When you quit reading a blog…
My mom and dad both sent me separate emails asking what was going on (after reading my last post). Nothing! Oops. So I did exactly what I try not to do by writing that – make someone think I am withholding info. I’m not. Especially from them! Ha! I call them and blabber blabber blabber away.*
Thank you for your awesome comments. That was one of those posts where I thought, “hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have written that.” But I’d had it on my mind for about a year, and wanted to let it out. It’s older info. But sometimes, when I am trying to fall asleep at night, all of these thoughts fill my head and I have to get them out. So, here it comes, another weird thought:
Do you ever quit reading a blog because you feel like it’s bad for you?
A while ago, I subscribed to A LOT of health (i.e. “weight loss”) blogs. Some of them just contained news tidbits, but a lot of them were personal blogs of people struggling with weight loss. I was very much in the same boat (Ha! You probably remember those posts.) so I enjoyed reading them because I related so much.
But after awhile, especially when I focused more on running, I felt like some of the blogs became toxic to me. Reading someone’s constant, daily struggles with weight made me feel really weird. It made me feel bad. It was almost like I was feeling their daily anguish and frustration and disappointment, and it just made me feel… hopeless. It was strange. I had to put all of those blogs in a special folder in my google reader, and for now, I just mark them as “read” everyday until I am ready to look at them again.
It’s like they wore me out. It was too much of the same old thing. Which is ironic, because I get on those kicks all the time – health, bowling, running, travel… I talk in patterns. I think we all do a bit.
So I was just wondering if anyone else has had this happen. I’ve definitely stopped reading other blogs because I didn’t enjoy their style (which of course, is personal preference, and subjective), but this… was something different.
*oh, thanks for listening about my dentist bill, dad. I got it straightened away. They are covering the entire expense now.
Themocracy
It’s a good question. The only ones I have stopped reading have either been very repetititve or contained really negative stuff all the time. I like to either be entertained or informed; bottom line.
.-= Author’s last blog post… Advantages to NOT Running. Really! =-.
I read a lot of food blogs, and it’s so time consuming! Okay, reading blogs in general is time consuming and I would like to cut down…think of how much else there is to do other than read blogs! But people have such interesting lives…gah! I don’t think the blogs are bad for me in the way that you described above, but it’s more like they’re cutting into the rest of my life. I could be reading books, cooking, doing other more productive things! It’s hard to cut back though since you’re part of a community.
.-= Author’s last blog post… Yumminess: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough CUPCAKES =-.
I’m the same exact way about weight loss blogs. I’m very happy for people who become runners but when that is all they write about, I check out. But then again, I am that way with everything that has one note (which is why I hate the fact that my divorce has taken over so much of my own blog).
The weight loss blogs where people are constantly screwing up and beating themselves up bug me a little too. We all make mistakes but man oh man, the self-loathing day in and day out is too much for me to take.
.-= Author’s last blog post… Sometimes Tumbleweeds Actually Tumble… =-.
I have done exactly that, and that ‘wore me out’ sensation – I totally get that. When it feels not good for me, and/or it gets to where I’m dreading seeing what variation on the kind of thing they usually say it is this time, it is time to bail. My natural sense of loyalty is very strong, so this has been uneasy for me morally and emotionally in some cases. I do the math carefully & get myself clear on my reasons first. One lesson I’ve learned is to be a lot more cautious about jumping in with comments than I’ve historically been. I have a better understanding of lurkers, now. I don’t want someone to get used to my presence just to have them feel baffled or disappointed if I suddenly stop commenting.
I’ve quit reading lots of blogs for lots of reasons- time, content and if I’ve “broken up” with that person as an on line friend.
.-= Author’s last blog post… Took a Turn =-.
Yes, I have unsubscribed to blogs. They’re typically ones on which I never really commented or read anyway.
.-= Author’s last blog post… Let There Be Light! =-.
Good question. I don’t read one extremely popular blogger that everyone under the sun reads because she has wonderful ponderings but she never loses weight. To me it’s a “stuck” blog.
I think most of the blogs people are doing well, there are some that struggle really badly…but they’re not so negative that it affects me. I have stopped reading three blogs that I just did not care for the blogger. Making fun of people doesn’t do it for me, not being open minded or rather “my way or the highway” doesn’t do it for me, whether they lose or not, and snarky attitudes just rub me wrong. I find most bloggers are honest, sincere and I enjoy following.
The thing is…I just don’t have the time to comment like I used to. I will read through my RSS feeds and unless something really strikes me, or I’m congratulating a loss, I don’t comment. And that really stinks because I really like to be supportive.
In the end, though, as I always say…we must personalize our journey, and if that means not reading certain blogs, so be it.
I’ve always enjoyed your blog, even though I’m not a runner-I love watching your successes!
.-= Author’s last blog post… Honest Scrap Award =-.
Great question!
yes, i’ve definitely stopped reading blogs before, for various reasons. Either they post about the SAME thing all the time (I love food, running, and fitness – but it’s fun to mix it all up and post about random stuff some times, ya know?) or they are negative Nancy’s. I love to try and cheer people up, but sometimes it’s to no avail.
I ALWAYS worry if what I say on my blog could be misconstrued to make someone feel bad, and I really hope not. But, I guess we each get different things out of blogs – there are even some “popular” blogs that I don’t really care to read anymore!
.-= Author’s last blog post… BMI and Body Fat =-.
I have quit reading blogs because I felt that the people writing them had such serious mental health issues that they needed serious therapy and just blogging about it was not going to help. I actually found it irritating to watch them repeat the same patterns over and over again and it made me angry. So, I quit reading.
There’s one super-popular blogger out there who I still read even though at one point I was so angry with her. It’s like, for every 5 posts, 3 make me angry, 1 is hilarious, and 1 is informative. I stick around for the 2 that don’t make me angry.
I don’t mind if people only write about one topic (running, food, etc) but if I find that I can’t figure out their personality or I can’t differentiate between them and someone else then I drop them.
.-= Author’s last blog post… Keeper of the Newbies =-.
Hm, I haven’t found that any blogs are “bad” for me yet, though they do bring out the terrible and judgmental parts of my personalities.
I can see how weight-loss blogs could really be a drag after awhile though!
.-= Author’s last blog post… Very often, I amuse myself. =-.
I haven’t really stopped reading any blogs lately, but I have cut back on how much and how often. I have a lot of blogs I like, but I can’t possibly read them all every day. I’m a wee bit grateful for the bloggers who only post 3-4 times a week and not every day. It’s just overwhelming sometimes.
I have cut back on bloggers for a couple weeks at a time because they are soooo down and it’s just draining to read about someones hard life ALL the time. My life is hard enough – I don’t need to wallow in your hard time daily as well. But then I come back a few weeks later and read again–but I don’t go back very far in their postings.
I’m pretty loyal to who I like- but not very committed I guess. 🙂
.-= Author’s last blog post… Random Thoughts Tuesday – Random Thoughts Edition =-.
I’ve definitely stopped reading certain blogs, mostly because the content just didn’t do it for me. Lately, I’ve been looking at more running blogs, while still reading my usual “health” blogs because with my increases in mileage has come an increased desire to run in general and run in races and such, and I like hearing about all the other people’s experiences…like people peeing their pants in the middle of a race – HILARIOUS!
I try very hard not to be negative in my blog, unless it is something that I really struggled with, like my last long run…I felt that I needed to share my experience with it, so that I could remember it better and do things differently the next time.
I love that you share things with us, like “pet peeve” sort of things. I think honesty is one thing that always makes me want to read more of a blog, and I love how honest and open you are!
Have a great Wednesday!
.-= Author’s last blog post… Double Digits are NOT for the faint of heart. =-.
Ummmm, yeah, I’ve quit reading blogs for countless reasons. Sometimes I just don’t have enough time, so the blogs I relate to the least get ditched. Other times, I begin to see the person behind the blog as someone I don’t like. Ditch it. And other times, I realize I just don’t have anything in common with the content of the blog and question why I was reading it in the first place. Ditch. I see no problems quitting some blogs … just consider it an opportunity to find new blogs that are more in line with your life.
.-= Author’s last blog post… Colorized =-.
I subscribe to a bunch through RSS and read them regularly. I tend to add people when they comment on my blog and follow theirs for a while. I will unsubscribe if I find myself skipping over them too many times in my RSS reader for whatever reason, mostly the same ones others have mentioned here. Reading blogs isn’t a job, so if someone doesn’t make it interesting for me or their posts make me feel anxious, I just stop reading them. I expect people to do the same for my blog. I’ve had long periods where I was stuck or did dumb things. I’m always just happy that anyone reads at all!
.-= Author’s last blog post… Uptick =-.
I have stopped reading several blogs over ther years but I remember leaving one specifically because the writer was always so negative. I understand the concept of purging the evil out of your system onto a blog but enough is enough. I just got to the point where I didn’t care anymore.
.-= Author’s last blog post… Hodad =-.
I always worry that I’m writing the posts that no one wants to see anymore. Ha!
Yes, some blogs I have had to depart when they become self-destructive…whether psychologically or health-wise.
Yep, I hae quite a few blogs too. there are amny different reasons, their tone shifts to something I am not intersted in, they stop writting etc. I look at it as a way to move on to other blogs.
I’ve unsubscribed to blogs. It’s usually b/c I added them to google reader then it never really clicked for me. I often think I’m a bit repetitive and people will get bored with my running/traveling nonsense too 😉
.-= Author’s last blog post… Taper Time for this Stinky Runner! =-.
Maybe not so much bad for me, but more along the lines of losing interest on someone constantly talking about how bad things are in their life. This happens on Twitter as well. It’s not that I don’t think people should refuse from venting, but when there’s a 98/2 ratio on bad/good things happening to them in life, it gets old. And especially if the writing doesn’t grab me in the way of reading it garners my continued interest in seeing if said people will actually turn around their bad to good ratio.
I like consistency, but more progress than regress.
.-= Author’s last blog post… Scooter Sunday – Season 2 Ep. 12 =-.
Sometimes I’ll subscribe to a blog and then after a few posts decide it’s not something that I’ll enjoy spending my time reading. Some blogs I’d love to read but just don’t have time to!
.-= Author’s last blog post… Destination: St. Louis =-.