The Numbers Game

I switched my blog over to WordPress in mid-July from Blogger.  I was striving for a more professional and personal look. While I found the technology a bit daunting, the upgrade to more features and customization was worth the frustration. Now I’m starting to notice a pattern.  WordPress is more of a community.  Features like “Freshly Pressed” and recommendations of blogs similar to mine are very interesting and helpful.  Sometimes I use the daily prompts to jar my muddled brain into action. What I am not appreciating is all the “likes” and “followings” by people with an agenda that is much different from mine.

Every morning as soon as I publish my post, I get a flurry of new followers. I go to their sites to thank them and see what they are writing about.  Weight loss, religious agendas and bloggers who never took the time to learn proper english language conventions are bad enough. The people who have “found a way to make a million dollars” with their blogs are downright insulting.  Seriously, what about my post made you think I needed saving by the lord, to lose 60 pounds or that I am open to your pyramid scheme? The numbers game in blogging is all about how many likes and followers you can garner. I do this for mental calisthenics, to unburden my mind and soul and hopefully to inspire others to take the leap and pursue their dream, whatever it is. I would rather think that three people read one of my posts and it brought a smile to their otherwise difficult day, than to know I just garnered my three-thousandth anonymous follower who expects me to reply in kind to boost their numbers.

Most of the new millionaire bloggers are twenty-somethings who have found the key to happiness and eternal life.  OK, maybe I am jaded.  Have you held a job, raised a family, or had a long-term relationship with anyone but yourself?  Not that all these things add up to a well-lived life or wisdom,  but it seems to me, you need to get a life before you can evangelize about it. I’m happy to know you have found nirvana but question your experience in the area.  Then, when I read the “not so fine” print about the seminars and life coaching you are offering for a fee, I have to hit the delete button.

My numbers aren’t enough to garner the attention of advertisers and at this point I’m fine with that. Several blogs I follow are highly targeted, very well and thoughtfully written. They have many more followers but don’t make me wade through advertising. It seems a purest attitude, I know, but would you want advertising in your music?  Would you want to open a book (e-book or otherwise) and find products or services being hawked? What happened creating for the sake of art? I blog so my next book will be better.

This latest “Like and Comment,” ’cause you have to do both to get someone to go to your blog to thank you, was truly amazing.  The woman had written post after post about how to build a MASTERMIND group.  “Three steps to exploding your blog income.” Unfortunately, her english was so atrocious I gave up after the first paragraph. All of her comments were fellow bloggers saying, “Thanks for the comment I’ll take a look at your blog.” If they were like me, a look was too much time spent.

I became frustrated and walked out to commune with my bees. The concept of a society, tens of thousands of individuals with a common purpose and drive, is so simple. The numbers just add up.