Bloggers start blogging for different reasons. Bloggers stop blogging for various reasons as well. Sadly, some don’t make the choice to stop; the choice is made for them if you know what I mean. I’m guessing you do.
The nature of blogging is that it brings together folks from around the globe with similar, but at the same time very diverse, experiences, opinions, interests, goals, passions and yes, gripes.
“Disease bloggers” (sorry, couldn’t think of anything better to call us) are undoubtedly an even more tightly-knit group than many blogosphere communities for obvious reasons.
This is exactly why when fellow bloggers I’ve been following for quite some time decide to pull the plug on their blogging; I have mixed emotions about it. I feel this way when regular commenters fall away as well. I wonder sometimes what became of them. I wonder if they’re still reading and what made them decide to stop commenting. We bloggers get attached; the bonds formed are very real.
Recently Stacey, of Bringing Up Goliath fame, decided to walk away from blogging. Before that The Accidental Amazon did as well. Being Sarah and Breast Cancer Sisterhood also are no longer homes to current blog posts, though of course many of their posts are timeless. If you haven’t visited these sites, it’s worth your time to do so.
I mention these particular blogs because I started reading them way back when. There are others who’ve chosen to stop along the way as well.
I noticed that when these bloggers I mentioned made the big decision to move on, most commenters immediately jumped right in there and fully supported the decisions.
As for me, I was dragging my feet. I didn’t jump right in; I held back.
I admit it, I wasn’t entirely happy to see any of them pull away.
Of course on the one hand, I was and am thrilled for all my blogging buddies (and commenters) who decide to disengage. I truly am. I support their decisions one hundred percent and completely understand their reasons for wanting to be done for a while, or even for good.
Despite feeling thrilled, I’m also a little sad whenever I hear about such a decision – for purely selfish reasons I admit. I miss reading their posts. I miss reading their comments on mine and on posts written by others as well. I miss that interaction even though I know we’ll still keep in touch. I know we are still out there for each other.
Undoubtedly, one day I’ll be hanging up my blogger’s hat too. But for now, I’ll keep wearing it.
What motivates me to keep going? I guess that’s a post for another day.
Even though saying goodbye to favorite blogs, even temporarily, hurts a little; this is a good thing.
It hurts because we care; and if and when someone decides to blog or not to blog, the caring part doesn’t end.
And that’s the best blogging gift of all.
How do you feel when a favorite blogger of yours decides to stop blogging?
How many blogs do you read regularly?
If you blog, feel free to share your link and tell us why you started or stopped blogging.
Shelli (The Dirty Pink Underbelly)
Friday 28th of June 2013
I just have to say, Thank Goodness for Facebook! I follow blogs via FB and make friends beyond the blog, so I don't lose people completely if they stop blogging.
I love the presence that you have in the community, Nancy. You're like the big sister of bloggers to me. ;-) -shelli
Nancy
Monday 1st of July 2013
Shelli, I know we can still stay in touch through other venues, but for me it's just not quite the same. Still, I'm happy for those who decide to discontinue for whatever reasons. And thanks, Shelli, for the kind words.
Launna
Thursday 13th of June 2013
Hi, I read Renn's blog The Big C and Me... she recommended this post and I was curious to see another persons take on this.
I started blogging to give myself a voice after my ex husband raped me in 2008... I was lost and angry and a whole lot of things I didn't like. Writing helped me to get through it.
I miss when bloggers that I love decided not to blog, I understand why... I still miss them though.
I follow well over 100 blogs... not everyone blogs daily or I wouldn't be able to keep up... lol
I comment on almost all of them, unless I only have time to read due to time constraints...
I think I will blog for many years to come but who knows... :)
Nancy
Thursday 13th of June 2013
Lauuna, Gosh, I'm so sorry about your horrible experience. I'm glad blogging has helped you regain your footing. And my goodness, you do follow a lot of blogs! I've never counted how many I read regularly. Maybe I should! I will definitely give yours a visit. Thanks for reading mine and taking time to comment. Hi to Renn! Her blog is awesome.
Cancer Blogs and Community | The Healthcare Marketer
Wednesday 5th of June 2013
[...] May 31, 2013, Nancy wrote a post titled “When Bloggers Stop Blogging.” As a blogger, this naturally intrigued me. I understand the challenge of maintaining the [...]
Cancer Curmudgeon
Sunday 2nd of June 2013
Hi Nancy, great post and discussion. I noticed this, and even wrote about it myself in a post called Why I Write (Right) Now. I had to go back and read what I wrote then to see if I still had the same thoughts. Mostly I do, especially in that I suspect many stop because they’ve moved on from cancer. And while I know I will get to a point that cancer is not so uppermost in my mind, I also kind of hope I don’t “get over it” as so many folks in my real life suggest I need to do. I started reading blogs because I found so few fellow cancer patients who held similar views to mine, only the being young with cancer group filled that need; all the bigger breast cancer support groups were for older women, and too awash in pink. I was lucky enough to find more like-minded folks via these blogs, and started blogging myself as a way to interact by doing more than leaving comments. I’ve always thought if some of my view askew style of grousing about cancer is helpful to a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient, that’s good. I wish I’d found these blogs while I was in treatment so I would not have spent time thinking I was the only one with anti-pink thoughts, but better late than never. I’m always bummed when the one behind a blog that helped me immensely, like Accidental Amazon, stops. At this point, blogging for me is a coping mechanism, but only partly in regards to cancer, some of it is healing from other negative life experiences, some of which are alluded to in various other posts of mine. Unlike some other bloggers I read, I do not blog to get info out to family and friends, in fact very few I know IRL know that I do this, for a variety of reasons, and I prefer it this way. My posts will probably always be somewhat cancer-centric, with a heavy dose of geeky, pop-culture obsession thrown in, because that is still who I am, the very real me, and cancer did not take that away from me (although in a recent post I ponder if maybe it would’ve been good if cancer had erased some bad memories, like fake rapper Vanilla Ice, from my mind). My life circumstances are always in flux, which is why I post irregularly, and which I fear will eventually cause me to cease blogging, although I will try to keep that from happening. Since I am a self-professed curmudgeon, my guess is that I will always find something to fuss about in breast cancer issues, so it is safe to say I’ll be doing it for the foreseeable future.
Nancy
Sunday 2nd of June 2013
Cancer Curmudgeon, I blog for some of the same reason you mentioned. I will probably write a post on why I keep at it at some point. I don't and never have written posts for the purpose of updating family members either. I'm not even sure how many family members read my blog, especially now at this point. I do know, writing is very therapeutic for me personally and I hope things I say help others from time to time. As for your blog, I say keep on fussing! We need your edgy voice. Thanks so much for adding to this discussion. It's been interesting and a bit of a surprise to me.
Weekly Round Up: The Survivors Day Edition | Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer
Sunday 2nd of June 2013
[...] other, while still respecting each other’s views and experiences. I thought of this as I read Nancy’s latest post on bloggers who stop blogging. I am fascinated by the question of why those of us who keep blogging [...]