I've had several conversations with several different people about this, so I thought I'd write about it too. How many of you people read other people's blogs secretly? I don't mean that you hide in a dark alley with a trench coat over your head while you peek illicitly at the personal life of someone you only half know--someone you would maybe recognize walking from the BJ to the CC, but would not necessarily say more than the obligatory hi to. I mean, how many people (and this is my sister Sarah's definition) read other people's blogs but don't comment? You leave no trace if you don't comment! Isn't it strange the way this whole thing works? When you (whoever you are) read this, you know things about me that I have no way of knowing about you. I don't even know who reads this thing. Isn't that strange?
NOTE: (an addition after reading people's comments) in no way do I mind the fact that people are secret readers. I am a secret reader. I don't think that my identity as a secret reader makes me a strange or creepy person, but it's a strange way to communicate, don't you think?
17 comments:
I was about to be a secret reader, but now that you made me feel guilty, I will comment. You have no idea how much I know about you from reading your blog before I had my own, however...
ok, I guess I'll be the first to admit it (on Margo's blog site): sometimes I read blogs without commenting.
My name is Sara and I am a secret reader.
Oh, I forgot to say that I am also a secret reader of quite a few blogs. Not sure what I think about that.
well, my defense is that sometimes I don't feel qualified to respond, or that I have anything of importance to say.
is that valid?
sure. but it's still strange though, isn't it?
i do some secret reading.
a fun thing to do: go to statcounter.com and check out their free counters, put one on your blog, you can then log in and check out who reads your blog.
but this makes for a reverse of the secret readings, you become the stalker of the secret readers.
i'm not sure which is worse. reading a blog of someone you don't really know, or spending half an hour trying to figure out who that person from denver christian might be that is reading your blog. not that i've done that.
i mean, i have done that.
i'm a secret reader stalker.
hmmm. I feel watched.
my name is gabriel florit, and i have been a secret blog reader for 3 weeks now.
but i try and post comments often on all the sites whose links are on my blog. those are the blogs are check daily, often.
i read a blog once.
it's my first time here... I SWEAR!
i have stat counter too... i had it before my gentleman friend but he showed me it's stalker potential.
i feel like i'm kind of on the edge of the group of people from dordt who do blogs and all know each other well... i started my blog a long time ago because liz mcpherson inspired me... she's been doing one for maybe 3 years. but now people i don't know very well-like you- have a blog... so i secretly read if i don't know how people will respond to my comments or i simply don't have a comment.
so there is my ridiculously long comment. hope you like it.
whoa, hot topic. what's your next topic, margo?
i've never read your blog in my life, and i never will again. :)
there's no such thing as stalking or privacy on the internet. it's the world wide web. as soon as one posts a blog, one gives away all those rights and has no right to complain. i don't think anyone should be embarrassed to either: a) read any blog they want, or b) want to know who's reading their blog.
ciao! i can't believe i haven't seen you since sunday!
i wish to revise one thing in my last comment: i'm not endorsing any criminal behaviour when i say there's no such thing as privacy or stalking on the web. obviously, there are limits, as with everything.
where have you been, my beloved older sister? you'll have to check my blog often for the next hot topic. HOT! TOPIC! Or just go to Jack's blog to see if I've posted anything new. That's what I do. (To see if other people have posted anything new--I know if I have.)
I am...a secret reader.
It all started at the end of the summer. I had a couple weeks between work and school, and so I spent many late night hours messing around on the computer. I don't remember exactly how it happened, but I somehow saw Sam Gutierrez post a comment somewhere (maybe Adam Smit's blog?) and so I checked out his blog. This is sort of legit--we were in the same class at Dordt, so I at least know who he is, though I don't KNOW him.
Sam has many enticing links on his blog. I recognized some of the names from my sister, Carolyn's class, but again, I didn't KNOW the people. Still, I read. And read. And became totally interested in the lives of complete strangers. And found more and more links to follow. (Keep in mind, I wasn't working at the time.) It was kind of fascinating, especially, to read about things at Dordt--a world I've been out of for what seems like forever.
I've confessed this shamefacedly to many people. Yes, I am addicted to reading about the lives of strangers. And I've often thought about what I would do if I ever actually ran into these people. Would I have to pretend not to know things about them? Or would it be even weirder to say..."yeah, I know all about you. I've been reading your blog"?
I think reading blogs is kind of a stress reliever for me. It's somewhat mindless and relaxes me after an intense day. It really is kind of strange, though, that peoples' lives can be so intriguing.
So, Margaret, even though I think I've only met you once, I 'm coming out as a secret reader of your blog. And now I'll climb back into my secret reader hole and figure out if I feel voyeuristic or interested in people or just sort of crazy...
I'm not really a secret reader... I don't think... though I don't often leave comments...here's one!
I am as well a secret reader. I think I use it like a newspaper to read up on those people I sort of know since here in NC i dont know the people as well as those i read up on. I use Jack site as kind of my newspaper headlines to see if they have changed. Wow im really going into this newpaper analogy thing. Well thats all for now (probably my biggest comment ever.)
I use Jack's cite similarly, Joel. And I usually check up on you too.
Post a Comment