This has been the topic of discussion lately. It seems everywhere I turn, there is a post about someone raving or ranting about the world of blogging and how it seems to be a competition! I hardly ever address these things because, lets just say, I try not to take anything personal. If I did my feelings would get hurt over and over again! Have you ever been on a bus and tried to get off and got pushed aside so someone else could make it through? Or in a grocery store and your reaching in the freezer to get that frozen pizza that looks oh so yummy but someone else is so impatient they have to shove their hand in front of you to save them 5 whole seconds. Blogging is kind of like that. Some people are impatient, some people leave mean comments on someones blog, just to do it: to be MEAN! People slam each other and that drives me bonkers. Lately, I have been seeing more and more people leaving each other hateful comments out of jealousy and rage. Whatever happened to "treat someone the same way you want to be treated?" I do not like seeing people getting bullied. When I was in high school. I was the girl who would step in-between a bully and the person getting bullied to tell them to knock it off. Leave positive comments instead of mean ones. Leave smileys instead of frowns.For example, I had one comment left last month about how I give such positive reviews. Of course when I clicked on their profile, it said profile not available. First off, I have the 100 page rule. If I don't like a book, I toss it aside for something else. Does it get a review? No, probably not. Why? Because how can I judge a book when I didn't even finish it? Maybe the ending was so great it made the whole book worthwhile. I read what I think I'll enjoy. There are too many books out there to read ones you don't think you'll like. Think about how many new books come out each year? I don't just read YA, I also read romances/paranormal. That is A LOT of books that look interesting to me! The topic of ARCs. Do I get them? Yes. Do I get a lot of them? Not like some others. However I do get most of them sent for the arc site. Do they go under my bed and hide or do I share them? I share them! I run Around The World Tours! Most of the arcs I receive go up on that tour site for others to enjoy! I like sharing my arcs. Even the ones sent to me for personal review, I like to share via the tours or giveaways. If I've read it, its time for it to have a new home. Do I squeal like a pig when a pretty arc arrives? YES! Do I do a happy dance when I find a new book that has an ISBN? Yes! Do I buy books? OMG YES! Most of my money that is not spend on rent/food goes to books. I'm the girl who asks for giftcards to amazon for Christmas. I love books. And that is why I blog! I love to read.My name is Cindy and I'm a bookaholic. Imagine that!! I like to go to a world where faeries and vampires exist. Where your dream guy can come alive and sweep you off your feet. (in my mind he looks like Chad Michael Murray or Wentworth Miller). Where anything is possible and gumdrops can fall from the sky. Do you get my point? I like going someplace where the grass is greener and the water taste like mint ice cream. Reading and blogging is fun. I love going to blogs to find more books to add to my future TBR pile. When I was a kid, I wanted to become a writer. In 5th grade, I won the statewide young writers conference. When I became a teenager, I had a xanga. I used to write all my day to day activities on there, at the time I didn't even think about writing book reviews. I may not have became a professional writer so instead I became a blogger who writes my feelings about books. For everyone who blogs, we all have part writer in us. I write reviews because I love to write and read books. Some people have lost sight of this. I've heard a lot of people saying blogging has become a popularity contest and cliques/bonds are already formed. To me, I don't really fit in anywhere. I'm just me. A lot of people refer to me as the girl who has the cupcake blog that looks so yummy. I even tempt myself to go eat cupcakes whenever I post! HAHA! I read a lot of blogs, I treat everyone the way they treat me. If you treat me with respect, I'll respect you back. If you badmouth me, it won't get a rise out of me but I also won't talk to you. I'm not a wimp, I'm the bigger person by letting it go. Just because you try to hurt my feelings, I won't hurt yours back. I'm not fake, I'm realistic. If you want to be my friend, lets be friends. If you have any questions you need help with, I'll try to help you (I'm not a genius so if you want to know how to bake that delicious pie your grandma makes I might not be able to help you). I hate that new bloggers feel left out. You shouldn't. There are a lot of us who will help you whenever you need it or if you just need an ear to listen to you. Yes, I've made a lot of online friends but one can never have too many friends. My point is, I heart you all. Thank you for taking the time to actually read my blog. I always read each and every comment. If you want to chat on twitter or by email, feel free to follow/email me. You are all my inspiration. You are all what makes me want to do this. I feel privileged to be a part of the book blogging community.Thank You All!!!!!! You Guys Rock!
30 comments:
Lovely blog post! I am glad you feel the way you do, I think some people take blogging entirely too seriously! It is supposed to be fun. A way to share what you love with others!
As for your 100 page rule...totally. I agree 100%! There are so many new books coming out each year, why would I want to drown in a book that I am not the least bit interested in? Positive reviews abound on my blog as well because I figure, hey, who wants to listen to me gripe about a book? ;)
I read your blog everyday and love your posts! If you want to come and visit mine (which is nowhere near as pretty as yours by the way) come on over!
http://roses7184.blogspot.com
Have a fabulous Friday!
Great post, I don't think people should take things so personally and be rude to other people for really no reason. Thanks for sharing your views. People should just learn to be nicer.
great post and Thanks so much for the ATWT tours--Its a wonderful way to check out books before buying them. We all blog for different reasons and its best to enjoy life with those good books.
I agree! I am not going to spend my time reading and reviewing a book that I could not get into! I blog for fun and I think everyone needs to realize that. Bloggers don't have to blog, and if I feel like only reviewing books that I loved that is my decision.
Also I think it is horrible that people really take it to heart that others are getting ARCs and they aren't. I don't get many ARCs and I am fine with that! That is one of the reasons I have joined Tour sites like Around the World Tours, so I can feel that amazing excitement of getting a book I have really wanted in the mail! And I get to read some amazing books because of it!
Thanks for your input on this subject!
In 5th grade I, too, wanted to be a writer :) I don't comment all that often, but I do read your blog. Plus, it's yummy!
I agree. Blogging is fun and that's all there is to it! People shouldn't treat is a competition because it's just a really fun hobby (well to me anyway) :) Great post :D
I think you have a great attitude towards this stuff. I'm basically the same with reviewing - I read in my spare time, so I'm not going to force myself to read a book I'm hating just so I can write a negative review about. That said, I do really try to be balanced and I occasionally worry that the lack of negative reviews on my blog makes it look like I'm just not that discerning. I guess I need to take a leaf out of your book and just not worry about it.
I've missed all the meanness that must be going around, apparently, and I don't feel bad at all about that! Some people take things way too seriously, and lose sight of what's important. Books, of course. :)
I've missed the meaness, too.
And I see bloggers, particularly other authors, with hundreds more followers than me. And that's okay. Quality is better than quantity!
I like visiting your site because I always leave craving cupcakes...
Awww Cindy...I heart you too! LOL nice to see someone who's not into all the hoopla of blogging. I was starting to feel like this was high school again. As a new blogger, it was almost like being new to a school and not knowing where to sit at lunchtime. Glad I can sit next to you!
Fantastic Post. I completely agree. Chad Michael Murray . . .me too! He had me at One Tree Hill. :)
I do feel like the blogging world acts like it's a compitition sometimes. That is not why I started. That's too much like highschool, and I would never want to go back there! I started because I was reading great blogs like Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf, The Story Siren and Book Crazy, and I thought, "that would be so much fun to do it myself!".
I have gone to old and new bloggers with questions, and they have all helped me out when I needed it. The sense of community I have felt with other book bloggers has been my favorite part of blogging so far.
Oh, and I call you the girl with the cupcake blog, and I mean it as the highest compliment! :)
Great post - I love your positive attitude and wish everyone would feel that way!
I love this post but hate that this issue had to be addressed. I’m a new blogger and yes I can see friendships have been formed by those blogging longer. Does it bother me? Nope it’s expected. I just try to put myself out there and make friends too. I also try not to waste my time reading books I don’t love.
Thank you for addressing this issue in such a positive manner. I love your yummy cupcake blog :)
This post was really interesting, and I 100% agree with you. People should be nice - if you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say it! That's my rule. I haven't had any negetive comments on The Mile Long Bookshelf but when I do, I'm just gonna link to this post!
Amber x
These are such perfect words to be said. I totally agree with you in every single sentence. I wish you the best! Your blog is awesome. I mean it! I visit it whenever I can. I don't comment everytime BUT I'll try to do it more often. Thanks for this post. I loved it! :)
Well said!!! I love reading all these ranting posts!!!
I love this post! Especially about the gumdrops falling from the sky and the mint ice cream flavored sea :) Oh...how the world would be a better place.
love the post and I love your blog, come here often even though it makes me want cupcakes all the time. I don't know why anybody takes the time to be hateful towards somebody else. I blog for fun and blog about anything, most of it is books because I'm a bookaholic too! =)
Awesome post, Cindy! Honestly, I don't know why everyone is getting their panties in a wad. It seems like everything will be find then some all of a sudden everyone is bitching about this and griping about that. I don't get it. It's reading. It's fun. Who cares if you give out more positive reviews! IT'S YOUR BLOG! Gah! It irritates me so many bloggers are having to defend themselves lately.
Cindy, you're my hero :) I love your blog and you're very giving, keep up the great work girl!
First off, this is the 3rd post I've read this week that has to do with the subject and I agree with each of you. Thanks for your post.
I thought reading and blogging were suppose to be fun, it's sad that there are people out there who think that leaving mean or rude comments will drag us all down. Jealousy and cliques shouldn’t be part of blogging. We may read about those subjects in books, but that's to be left in the books.
None of us are better then each other and aren’t each of us all here because we love to read and then talk about what we feel or have found in a book? If your here to just be mean then your here for the wrong reasons. I mean that's what I think anyways...
Thanks again for a great post. Your words are true and more people should follow them... and sorry for my little rant, it's just hard to hear and see how some aren't as happy as most of us are when it comes to blogging. No one should take that away from any of us. :o)
Bravo Cindy!
I have a 50 page rule and I state right on my blog that I only review books I finish and I have to like them to finish them.
You do so much for all of us bloggers.
Thank you so much!
I will eat a cupcake in your honor tomorrow.
As a new blogger, I have found that there are a lot of people that are very helpful and some people that seem helpful but don't really want to make room for you in their online life. I've really enjoyed becoming a part of this community, but it is so hard. I look at some people that literally started right after me and they are welcomed so much easier than I have been. I wonder if it is because I'm a totally new person in the group, and a lot of other people already have friends that are helping them, or if I'm doing something wrong.
Regardless, I have really enjoyed talking to you. You have made me feel welcomed from the beginning and I'm glad that we have similar tastes in books. Thank you for everything and I hope that our friendship grows as we continue to know each other.
P.s. If you want to share blogging tips, I'm all ears.
Bravo Cindy! I read, blog, and review for fun! I enjoy reading your blog everyday and really appreciate all of your hard work!!
Lovely post! I seem to stay in my own little blog world where I miss whatever drama is going around. LOL Then I see a bunch of posts pop up all of a sudden, and I'm like "huh, what did I miss now?"
I agree with you though, that I wish people would be nicer in general, and people wouldn't be so competitive about it all. Shoot I barely get any ARCs unless I win them, but I still have a tbr shelf full of books from the used bookstore. :)
Thanks for sharing that with us all. I totally get what you mean. You do a great job, if someone doesn't agree with your opinion they should just accept the fact that it is your opinion and you are entitled to have one. They should have enough respect for that.
Really great post. If only everybody could have as positive an attitude as you do! :)
I really enjoyed your post and that you took the time to write what I think a lot of people are feeling. I started blogging in order to have fun and am thrilled whenever I get new followers, but at the same time I am completely amazed that people want to read what I have to write. But I have to remind myself that is not why I began my blog.
I read many blogs because I enjoy reading what people have to say. I tend to skip over the negative ones and the ones that gripe all the time because that is not why I do this. I am usually looking for something to cheer my up. And I'm not talking about negative review either as people are entitled to their own opinion.
I have found bloggers to be extremely helpful whenever I had questions and I love the support that is out there. Thanks for your comments on this subject!!!!
And I love reading your blog!
Nice post... I don't get what the competition, clique thing is either. Do I have blogging buddies that I talk to alot? Yes. Why? Because I've made friends with them. Online sure because we live far apart but would we maybe be friends and go meet up at a bookstore if distance wasn't there? Probably. We get along. Simple as that. And I hate that there's some big thing lately about bloggers posting good reviews. For ALL of us, if a book does't interest us, we don't read it. We're already gearing ourselves towards liking the books because they interest us. I haven't really had any of these hateful comments... and I never leave them. If I can't say something nice, I don't post it unless it's on my own blog in a rant and my opinion- in my domain. You've worked to get where you are- with all your followers, getting ARCs, even teh ones for the tours- you worked for it, it didn't just happen. I think that's where the big thing is- the work that goes into this. But do i love new bloggers? Yes. 3 of the blogging buddies I talk to often are newish with smaller blogs. Do they still have book opinions? Yes. =)
My point: I'm a bookaholic too. And nice post.
When you were talking about new bloggers, I immediately thought about my best friend's new blog: http://naughtybookkitties.blogspot.com/
You should really check them out and spread the word, they're awesome!
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