Blog Talk: Ghosting in the book blog world
Ghosting.
You know. When you go on a date or two with someone and have what you think is one of the greatest dates...and within a week you never hear from the person again. Or maybe you were the one to fall off the edge of the earth. I'll be honest, I've done it. And I've had it done to me. It sucks. Before I digress down that sullen road, I'll get back to the topic: Ghosting in the book blog world.
I once read somewhere that the average lifespan of a blog is a year. (Insert a ridiculously high number) of people start one every year and only a handful make it to a "blogiversary". The numbers get fewer and fewer as time goes on. I'm hitting on 3 years and am pretty dang proud to belong to one of the few.
I can think of quite a few blogs that were favorites of mine that I was ghosted by. They were doing excellent (in my opinion) and I had a great time getting to know the bloggers and their book adventures. And then one day *poof* they were gone. Never to be heard from again.
It's quite sad really. You get to know each other -- sometimes better than people in your real life -- simply because books and blogging brings out an emotional and intellectual side of you that others in your life don't always see. There's a real connect when you can rant or rave about a topic/author/book and have all these fellow fanatics give their two cents as well.
I get why it happens. Life happens. Interests change. Situations change.
But I'd still like to know why someone went the wayside. I need closure. Even if it's an it's not you, it's me, line -- I can handle it. Just give it to me straight.
(Side note - I really don't expect a blogger to tell me why they're quitting. That sarcasm font can come any time now)
What about you? Have you ever been ghosted by a blog? Or have you been a ghostee?
You know. When you go on a date or two with someone and have what you think is one of the greatest dates...and within a week you never hear from the person again. Or maybe you were the one to fall off the edge of the earth. I'll be honest, I've done it. And I've had it done to me. It sucks. Before I digress down that sullen road, I'll get back to the topic: Ghosting in the book blog world.
I once read somewhere that the average lifespan of a blog is a year. (Insert a ridiculously high number) of people start one every year and only a handful make it to a "blogiversary". The numbers get fewer and fewer as time goes on. I'm hitting on 3 years and am pretty dang proud to belong to one of the few.
I can think of quite a few blogs that were favorites of mine that I was ghosted by. They were doing excellent (in my opinion) and I had a great time getting to know the bloggers and their book adventures. And then one day *poof* they were gone. Never to be heard from again.
It's quite sad really. You get to know each other -- sometimes better than people in your real life -- simply because books and blogging brings out an emotional and intellectual side of you that others in your life don't always see. There's a real connect when you can rant or rave about a topic/author/book and have all these fellow fanatics give their two cents as well.
I get why it happens. Life happens. Interests change. Situations change.
But I'd still like to know why someone went the wayside. I need closure. Even if it's an it's not you, it's me, line -- I can handle it. Just give it to me straight.
(Side note - I really don't expect a blogger to tell me why they're quitting. That sarcasm font can come any time now)
What about you? Have you ever been ghosted by a blog? Or have you been a ghostee?
It's not just blogs, but whole websites devoted to booklovers now disappear or arbitrarily change their rules. Two that were excellent in the past for indy authors to use to publicize their books, now won't take them; Pixels of Ink and The Midlist. Pixel of Ink won't take advertising. Now sure how the books on the site get there anymore. Maybe they're getting kickbacks from publishers. The Midlist was bought by a big NY publishing house and I'm sure they'll use it to shill their own products.
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