Thank you all so much for reminding me that, more often than not, I’m not alone. I stayed out of the comment section for that post, which I’m sure many of you noticed. It’s unusual for me. I love responding to comments, and feel strongly that bloggers need to reside in their comment section and interact with the readers they are lucky to have. (Yes, lucky. The internet is big and tempting.) You can’t just write a post, hit publish, and then sit back and wait for sycophants to stroke your ego. It’s a real pet peeve of mine, in case you couldn’t tell. I used to temper my comments and replies because I was afraid people would think I was trying to up my comment count. Then I realized I really and truly find ways to worry about everything. So, I got over it and started replying to comments.
My blogging philosophy is pretty simple: get over yourself, you’re not that special, and get in there and interact. Answer questions. Let people know you thought their comment was funny and made your day. Clarify any misconceptions. Speaking of misconceptions, I’ll bet you’ll get less of those the more you hang out in your comment section. People get to know you by reading your off the cuff replies, not by those paragraphs you rework until you lose the passive voice.
Some blogs are so large, replying to comments can be a full time job. (Most aren’t.) Other blogs have an overabundance of superfluous commenting, lots of “love this” or “cute!” or something else followed by a blog signature. Those comments aren’t really something you can reply to, so silence is to be expected. But here? I rarely get a comment that isn’t thoughtful, funny, or helpful.
Friday was no exception, but because posts like that put me front and center, a position I normally avoid, I clammed up like I do in person. Not my best moment. I’ll do better next time, promise.
This post was supposed to be about glass ornaments and a guest post I participated in over at Design Mom. I know! Somehow the post took on a life of its own, and not two sentences after my left fourth finger hit the SHIFT key it turned into 75% sanctimonious lecture, 25% group hug. Oh well, at least I own it.
But, yes, I participated in a guest post over at Design Mom! Gabby asked me to share with her readers how I know Christmas has officially–and happily!–begun. I love that she specified happily. It’s as if she knew that without that adjective I would turn existential. Who are we kidding? It was a smart move on her part. You can read my response here. I hope you like it!
p.s. Four exclamation points in one post has to be a record for me. I must be over-compensating for last Friday’s spiritual inspired mope.
I love your guest post (you go!) and the idea behind the ornament collection – a charm tree so to say. Truly special and surely the source of many lovely Christmas memories in the future.
Your post on Friday hit close to home. In fact, I think I may have heard the impact in my backyard. Judging by all the comments a lot of people heard a bang too. I felt similarly when I turned 40 two years ago (to this week actually). I was really fine and have always been so on my birthdays (my birthday mantra is “getting older is good, because there is only one alternative.”). When everyone around me was turning 30 and they were all freaking out I just didn’t understand it. 40 was different. As you put it “It felt sad.” It did pass, but I still think about it and I think it helps me stay accountable. Time is precious.
A charm tree! I never thought of it that way.
You’re right. If I learned anything this summer, it’s that time is precious and moves at the speed of light.
p.s. Happy Birthday week, too! :)
“75% lecture, 25% group hug” – classic. Oh yes, posts have a way of taking on a life of their own at times, and I totally agree that you need to respond to comments. I’m still learning how to do that, but I’ve noticed that since I started replying, my readership AND my comment count have both increased. Interesting. Apparently people like interaction instead of reading into a void…who knew? Oh, I guess everyone except me. Happy belated-belated Birthday by the way. I’ve now entered my 30’s and I hope we BOTH reach some of our goals in the next year! :-) Blessings!
Yeah, isn’t that funny? I noticed the same thing, and although that’s not why I started responding more in my comments, it’s been nice. For me, it boiled down to showing respect to the people who took time out of their day to visit me. I know some people could give a flying fig, but I think most people appreciate the acknowledgement. We would never ignore a person who spoke to us in person. Why do it online? People like to do more than read into a void. I like that.
I love reading of the traditions of others. And don’t you just love collecting ornaments? My mom and I started doing that years ago. I’m prone to looking while on vacation (most likely since that’s when it all started . . . one year when my mom and I were on a holiday somewhere and happened upon a Christmas store).
Perfectly coiffed trees are a sight to behold, but there’s nothing quite like a tree with memories that dance with the twinkling of lights!
Perfect trees are beautiful! I always wanted one growing up, so I don’t know why I went the other way. I think it’s because glass ornaments are so expensive. I had to rationalize my spare tree in my mind! ;)
Did you see the comment from the woman has two trillion Department 56 Christmas village pieces? I’m sure her home is a site to behold. Must be bittersweet when she puts them away at the end of the season.
“Then I realized I really and truly find ways to worry about everything.”
Sometimes I think you see into my head. Or that you are me – except funnier, more articulate – oh yes, and younger! (That deserved an exclamation mark.) :)
Everything! I worry about everything. Always have, always will.
Ah yes, I also am a card-carrying member of the “Find ways to worry about everything” club. There are many of us, I fear. Thank you for your honesty, in this post and the last. That’s what makes me want to read a blog.
Thank you, Ris.
Congrats!!!!! Wow, what a huge honor, and how smart of Gabby to get you to do that, so smart, you are the smartest, prettiest + wittiest lady on the interwebs. I hope many more find you!
I would love for people to find me. :)
Thanks for taking the weight off my back. I worry about the same “you reply to up your comments” thing, too. Glad to know I am not alone.
Nope, not alone! I finally just got over it. I can’t stop people from presuming they know my motivations. It hit me one day that I was willing to be rude to kind people so I could win favor with judgmental people. That just didn’t sound right.
This was good to read. The reciprocity aspect of your blog is almost as important as your wit, honesty, and wonderful capacity for unexpected turns. I really had to psych myself up the first times I posted comment responses to blogs, and then I cringed when I made a big fat typo (more than once, I’m a crap typist), and I kept worrying until I realized that my comments dropped like stones in a cold dark pond in the middle of that same forest where no-one heard the tree fall….And, I get back to you here, this is why it was such a nice surprise that you responded to one of my comments and suddenly I was part of a group hanging out and chatting. Seriously, there’s no need to respond every time, but I appreciate that you respect your readers.
I try to respond to every comment. Sometimes, the comment stands on its own and I feel like I can’t add anything to it. I’m trying to come up with a little something to let the person know that I read it, appreciate it, and couldn’t agree more. Kind of like when I assign extra credit points to comments I really love or think are funny. It’s kind of a joke, a play on those big red scores we used to all get on our tests in grade school, but it’s taken on a life of its own.
I really admire how responsive you are, Jules. I need to get better about it, but it drives me nuts that blogger doesn’t let you do in line commenting, so the response/chattiness doesn’t work as well. Someday maybe I’ll get it together to actually build a real website. With real commenting.
And I love your ornament philosophy. We decided to do the same thing, which means that we’ve had an incredibly bare tree the last few years. I don’t mind – it’s a process. Although I did inherit some of my parents’ vintage glass ball ornaments and I might add a few of those to the tree, even though they are technically filler.
A few of my friends on blogger really like InDiscuss…I think that’s what it’s called. They groused about the lack of inline commenting, too, and they feel it is a good solution.
I wouldn’t consider vintage ornaments from family filler! There’s a whole lotta history there, if you ask me. :)
My blogging philosophy is pretty simple: get over yourself, you�re not that special
ummm…. yes you are!!!! thats why we come read everyday!
get over it, you are special!
also, love this! cute!
:D
Hah! Touche.
This post is so quotable. I loved several lines, but I had to tell you that if you ever decide to change your blog tagline, I think “75% sanctimonious lecture, 25% group hug” would be a FABULOUS new tagline for you. And I mean that in entirely a good way. If you don’t want it, I might steal it and use it for my own blog sometime! I’d give you credit…
Also, I go back and forth on whether to respond in the comments section on my blog or in emails. I like emails because I know the person will actually see the response. I am skeptical that a reply in the comments will reach the person it was intended for because I rarely go back and check on blogs after I’ve commented. (Yours is one of the few because I know that you consistently reply in comments.) That might be because I read so many blogs and comment on a lot of them, though. So I appreciate it when a blogger replies via email. Often when I feel it’s warranted, I’ll email AND reply in the comments. Which is a lot of work. I don’t get THAT many comments, but I do have a 1-year-old getting into everything and a 7-year-old I’m homeschooling and a husband who works crazy long hours right now, so I don’t have much time for dealing with blog comments. Heck, I barely have time to BLOG these days.
Sigh.
Wait, what were we talking about? ;-)
Congrats on being featured on Design Mom — and the new traffic I am sure it will bring. I found your blog when Rachel from Simple Notebook quoted a passage from one of your posts, and have been following ever since. Love the glass ornament collection — meaningful and aesthetically pleasing. =)