Hear me roar!
I left home at 6:30 a.m. yesterday and returned at 4:00 p.m. When I left I had 0 emails. Zip. Zilch. Nada. When I returned I had 353 emails. All except 11 of them were from my WordPress blogging friends. And one person put up 37 posts yesterday!
It takes time to open each individual email, read it, click on the link, read the blog post, and comment or click the like button. Lots of time, as I found out yesterday.
I’m not retired, only close to retirement age, meaning that I still have to work to pay the bills. And after Bernie Madoff and the Great Recession wiped out half the nation’s nest eggs, or at least cracked them open so the yolk ran out and dried up, many people this close to retirement age won’t be able to retire, probably including me. Or maybe I’m just a workaholic. Either way, this isn’t working.
Here’s the system that I’m implementing because I’ve found that it worked for the past four years at the site where I used to hang out before many of the people and the site administrators became so negative:
- First I created an Excel spreadsheet to track my interactions with all my WordPress blogging friends.
- I’m going to basically ignore emails from my WordPress friends.
- Each time you like one of my posts, I’ll note it and the date in my spreadsheet.
Each time you comment on one of my posts, I’ll note it and the date in my spreadsheet.- If anyone who is not following me decides to follow me, I’ll note it and the date in my spreadsheet.
- Each and every day after all my daily tasks and work is done, I’ll pull up my spreadsheet, sort it by date, oldest first, and go like, comment, and follow people who have liked, commented, and followed me. I’ll note that in my spreadsheet. I will like and comment at least as many times at your blog as you have at mine, sometimes more. I’ve been known to camp out in someone’s blog, liking and commenting, until my eyes won’t stay open.
- At that point you might not hear from me for a few days. Have no fear, though, because if you come back, I’ll be back to see you, too. “Tit for tat” my wise old grandmother would say.
- As an example, Victoria Photography visited my blog yesterday and left two likes. Today I’ll got by Victoria’s blog and do some reading. I’ll leave at least two likes, providing that I haven’t already liked everything. If I have to dig deep to find something I haven’t liked, so be it. If I can’t find anything to like or comment on, I’ll note that in my spreadsheet and try again tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, until I do. Maybe my comment will be an encouragement to try to post a little more often instead of just reading and liking someone else’s posts. I like to get to know people, but if you don’t tell me anything about you in your blog, that’s difficult to do.
There you have it. If it doesn’t make sense, it will once you see how it works. So sit down and relax.
As my wise old grandmother would say, “Life is a journey, not an end. Enjoy the journey.” To which I would always add, “And take lots of pictures to share.”
Feel free to like this post…. or to comment, even if just to tell me how analytically crazy I am, something I’ve known for 46 years…. you won’t be telling me anything new. 
Posted on March 8, 2012, in Uncategorized and tagged blogging, friends, wordpress. Bookmark the permalink. 11 Comments.
Is there still a 6:30 in the morning?????
Anyone who can post 37 posts a day does not have a life and should not impose themselves on others
How much time with your spreadsheets, posts, comments, etc., are you spending on bloggers, blogging every day???
I restrict myself to time I spend writing blogs, reading and commenting on others, responding, etc. to an hour in the morning and 1-2 hours in the evening –mostly make ONE post a day, sometimes 2 but not too often
I have too much to do, too much of a life to live, not enough time in the day to be with, talk to and listen to, interact with REAL people in real time–too many of us are getting, if not already, lost in cyber space.
I have a very strict schedule. My long-time friends call me ART. It’s an acronym.
I’m also a catnapper, never asleep for longer than three hours. Take lots of little catnaps throughout the day, though.
I post once to all my web sites by around 5:00 a.m., then I go accomplish all my daily tasks and work. Once I accomplish everything I need to accomplish, I reward myself by playing in cyberspace.
Hello, the bad thing with this blog is that you can’t see the notifications later back. I have wanted to respond to people on my notification, but they are gone!!!! I felt awfully bad, when people have bothered to visit my blog , and I can’t reply!
I like your blog and frankness….
Ann
Hey, Ann. I have noticed that I cannot comment on your posts. I believe it’s just a setting in WordPress. I get all notifications, when you comment here, when I comment there, and when you reply to a comment here or there.
Hey, Ann. It should be under “Settings” and then “Discussion.” I have mine set so that I receive notifications 10 levels deep, which is the maximum. So I comment, you reply, I reply, you reply, up to 10 times.
Wow, I wish I had your passion for organization. very impressive my friend
I think too many people take the follow back, like back too seriously… personally I follow & like what I like, if they decide to reciprocate… great… if not, then life moves on… its just a blog
And I will get in touch with you for a shoot around San Diego soon… I work full time, do grad school part time and the photography thing is huge hobby of mine and then I’m also trying to have a social life… so you can only imagine how my schedule is
Sounds like you need an Excel spreadsheet.
Oh Ray, you CRACKED me up
This spreadsheet sounds like hard (extra) work to me, Russel. I DO hope you’re joking.
In the last week or so, I’ve been forced to just press the ‘like’ button to let blogs I subscribe to, know that I have read their post.
I’ve had to give up commenting on every post on every blog I read – I’m just getting too tired and sore eyes from being on the computer so much.
So I make it that some days I take the time to acknowledge people commenting on my blog and then I take a day or too off and just press the like button.
Occasionally when I’m unwell, I’m forced to just delete some emails entirely – that’s Life.
I notice many professional photographers don’t acknowledge comments on their posts and I guess the day might come when I haven’t the time to acknowledge ANY comments either.
I think we all underderstand how busy life can get, so feel free to delete all the emails, all 353 of them (big grin).
A New Blogger I know very well, having now exchanged a few personal emails, asked me how often she should post. I replied, “whenever you like – it’s your blog”.
I follow the same advice. If I’ve got an interesting photo I want to share, I post it. Someties several times in one day.
But I DO follow this one rule – never, ever post to your Blog when the Moon is Blue.
It takes a while to set it up initially but then the whole world runs more smoothly… well, at least my whole world. lol