The number of followers you have....does it really matter? Will it always matter?
As new blogger 2 years ago, I was really invested in how many followers I had. Every new follower you got was like a little sign you were doing something right. It got even better when I hit milestones like 50-100-250-500-1000. It was exciting! I remember that, and I can appreciate those who have that similar excitement now.
What is interesting is that there are factors into getting a certain follower count. One thing we know helps follower counts are giveaways. If you have a giveaway and you require people to follow your blog to enter you're going to get a slew of new followers simply because you're giving something away. There are few who will become loyal followers, but most just are in it for the free stuff. I'm sure I wouldn't have at least 25% of the followers I have now if it weren't for giveaways.
Also one of the things I've realized over time is your follower count is not really reflective of how many people are truly engaged in your blog. I currently have 1906 followers on my blog. I sure do not have 1906 daily page views. I do not have 1906 daily comments! Thankfully! Haha.
Just these two elements let us know that your follower count is not necessarily the best gauge for how many people are truly following your blog on a daily basis. Then why does the number matter so much? I understand that a high follower count can help you get into PR for some brands, but outside of that what?
I know this sounds very cynical, because I can understand and relate to everyone's excitement when you hit certain milestones. I've just gotten to the point where the number holds less of a value to me. Of course, I'd be upset if I lost half or all of my followers. I guess what matters less to me now is the urgency to get these massive milestones. If it takes me months to get to 2,000 or years to get to 5,000 I am comfortable with that. The numbers are cool, but they do not hold a candle to the people who I know are really engaged in my blog. Those people however small or large that number maybe is more meaningful.
One thing I've noticed a lot on Facebook or Twitter is people tweeting "I'm 5-10-20 away from 200/500/1000 followers on my blog!" (I do not feel the same for businesses or companies. I understand the competition aspect there). What does that do? It just gets you random people to follow your blog so you can achieve that number to have a giveaway or something. I don't know. I get it when you're a new blogger, but I feel like obtaining followers through your own merit is more meaningful in the long run. I'm not judging people who do this, I just don't always understand the reasoning. Why the need to achieve this stuff so quickly? What is wrong with being cool with where you're at?
I'm sure I sound like a jerk or really negative about this. I guess I just really do not care about competing with other bloggers as far as follower count. I do not care about being the most popular blogger on the internet. It does not matter to me. These numbers mattered to me more at one point. I do not frown when I gain followers. I like to know that people like my blog of course, but getting to a certain goal in X amount of time is no longer that valuable to me. Is there some race I'm not aware of?
What are your thoughts on this subject? Feel free to comment even if you're not a blogger!
As a new blogger, I of course love seeing my numbers go up, and I have held one larger giveaway to celebrate a milestone, however, I decided when I started my blog that I wanted to take it slow and steady when it comes to building up my follower/liker base. Just like you said, I feel like I rather have 50 loyal readers than 5000 followers that don't ever look at my blog!
ReplyDeleteI have 98 followers. I've had my blog for 7 months now, and my follower count has very slowly grown. I didn't expect 1,000 followers over night, but I honestly thought by now I'd have a lot more. I recently had a giveaway and got quite a few more followers from that, but at the same time, I don't think it's right. I wanted to reward my followers who have been following me, and instead took a chance at rewarding someone who only joined to win. So, I'm on the lookout for a better way to do giveaways, to reward the people who do read. Also, as much as I would love to have thousands of followers, I don't expect it anymore, and I'm okay with that. If 20 people are reading my blog, I'm happy. There are so many blogs out there, that, for lack of a better word, "compete" with you for followers. Too many people want an incentive to follow your blog, when they should follow your blog because they enjoy reading it. I love your post. I spent a few months obsessing over followers, and then I learned to just let it go. Of course, I'll be excited every time I get new followers, but your blog should never revolve around how many followers you have.
ReplyDeleteSorry this is so long! Haha.
I agree with everything you're saying. I have actually been known to UN-follow bloggers who seem to host giveaways and talk numbers more than they seem to host actual content. As a reader, I am simply not interested in contributing to the perceived popularity of a blogger who doesn't seem to be in it for love of the the topic so much as they're in it for free stuff and a high-follower count. I've been blogging for over a year now, and have yet to break a hundred. I've given some thought to how I feel about that...Do I care? Am I doing something wrong? Should I give in and host a giveaway to get more? I've decided that I'm happy where I am - proud of my content and appreciative of each and every follower who is there because they want to be.
ReplyDeleteThere are several blogs that I read and check daily, which I consider following a blog. I don't actually formally "follow" any blog. I don't enter giveaways. I just enjoy reading blogs. I check your blog frequently, but don't actually "follow," just in the background! HaHa.
ReplyDeleteBefore blogging I did something else. I made YouTube video's and I happened to be one of the first to do these kind of video's. A lot of people subscribed me and now I'm over 19k. More people would come to make video's and when they didn't have a certain amount of subscribers in a period of time they would make a sad video; I know I'm not as good as (...) but I'm doing my best. If I don't get a certain amount of subscribers by then, I'll just quit! OR they would just message you to tell you how much they hate you and you're not that good at these video's.
ReplyDeleteWith blogging I feel like it's completely different. Here you actually CAN thank your followers for following. I'm doing one at the moment and I know a lot of people come just for the free stuff, but I accept that. I don't think I will do another one soon, because that's where I really seem desperate ;p In the YT community you can have all these subscribers, but a lot of them just subscribe and don't ever watch again. The number doesn't say anything!
I am happy with the followers that bother to leave a comment and I like that my pageviews are higher than my amount of followers :)
I don't think you're a jerk for posting this though. It's your opinion and you're not afraid to share it with everyone :)
When I started my blog I did not know people competed for followers I just wanted a forum to express my hobby and share random thoughts. Also I wanted to learn how to do nail art, blog, follow and venture out into the internet world outside of the mmo's I had been playing for years. I agree that getting those first followers was a thrill but Life for myself gets busy from time to time and the last thing I would want is to put pressure on myself to have to keep a daily blog and compete against others who have more time then I do and more talent, money for polish and so forth. I agree it isn't about the numbers unless you make it about numbers. I admit I was tempted to get caught up in the Follower Race but resisted.
ReplyDeleteThat's why, as much as I would love to, I really avoid doing giveaways on my blog. I have been blogging for a little over a year (currently on hiatus, though) and am only at 170-something followers. The numbers never mattered to me because I realized early on that it really made no difference - I would see blogs with thousands of followers and not one comment on any of the posts. I have a handful or regular readers and commenters and my page views are at a point where I'm happy with the traffic that my blog gets even when I'm not putting up new posts every day. I really like this post and agree with your POV on this 100%. Thanks for voicing your opinion ;)
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate this post. I have been thinking about this lately. When I first started blogging the number count was imprtant to me. I did all the giveaways until I hit 1000. After that I came to realize I have this number do to the giveaways, so I decided not to do anymore to see how many followers I get this year well not so many and that's okay. Now, I rather have commentors because it makes me feel like my blog is well liked by the followers that do comment. Still don't have many commentors but it's okay I still like blogging and I do appreciate my followers. There are times I want to have a giveaway because I do like sharings items I can get when others might not be able to get or find. Yeah, like you said numbers aren't that important :D
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started reading blogs, I was like "wow how did they get so many followers?"
ReplyDeleteI think one of the main reason I switched to wordpress was because of the GFC because even though I had about 100 followers at the time, I know most of them only followed me because I followed their blog. To me it wasn't about how many followers I had. Number definitely aren't everything.
After more than a year of blogging and therefore (luckily!) see my follower amount increase I get what you mean. When you go from 0 to 10 it's huge, and the first 100.. woah! 500, awesome too! Now I realize I'd rather have steady and upgoing pageviews and visitors, even if that means you don't have the explosive grow anymore in follower numbers.
ReplyDeleteI hate to see blogs grow massive because every milestone is giveaway material -> you hit milestones because of your giveaways when you act like that! If I see a great giveaway and I don;t follow that blog yet, I read at least 5 old posts to see if I even like the blog. If not, I simply do not follow and enter. There are too many great blogs out there to clutter my reading list with the non-interesting ones, and I don't wanna follow/unfollow after giveaway. Don't like to see that happen to my blog either.Anyway, with all this blabber I actually meant to say, I understand your point of view on this topic!
Also read something about commenters instead of followers and indeed, I love my commenters even more!
This was interesting to read. I am reluctant to hold any contests on my blog as well, as I don't want people joining my blog for that and then just leaving right after.
ReplyDeleteInteresting read -I agree with your POV. I started my blog last July and have slowly grown. Don't get me wrong, I've done a couple giveaways at the beginning to kind of let people know I was out there but I'd much rather grow slowly with people who honestly enjoy the content that I'm putting out there than to drive myself to bankruptcy buying polishes to give away. For me, its a hobby.
ReplyDeleteThis is a hard one for me. My ego really wants more followers, and I really feel like my follower count isn't reflective of how many people actually read my blog. I have about 125 followers, but according to my analytics account, I have approximately 600 regular readers and I have over 40,000 pageviews. This means I have alot of people who read but aren't GFC followers. I am really happy with my blog reach, but it is really hard not to focus on the follower number.
ReplyDeleteI too am really reticent to hold a giveaway just to gain followers. I am also a bit wary of bloggers who hold giveaways at nearly every milestone. I have seen bloggers that have 3 or 4 concurrent giveaways. That is simply too expensive for me.
Good point about commentors. They are really invaluable to us bloggers.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting post.... I have been reading nail blogs for years now, and never even bothered to register or follow formally. I would simply bookmark my favourite blogs on my computer and read them every day. And now, just in the last week and a half, I've started my own blog. I'm new to being on the blogging side of this issue, and I have to admit... getting my first couple followers was a big deal for me! It means people not only saw what I was writing, but liked it enough to click a button! I know, it might not seem like I was expecting a lot, but it's still nice. It's like a "Like" button on Facebook. I'm also thrilled about seeing my page views go up, but perhaps that is not as much of sure indicator of whether people like what I'm writing than seeing a new follower. And comments? Nothing makes me happier! Not only did someone click the button, but they also took the time to write back to me about a post! Fantastic.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, this was a timely post for me, and I think you've got the priorities right. I can see the appeal of going by numbers, but I hope that in the future I can keep sight of the really important things: writing posts that I feel good about, and appreciating everyone who stops by my page and/or takes the time to comment.
Thank you for bringing this issue up, Steph!
As a blogger, gaining followers makes me very happy. I would love to have thousands of followers because it makes me feel like they care about what I have to share. One of the reasons I started my blog, was to share my passion for polish with others.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I've come to the conclusion that I want followers who truly care about what I have to say. Which is why when I do giveaways, I do it for current followers only. I don't make them jump through the hoops of liking me on fb or following on twitter, in the effort to gain followers. I do the giveaway for current followers only. That way I know, they didn't follow only for freebies. It works for me. I actually have almost as many page views as I do followers. That makes me happy.
I think you make an excellent point Stephanie. While lots of followers will make you feel and look good, it's more important to have loyal people around.
I totally agree!! I think doing concurrent giveaways is clearly to gain more followers. I refuse to put myself through that expense.
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree with you Kristal!
ReplyDeleteI really don't care all that much. Yeah, getting new followers is exciting. I'm still shocked I have over 100 followers but I was just fine having 20. I like seeing the number of page views and I LOVE when people comment. I have just recently started posting again and I was surprised to get any comments at all after being away for 3 months. That made me smile.
ReplyDeleteI don't join blogs just for giveaways either. I won't lie, when I first started I did that. Who doesn't like to win right? That lasted for a couple weeks though. Why would I do that if I don't like what you have to offer?
ReplyDeleteSometimes I feel bad because there are folks who have been blogging half the time I have and have 1000 followers and I'm just like, am I doing something wrong? Is my blog not good enough? But in the end I don't wish I had more followers. I do wish I had more commenters, though. I am so appreciative of the few folks who regularly comment.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a lot of excellent points. Before I created my own blog I had bookmarked all of the blogs that I followed on a daily basis. Now that I have my own blog it's a good feeling to see that people are actually reading it and take that extra minute to follow!
ReplyDeleteI don't condone people have so many giveaways in order to simply gain followers. I would rather my followers come naturally and have people comment. I love comments. I don't get many, but everytime I see one my heart jumps a little bit and I get excited!
I'm not a blogger, but I LOVE reading nail blogs. After reading responses to this topic, I have realized that you guys love receiving comments and I will be sure to comment more. I'm more of a silent admirer:) I do notice lots of people on Facebook pages and Youtube having give-a-ways and totally think they are doing it to gain "followers". I'm not sure how I feel about that??? I don't follow a blog just for a give-a-way. But if having a give-a-way will give you some exposure, maybe you will catch a few people that love your blog and may not have found you without the give-a-way. I normally find blogs through searching for information/swatches of nail polishes that I am considering as well as posts of swatches made on certain Facebook pages I read. I can tell right away if I am going to like the blog or not. If I know it is my type of blog i.e. clean/close-up swatches, information on new collections, swatches of new collections before or very soon after they come out, dupe/comparisons, I will follow it and keep an eye on it as often as I can. I also find blogs through looking at the blog list of bloggers I enjoy. I guess, what I am trying to say is that if you are good at what you do, you will have "quality/loyal followers" that will look at your blog often and appreciate it. If you just have "numbers" it may mean that you aren't producing the kind of blog that is easy to read and enjoyable to look at. You can keep having those give-a-ways, but I would think you would rather have followers that enjoy your blog for what it is.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely super guilty of being upset when I see a blogger who has more followers than I do, and has been blogging for less time... especially when I notice that the blogger holds a lot of giveaways, and has few actual blog postings. I had to step back a few months ago and ask myself why I was blogging - was it to gain followers or was it to post my collection of polish and make me feel justified in my polish purposes. After I regained my love of polish (and a clearer head), I went back to my normal posting. I do still have some giveaways, which do require a person to follow some sort of social media for my website, but it's not the biggest part of my blog anymore. I think it's also frustrating when you know a company will not send you any kind of PR for their brand if you don't have x followers or x page views - like you're just looking for a free handout.
ReplyDeleteI have 1 whole follower and she's a friend. I really could care less if I got anymore. It's just something I do for shits and giggles. I certainly don't plan to give stuff away to get followers. That's crazy. I either like a blog or I don't. BTW I really do love this blog. I've learned some cool nail thingies here. :)
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate and agree with so many comments below. When I first started my blog I thought I had to get followers or my blog was a failure. And I also got caught up in "should I have a giveaway" thinking. But I am undecided on when, I have started putting polishes and image plates to the side for that day. But I am more concerned with posting nail art that people will like and maybe try to make it to. I read the blogs that I follow and sometimes make comments, but not as much as I should. They are my inspiration sometimes when I'm not feeling very creative! I agree that I love comments, and I should comment more! And thats why I am commenting here!! Baby steps ;) hehe
ReplyDeleteI also am somewhat annoyed about blogs that seem to exist mostly to do giveaways/gain followers and only occasionally have rather lackluster polish posts. Especially because I don't like reading those blogs! I have never followed a blog I wouldn't want to read just because they were having a giveaway.
ReplyDeleteAnd I do like the idea of having more followers on my own blog... but really, as you said, only a fraction of followers actually read the blog and comment... so I think I want to have lots more followers so that I'll have a few more readers, if that makes sense.
Yes! This! Although I have no idea what the standards are on pr things, so I'm confused when I see a blog with three posts and 10 followers posting products they received for review!
ReplyDeleteAs a new blogger, I'm not sure how I want to tackle the "should I do/should I not do giveaways" issue. I don't want to do a giveaway purely to get my numbers up. I don't see the point, if some or even most of those people don't like my blog because of it's content, but rather just the opportunity to win free stuff.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I've also considered the point you made above, Becky- that is, what if you do get the attention of readers who will genuinely enjoy your blog, but might not have found it without the giveaway incentive.
It's something to think about, anyways! Good conversation, everyone. Very thought provoking.
That makes sense. I think also you have WAY more readers than you think. I honestly used to think the only people who care about my blog are the ones who comment. That was 1) very hypocritical of me and 2) not true. A lot of people who follow or may not follow read your blog even if they don't comment. I read a ton of blogs, and I do not often comment. I think I should step that up. I don't think it will always equate to the number of followers you actually have, but you do have a solid amount of readers!
ReplyDeleteI should comment more too. I stink at that. I read a ton of blogs, and I'm sure some of the people don't even think I care about their blog, when I do! I should let them know. I remember feeling that way too in the beginning. I don't know why get our heads wrapped around that!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I totally understand. I respect a lot of people who take their blog seriously and have made so many strides with it. Honestly, for me, my blog is just for fun too. I love my blog, and it means a lot to me, but it's my hobby and for fun.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand that frustration. I think it's a relief though that it's because of the giveaways. I see this happening so much more lately. I know you've been blogging longer than me, but we've both been blogging for long enough period of time to notice a difference. It has to be within in the past year or so, when blogs are seriously blowing up with followers in such a short periods of time. It took me several months to get to 500..and it took me a year to get to 1000. It's taking people less than 3 months now to get like 500 followers. I think a lot of it is the giveaway thing. I think giveaways have some how become some sort of standard with blogging, when it really isn't what it's all about. I like giveaways too, but they shouldn't be the star of your blog which it is for some. I don't understand the PR rules either. If you have 1500 followers it could be just because you had 10 back to back giveaways to get followers, not because you actually have good blog. Lame.
ReplyDeleteI am guilty of being a silent admirer too. I follow a lot of blogs, but do not comment often. Shame on me! I think the issue with giveaways is more about the frequency of them. I love giveaways they're fun to run, and I think they do bring traffic to your site which is good! I just think when you're having tons of them at a time, it seems as if you're trying to obtain a lot of followers versus trying to reward your readers? It's fine if people do it, it's their blog. It just does not seem as genuine I suppose? I totally agree with your statement about loyal followers. I think even fi someone has a bazillion followers from giveaways they will not have the same satisfaction as people who gain followers through their posts and longevity as a quality blogger.
ReplyDeleteI hope this post doesn't not dissuade anyone from having a giveaway. I think giveaways are great in moderation. If you want to have giveaways you should :).
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I did with blogs at first! I had no idea what "following" was or anything. It does feel good to see that number go up. I won't deny that ever. I just wish it wasn't such a big deal to so many people where they felt a need to achieve a certain amount of followers quickly.
ReplyDeleteHey Stephanie, thank you so much for this post!! I'm a new blogger myself (for about 2 months now) after about a year of drooling over other blogs. I never was an official follower or never made comments, I just had all kinds of bookmarks in my phone and checked my fav blogs religiously everyday at work (and yes, this one too!). I only have 16 followers at the moment and I gotta tell you, I have been getting upset that I don't have more... Until I saw your post! You're totally right, I wouldn't want followers just to get a chance to win my giveaway, and then never look back at what I post. I also know that I have a lot more page views than 16 people!! And from different countries! (I think that's the coolest!!). I don't have a lot of comments but I guess that's ok, after all I never bothered to speak up either...
ReplyDeleteSo anyway... thanks again for making me realize that the number is just a number... not a reflection of quality (I hope not???)
No you're not doing something wrong! I think there only handful of bloggers who have just freaking spectacular blogs that get a huge a mount of followers in a short amount of time. I've seen a few of those, and their follower amount is deserved. I think quite a few of those blogs though are ones benifting from having a lot of giveaways. A lot of giveaways= a lot of followers. It sucks, but I guess that's how some people chose to roll the dice.
ReplyDeleteAww, I'm glad! :) I love comments too. It's so nice to know people care about what you have to say and show them.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand. I think your system for giveaways is great! I've taken on a lot of ideas for rewarding the people who reward their current readers and people who take time to read posts from bloggers like yourself. I find it SO much more fulfilling to me, to know that my giveaway prize is going to someone who really enjoys my blog. I'm no longer going to do the "hoop jumping" for my giveaways. I used to, but it's not how I roll anymore. I'm so glad you've found a way of blogging that is meaningful and successful to you.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly how I started reading blogs a few years ago. I had no idea about the following thing. I just bookmarked them all too. When you're new to blogging you should celebrate when you get new followers. It is really exciting! I totally understand that. No shame there. I think my issue is more of the people who have established blogs that seem to have a desire to get more and more as if it's some type of race. I don't get that? You should enjoy your blog your readers, it's not a competition. That's when I question what the intention of the person's blog is....I suppose.
ReplyDeleteI know! I don't get it. I mean lets be honest ladies...if we have spending money who are we going to be buying polish for? Ourselves!!!! Of course! I like to get stuff for giveaways, but I'm not going to budget out money to have excessive giveaways...No way! Plus, I don't have that type of money anyways to do that. I need money to live off of, and as much as I love polish it's not a life source.
ReplyDeleteThanks Stephanie!! It definitely does feel better knowing it goes to someone who enjoys my blog.
ReplyDeleteSee that is what I am curious about too. I feel like PR looks at how many followers you have - in fact I have had a PR rep tell me that. I have been offered samples of products but then been told that they all "ran out" to bloggers with a bigger following. I know that is a separate post as you shouldn't offer a product and then not give it, but I feel like on the surface the follower number does matter.
ReplyDeleteHi Steph, Sure, I'd love to have a bazillion followers. When I started blogging last year, I did it to share my passion with others. I do get excited when I see that I have more page views than followers or that I've gained another follower. It means someone cares about what I have to say. Are there some there for the "free stuff?" Yes. But, at the same time bloggers are hosting giveaways to get the "big" number and probably don't care. I do host giveaways for my followers and I also host giveaways that include non-followers, but those who are not followers have 1 condition to be met before they can be entered. I don't require my followers to Tweet, Facebook, or mention my giveaway, I very rarely enter giveaways for that reason. I don't host giveaways to gain more followers, I do it because I love to give gifts. (If I could give gifts for a living I would!) LOL Ok, that was off the subject. Because I don't require a person to Tweet, Facebook, or mention my blog, I have to work that much harder to get my blog out there. I just love nail polish. Whether or not I have a bazillion followers I'm already a success for even sharing what I do with the WHOLE WORLD :D
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting conversation. I'm relatively new to blogging and started my blog as an outlet for my stamping passion. Over the months I came across many people having giveaways and naturally thought that was the 'done' thing. Especially when I entered and won one! My first giveaway increased my followers from 45 to 100 almost within a week and at that point I realised that it wasn't about the numbers. Of course I was excited that more than one person cared about my posts! But the reality is I have a few loyal followers who comment regularly and their comments mean a lot to me. I enjoy every one of them and look forward to sharing my next design for them to see! As far as commenting goes I must admit I'm more of a 'lurker' but shall endeavour to comment more.
ReplyDeleteDoes it show up as a page view if someone is reading it via Google Reader? I've always wondered that. :)
ReplyDeleteI think when you're starting out it's all too easy to be concerned with the number of followers you have and even now after I've blogged for some time, I still occasionally get concerned about my numbers. I think people can't help but compare themselves to others and their relative successes. Still though, I've seen instances where the numbers of followers really don't correlate to the number of views and is all due to giveaways versus actual users.
ReplyDeleteI've had a blog since 2009 but only actively started blogging last year. In that time I have less than 50 followers, sometimes it is disappointing and others it is alright. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want more. I'd love to have a giveaway but I want to get to my first 50 based on my content and not by "buying" followers. Eventually I will have a giveaway and I'll give a special recognition to my first "loyal" followers.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a nail blog, and not sure if I can committ to that…. but I have been reading blogs for quite a while….. I finally made myself a google acct so I can follow some blogs. But just because I;m not a "follower" or a blogger doesn't mean I'm not engaged in what goes on in the nail polish blog-o-sphere….. :)
ReplyDeleteAs a reader only I totally agree with you that some bloggers can get out of hand with being obsessed about the numbers. And the constant giveaways and "look at me" attitude get really obnoxious and old. I actually stopped following a blog that had good swatches and polishes but she was just so into her numbers and promoting herself that I got sick of reading it. It's like most things in life: quality is better than quantity. If I was a blogger I would rather have a smaller number of readers that I interacted with on a regular basis than a huge number of people that were only there for the numerous giveaways. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYou don't sound like a jerk and I agree 100%. I quit following one of the first blogs I ever found because as her #'s rose, she just got more and more full of herself. I enjoy nail polish tremendously and probably spend too much time on it, but in the scheme of things I realize it's just nail polish. I follow the np blogs I do more for the personalities than I do the polish I think, not hat I don't enjoy the polish too!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on this, darlin' and I don't think you sound like a jerk at all. I'll take quality over quantity any day. 35,000 "followers" doesn't mean anything if you aren't engaging and being influential. Anyone can "buy" numbers, followers, fans and likes. It takes someone with skill, talent and uniqueness to bring in organic numbers repeatedly. Someone like you. Keep up the fantastic work!
ReplyDeleteThank you. That means a lot coming from you :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's a shame when silly things like that get to people's heads. I think that's when bloggers really lose their ability to be relatable to their readers. That is so important while blogging. Plus, like you said, it's just nail polish too. Bloggers are not solving world crises or curing incurable diseases here!
ReplyDeleteThat sucks. I've never been able to tolerate that "look at me" attitude. I don't get what the big deal or the obsession is with that. It seems so incredibly disingenuous to me to run a blog like that. It makes me question the intention of blogging? Is it really to blog and share something with people or are you trying to achieve some type of status or something special for yourself? I think quality is better than quantity too, and it so refreshing to hear that from so many people in this post!
ReplyDeleteI know that Lana :). I did not realize that for awhile. I appreciate you reading! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great attitude to have. It's totally cool to want more followers! I'd be lying too if I didn't say I didn't want more people following my blog. I think it's just how you got about it. I have no need or rush to gain followers. If it happens on it's own terms it happens..if not oh well. I don't want this discussion to deter you from having a giveaway. I think it's pretty clear the people who have giveaways for the genuine reasons vs. the "buying followers" reasons.
ReplyDeleteIt is very easy to compare! I had some issues when I first start blogging with comparing myself to other bloggers. I had to really make an effort to separate myself from that. I knew if I kept on that path at least for me blogging would suck for me!
ReplyDeleteI'm no sure. Honestly, I rarely check my stats. I don't even know if what I'm using is accurate really. I just use the one Blogger provides on our pages. I don't think that lists Google Reader people. You may want to ask someone else that.
ReplyDeleteThat's the thing that bothers me about this whole giveaway thing. It seems to have become some type of norm and standard for blogging. I always thought giveaways were a nice occasional component of a blog, but it seems to have kind of overwhelmed blogs lately. It used to not be this way, but it is now. I see it does put pressure on new bloggers to have giveaways and run blogs like that. I like your attitude about your loyal followers. I think once you start getting into the groove of blogging you realize the significance of the people who care about you vs. a big number. I'm more of a lurker too, but I'm always reading blogs! I could make more of an effort to comment, but I think bloggers know that they do have handful of lurkers too!
ReplyDeleteI hope I'm not coming off as harping on giveaways. I love having giveaways. It's fun to go out and find things I know my readers would like. I think at least for me it's obvious the people who have giveaways for genuine reasons vs. ones who are having them to achieve some type of personal gain. I like your attitude though with your last sentence! You are a success!
ReplyDeleteWith blogging you have to have patience. The people who are new bloggers getting tons of followers are most likely getting the help from giveaways. It's fine to have giveaways, but I think when you do them excessively it becomes obvious it's about follower count. Numbers are not always a reflection of quality. We all have to start somewhere! If you'd like you can email me a link to your blog.
ReplyDeleteHaha "drive myself to bankruptcy buying polishes to give away". For sure! I don't have the money to buy people nail polish, and if I did it wouldn't go towards nail polish..it would go to more important expenses! I had giveaways too in the beginning. It's totally cool. It's the excessive ones that make me scratch my head. Come on now..really..it's obvious you're getting more followers because you're continually having more giveaways! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that....:P
ReplyDeleteI think it's fine to have contests on your blog! They're fun to have. If you want you can always have giveaways that are only for people who current followers of your blog. You can also hide a giveaway at the bottom of a regular post so the people who read through your post see it. There are ways to have giveaways that reward the people who are reading your blog vs. people who just join to win something.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU! "you hit milestones because of your giveaways when you act like that!" So true! I don't get how that isn't obvious! That's a good method to determine if you want to enter a giveaway. I rarely enter giveaways anymore. I think it's partially because I'm a nut and have so many polishes already...lol. I often wonder how many followers I'd actually have if GFC dumped all the people who never read my blog. I'm sure I'd go down to like 300 or something.
ReplyDeleteNo they're not. I'm glad you saw that from the beginning. You're wiser than many of us!
ReplyDeleteYou've been blogging longer than me. I appreciate your perspective.I can relate. I've had some giveaways this year, but way less than I did in the past. My follower count has suffered, but I had stopped caring about that anyways. I love my blog where it's at, and I love the people who read it or comment. I think you're in a similar place from what you've said. It's nice not to feel the pressure of in the blog-o-sphere and just enjoy the ride!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts! I wish I had your attitude earlier on. I admit I was always thinking about the numbers when I started blogging. It did not take long for me to realize how silly that was.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about pressure. There are times I'd worry about my blog, the followers, giveaways, and etc. It would physically stress me out. I knew I had to let go of that or I'd hate blogging. You have great perspective on this topic. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDelete-rolls eyes- What drama queens on YouTube! I bet it is different with blogging. I think giveaways are fine. I like having them too. It's just when people do them in excess it makes me wonder why?
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading! You do not have to follow to be appreciated! :)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with what you said in the beginning. I could not have said that better myself actually. I'm glad you're happy with where you're at. I think that is so powerful. You should be confident with where you are and your blog..otherwise why do it?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you've been able to let go of that. I think that is so freeing. It's definitely not easy to let go of it, but it does wonders for your sanity! I found a cool way to have a giveaway to reward readers. I recently hid a giveaway at the end of a regular post I had, this way only the people who bothered to actually read the post saw the giveaway. I did not mention it in my title or anything. I really liked this. It is so much more rewarding to actually giveaway something to someone who takes the time to read your blog.
ReplyDeleteI like your attitude! I think you'll enjoy blogging more because of it.
ReplyDeleteit's not bad to see a big number under the followers option, but i know some great bloggers who can't make it till 100... and i enjoy their blogs :-D
ReplyDeleteone follower that'll come to your site with every post is worth at least 20 of those who comes to see what's in your giveaway ;-D
I am sure I am not the only person who reads your blog everyday and I do not follow blogs. I have bookmarked my favorites, yours is one, and I check those each day. I have "followed" a few blogs when they had give a ways that looked interesting, but since I don't do google connect or twitter and rarely go on facebook . I only get one entry in most contests.
ReplyDeletei don't think you were mean at all! i'm trying really hard to just think of my blog as a way to record my manicures, reviews and thoughts for my own use, even if no one else wants to read them... i won't lie, it is difficult sometimes :) i agree that if you focus on having eleventybillion followers you are missing the point of blogging... what's the use of having a blog if you have no meaningful content? thank you for posting this, it was nice to take a moment and think about why i started blogging in the first place! Ria :)
ReplyDeleteAccording to my stats, if those can be believed, I generally have 70-100 pageviews daily... and there isn't usually a big spike on the days that I actually post something? So I really have no idea. And I'm lucky to get one or two comments on any given post. Eh. It's all for fun anyway.
ReplyDeleteHeh. I have 50 fewer followers than you, and have never been offered a sample of anything. Of course, I've also never asked, because I have no idea how it all works.
ReplyDeleteExactly, I'm in no rush to gain followers. Don't worry you didn't deter me from having a giveaway. BTW, I forgot to say, great discussion topic!
ReplyDeleteI know what your saying! I would rather have 100 loyal followers than 1000 followers that skip my blog on their blogger dashboard.
ReplyDeleteHehe, I'm definitely guilty of tweeting about "i'm ... away from x number of followers!!" occasionally, but I certainly don't do it intentionally to get random people to follow me. As a newish blogger I'm just excited! Perhaps after a while it won't be as new of a thing to me. ^_^
ReplyDeleteVery good post. You didn't sound negative at all. You put it into perspective very nicely.
ReplyDeleteI wish there was a way to track readers and not followers. I know of one blogger who has about 3000 followers and she has a widget that shows the top X-amount of posters. That seems cool. But then, are people posting to get their name up there or, are they loyal readers (which I am one!).
ReplyDeleteProbably as long as I blog, I will put some meaning into that number. Just like my widget that shows me all the places where readers have come from, that globe with red dots. I guess if I wanted to, I could just remove that widget that says how many followers I have. But, I would miss it now that I have it and have a number that I value.
I have a couple of other blogs, not dealing with makeup, and I don't cultivate a following with that. I have one follower on one and none on the other. LOL That's OK. I'm doing an experiment to see how quickly I grow without giveaways or 'please follow me' stuff. After 2 years, hardly anything. So, I'm less inclined to write on those blogs. My beauty blog, because I have a believe that there are others reading it (hopefully!!!), I'm more motivated to continue it and share in the community.
Something I've always wondered is why some blogs have more followers than I do when I think their pictures suck or their polish is sloppy. Some blogs truly deserve the number of followers they have! But some just do giveaways just for the numbers and the more followers they have, the more free crap they get from companies-that doesn't seem fair either. I personally hate to do giveaways-I'd rather have people follow me who like what I'm doing. I always comment on the blogs who comment on mine-I know who my loyal followers are and they are the ones who truly matter to me-I realize that people don't have time to comment on all that they follow-I missed two days on my reader and am 600 posts behind!!! I'm sure I'd have more followers if I posted every day-but I just don't have the time nor the dedication to do that! I like to do quality work and enjoy my designs for more than 24 hrs! The daily ones just don't seem as high quality to me-as if they are rushing to just get the job done.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a touchy subject, but also right on. I have always wondered about the need to get more and more followers. I'm not judging anyone since I firmly believe a blog should be run as the owner sees fit, but I don't always understand. Although I do love giveaways, so I'm not going to complain or anything :D
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