this post #500 since moving to pinkhairedgirl.net.
i’ve been blogging in some form since 2003 and really don’t know how many total posts it been. but i’ve gone from xanga to typepad to wordpress to self-hosting. and many of you have been along for the entire journey.
as much as i love it and have been blessed by the community that has formed over the years… sometimes i wonder if i should just close up shop. after all, would anyone care as much about what i have to say, if i was simply speaking from a soapbox on a street corner?
i know its not a competition… but when i see blogs like my friend anne’s that’s raised $90K+ for relief and the under resourced (so awesome!!), i can’t help but ask myself, “what am i doing?”
this isn’t some plea for comments and affirmation (but hey that’s all welcome)… i just wonder if any of this matters? am i helping people? am i bringing glory to God? or is it just about me?
just stuff on my mind and my heart today. thanks for your grace.
Right there with you. You may notice I’ve not really posted anything of substance since last Thursday. I don’t get many comments, nor do I get many hits. My RSS reader count only budges a handful of numbers one way or another.
In other words, I’ve considered the same thing myself. It’s a ton of work and, frankly, not much payoff (at least, none that I can really see).
So, you’re not alone! :)
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Don’t leave me, I’m just getting to know you! I think it is intriguing to follow other people’s faith journey. Your calling from God is different from Anne’s. You have a very unique voice, and I like it!
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(driving & typing so short – to the point)
don’t stop and figure out a way to “make a difference”. does putting on clothes bring glory to God, per se?
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You are making a difference…when we read and are challenged. When you call us to pray or share our secrets….you are calling us to community. Thanks.
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don’t go! nooo.
i echo michelle.
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Naaah…hang with it. I’m certainly far from a “pro” blogger the likes of you and Anne, but does it have to be all about helping people and junk?
That’s awesome and all, but could blogging simply be you sharing your thoughts, writing for enjoyment and having a positive outlet for life’s encounters? Is it wrong to consider blogging basically a public journaling exercise?
I could be totally off base. Just a couple thoughts.
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You’d miss us!!
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the thing that i’ve seen multiple times from other bloggers that are really “successful” is that they just have to keep plugging away at it and it gets bigger and my counter point does it affect anyone, does it bring any glory to god, is that if you get one life touched, if you stir up something in someone else(which has happened multiple times since i found your block) then it’s worth it because you may not reap reward here on earth but your are storing up treasure in heaven. That is worth any amount of work it might take. so if you’ve heard 1 response where you’ve touched a life with a post or your simply being online, then yes it has all been worth it.
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This is funny because I’ve blogged for a while and still don’t have many readers (hi, Mom)…but my husband has JUST started blogging this week, and already has lots of readers. I love him, but…that drives me crazy. :) (Granted, he has a job, and people know him, and I stay home with little people, but still!) But, my ministry is not his ministry, and his calling isn’t mine, you know? Sometimes blogging does feel vain, because you’re basically promoting yourself. But I’m really trying hard lately to only write what I feel LED to write (how “out there” does that sound?), and to make sure I always write to make His name bigger–not my own.
I am totally rambling, and you know all this already. But, just know that I feel your pain. And I REALLY hope you keep blogging. I love reading your thoughts.
Amy Storms
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i’ve been reading your blog for awhile but have rarely commented.
you have been very honest about how much of your worth and value you find in things like twitter followers, blog responses, and other forms of online admiration.
you probably won’t ever get the kind of affirmation or self-filling esteem that you want or need.
but it really is true. if even one life is changed, you are making a difference. (A big difference.)
maybe taking down your stat readers or beginning to stop your followers on twitter is a first step. maybe once you’re less concerned with how many are following and how much they like you, you’ll be able to write even more from the deep places in your heart.
please don’t take the blog down.
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Don’t close up shop!!! I love what you write. You have a different audience – and they need you.
I hear what you’re saying though. I feel that often as well.
Love you, girl!!!
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We all have different voices, and different spheres of influence. My blog would never raise 90,000 dollars. Nor would it even be a candidate to go on a bloggers missions trip. Nor do i have “mega-bloggers” even reading my words. But i do still have influence. I have countless students reading my blog. What i say influences, challenges, and stirs the faith, thoughts, and actions of youth as well as a few grown ups. Am i thrilled that i am a youth blogger? Not always. But right now thats my audience. They look forward to reading what i have to say every day. They are watching me and that terrifies me. But the same applies to you. People watch you, how you handle situations, how you make decisions, how you cling to hope in the midst of crisis. So what if you dont raise $90,000? You may inspire the world’s next leader to action….i think thats just as influential. Be encouraged. You are loved. and we are reading.
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I’m here. Still reading.
You’re cute.
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If you raise $9 your blog has value. If you lead someone to Christ your blog has value. If you help someone with sexual sin your blog has value.
You have to decide what you hold value in…
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Hello! I would say: be encouraged and know that in some way you do not know or could appreciate, you are helping someone.
Imagine if mercyme just gave up their blog? Where would we be?
Don’t give up. Not just yet. Your plane may go on a higher ride than you know about right now.
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Wow. You, that is as in YOU CRYSTAL, are giving God glory by being who you are and sharing who you are in Christ.
So, this is not a competition, but if it were I think you are doing pretty good. Keep it up!
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Hi, Crystal! I’m a fellow Scriber and just wanted to give a word of encouragement and possible an important tip on improving readership. I think all of us feel the way you’ve described from time to time; and I like the way one blogger put it, “I don’t write for anyone else but me.” It’s quite inexpensive therapy for me.
Also, I did a little research on ways to improve the number of people who might find my blog on search engines; and I discovered a very simple thing called “tags” that are crucial. When I first starting blogging, I simply used “categories” and I was getting maybe 20% of my readers from search engine hits; but when I started adding content tags to each article, the stats went through the roof! Now 80% of my readership comes from search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN.
WordPress makes the use of tags very easy. If I can help you with this, just let me know. I look forward to reading more of your stuff!
Bill Lollar
The Thin Edge
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i don’t want you to go. you rock and deserve to have a place to share your heart and passion. i wish i had the guts to make mine public and to post more. oh well…please don’t give up.
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I didn’t comment when I first read this Crystal, but I’ve been praying for you. I just wanted to come by and say it’s been blessing reading what you’ve written and you are ministering to me with your words. Please keep writing!!
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A lot of us are going through this. I have felt that it’s pointless lately. But I know that even though I only get a few hits every once in a while, if I stopped I would miss it enough that I’d probably just start it up again.
As others have mentioned, it’s therapy for me. I’d like to have an impact, but that’s not going to happen, so I just do what’s in front of me. Your impact, on the other hand, seems great. You have a lot of caring readers who want to know what’s happening in your head, even the trivial stuff. You’ve encouraged me so many times I can’t count.
Write on!
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mandy – WELL SAID!
crystal – you and everything you do have value. do you want to continue investing your time here? i, personally, think you should. you add a lot to this community. you share things and show us things no one else can. there would be a void without you…for sure!
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