I could write more poetry. Why not? It gets me more views. It gets me more likes. It’s relatively fast to do compared to my other posts. In fact, I could write a poem a day if I wanted to. Surely, my stats would boom then. I know exactly how I need to change my blog in order to get more people to look at it, but I’m not going to do that, hopefully.
I recently came across a blogger selling a rather costly program that they claimed would help any blogger go from zero to thousands of followers in a couple of months. They would provide their customer with personalized tips on how to change their blog, from content to layout to titles, in order to achieve this goal. Since I have many strong opinions and like sharing them, I left a respectful comment about how I believe that blogging should be a personal endeavor, that you should write what you want, not what you think others want, that the main point of blogging is to express your unique view on life, not to keep of reiterating an accepted social standard. Unfortunately, that comment got deleted (which I think shows just how confident this person was about they program they were selling). I just found it a bit disheartening to find the human need to conform permeating into this anonymous area of the internet.
According to scientific consensus, everything we do is a masked attempt to conform: humans are a social species; it’s part of our biological makeup; we need validation from others in order to survive. Think about all the “truths” we are told to believe. Laws are nothing more than opinions that have a large following. The way humans are supposed to behave, the restrictions that we put on ourselves to act “normally,” are nothing more than opinions that have evolved over time. We make our opinions of the world based off opinions we read in books and in the news. Sometimes I think it’s impossible to generate a completely unique opinion on anything. Either way, it’s easier to believe what others believe, and do what others do. We all search for something familiar, and when we can’t find it, we try to mold ourselves into something we are not in order to feel like we belong.
Although I know it is probably not true, I like to say that I don’t try to fit into a mold. This declaration will be put to the test in the next couple of weeks, I think. I post a lot of philosophical posts on this blog, and, while I enjoy writing them a lot, some do take up as much as six hours to write. (I’m not complaining, time is an illusion anyway) But the next couple of weeks will be pretty busy for me, and they will be a test as to whether or not I will succumb to writing poetry just to get more of those validating “likes”. I don’t have anything against poetry. It’s something I engage in every once in a while when a stray bit of inspiration hits me, but it’s not something I want to do regularly. The next few weeks will show how devoted I am to my writing, and how true my claim that I don’t blog for views and likes really is. In short, this rambling is an announcement that I might not be able to write new posts as often as I would like, and if you see me posting some bad poetry as mindless filler, you can let me know.
Kat's observations. 
i love this post & completely agree with you! i always look at my numbers compared to other people’s numbers & think i just must be some kind of pariah…but i actually blog for me so the numbers shouldn’t matter to me. it should not become a popularity contest.
i think the spikes that poetry creates is more of a short-attention span thing than anything. i just happened to start writing my thoughts out in free verse because it was fun & i was able to more easily express myself–that’s when i noticed more attention to my blog. i thought it was funny since i am a TERRIBLE poet and cannot even to bring myself to call what i write “poetry”–though i think i am improving with practice. but people seem drawn to the short lines & short thoughts. i know i am. i wish i had the time & attention span to read all the fiction on wordpress & all of the essays…but frankly, i am always doing ten things at once–& it’s just easier to read the poetry.
i love your writings exactly the way they are–so much that i commit to reading them even though they are written in prose rather than verse 😉
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Thank you!
I also think that poetry posts get more traffic than posts that are an essay format because it’s faster to read. Surprisingly, I find myself also gravitating toward shorter posts, but that might be because my posts are longer than the average one on WordPress. I only really started to gain followers when I posted my first poem and I try to tell myself that the only reason why I continue to write poetry is because I genuinely like to, but it’s easy to get caught up in the numbers.
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Poetry truly is an artistic way of stitching words to create magic. All the best as you embark on exploring a new aspect of your writing. 👍 According to your convenience please do read some of my writings would love to know what you think about them.
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I love this post! Yes, I watch my stats like they’re my lifeline, but blogging would be miserable if I didn’t post about what interests me. I’ve seen classes offered similar to what you describe (and perhaps even the same one) but I’m not sure I would welcome the criticism of a so-called pro. My blog isn’t likely to earn a living no matter how good it is.
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Thank you so much!
I think that the entire purpose of blogging would be defeated if we wrote stuff that we don’t find interesting. The whole point of blogging, in my opinion, is to embrace your passion, whether it’s philosophy, reading, poetry, fashion or whatever.
The class I saw wasn’t about making a living from your blog, it was only about gaining more followers, and the only qualification the person running the class had was that he had a few thousand followers. Honestly, if people blog just to get followers, I think they should reconsider, but that said, seeing your stats increase does feel nice.
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Haha! Funny but very true! It happens to me too. I check my stats daily. I’m a newbie, does this only happen to newbies?! Not sure. Someone recommended I not look at my numbers, but how can I not?! And I think with time, I think the possibility of earning from blogging would be phenomenal! Yes! Why not?! Go for it.
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I started poetry accidently. I was experimenting with different forms. Thought flash fiction was meh… Wrote a flash fiction about it too… Somehow, I haven’t lost interest in poetry though. Don’t do it to get views. Explore poetry for what it is, words strung together with rhyme, rhythm and metre, and have fun with it. I do like reading your essays though, so perhaps I shouldn’t be saying that. Also, six hours?!!! Wow, that’s some dedication.
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I actually started writing poetry by accident. I guess thats what happens when you try to write an essay at three in the morning! I’ve always had an aversion to writing poetry (I liked reading it though) and I’m still learning to appreciate it.
Sometimes my essays do take me a while to write, but its a lot of fun so I don’t even notice time go by. 🙂
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Bravo, Kat! Surely one of your best posts. God, how I love your honest and gutsy self-revelations.
As for the blogger who wants to show the world how to get more followers, what a wimp for deleting you! Also an indication he or she might be taking blogging way to seriously — obviously, they need to masturbate more often.
I have nothing at all against marketing a blog to the masses, if that’s your thing. But I think you and I might be the same, Kat: Neither one of us is going for the masses. If I’ve got it right, we just want to be ourselves and modestly hope only that everyone on earth who appreciates us will read our posts. We’re not McDonald’s, we’re not the most popular hamburger out there, but we’ve got our own visions of what a hamburger can be, and we’re pursuing those visions. Does that sound about right?
You have genuine poetic talent, Kat. Use it freely. Most of the comments you will get will be superficial gushes like “awesome”, “beautiful”, “It moved me to have my first bowel movement in a week. I love it!” So post away anyhow if you yourself truly feel like it. I’ll always be here to savage your poem, you know. 😀
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Thank you! Honest posts are difficult to write. It forces me to think about myself, rather than about some dead philosopher or some complicated theory about the universe. But I found this post very interesting to write as well.
I’m definitely not about marketing my blog (I was at the beginning, though, when my only follower was my mother. I would follow many, many bloggers in hopes that they would follow back) But I soon realized that that took time away from actual writing, so I stopped. I really like your analogy with the hamburgers though. I’m trying my best to be as “me” as possible, and sometimes I feel like my poetry is a bit fake. That may be because I’m still pretty new to it, but it’s not one of my main priorities on my blog. It I’m still very glad that you like my poems, it really encourages me to make them the best they could possibly be.
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We’ve not known each other long at all, but I think I’ve seen some development on your part as a thinker and/or writer. It’s fascinating, really, to speculate where you will go with your talents and skills. I’m cheered you take as much as six hours writing a post. No work, no gain.
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Poetry is fine, one has to have an outlet after all 🙂
I was just thinking today, how most people believe what they were brought up to believe, or maybe thats not true, cos some go the other way! Anyhow, why is it that a lot of people don’t think philosophically, or spiritually about the good of the whole, but rather more are defensive about their own family, threaten their family and you’re toast! Thats how most people are, whats good for me and my family? And don’t care about the bigger picture? We’re all taught at least something about the bigger picture growing up, and yet this all seems to be overridden by family boundaries. Oh I’m just ranting, and not really expressing what I was thinking earlier, something like if you look at someones wife, and husband don’t mind, cos we’re all assumed to be family people, but if you look at his wife like “hmmm,” its like I’ll kill ya! I think it shows a fragile poor philosophy, which most people have, backed up by God, or a good quality car and job or something, but if you don’t believe in all that, and are basically a big happy failure, who likes to procrastinate in thinking, oh well, maybe thats all it was – I dunno! 😉
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I think it might be a biological thing, like an instinct to protect your family from danger may be like survival is the fittest. Or just plain old love. I always try to have a very open view of the world, and question many of the beliefs that has been instilled I me as a child, but I do find myself very protective of my family. For example, the other day I was in the car with my father driving and someone gave him the middle finger for some very stupid reason. And I gave that driver the dirtiest look I could muster. I think that no matter what philosophy we believe in, the family instinct will always come first.
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Yes, I believe you are right. It does still niggle me tho, because my family always seemed to go out of its way to be polite and thoughtful, whereas other families seemed comparitivley rude and obnoxious – perhaps this is actually another side to my own “family first” agenda, teasing others as if they were lesser in some way, then congratulating myself on the accurate judgement I had made!
You see how a kind of snobbery which started out altruistic became negative for both parties? But then they do say that in order to be creative, one must also be destructive – Gadzooks! I’m smarter than I thought! 😮
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I think I’m going a bit nuts there Kat! Have you ever heard of the Ouroboros? The snake eating its own tail? Its like a feedback loop, interesting phenomenas actually I expect, tho I never looked into all that much, maybe if I ever did, I’d never reach any conclusion!! 😉
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I’m with you Kat. I think I came across this blogger who followed me but only so I would follow him and read his posts selling his blogging tips/courses/books. I agree that each blogger should be true to their beliefs and style. If we all follow the same rules and post the same, where is the interest. By, the way, I will read your posts and bad poetry, as my poetry is not always any screaming H—. Cheers and keep on blogging. Allan
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Yes, that’s what happened to me too. It was pretty obvious that they followed just so I would follow back since they didn’t even visit my blog before following. I will try to refrain from posting any bad poetry, but I’m glad that there is a willing audience in the event that I do post it. Thanks for reading and commenting!
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Thank you so much for this! It perfectly elucidated what many bloggers think and feel–what I feel.
My blog is the only social media I have–I can’t stomach the other forms–and, at first, I was reticent to post anything because I felt nobody would read it or care, but I was surprised to meet loads of lovely people who are supportive and appreciative.
Now I enjoy blogging, even if it only gets a few views or likes, because it’s not about the views and likes, it’s about honestly expressing yourself.
I don’t want likes for likes, views for views, or followers for following, I want to read the things I think are pretty, and support the artists and dreamers who produced them.
Thank you again, and I look forward to reading more from you.
Cheers!
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Social media is such an interesting concept. I have a Facebook and Instagram, but I never post anything. I’m just a mere observer, and find it very entertaining how seamlessly some people are able to make their lives seem fun and perfect. Really, it’s an art. But I feel like blogging is very different, though. I believe people here appreciate each other’s differences and uniqueness. Since it’s anonymous, people are much more honest, and honestly is the true beauty of life.
Thank you. Glad you liked this post.
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I used to have vitriolic hatred for all social media, but eight years or so ago, when the Arab Spring began, I read article after article about how crucial social media was to the various movements, and disparate groups. Now, I don’t hate social media, I just chalk it up to an outlet that I’m incompatible just with–with the exception of WordPress, of course.
Again, thank you.
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It seems as if social media has two sides to it. It has the power to connect people. I know many people who’ve met very good friends through social media. But it also has the power to isolate. I think it depends on how one chooses to use it.
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Again, great post and I know I’ve said this before but we need more humans like you. Seriously. I resonate with a lot of your posts. Bravo, Kat!
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Thank you so much. Very glad that you could resonate. It’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one with such thoughts in my head.
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This is interesting to me as I’m primarily a poetry writer. Never been one to just post stuff for views, and apparently my posts are no biggie as my follow pool is small and likes aren’t very large in numbers either. I make it a point to only follow blogs I find intriguing or beautiful. I agree that you should be you in your blog, sharing your own take on life’s spectacular and spectacularly shitty moments. I really believe when you aren’t being genuine in your writing readers can see right through it. As always, thanks for your thought. Maybe I’ll start writing essays :p… nah!
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I don’t know anything about the logistics of WordPress, but I think poetry gets searched more often in the “tags” section. That’s the only explanation I can think of. But really, that should not matter as long as we write about what we are genuinely passionate about. You’re right, I can tell when someone wrote a post just for the sake of posting instead of actually being interested in the subject they were writing about. I see that a lot, unfortunately.
You should totally try writing essays. I never thought that I would like writing poetry until I wrote my first poem a few months ago. You never know what could happen.
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I believe poetry comes from the heart, or it fails; but of course ther must be logic in the content.
Between poetry and prose I prefer poetry as it gives me joy when I see people interpret a poem differently.
Prose can be complex when the reader does not get a clear picture of what you have written, no so in poetry….lol!
It will be fun see you write a poem, and the first poem will show up on your uncharted capabilities as a poet.
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I think it can work both ways, actually. The reader can interpret poetry and prose in their own way. Obviously if it’s scientific writing, there is not much left to for interpretation. But any form of writing that expresses the feelings, thoughts, emotions of the writer will probably be interpreted differently by the reader based on what the reader feels. I think we all try to mold the world around us to fit our understanding, so we can change the meaning of a written piece too.
I’ve actually written some poetry before. I think you noticed. I still have a lot to learn, though.
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I have been writing poetry since I was seventeen around 1968, for my first poem I was helped by my English teacher and the poem was published in the school fortnightly magazine and then to my pleasant surprise I found it in the annual school magazine.
Have always chosen to write in free verse, in fact we all have a lot to learn so you can always relax as you put your words together and write.
A simple advise you can follow….. research and observe the topic you wish to write….must be from your heart….. what your heart wishes to say ….put down the words…. as they come…and continue doing so ….. till you get sufficient lines for your poem…. ; then sort and structure them into logical lines ….. and I usually like the end lines with a punch!
Simple, never try to go on and on as long writes can create a lot of complex contradictions ….once confident you will enjoy what you write…. the true purpose of writing a poem…. never feel lost if someone passes a bad comment…. which is quit common where they hang you for their idiotic interpretations.
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I always thought all of that pay me for the secret to success was just a scam. I ignore all of those sites. And I agree with you on not letting traffic statistics drive your creative and artful soul. It’s a trap. What I write may or may not appeal to anyone. Most of my regular readers are very supportive and they are the ones I’ve come to know as friends and appreciate their inspirationand support. For me, it isn’t a numbers game, but a means of connecting with other intelligent and creative people. I am reminded that the doom and gloom on the news doesn’t pay attention to the countless people across the world that meet here on WordPress and have a positive exchange of talents, skill, ideas, opinions, and desire for a kind world through the arts and sciences. I always say follow your heart. You have a brilliant mind and worthy insights, Kat. You will inspire others as you are inspired.
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I know, all those deals about gaining followers, they’re everywhere on WordPress. I usually ignore them, but that one post that I read made it out to seem as if blogging is useless unless you have thousands of followers, and I couldn’t hold back my opinion on that. When I first started blogging I cared a lot about stats and views, but now I know that at least a few people read my writing and actually like it, I pay much less attention to the stats. I think it’s very interesting how WordPress was compelled to involve all those very complicated graphs, and facts, and figures. It can make blogging feel like a corporate job. So the less I look at that, the better.
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Absolutely! The less you worry about stats the more enjoyable blogging will be. When you question yourself because you have 5 less likes than before, you talk yourself out of blogging about what is important to you.
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God, if you’ve sat through any one of my bad poems, I owe it to you to read yours!
The WordPress community seems very poetry oriented. I started by posting poems which aren’t really poems, just kind of the way I think. A handful of people reacted and I couldn’t believe anybody cared. But now that I’m posting little stories and things that I actually like to read, nobody cares at all.
I thought, maybe I need to find the horror story community! And I tried. There are like, six people. LOL
Have you ever looked into the concept of ikigai, about fulfillment in work? It’s a Venn diagram of what you love, what others need, what makes money, and what you are good at. The diagram is worth looking up.
Anyway, do whatever you like. Fair weather friends may come and go! We must be ourselves. If we don’t, the blogging world would be reduced to all stupid ads, or endless meta-blogging spirals of people blogging on how to blog. Follow me and I’ll teach you how to get followers! Here’s proof, see how many followers I have! Ha.
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Maybe because there are so many poets on wordpress, bloggers just search for similar blogs and sort of create a mega-community? That all shouldn’t really matter as long as we write what we are truly passionate about.
I looked up the ikigai diagram. It’s a very interesting approach to living. I should try to fill one out, but I would need a look of introspection for that to happen. It’s hard to think about my life is such a big picture. I just try to take it one day at a time, trying to balance what I love to do and what I need to do. But maybe I should try to think differently, for a change.
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It sounds like I don’t like poetry, I do. WordPress has taught me to appreciate it even more than ever. But writing and reading nothing but poetry makes me feel a bit… lopsided.
I’m surprised to hear you say that; all you do seem to do is think in big pictures. Maybe one day you’ll think your way around to life inspections. 😉
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WordPress also made me appreciate poetry more, that was the reason why I started to write it.
I do like the think about the world in big pictures, but its more difficult to think about myself in that big picture world. There’s a difference between observing and engaging. It’s difficult to think about the implications of what I think about. I’m getting there, but it is difficult.
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Perhaps practicing your poetry will help you with introspection, if you feel it’s lacking. It certainly helps me! Anytime I have a feeling I don’t fully understand, I use poetry to dissect it.
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I’m wondering whether I should write a satirical post on blogs that promote the sort of program you mentioned. There’s a blogger who charges for reblogs since he has around 10,000 followers. I thought that was ludicrous. I might just write a promote your blog satirical piece on the Mafia. I’ll credit you for the idea if you want.
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That’s a great idea! You don’t have to credit me. And charging for reposts?!? That’s absurd!
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I completely agree, Kat and Nitin. Reposts! So old-fashion. Just wait until the end of the month when you get my bill for the comments I’ve left on your blog, Kat. That’s where the money is these days. Reposts. Pffft!
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Kat, I almost forgot. As long as we’re on the topic of writing poetry on philosophical blogs, here’s a poem I wanted you to see that I put up on my blog recently. It’s about the animosity between groups these days. Particularly non-theists and theists.
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Oh yeah, a link might help. https://cafephilos.blog/2018/08/06/you-have-days/
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As you know, about 98% of my posts are of a poetic nature, but that is how I wish to perceive and express my views. I experiment with form and length and don’t really feel the need to stick to one form, because it works. I also enjoy writing this weird dystopian story about someone wandering in the desert, but poetry is where my heart lies. And that is the crucial point.
I could write more inspirational stuff to get more views, but I once said or wrote that if you are constantly uplifting you eventually lose the ground under your feet and I think it is a good thing to be grounded, especially while moving in a rather lofty and airy genre of writing. And this trend of staying positive no matter what really is getting on my nerves, I mean I’m not the symbol of the suffering artist, bleeding his pain onto the pages, but I don’t even believe in the dichotomy of positive/negative emotions, so fuck it.
I find many of your thoughts interesting and they make me think about things differently and sometimes just poke my nose at stuff I haven’t seen before, that is all I wish for and I’m also going to read the “bad poetry” (But if it is really bad, I might drop you a subtle hint 😉 )
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As long as you’re writing from the heart, it doesn’t matter if it’s poetry or prose or whatever. Your heart lies in poetry, mine lies in essays, though I do attempt to write poetry sometimes. But, since I’m not very passionate about it, it may take days to think of an idea, and I can’t sit down and write poetry on demand. Maybe it’s because in still learning.
It’s pretty easy to tell when a writer is being honest or not. And although inspiration and positive stuff may get more views, the genuine stuff will get much more appreciation. That’s how I see it. In this very judgmental world, one of the only places we can be honest about ourselves is through our writing, so why give that up?
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🙂 Hmm. I noticed that a lot of bloggers do not like comments that contradict what they posted.
Also, if the comment was a polite one, it should not have been deleted.
You probably know by now, that I am an advocate for people posting anything that they want.
Also, people should be cautious of those bloggers who claim that they can increase your incoming views to your blog in a couple of month’s time (Especially, when you are parting with your hard-earned money).
Never go out of your way to post material because it falls within a popular niche.
Post the type of content that resonates well with you.
Have a blessed day, my friend!
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Yes, my comment was very polite. I said it was very cool that they were doing this, but in my opinion, blogging should be a personal thing etc etc etc I thought they were going to respond and try to convince me to buy the program, like anyone who knows anything about advertising, so I was surprised when it got deleted.
But despite what this blog said, I will continue to write what I love, and not change anything just to get more views. Thank you for your support!
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Great post! The blog is just as much for you and also for your audience. I think numbers matter, but numbers aren’t the reason I write or for me blogging. 😊🙏🏽
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You’re right. I use blogging very often as a way to understand my own thoughts. And I do think numbers matter, but to a certain extent. Especially when it comes to writing something you are genuinely interested in vs something that will get more views.
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I agree Kat! Blogging is a great therapeutic tool to have.
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