Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are

This is not a new rant.

It is a continuation of a very old rant.

Why, oh why, do bloggers think they can simply disappear off the face of the earth, with no notice to Grace (or anyone else that I know of)?

The latest is "All Financial Matters," which I started reading even before I started blogging. The author was (is) much too conservative for my tastes, but the information he provided was always timely and provocative. Not to mention that he gave my blog a boost in one of his posts which sent a whole lot of readers my way early on.

So one day he's there, and now he's not? What gives? Death? Coma? Boredom? Fear of exposure?

Obviously, I consider the first two to be the only viable excuses.

At least when "Mrs. Micah" decided to depart the blogging world, she left a final post. (If you click on her link now, you'll find yourself at "Finance For a Freelance Life.") Which brings up another question. What's up with 'selling' one's site? It makes sense to me if one just has a general informational site. But if it's personal, if we're learning about the blogger's husband, kids, grad school life, etc., then how is that transferable to someone else who buys the blog?

I do get that it's about money, and readers. Buying a blog comes with a built-in readership. But if most of those readers were tuned in to the personal stories, do they stick around?

I dunno. I no longer read "Mrs. Micah" regularly. On the other hand, I stayed with Trish's transition to Beks over at "Blogging Away Debt," so maybe I'm being too critical.

What I really hate about disappearing blogs is being left in the middle of the story. Did Immer at Mein Taglich Brot find another job? Is Dawn going to save her house at "Fighting Foreclosure. Getting Nine Hundred?"

I don't know about inquiring minds, but Grace definitely wants to know!

I've been posting for exactly three years. About every six months, I go on one of these rants.

Expect more!

24 comments:

Barb said...

Writing an article every day or so take time, inspiration and effort. Real live gets in the way sometimes

Nicole said...

Ha! I know what you mean.

I also thought the move to Beks worked well... that blog was about getting out of debt and it worked with someone new. It helps that Beks is interesting!

Don't you ever disappear, Grace.

Grace. said...

Well, yeah! IF one has to write ARTICLES! I tend to just blurt out whatever is crossing my financial mind, and I certainly don't do it every day or even every other day.

Steve's wife, Beth said...

I LOVE reading whatever crosses your mind, Grace. I was very grateful when you bounced back after your surgery.

I still miss JW. *sniff*

BUT I know I would be one of those bloggers that goes MIA for long stretches of time, and for that reason I've never started a blog.

Anonymous said...

Grace

Thanks for the posts about the disappearing bloggers. It helps keep them in mind. I too wonder how they are doing in their journeys.

TEN

PS: I still wonder how JW and family are doing.

Anonymous said...

Yes, JW, and Budgeting Babe, and now Bouncing Back from Bankrupcty. Where did you go?

Florence said...

I still miss JW too!!

enoughwealth@yahoo.com said...

I don't mind blogs disappearing without notice -- it's all those darned blogs popping up without any warning that get my goat ;)

I rarely miss a blog - the exception being 'We Need to Be Debt Free' by JW Thornhill. That blog was a cross between 'Days of our lives' and 'Beverly Hill-billies'. He was either wonderfully frank and suffered an amazing string of bad luck, or else was a talented writer of fiction. Apparently some stalker/reader decided to let his company know about the blog, and he had to delete it in order to keep his job.

Sharon said...

I'm not quite understanding the whole "selling of the blog" either. Very strange. I'm here for a while Grace, but if I decide to leave, you will be the first one I tell! :)!

Anonymous said...

He's not gone. His blog was attacked and Dreamhost took it down. It's back up with another host.

frugal zeitgeist said...

I've been feeling guilty about how little I post these days. Life is pretty complicated in non-financial ways at the moment, though, and that's taken my attention away from blogging in a big way. Hoping to kick-start my motivation before summer ends.

I always enjoy your posts, Grace. Keep on keeping on!

Grace. said...

Anon,
If you know where "All Financial Matters" went, please share the info. I miss him. And I need to fix his link.

And for the rest of you, JW is still missed. It is just so petty that some troll took it upon themselves to tell his employer. And oddly enough, hardly any of his drama concerned his employer.

If anyone knows how he's doing, I'd really like to hear about it.

You know, just before I had my surgery, I actually wrote out a 'final post' and put it in the envelope with my will!! If I go away, y'all will definitely hear about it!

Anonymous said...

Here's the "All Financial Matters" site:

http://allfinancialmatters.com/

Grace. said...

Well, what do you know--there it is! Hmm--the site was down for 12 days due to a hosting error. Well, I'm glad I found it again (with some help!)

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Hey! I'm still here.

Anonymous said...

I also dislike it when one of my favorite bloggers disappears with no final post or anything.

I do think selling the blog is great if it's the right time for them. They can always start another one, right?

Anonymous said...

Hi Grace,
I enjoy your posts. I hate when the blogs disappear too. I hope Immer at Mein Taglich Brot and Betty at Bouncing Back" are doing okay.

Take care,

Deb

Grace. said...

Well, Immer's gone but I assume Betty has been too busy cleaning out her closet to post. I do expect to hear from her again.

Sam said...

I used to have a note on my blog that if I disappeared it probably meant that I got bored or busy or was actually dead.

I'm all about managing expectations :)

But I still miss one blog I really loved, Seattle Simplicity.

Grace. said...

Beany--the first two are completely unacceptable to me, your faithful reader. I'm still considering the third.

Crystal Stemberger said...

I'm right with you...I was even in a small blog group with Simple Life in France and she has simply vanished. No final blog post and no email to the group for 2 months.

If I die, my husband knows to tell everyone. If I just want to sell or stop, I will tell everyone. Heck, even if I'm dead, if ghosts are real, I may still blog...

So, yes, great rant!!!

Anonymous said...

Ok, Grace, your rant worked and I am back posting (Immer of Mein Taglich Brot). I tried commenting yesterday and my comment went poof so I will try again. While I had decided to discontinue the blog in a weak moment, I have had a change of heart and am back. Thanks for the shout out and thanks, Deb, as well for your concern.

If you read the post I put up yesterday you will see what I have been doing for 2 months. Stressful time indeed. Blogging, though, does help me and I have kept up with all the ones I follow.

One change with my blog at this time is that I am dropping the pseudonym of Immer and going with who I really am - Julie. Thanks for your support.

JLP said...

Grace,

I'm very sorry about my blog. If you read my "12 Days of Hell" post, you know the story. It was embarrassing and I'm still recovering traffic-wise.

I appreciate your thoughts.

JLP

Louise said...

hello Grace, thought I'd catch up on my blog reading and I saw this post. I've actually decided to resurrect my old blog and was checking links and I'm surprised at how many bloggers have just disappeared!