When do You Give up on a Blogger?
As I look through my bookmarks, I see I have quite a bit of de-thatching to do. Some of the general links are still interesting, and I had forgotten I had them. Some of those filed under "English blogs" and "American blogs" are most disappointing. Writers I hadn't checked with for a while have not written for a couple of years: sometimes I get the dreaded 404 screen.
I had to start with the blogs I reference on my own blog. I had a section titled "bloggers I know". When I re-started my blog after my hiatus, I found that most of them were no longer writing either. I chided them gently, as only I can do. At least I knew they were still living, but I have now deleted that section.
Many, many years ago I joined a group called The Ageless Project. Members' sites are listed by decades. One is from the 10's, ending with a lovely obituary for Grandma Julia. There are 20 from the 20's, four still extant, three with obituaries, one recently celebrating an 89th birthday and ten with last entries ranging from 2006 to 2013. The 30's boast 47 blogs. You can see where I am going with this, so no analysis. I wonder if anyone still edits the Project and I wonder if it is right to remove an author who has not written for a year or two. After all, I took a hiatus.
One of the authors on the 30's list, just a couple before me, is John Bailey, aka the Old Grey Poet. I read him faithfully, every day, for years and years and enjoyed him so much. He became ill, and wrote a note of assurance on July 1, 2013. I check with him regularly. He is four months older than I am. My other enjoyable elderly English blogger is John Copeland. He will turn 80 this year and then intends to retire from blogging and computers. I shall miss his acerbic comments on life in contemporary Britain, and I think he'll miss having a sounding board for his views.
Of course so many bloggers stop writing for reasons other than old age and death! I guess I'll just have to find other criteria for culling my bookmarks.
Maybe it is a good idea to provide someone with passwords to access my blog so you won't ever think I have just voluntarily gone away and left you.
6 comments:
This has been a subject on my blog before, what will you do with your online life….
I find it very annoying to find a blog I really like, stick it on my blog roll and then never see an update, or rarely an update on the blog. The very least a blogger can do is leave a note that they will be gone for awhile if they plan to not write.
Of course, then there is the possibility that the writer no longer exists. And that is why one should make arrangements for their material, just as one would their bank accounts and such.
I'll go back and find your post. I have always assumed, in the light of statistics, that posts exist with "duplicate" subject matter, but I have never come across them. Strange that!
I have also wondered whether it is worth citing other blogs just in case the authors fail to continue writing, but I decided the onus is on me to edit and not on them to do what pleases me.
Blogging is complicated!
Hi Beryl
Great to find your blog. I see you are a friend of John Bailey in Wales
I met John many years ago when I visted London for the first time, I was a house guest with him and Graham when they lived in Wachit. John hasn't posted anything on his blog for sometime and I worry something bad has heppened. I would appreciate any news you might have
thank you very much, John Hough
John, I share your concern. I can't claim to be a friend of John and Graham, but I have followed John's blog pretty much from the beginning. Our slender affinity comes from the fact that he was born about three months earlier than me and we shared a similar upbringing in England. I check his blog from time to time—a year now since he posted and in his earlier days it was every day. If you find out anything, please let me know.
Hi Beryl,
Just found your blog. I was googling "old grey poet" after having found out that John's blog doesn't exist any longer. "Blog's domain expired" says my screen. It's terribly sad. Just like you I've been a daily reader of John's blog, loved it and kept hoping he'll return someday.Hope he's fine though, Graham's still on Twitter. I wish we could tell John, hi, we're friends and we wish you the very best.
I found that note about the domain too, Brigitte. It just didn't seem like John not to leave a farewell note if he was going to let the domain expire. As long as the domain existed, I always wondered whether he appreciated "What has happened to you?" notes. As for Graham, I don't "twitter", but if you hear anything, please let me know. Thanks for getting in touch.
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