“Who Is Following Me?”

~ Elizabeth

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Despite constant emails suggesting ways to increase the “traffic” to my WordPress site, I have followed none of them. From the beginning I did nothing to promote my posts. In fact, I only mentioned my writing to a few close friends. Basically I wanted an opportunity to write and share my writing with no expectation about readership at all.

In fact, one of my earliest posts was about “likes.” At that point at the start, I had to separate “likes” from the old childhood longing to be liked. Three and a half years on, I have come to understand that “like” is a way to communicate to the writer that something about the post appealed to the reader. I still prefer comments, but I am thankful for the time it takes to click the “like” button” too.

The mystery from the start was who in the world is following me. I expected that my friends might read me. Then I started reading a variety of blogs and when I found one I liked I followed it and wrote comments about its posts. In many, though not all, cases those writers followed me in return. That made sense to me and didn’t seem as mysterious after a while. Then readers of some of those posts must have seen my comments and checked out my site.

So far, so good. But how to explain the hundreds of visitors from all over the world(excluding the commercial appeals)that stop by. Most of them don’t either “like” or “comment.” Who is that person in Qatar who has dropped by 19 times? How about the reader(readers?)from Bangladesh? In some cases I have had to look up the country on a map(Mauritius, Slovenia) to see where they are. I wish they would leave a note of some kind. I would love to correspond with some of them.

So I continue writing and connecting with some, while I wonder about others. Whoever you are, and why you drop by once or many times, you are welcome to my writing. And thanks.

56 thoughts on ““Who Is Following Me?””

  3. I don’t remember how I came across your site but I enjoy all of your ‘saved by words.’ I often wonder where my followers have come from and appreciate all who actually read a post, and at least occasionally like or comment. Many (most) don’t which is why I don’t trust the numbers!

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  4. I have wondered the same thing. When I started my blog, I did it because I felt led to share my story with others who might be struggling with a similar situation. At the same time, because the story is not only my own but also belongs to my children, I decided to leave their real names out of it. Being anonymous makes it hard to share. A few of my closest friends know about mychildtheaddict but I’ve wondered how the readers who need it will find it. I guess that’s God’s part. If there’s someone who can be helped by my story, he’ll direct them to it.

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  6. It really is beyond comprehension isn’t it. I have found, however, that if I look at the followers of those that I follow they tend to be people that I would follow also (if you see what I mean) Most of my new followers now I reject and do not reciprocate. If there is no introduction on their gravatar then they get rejected immediately. If they are a commercial site they get rejected, and some, who post multiple times every day, are rejected purely because I do not have the time to do their site justice. After all, we do this for ourselves more than for others!

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  7. I love to see the far-flung places where people who read my blog live. Western Samoa, Brunei, Burkina Faso, even the tiny country of Bhutan. Then someone told me that the CIA have listening stations and cyber-collection facilities in such remote places.
    Maybe I should be more careful what I write about? 🙂
    Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. I love to look at the countries on the stat page. That is how I know that people aren’t commenting. It is fascinating to wonder how they found my posts.

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  11. Elizabeth, I enjoy your posts because it’s pleasant reading. I often feel that when I like a post, then I should comment. I also am negligent about reading all the posts that appear in my InBox, but just don’t seem to be able to keep up with it. I agree, it’s nice to have a ‘conversation’ with another reader/writer. By the way, just for conversation , I’m in western New York State where it’s 20F as I write at 11:15 pm. Goodnight.

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  12. I reinstated my ‘like’ button when I realised that sometimes I can’t think of a comment that wouldn’t trivialise to the post, particularly when it is about something I have never experienced myself.
    And that line of faces at the bottom does reassure me that at least someone’s reading.
    Although I must confess I don’t look too closely at my stats screens.

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        4. She’s having her treatment there (not so many people jostling for hospital beds) but had a second opinion from the Marsden while she was here. She had to pay for that as she’s not been resident or working in the UK for years now, but her oncologist was a student of the Marsden. Having been reasssured by the consultation she’s pleased she went.

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        6. Ah, there’s the rub. She wants to be in England with her family, but she has a really strong network of good friends in NZ, as well as her partner’s family (although his brother is in the UK). She’s constantly torn.

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  13. I have wondered the same thing. My blog started in the same way, I wanted to share my stories of teaching. When I found blogs I liked (interestingly not many related to teaching), they must have felt the same way, and so on. The domino effect. I am always surprised at the many faraway places that read my posts.

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  16. I think I discovered you in 2017. The “Saved by Words” title really appealed to me. I enjoy reading your posts, and like you I have no desire for statistics. I enjoy sharing, and making someone feel better if possible.

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    2. I am glad you did. On my way over now to see
      what you write. I like the variety and am now following you. Do you have an about page to tell us where you live and a little background?

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  20. I’ve had similar thoughts. When I first started posting, I started getting followers of people I’d never heard of, which made me happy and felt validating. They weren’t following out of obligation (being a friend or colleague), but because they genuinely liked my writing.

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