I have been thinking about blogging...what it means to me..why do I blog...etc.etc. I have been told a couple times from a few people that blogging is kind of not real...well at least the friendship part is not real. That online friendships are limited in some way. I have also been told this week that if I took an extended vacation..say three weeks away..told you all I was leaving but returning...I would return to find I was all alone here...abandoned as folks would flit off to the next online thing. As if being online equates to being cyber ADD. That anyone who we care for here is just a passing cloud in the cyber sky and is not somehow substantial.
Hmmmmmm...so I am going to give you my thoughts on this. As a logical female and a Libra...I have weighed this from several sides. Here is what I think...that you get out of blogging what you invest. There are certainly folks that are here and gone and even some that are here for a while and gone. I have had folks that I was really fond of that just left...no real message or reason..just gone. Sometimes life out there effects how much time we have here..I understand that too. Not everyone I meet here will be a dear friend..some I might think I know only to find that they are someone else. Yup that is truth here in cyber space! Some of what you find here is in fact...not real..as some of the folks you meet here are not for real.
But...I without a doubt will tell you that there are a large number of folks here that I dearly wished lived closer to me so I could sit and have coffee and give a real hug to! There are women here that I pray for and deeply care for that I know do the same for me! We email..we chat..we support each other up in our lives and sorrows and joys. We cry with them, we laugh with them and we happy dance with them. How is it possible that that is not a real tangible thing?? Simply because I do not see you in person does not mean that it is not real...I truly feel what I write here..and when I leave a message on someones blog..it is not because I feel I have to..I respond to posts that touch me..what I write I mean...I think most of you do also.
As for folks following the latest thing online...yup they do...some come and go and flit from here to there like little birds. But there are a large number of folks that I have know here and on FB and in Groups for years...we all follow each other around and follow each others lives. Just because I can't see you does not mean I do not find our relationships real. Like in life some start and some end and that is the way of things...but some are amazing, wonderful...I love that!
So I guess what I am saying is this...I find my little spot here in the cyber world a real place. Even though I cannot meet with you for coffee..you all know the real me...the one that comes from my heart...not the clothing I wear or my income or any of that...its me..the real me. Take me or leave me...but to me it is real and I love being here with you all!!
Hugs and Namaste, Sarah
30 comments:
Sarah, I agree with you with my whole heart. This community is real and because of it I have been blessed with a wonderful collection of real friends(you included of course). I'm not sure why some leave without a word or why some decide to pretend to be who they are now, but what I do know is I'm joyful of those who are truly VERY real in my life.
Lots of Love!!
I agree too! Not everyone who follows my blog is a friend but my loyal core of followers I do consider friends and very much enjoy interacting with them.
Well said! Totally agree just because we don't see one another doesn't mean we don't have a real connection and a true friendship! I have meet the most amazing and inspiring friends here in the blogworld. People like you! Now if I could only just hop the next flight. I'd love that coffee! I've got a 3 year old 3 am sleep walker!
I think whoever said that to you is full of beans! Take a three week vacation or a three month vacation and I will still be here waiting for your next post. Blogging and/or being a blogger allows us to find friends of the heart that we wouldn't be able to locate because of distance. I don't blog as you do because I am too private/don't have the words ~ but I wish that I could. Never doubt that your blogging friends will be there Sarah! :) Hugs ~ Brandi
~sarah...there is such truth in the words you have written this morning...friendships here are real...i see it kind of like a pen pal...except with a whole world to share writing and life and art with...pen pals, the one you wrote to about your day to day were real, right so why people have such thoughts on blogging well it is their loss...their opportunity missed to connect with an amazing community of gifted, talented and truly caring people. wonderful post and i value and honor your friendship that has come to be from BLOGGING...much l♥ve and light to you...warm wishes and brightest blessings~
so very well said Sarah! I too have found that you get out of blogging what you invest, such is true in a 'real' world as well...so may people we see and interact with everyday may not be all they seem on the surface either. I choose to believe because I am honest and care about my blooger friends that they doo the same. I have lifted others in prayer and they have done the same for me, we do indeed support and encourage one another, we cheer each other on, lend an ear when one is needed, give a shoulder to cry on, communicate and share via snail mail, if this is not friendship, what is?
Well Said!
And you have blog people who stop by every day,don't leave a comment but thoroughly enjoy your posts and pictures. I have been following your blog since the One World, One Heart giveaway. Your comments are so true I have met people in Australia, Wales, Canada, the U.S. that I never would have connected with without my blog. I don't expect these relationships to last forever, just enjoy the now. One or two have left and I felt sad at their going but that is life people come and go. Thanks for your blog, it is part of my day!!
Sarah, what a wonderful post, before I started blogging I just thought it would be a place to write my thoughts, I have met some wonderful people, and I admit I am saddened to see them go. I am so grateful to most of my blog friends, because we share what is in our hearts and minds. I have some friends in real life that I don't open up to as much. Is that wrong, no I don't think so. I have people on here I connect with on a daily basis and I have friends I see maybe once every 3 months. on here we take the time for each other, and we can find like individuals with similar interests. I would be lost without it. I don't spend every moment on here, and when I am away I am not detoxing...lol. I have met people I never otherwise would have. so I am going to keep blogging, even if some people think I am crazy and that it is not real....One other thing when I became ill, it became a pretty isolated existance, this makes my mind keep working,being hopeful and optimistic about kindness in the world. You could leave for six months I would still be here...hugs to you. love your post today.
Amen!
What a lovely (and realistic) perspective on blogland. Thanks for sharing such words of wisdom!
Hello Sarah! Bravo lady, tip of the cap! i love this post, you take the words right of my mouth at times! I think I have said this before to you, if I didnt blog, my world would be a very dull place! so many people such as your good self, incourage me to get out there, live life! Lovely post that puts the faith smack bang into blogging! I certainly consider you a good friend, and know in turn if you ever emailed me and told me you were lost in Liverpool I would stop everything to come and help you! lovely to read! ((hugs!!)) PS: I mean't every word too! LOL!
I was pondering on blogs in general today too but more of the why I started blogging and how I enjoy it so much having done so.
My hubby is asking me to do something for him so I will have to keep this short :-) I agree with you completely :-)
You've totally summed up how I feel about blogging. I have to say that since I've been working and blogging less, a lot of my blog friends seem to have drifted away, but the ones that matter still pop in for a cuppa and natter :)
Those that have vanished without a trace, even on their own blog, have left quite a hole, but that's just the chance we take with these fragile friendships.
I agree that just because we don't see each other in person doesn't mean we don't have a relationship. The people we get to know on the blogs share an understanding that what we write in posts and comments counts. It is sometimes important and serious and sometimes a huge load off our chests. You write a great post like this and we all can step up with you and let it be know it is real.
Very well said Sarah! We are indeed real people and real friends! And if you left for three weeks or three months, we would miss you, however we would all still be here welcoming you home! Now if you left and didn't say anything, well I do think your e-mail would be over flowing to check on you. And I usually have coffee while reading my blogs, so we do have our coffee together. I always leave with a hug. Wishing you a tranquil week!
(((HUGS)))
You're absolutely right, Sarah! And I've never found any problem in taking a hiatus for whatever length of time. I usually leave a little note telling people I won't be blogging for a while (just as a courtesy), but I find all the regulars reappear when I do.
Hi Sarah,
I totally agree with your thoughts & feelings you wrote about blogging and the internet.
I have met so many wonderful people, some are there for a while, some longer, some leave and you never hear from them again and it really does make you wonder.
I have found that the less I blog, the more "followers" I lose and the less people comment. I use to be more "open" online and would ramble, but was hurt by online people. So yes, they are very real! Especially to me. Some can be very kind and then there are the "bad apples", that hide behind the computer, say and do whatever they please and do not have to answer to anyone.
Thank you for making me think of online friendships today. I do enjoy making friendships on line and do consider them very real. Have a great day.
~Tonya
Sarah, once again I agree with you completely!
But I do feel that real friends will be there when someone returns,and will have no doubt been trying to find out if you are ok, in the meantime!
Major Hugs!
Hugs, I'd still be here! and also fantastic new header!
Oh Honker you are so right...u are my bff..lol...Im aways here for you as you are for me. We share so much...If someone cant take the time to realize there are real ppl behind the blogs then its their loss not anyone elses. Love ya honker...
xoxoxoxox
Oooo ooo great post!! I also agree, I have met wonderful and amazing people here on blog world, groups, customers, etc. Ladies that I have become so close to that I feel like I've known them forever and visa versa. I had an Ebay customer that I became very close to and when she passed I was lost, lonesome from lack of emails, cards, notes, etc. A very dear friend had passed away and I realized we really do touch each others lives more than we realize and I feel blessed to have known her and each of my non visual friends. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but if you are sightless you feel it in your heart!!!
((Hugs my dear friend!!))
Brenda
I was thinking about what you said about friendships how some stay and others leave, sometimes without so much as a goodbye. Outside the cyber world it is like that as well - sometimes real life just interferes with friendships and we move on. Other times, people just move on because it is just time to move on - it does not mean you cease to be friends I think it just means that the friendship has fulfilled a need in our life at that time and it is no longer required. Usually in this case, it is a mutual choice that happens quietly and without fanfare. Then there are those true friendships where the conversation just continues where it left off - maybe once or twice a year with nothing in between because nothing is necessary - you already know it is ok to just to be friends in that manner. My friends, online or in person, know they are important to me just because they are.
I think the blogging world is just about as real as the "real" world. There are so many people out there that you deal with in the flesh - that don't care, are spiteful, nasty, whatever. Of course, there are also wonderful people. Just like here.
Thank you for being a ray of sunshine in my world!
Well said Sarah! Sure there are hit and run visitors but the core group of people that follow a person's blog are VERY real and VERY supportive and VERY much appreciated on many levels. You summed it up perfectly-- and way better than I ever could.
Thanks and click of the virtual coffee mug!
xo
although I miss the personal side to blogging.. I have so enjoyed the many people I have gotten to know... love your take on it all
Sarah,
Just popping in to say hi. I've been "gone" for a while and were wondering what you've been up to. I agree with you that this " blog world" is a real world and that the relationships that are forged are real too. I'd say some of my most treasured friendships in the last few years have come through cyberspace. Love it! Glad you are well and thriving!
I agree 100%
Sarah I agree with you 100%. I have met women on here who know me better then my own family does. Yes some come and go but friendship is a gift I think so even if they were my friend for only one day then they added to my life. I've learned from from reading blog and watching what other women write and paint, younger then me, my age and older then me. We all have so much to give it amazes me how many wonderful people are on here. Some I've been in art groups with and the people here and there have become a part of my daily life. It's real, it's very real to me. Blogging and belonging to groups, has opened the world to me and I love being here!!
Here here. You've said it perfectly. People who do not blog or have online relationships just do not understand. And I think if I did not blog, I probably wouldn't understand it either. But it is real. These relationships are real. You are a real person, just as I am. And in many ways, getting to know people through blogs is, as you say, more honest. There's more disclosure and sharing of thought. I think people also forget that real-life friends are just as fickle. People come and go. Even your neighbors -- who knows if they really are the people they portray themselves to be. Ultimately, whether online or in the flesh, I think we can tell who our true friends are.
xoxo
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