Can you stop looking?
The conversation Emily and I had in the comments of her “What I look for in a blog” post got me going again about something I wanted to post about earlier this week, but decided not to – when you continually look at things online, even though they make you nuts (or as I like to say, “stabby”).
I thought about it when responding to her comment because she had a list of blog styles that she does not like (as I am sure we all have a list of in our heads). I mentioned that I get annoyed with people fishing for compliments (and, being braggy), and she said she does too, and mentioned a fashion blogger who is always posting bikini pics.
But… how do we know these bloggers are always posting these pics for us to be annoyed about? Because we keep looking at it.
WHY DO WE KEEP LOOKING?
Ha ha.
But really, are we that bored that we look at things, on purpose, that bug us, in hopes for entertainment? Is it curiosity? Do we read it to judge them? Or is it that only some of it bugs us, and some of it is good? Or, is it someone we know and we feel like we should be “nice” and read and comment… even though they sometimes annoy us?
And isn’t everyone annoying to someone? Isn’t everyone’s blog annoying, to someone? I have no disillusions that there are not people out there who think this blog is crap. And maybe that I am crap. You can’t please everyone, so you should just please yourself, with what you do, on your blog, right?
Which is why it’s fun to read posts like Emily’s and find out what people prefer and don’t prefer about blogging styles. Because we all want something a bit different.
And we just have to remember that we don’t HAVE to read anything (not just on blogs, but on Facebook or whatever)… that is, if we can pull ourselves away.
Funny thing, I consider what I am talking about above to be a different category than a “hate read.” I don’t think hate reading makes you as stabby/irritated
Also, isn’t this such a funny thing to care about?! I wouldn’t be writing this years ago, when social media wasn’t so popular!
Themocracy
Phew, thanks for saying that hate-reading isn’t quite as bad. It’s kind of how I hate-watch some TV shows just to make fun of them (note: I DO NOT mean Revenge. Okay, maybe a little).
I’ve hidden a few people on facebook that I just don’t want to read, either because they keep posting about things like baby poop in detail (honestly, no one cares but you, NO ONE) or their world view/philosophy is so frustratingly opposed to mine that I just can’t deal. But Bob, of course, hate-reads them still, and will periodically update me.
Ha ha, did you read that “hate read” link? They were talking about hate watching TV shows, too! LOL!
I have told Facebook to hide so many posts that it hardly shows me anything anymore! LOL! So now I have to turn on notifications for certain people.
That makes me laugh that Bob does that. I have to tell Steven to look at Facebook!
I was going to say hate-read, but I guess this is different. I assume it’s just curiosity. “Where is this going?” “Is she for real?” “What is she up to now?” And then reading the comments (or worse, GOMI) to see if anyone else feels the same way, and getting annoyed that it’s all validating comments. There was one post I read recently on a blog, and it had what I considered kind of disordered behavior on it, but I didn’t know the blogger at all, and everyone else was commenting “this is so inspiring!” and I was like, WTF, what’s wrong with you people? But I didn’t feel comfortable leaving a “you sound crazy” comment.
Agree with this – it’s more of the curiosity of what happens next. Will the crazy crack away, or is this real life?
Oh gosh. I hate when I stumble across a blog like that and REALLY want to say something, but know I shouldn’t 🙁
I usually start reading a blog because it clicks with me and then over time notice that either I’ve changed or the blogger has changed and I no longer click with them. But sometimes I keep reading because I think that there must be a reason I liked them to begin with, right? So I suppose I just keep hoping what I liked will show back up.
It doesn’t always, though, and if I find myself marking them as read more than actually reading them then I just take them off my feed reader. They don’t know and, honestly, just because I know someone or belong to same group as them doesn’t mean that our blogs are meant for one another. And that’s okay!
It’s funny, when I look at posts from a few years ago my commenters are way different, and I sometimes click through and if their blog is still up, it will take me awhile to remember why I stopped reading.
I still try to read the blogs of people I know in real life, even though I wouldn’t read them if I didn’t know them. I feel bad if I don’t look from time to time, for some reason.
I can’t stop looking, but it’s out of sheer fascination. Like Kevin’s crazy aunt on FB that I told you about – she posts the most insane things and I can’t get enough of a 50+ year old woman airing her dirty laundry online. haha.
I don’t read blogs unless there are copious bikini pics, so get on top of that already. 😉
Ha ha ha ha! Man, there are totally a few people on Facebook that are like that for me, too.
Hmm, is this a good start?! http://www.ilaxstudio.com/blog/2009/04/04/props-to-glamour-and-my-eye-patch-and-dental-floss-bikini-story/ Oh wait, were they all supposed to be me?
Whenever I accidentally see my blog stats (lol), I see that posts is always getting the most hits. Well, that and the one about bowler’s hip. Weeeeeeird.
It’s a good start…but you need more pics of the same bikini from slightly different angles. By more I mean 50 because no one would know what it looked like otherwise. 😉
Bowler’s hip? Hmmm I’ve heard that’s a popular search term. haha. Or not.
I read that post too, and it just made me mad. Why post a pro/con list of potential blogs? If you like it, read it, and if you don’t, don’t. No need to broadcast it. Since I fell into the majority of the “don’ts,” I can only imagine that me and my shameless e-bragging didn’t make the cut.
And yes, I realize that my comment is rude, lol.
I don’t hate read your blog – I read it because you’re interesting, and we have similar world views.
Hey! Your comment isn’t rude! It’s your opinion! And lists like that are ALWAYS going to make someone feel bad. Unless the people reading it are COMPLETELY oblivious!
And thanks 🙂
Consideredd making a list but eh. Work is totes busy. And blogs have lost their luster to me. I read some because I genuinely like the people and the content but i’m making more of an effort to stay away from hate reading because it starts to make me stabby.
At the end of the day blogs are entertainment for me- I’d rather read them than be up on all the latest celebrity gossip. But even that is getting old. I’ve started unfollowing people who post annoying stuff online.
And like you mentioned, those bloggers who keep posting annoying, disordered stuff continue to do so because of the Sheeples. I mean clicks to their page. And now I try to avoid them.
I don’t have time for it. If I don’t like a blogger, I unsubscribe. Sometimes I like a blogger for awhile and then something about their blog starts to get on my nerves, then I unsubscribe.
I am with Jan on this one. I have stopped following a handful of people.
I like your blog because you post a variety of stuff and have a great sense of humor. In other words, you are REAL. I’ve read other blogs in which these people are supposed to be inspirational but in reality they’re full of crap (i.e. too much running/exercising, eating supposedly healthy food, posts pictures for compliments, etc, etc.) Blame it on the companies that sponsor these people and making us believe that they’re role models.
Thank you 🙂
I am just not in to blogs where people are forcefully trying to be “inspirational.” If you are inspirational, it’s usually because that is who you are. Not because that is who you want to be.
I’ve been trying to cut down on the things that I read but don’t enjoy (but not hate-reads) because I want to spend my more limited free time doing things that I actively choose to enjoy, rather than passively reading things that make me mad. I always read your blog (even though I’m binge-commenting right now.) because you always say interesting and/or funny things that I can imagine you saying in real life!
Exactly – you get it! Hate-reads, okay, things that really bug me… not okay.
Aww, thanks! I appreciate your binge commenting 🙂 Now you need to go to some binge posting!!! (jk 🙂 )