posts about Glee?"

And for what reason did I even start this blog? I have a busy family, three cats, a falling-apart house, a frustrating freelance writing career, a sputtering yoga practice and an unfinished novel, all of which need my immediate attention.

Is it better to have had followers and lost them than not to have had followers at all?

Yeah, I went there.

27 comments:

  1. It's also possible that they are just using something else to keep track of you so they haven't stopped following you at all. Or it was a spammer in the first place and their account got shut down.

    Meh. I've felt the same thing in the past, but you have to tell yourself it's them, not you, or you'll go crazy.

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  2. Be consoled - you have 611 subscribers on Google reader. That makes up for one lost follower, right?

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  3. I follow you through Google Reader, but fwiw I have been slowly moving everyone I follow through blogger to my reader. So it may look to them like they lost a follower, but they gained a subscriber.

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  4. I obsess like that when my number of friends on Facebook changes.

    And then I realize it's their loss and I move on with my life.

    Their loss!!

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  5. I'm one of your 611 on Google Reader. :)

    I used to subscribe to a free service that sent a weekly report telling me who stopped following me on Twitter.

    It was too much to handle and I canceled it. I think I'm too wimpy for social networking.

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  6. I check in often but I don't use Google Reader or a feed or anything for my fave blogs. By the way, a very good friend of mine made my week when she sent your blog link to me recently. I almost cried with happiness, in fact. We were devoted Sassy readers back in the day, and it is just beyond cool that we are once again privy to your insights on pop culture, feminism, etc. The blog universe is 110 percent more awesome with you in it.

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  7. I use google reader too and this blog is definitely one of the highlights of my blog roll - especially the gleek comments! Anything that keeps one in the writing habit is a good thing for the writing muscle isn't it?

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  8. As a 17 year old glee fan I have to say I will never leave you.


    www.organicfairybread.blogspot.com

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  9. i'm on google reader too. i look forward to your posts!

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  10. I found you via gofugyourself.com and am following you on google reader. It's easy to obsess over stats! It's like weighing yourself every day.

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  11. I have been reading you for awhile. Not a Sassy reader, I just like you. So I signed on as a follower....first time I have ever done that.

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  12. Stuff happens. Sometimes I say something I think is innocuous and twenty people drop me. More often, I'll have 100-200 followers appear or disappear and it will turn out to be some problem with their feed readers.

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  13. Those numbers lie!

    I'm a reader, but they don't always list those who browse your site without commenting. I will probably be stand and counted now, since I am commenting.

    I've always been a huge fan of your writing, and had a Sassy subscription back in the day... I think I got a subscription after the second issue or so...

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  14. you need this post from mamacita today...

    http://whatwouldjaneaustendo.blogspot.com/2010/06/for-record-i-like-sage-best.html

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  15. I follow you via Bloglovin'!

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  16. Hey, well - now you have 290 so fuhgeddaboudit!

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  17. I don't 'follow' you but I bookmarked your blog on Safari and read it often - therefore, you have more 'followers' than you even know about. Your posts make me laugh out loud - and engage me - you're awesome. Stop fretting.

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  18. Thanks, everyone. You're all so sweet.

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  19. u have 290 followers now. wow. one leave. six new.

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  20. I read through bloglines... only 40 there. But we are quality readers!

    Dont let the numbers take over... rest assured you are adored from Australia!

    much vague blog love

    Libby x

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  21. I love that you wrote this down. We've all thought it. (Um, at least the ones of us who care too much and are insecure, and I mean that in the best way possible.) But yeah, you have way more followers than that little box tells you!

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  22. I loved this post! The same thing just happened to me - and I feel so much better for reading this :-) (mind you I only went down from 55 to 54 readers - need to do a bit of work to draw in the reader me thinks!) :-)

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  23. I just followed you and I just had my first unfollow and I thought the same things you did! I'm glad you posted this and I was able to read all the encouraging comments, even if they weren't directed at me lol. :)

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