Clean up, organize, evaluate, and other stuff generally put off. Bloggers have different goals; mine is not to collect numbers; therefore, I have been checking everyone who has been among my followers for 10 months or more. When I started this blogging about 2 1/2 years ago, it seemed I would never get followers. I grasped everyone I could get; now I grasp everyone who I believe really follows because we have something to give to each other.
I find that I cannot make contact with more than fifty people a day, no matter how much I want to. And I believe there are no more than that who really follow me. So I have taken out all those whose sites have expired or who were following in order to sell me something. I have dropped most bloggers who receive hundreds of comments and have thousands of fans. I have nothing to give them, and I like the more personal touch. There are those whose blogs were consistently quite long; some I kept but others I dropped. I dropped some very nice blogs just because I didn’t know enough about the subjects to feel they were good use of my time – such as dining in fancy restaurants, lovely world travel, picture taking, cooking, music – wonderful but something has to go. I dropped blogs that insist on my subscribing to e-mail or newsletters by dropping those forms down before I have time to read anything. (I hated this. Some I really wanted to read.)
Well that is roughly the screening process I went through. I found lots of folks who have posted nothing for several months. Most of those I left a comment and asked for a “hi” from them. I have received four notices that the hosts where still alive and well, reading but not writing very much. Those who do not respond. I will drop after a couple more months – at least when I get around to it.
Sadly I might have mistakenly removed some by accident. If any reader out there begins to notice that I have not been by, grab me. I don’t want to miss you. I did find several people who follow me but I had failed to follow them. I marked their follows; it is my intention to follow everyone who follows me, although it sometimes takes me a while to do that. I always check the “about” but find that several new followers have a “this is a sample of an about page” rather than having an introduction of themselves. Maybe they are just new to the process, but I am always disappointed when that happens.
I have cut my followers from 419 to about 335. Painful process, but I feel a need to know my blogging friends and have no need to raise numbers.
Sweet aroma 
Just out of curiosity, how did you manage to cut followers? This question comes up all the time in WordPress forums, so if you’ve managed to find a way to do it, there are lot of people who would like to know your method.
Perhaps you mean you’ve reduced the number of people you follow. That, i understand. But believe me, there are plenty of WP mysteries I don’t understand! I added a couple of new categories the other night, and couldn’t get them to appear on my blog. Finally, I “got” it. A category won’t appear on a blog page unless it’s been attached to a specific blog. Oh, ok. 🙂
The urge to clean, sort, and reorganize is strong this time of year, I think. Being able to start with a blank slate is a myth, but being able to start with the dishes done and the closets cleaned? That’s all good. Happy reorganized New Year to you!
wordpress.com/people There you click on the site you wish to change. Then click “followers.” Your follower list appears and you are given the option to “remove.” I kept stats open to followers, went to the oldest and worked my way up. From that location I could go to the site and check it out. I printed out my followers page as I went along so I could make notes on it – noting whether I removed, commented or left as is. Obviously there were quite a lot I recognized so I didn’t go to theirs. My numbers on the reader “manage” folders and the stats followers number do not agree – stats show 319 and reader 373. I don’t know why that would be. The new year is upon us! Have a great one.
Well, look at that. I found the spot. I’m glad that people who want to remove people from their list of followers have the option, now.
I had done this once or twice also, and relate to: “I have dropped most bloggers who receive hundreds of comments and have thousands of fans. I have nothing to give them, and I like the more personal touch.” Need to get around to doing this again at some point. Since I’m still working full time, I don’t have as much time to read either. But perhaps someday…
Priorities must be given. Your ministry is to keep feeding me. 😀
HAHAhaha! I’ll try! Thanks ever so much for the encouragement!! (oh! and happy new year!)
I understand your need to do this, Oneta. We all blog for different reasons and if you feel you need that connection with your followers, I applaud you for being so bold. What’s inspiring to me is that after all that cutting YOU STILL HAVE A BIG NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS. 😆
You are an inspiration.
I am glad you are one of my followers, and I look forward to hearing what you will say to my posts. It’s hard for me to keep up with all your prolific posts, lol. I tend to read posts and comment on posts that I think are helpful or interesting. Sometimes I read and don’t comment if I have nothing to say.
Incidently, if you are considering dropping Shelton Whitman’s blog, I know he is planning on coming back this year. He has not been able to see the screen to write, but we are working on installing Dragon Speaking so he can dictate blogging this year. I hope you will stay tuned for that.
Thank you, Oneta.
Actually, Rebecca, I think I did drop him. I thought you had told me that his health would not allow him to blog anymore or something like that. Please have him do my follow again when he get going; I will follow right back. Sounds like you are helping him to overcome. I’m glad to know that. Please relay my message to him along with my blessings for his new equipment. May the Lord give you both a pleasing new year.
I just checked and found that he is still on my followers list. Good. We are still on go.
Oneta…your post resonates with me. I have been on a self-prescribed fast from the blogging world. I needed time to settle a few items that have been churned up in my heart & created a dust-storm of thought in my head. My thoughts needed the rest & my heart needed the quiet…mostly so that I could hear His voice a little more clearly. I’ll be blogging again soon and I do so very hope I’ll still see your delightful comments when I do. I am proud of you for setting these important ‘priorities’ for your time and for showing us as lovely example of having done so. Continued hugs & blessings sent your way! Now it’s off to read your other posts I have missed. Please forgive me if I do not comment on each one, as I am certain they will stir reflection in me!
Dawn Marie, you are always so kind. I intend to be around for some time yet, and at this point I consider this blogging a “call” from God. I really don’t have that many other activities to prioritize at this point. But I really don’t want to take on more than I can do. I like to have a visual picture in my mind of each blog. As my “mind gets smaller” I might have to do less. I’m joking. I’m doing puzzles each day to help stimulate my thinking. I bought a book on logic that is troubling to me! Some I don’t think I will ever catch on to. But I will remember Dawn Marie whenever you come back!