how many blogs do you read?
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know that I’m very keen on principles of minimalism. The questioning of what’s really important in our lives and what (and sometimes who) needs to go. This hectic advertising, blog, social media, gadget, event, work, fashion, trend filled world can be overwhelming. Just because I embrace minimalism doesn’t make me immune to it. I’m certainly more separated and defiant, but not unaffected. And as with anything, there are ebbs and flows to resisting all this noise.
I find myself constantly questioning why I’m reading a certain blog.
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Does it make me feel good?
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Does it leave me feeling inspired or rather that some part of me or my life is inadequate?
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Do I appreciate or resonate with the writer’s views or the writer him/herself?
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Do I feel like I’m just a market segment to which the blogger is now constantly promoting goods to?
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Does the blogger engage with his/her readers and respond to comments?
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Does it produce content that has me thinking about it when I’m away from the computer?
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Do I even remember reading the last post?
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Is it just adding unnecessary clutter to my mind?
I have my core favourites and then I cycle others in and out as I decide whether or not I want to dedicate time and energy to them. It makes me wonder what is the average number of blogs people read? I know that some of my friends and family only read my blog and no others. What an honour to be given their time. I cherish that honour from all of you who visit here. It is not taken for granted.
I have about 60 in my reader of which about 40 are long term keepers. They cover topics such as photography, travel, cooking, minimalism, dog behaviour & health, urbanism & pedestrianism, interior design, blindness, health & fitness and fashion. They inspire me, move me, make me laugh, make me cry, make me grow and educate me. I have an additional 25 blogs which are on probation. I know there are people who read hundreds of blogs and I also know that my love of simplicity will keep me aiming for a lower amount. In fact, as I’ve been writing this post, I diverted away and started culling from that probation list.
It’s so easy to get caught up in blog world and I find myself critiquing them as I would a clothes purchase. Am I reading or buying this just because it’s trendy, or do I truly love it and will continue to do so once the trend has passed? Are the topics resonating with my passions or practicalities or am I just going with the crowd? There is something so powerful and free-ing to say no to the fads and be honest with ourselves. Sure, there are moments where I wonder if I’m a little out of touch or missing out on events, but it’s far more pleasurable to realise the serenity and calmness in quality and less.
How many blogs do you read? Do you question their place in your life?
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I have a similar number in my reader. If I find myself getting irritated with one or skipping it a lot, I’ll take it out of the rotation. I read blogs by friends, blogs about homeschooling, adoption, disability, writing, or humor. I like bloggers who are authentic but who don’t use lots of advertising or sensationalism. Might I add that yours is one of my favorites? I feel like you are a person I’d love to get together with for tea.
I really like this conversation starter. Wish we could talk about it over a good juice
I go through this quite regularly, thinking that I’m missing out on this whole blog world of inspiration then I spend more time reading through blogs than actually creating myself.
I built up big lists then cull them regularly.
Honestly the keepers for me tend to be those I know personally or through friends of friends. They will always be the ones that I will never stop reading.
I am with you on this whole blog thing! What’s most appealing to me in a blog is the idea of minimalism. Blogs with expensive fashion ideas don’t interest me. I mean…… how hard is it to have a lot of $$$ and shop, right? I appreciate it when someone can step out of the box and be creative. I find that I feel overwhelmed with blogs that have too many advertisements and too much content. I prefer when someone has a simple idea to share per day as opposed to many ideas at once. My mind can’t focus on too many ideas! I am drawn to your blog for example because of the clean white background, beautiful photography and writing. It has a calming affect on me. It’s that simple! ( :
It’s a great question you pose here and one I’ve been asking myself a fair bit lately. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by the variety of blogs and ideas out there! I think I probably read about 25 blogs consistently and others I cycle through depending on my mood, interests, time etc. I admire the minimalism approach though and it’s something I’m trying to cultivate too – thanks for the reminder:)
I read so many blogs that I can’t even count them. But most are for quick snippets of interesting items or beautiful pictures, so I flit from one to another quickly. Others, I take the time to read every word and leave more detailed comments. But I do constantly prune the list (while continuing to add more), just because my tastes change. But it’s something I love about the internet — so much material out there, just waiting to be explored!
What a wonderful post! I have so many blogs in my Bloglovin reader but there are only a handful that I regularly read. When I find a new blog, I initially am sucked in by beautiful design, new concepts or a style of writing, but after a while these things fade… Of the blogs I do love, and read consistently they fit perfectly with your questions above. They make me happy, leave me inspired and give me something to think about or smile about at another time. In short – they make my heart happy
As a blogger, I think this is something I need to think of myself and try and make sure I’m putting something out into the world that makes other’s happy.
Thanks for the reminder – so glad I found your blog!
I love the idea of blog probation! I should cull at least a dozen from my clogged reader because I end up flicking through them, not really reading or paying attention to the content as it no longer resonates with me.
Thanks for the post, it was just the kick/reminder I needed!
It does become overwhelming trying to keep up with so many blogs! I tend to follow my absolute favourites on twitter so I know the second they’re updated… and I use bloglovin for all the others that interest me but don’t read daily. I like bloglovin because you get a little synopsis and picture from each post, so I can decide whether I want to dip in or just keep browsing. It’s a system that works well for me…
I really appreciate your beautiful photography and minimalist aesthetic, but I know it takes a lot of discipline to keep up!
Thanks so much for your kind bloggy birthday wishes over at The Spring!
x Catherine
My friend and I were just talking about this the other day. So many of my favourite blogs have succumbed to the trend of sponsored posts or posting about what everyone else is posting about – whatever seems to get the most comments.
I’ve culled my reader down to about 35 blogs (would be 36 if yours would add to my reader, but blogger is still being a pain! Woe!). But even then, some of them I’m not sure about. My biggest peeve is when people never comment back. I understand if you have over 600 comments on every entry, but if you have 5 comments? Not cool.
Phew, end rant! Apologies!
x Jasmine