After a lot of thought, I’ve made a big decision: I’m turning off the comments on my blog (actually, the Universe already did)…and I hope you understand.
When I first started blogging in 2006, there was no such thing as social media. (Hard to believe, right!?) I would write and publish a post, people would leave comments and I would frequently respond asap. That was it. A sweet community of positive interaction.
But as blogging grew and social media exploded, getting comments from readers and followers practically became a sport – more about competition than connection. How many kazillion people can you get to read or like or comment on your update, rather than how might courageously sharing your story impact even one person? I’ve fallen into that trap many times over the years and it was rarely fulfilling.
Looking back, my favorite posts are still the ones I wrote when it was just me telling my truth, hoping someone out there might gain some strength or insight from it – but being okay with maybe never knowing that they did.
Satisfaction in the sharing, detachment from the outcome.
For me, there is something really intimate about engaging in this virtual space, this place that feels like a second home to me. Over the past year, that feeling has been magnified as I’ve shared the really real and vulnerable parts of my life, and offered insights into my connection with the spiritual realm. Even though the feedback has been overwhelmingly kind, the comment section here has felt a little bit like having a peanut gallery in my living room. I have sensed it, occasionally, impacting what and how I share. And I have felt guilty about not responding quickly or thoughtfully enough. And, yes, I’ve felt my shoulders sag on days when there are no comments to respond to. Too much ego wrangling for me. Eliminating the comments feels like the healthiest move for me at this time.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to connect. More than ever, I am loving the ease and community building of social media circles. On Facebook, for instance, I can share the link to a new post (or share art, a photo, a video, etc) and then get on with my day. I can return to Facebook later, when there’s a little distance between me and the emotions or energy around what I shared, and I feel better prepared to receive and respond to your feedback and shares. Seeing that a post has collected a whole bunch of “likes” makes me feel good, for sure. But more importantly, I think, the brevity of social media provides a good balance to the deep sharing I tend to do here on the blog.
Now, here’s how I know for sure this is the best decision for me and my blog. I had been hemming and hawing over shutting off the comments for several weeks. Then, after publishing a post here, I received a note from a dear reader: she’d tried to leave a comment, but kept getting an error message saying ‘this page no longer exists.’ When I checked the blog, none of the comments were working on any of the posts. Ha! Apparently, since I kept dragging my feet, the Universe stepped in and took care of things for me! Love that little vote of confidence from the powers that be.
I hope you understand. I hope you still feel welcome here. And I really hope we can still connect (Facebook is great, and I’m loving Instagram, too).
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Speaking of blogging, I’m excited to let you know that the ecourse I ran for three years – How To Build a Blog You Truly Love – is now available as a 310-page ebook! Yep, we talk a lot about comments…but far more about finding your blog’s purpose, your authentic voice, your perfect design, your confidence, your courage to promote, your ability to make money and so much more. Check out all the details over here.
