Sometimes I wonder what all my WordPress buddies get up to when they’re not here blogging their hearts out.
Make no mistake, I enjoy reading a majority of peoples work. I just tend to wonder how everyone’s lives are outside of everything they write.
We only get snippets/vignettes of everything. You know, mostly the juicy parts.
Alfred Hitchcock says “What is drama, but life with all the dull bits cut out”
And I agree. If we wrote a detailed outline that includes all the monotony we endure it would hardly be an interesting read.
It’s not a curiosity I entertain often, after all, I’m hardly the most open person around here.
This question popped into my head when I was reminiscing over old friendships that fizzled out during my first years here on WordPress. So many people I knew are just… gone. Others showed up and vanished within the space of a year.
Keeping a blog alive is hard work — I like to believe in many ways you have to enjoy writing to help with this. Either that, or you use your blog to explore creative expression and not much else.
These were some of my shower thoughts these last few days. Have you experienced something similar or are all your buddies present and accounted for?
– O.D. ©2021
Art by: Ninjatic
O.D. 
I’ve been going back & forth about blogging. I enjoy writing short fiction and poetry here & getting feedback, but sometimes it seems so pointless. It’s not helping me sell books or anything like that, so it’s simply an end in itself. Some days are good, while other days are meh…
I’m with you there… It’s got its ups and downs. Do you think its the platform we’re using or or it’s the medium itself that’s losing it’s appeal. Podcasting seems to be doing most of what blogging used to do back in the day — perhaps there’s a bigger audience drawn to listening rather than reading? hmmm…. I wonder lol
I don’t know. Partly for me it’s because some people I’ve known for a long time are hardly blogging or have completely stopped. They’re all on FB, which I hate, even though I rejoined. It’s a terrible way to communicate…
Lol Facebook is something else entirely. Terrifies me how that platform changes people.
We were just talking about that- so many people just disappear. It’s sad and I do wonder what they’re up to and if they are okay.
My thoughts exactly. During this trying time it’s hard to tell if bloggers are simply taking a break or if something bad has happened.
I hope it’s the former ✨
Me too
I still see a lot of my WordPress friends being active, so I guess that’s a plus. But yeah, my life outside of the stories I blog is pretty boring. Anyway, thanks for this post!
Nice! How long have you known your WordPress friends for if I may ask?
About 2 years? I didn’t socialise much on WP before that. What about yours?
The ones I’ve known longest are 4 years. Majority disappeared 🙂
Ah, I am one of those people who fizzle in and out of my blogs. But I think I consider my blog a home of sorts. I always come back to it and it is a vault of my expression. It’s been a while, Dante. How are you?
And I look forward to each and every piece you post; because I know how much you put into your art. It’s been a while indeed; I hope you’ve got one of your masterpieces lined up lol I’m doing alright Enigma. Doing the most of a tough situation anyway 😀
I hope the upcoming days are basking in warmth and love for you, dear Dante. Thank you for always encouraging me.
Enigma ❤
I am pretty new to blogging (less than a year) but have noticed that many of my WP friends have disappeared. What I find interesting is that many have left at around the same time period. Great post, O.D. Thanks for sharing.💕
Thanks for commenting Grace. I would like to hear your thoughts on why you think many of them disappeared. I knew others that started with me a few years back and they simply stopped writing maybe because they felt stagnant.
My pleasure. I’m not really sure why but feel that many went back to school and work. So many were at home during the pandemic which allowed for more writing time, at least that’s my theory. 💕
I hope wherever they are, they are safe and alright 🙂
Me too.💕❤️💕
I remember some blogger friends that were here all the time when I started and now they have vanished . I wonder what happened to them. I can understand burning out blogging . Sometimes I feel like I need a break and then something happens in my life that I enjoy writing about for the blog. I get very good feedback from horse people and others so I think that some people are getting something out of what I write .
We really do have an effect on each other in ways we may not realize until someone says it outright. And in many ways that contributes to the blogging experience in ways we can’t even describe 🙂 I appreciate having you here
Hi, just stumbled across you, and this piece got me thinking of the bloggers I’ve known over the years. Many have fizzled out, without explanation, and you wonder what happened. Some of the guys I knew were getting on in years, not in good health, and you get to thinking they’ve moved on in the final sense of the word. Although I never meet the people I blog with on WP, I find I do connect with them through their words and get to know them like friends. I find it sobering to revisit their websites, like their train of thought ended mid-sentence, years ago. I also know people who drift in and out of it with years in between, like they’re not getting what they want from it, but keep coming back for another go.
I think bogging’s also in decline as a medium, both writing and reading. Some just lose interest or don’t get it. I’m certainly not getting the traffic I used to do.
Anyway, I’m still driven to putting a piece up, maybe a couple of times a week. I think of it as a distillation of my thoughts, but as you say, with all the dull bits skipped over. I also get to chat with a small group of people from across the world, and read their thoughts on things, which can be quite an education!
Anyway, all the best.
Thank you for commenting and sharing your experiences. I agree with everything you’re saying.
I suppose its a little sad to not know the reason why they may have vanished; not knowing if they are okay or not.
The platform keeps changing, and we all come back here for different reasons. Mine being creative expression. But its also a nice place to connect with like-minded individuals like yourself.
Thanks, Michael. ✨
I’ve recently started my blog and I’ve enjoyed writing about my thoughts and feelings as I am one who overthinks.
I’ve never really had friends to be honest. Always been a lone wolf. But I believe that it’s their loss. I am who I am. And I know I’m a good person so why dwell on others♥️
Thank you for commenting Autumn ✨ how has your blogging experience been going so far? Great I hope 😃
Your so welcome!!! ♥️ and it has been incredible. I love it 😁
Nice post. 🙂 I think about this too, miss the people I used to read. Blogging doesn’t feel quite as organic as it used to. It’s lost some of its appeal. I like out of the box thinkers and writers and those diamonds in the rough are getting harder to find with all the other easier choices available.
You’re so right Melissa. The accessibility of written works has in many ways diluted everything lol but finding those diamonds you mentioned is what makes it worthwhile 🙂 Thanks for reading
Absolutely. Sometimes people just disappear and it makes me a bit sad… but I can also understand in a lot of ways. This particular blog I’ve had for ummm four or maybe it’s five years. Actually one of my very first followers, like literally one of the first six… we still follow each other, though mostly on IG not here. And I stay in touch with a few from that first year still but many many more have disappeared. Being as remote as I am, I am super grateful for my online friends and acquaintances. I few I feel a real, deep kinship with, even though we’ve never met in person. I think that’s pretty special.
I could get depressed about the ones who have since moved on, but I tend to just be thankful for and cherish the “friendship” while it lasted. And periodically they run through my mind and I think, “I wonder where so-and-so went off to…”
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us OD. You’re one of my very favorite people ever.
I’m trying to learn how to do that more, appreciating the relationships I have now. Time is moving so fast… it’s crazy.
I’m genuinely happy to have you visit. It’s like a fellow lighthouse just lit up every tine I see you post or comment lol I appreciate you my friend ❤️
That’s how I feel, too. I appreciate you as well and genuinely care about you.
Many I knew have dropped off. Some are still here and in contact. I am the one who has got bad at blogging this year and keeping up with everyone. There are a good few from.my early days still here and thriving in blogging, I can’t say I am thriving in the blogging space. Life has its dramas and that is taking over right now.