Blogging conundrum

[greatbear]

It's been a long time in coming, and I have been doing what I can to keep things running as smoothly as possible here on my LJ as long as I could, but I am running out of options.

Either my LJ is a victim of it's own success, or I have overextended myself beyond a sensible involvement in it. Or perhaps it's both.

My friends list has expanded immensely over time. Keeping up with everyone's entries is time consuming. A couple hours can pass and I will gain a couple dozen or more new entries, not including those from communities or RSS feeds. In other words, by the end of the workday when I come home and unwind, I can be faced with 100 or more posts. Being that these are from those I feel 'closest' to on my list, I am faced with the choices of using a sizable amount of limited free time to interact with everyone, skimming over entries to try and find the most important ones (which is unfair), or simply reaching a cutoff point where I dont go back any further in my friends entries (even worse than unfair).

Likewise, I enjoy interacting with people who comment after I make a post. The time I spend reading and commenting on other folk's LJs takes away from the personal involvement here. This is part of the reason why my entries show up late in the day, usually the last thing before I hit the sack. It lets any comments collect slowly, and I can tend to them later the next day (I dont blog from work). I realize that many of you are in the same situation as I am, and can only read so far back. As such, my entries get missed in much the same way.

As much as I hate to say it, time has finally come for some major changes. First of all, LiveJournal has been eating into my time way too much. I simply have to spend more time doing all the other stuff and tasks that are part of daily life, or else I fall behind. As it stands, I am way behind in many areas. As springtime soon moves in, a lot of serious work needs to be done here. New roof on the house and garage, gardening and yard work, and more travel and activities that me and Jeff promised ourselves. I also need to consider my health in all of this. I used to be more active around here prior to the advent of 'net chatting and blogging. My hands were seemingly built with tools in mind, not a keyboard. And my realization that I need to create and spend more face-time with people means I have to spare the virtual socializing.

But I cant bring myself to cut off contact here with anyone. I made so many friends here. I want the virtual to become the realtime. I love to read about what y'all are doing and I love to share my goings-on with you. It's not a habit, it's a necessity now. LJ has become my sole online socializing space these days. What other online presence I didnt dismantle (Bearciti, BMB) have become simple contact points, and might be eliminated soon anyway.

Lastly, I dont want to go about trimming my friends list or compartmentalizing people into groups. I have already separated most of the communities and feeds into sub-groups to allow only you guys your own place. Still, I get overwhelmed.

In closing, I have a question for those with sizable friends lists. How do you do it? I know many can post from work or use mobile devices to keep in touch, neither of which is an option for me at this time. I already feel as if I am turning my back on a whole bunch of people here, and that is never my intention.

I'm lost.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I don't think anyone expects everyone to read everything they post. I know I read some of what everyone writes but there is no possible way that I can read all. I just read ALL of this post though. :-) I usually make it a point to carefully read a few entries a week from my friends. I also, because of very limited time, can't comment that much, but I usually set aside one or two "comment" times a week when I do nothing but go through my friends posts and comment.

Then again, I always like to keep my friends list to under 100 (though lately it's been creeping up) and a lot of those people on my friends list are not people who I feel compelled to comment. I have two kinds of people on my friends lists -- those who really are my "LJ FRIENDS" and those who have crossed my path via similar interests but with whom I have not rapport but still keep them there but don't feel like I need to read them or comment on them obsessively.

So I think you should cut yourself some slack. You know who you like to read, who you care about. You don't have to read EVERYTHING they write, but you can check in on them just like you check in on friends in real life.

No one in real life expects each other to know every single thing they're doing. The same should be for here.

Anyway, hope that helps a little.

I like you and you're one of the only people I know here who shares my love of ROCK (speaking of which I downloaded a great song today by a band called Holy Fuck. Maybe I'll post it for you.)

Okay, so you better not disappear entirely but I think everyone understands that we all have limited time.

Lots O Love,

KDD

[kdotdammit.livejournal.com]

I don't think anyone expects everyone to read everything they post. I know I read some of what everyone writes but there is no possible way that I can read all. I just read ALL of this post though. :-) I usually make it a point to carefully read a few entries a week from my friends. I also, because of very limited time, can't comment that much, but I usually set aside one or two "comment" times a week when I do nothing but go through my friends posts and comment.

Then again, I always like to keep my friends list to under 100 (though lately it's been creeping up) and a lot of those people on my friends list are not people who I feel compelled to comment. I have two kinds of people on my friends lists -- those who really are my "LJ FRIENDS" and those who have crossed my path via similar interests but with whom I have not rapport but still keep them there but don't feel like I need to read them or comment on them obsessively.

So I think you should cut yourself some slack. You know who you like to read, who you care about. You don't have to read EVERYTHING they write, but you can check in on them just like you check in on friends in real life.

No one in real life expects each other to know every single thing they're doing. The same should be for here.

Anyway, hope that helps a little.

I like you and you're one of the only people I know here who shares my love of ROCK (speaking of which I downloaded a great song today by a band called Holy Fuck. Maybe I'll post it for you.)

Okay, so you better not disappear entirely but I think everyone understands that we all have limited time.

Lots O Love,

KDD

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

There are times when all I can do is skim - just attach a few words to the icon and detect that I don't need to read the whole thing, about 2 seconds per post. And other times when I'm receptive and have some free time and can read most everything. You should not hesitate to not read and not comment when you've got 100s of posts backed up. You can take up the story at a later date if need be.

[thornyc.livejournal.com]

I budget my time on LJ.

I set aside a specific amount of time for posting, reading and commenting.

I read whatever is most recent on my friends page. I certainly miss many posts that I might enjoy reading. I live with that.

I mean, I like reading newspapers and watching TV, too, and feel no compunction to read every article or watch every show that's on.

[lostncove.livejournal.com]

I was trained a little in speed reading, and that helps with LJ posts. Admittedly, I skim, especially when time is low. It's kind of like a newspaper of my friends..."OK, everybody doing ok? Alright. Oops, here's something important, better read this."

[notdefined.livejournal.com]

I use the friends filter and set up a default list of those people whom I want to read regularly, the rest go in a group that I will read when I get a chance.

manage friends -> Manage Custom Friends Group -> default view

then just update the 'not in group' and 'in group' lists.]

That should pare things down a bit.

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

You totally don't have to read everyone every day. I tend to skim and comment less when people are cruising along normally. I concentrate harder when my friends are very happy or very sad, I usually find more to say at those times.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

I'm struggling too. My list is at 280 and counting. The computer at my new job has a block on Live Journal, so I can only access the site in the early morning at home, after work or on weekends. I'm still trying to read everyone's daily posts, but it's taking me a couple of house. Something has got to change. Good luck with your decision.

[envirobear.livejournal.com]

What more can be said in addition to what the other comments say so well? Just one little addition: I miss many daytime posts, too, but there are clues I pick up on in subsequent posts or comments or in other journals entirely that lead me back to the more important entries I miss. It stays manageable for me that way.

[sparkygearhead.livejournal.com]

How do I do it? Instead of deleting anyone, I made a "default view" category of only those people whose blogs I really, really enjoy. Participating in an online discussion group like LJ is like attending a party - you can't participate in EVERY conversation, or you'll drive yourself nuts. So focus on those people who make your day a little brighter with every post they write. I wish I had time to read the journal of everyone on my list, but like you, I don't.

[bearlover.livejournal.com]

Learn to speed read. I can get through about a dozen entries in less than 2 minutes if I'm not commenting.

[jacked01.livejournal.com]

I only read people I know in person and have met, i include those people who are best friends with them, i only keep 60 tops on my journal.

[detailbear.livejournal.com]

It's difficult to answer because you've said that you don't want to use groups. I've seen a lot of people have gone through your dilemma and most have ended up using groups. I have access at work, but only have time to read at lunch.

I have several: a NSFW one which I don't read at work; the default option which I read through daily; a secondary list that I read when I have time after the main list and a not-read for those people who want access to my locked entries but whose journals I'm not interested in generally. I scan that one on weekends.

As I see it, it's like other contacts. You memorize the phone numbers of those closest to you. You store other important ones in your cell phone and keep their e-mail addresses in your contacts list. For others you keep that e-mail they sent you in case you need to reach them, or you look them up on WhitePages or their LJ contact info.

Everyone has concentric or overlapping circles of friends. No one should be insulted if you group them for reading when you have time, if you have time.

[kevinesmeier.livejournal.com]

I don't have a sizeable friends list, but I do use filters. Not to shut anyone out, but so I can read just the friends entries and read the community stuff later. I could be easily overwhelmed by all the content at once. I use Semagic and made a custom list with my friends on it, then bookmarked that list in my browser.

But I still spend about an hour total a day on LJ. I can certainly understand how it can overwhelm and consume.

[baeritone.livejournal.com]

I have, in my time, had a sizable Friends list. I don't have it anymore.

Why? Well, you know why, Phil. Every six months or so, I trim. I remove people who rarely if ever post, and I remove people who don't seem interested in what I have to say, or in whom I'm not really interested anymore. In this way I manage to keep my list to around 60, and I've found that that is a good number. Besides, given the style and substance of anything I actually sit down and write (aka, not a meme) I find that 60 is about as many as I can keep semi-entertained. *lol*

Basically my advice is to not add any more and let attrition do the rest. Inevitably some people stop writing here. As that happens, cull them. And if you do spring and fall cleaning, like I do, announce it, and always allow that you may have made a mistake, and give people a chance to let you know that you have done via e-mail. It'll give you a chance to either re-add them or it'll allow you to give reasons for not doing so privately.

[champdaddy.livejournal.com]

If you figure it out, let me know. I'm in the same boat.

[msclwolf.livejournal.com]

hmmmmmm, some very good ideas above :) I like the grouping thing.

Consider what you would like to use LJ for, and focus on attaining that! For instance if it is for an amusing diversion that has become a chore then try to focus on the LJ stuff n peeps that you DO find amusing! There are many things LJ can provide..........!! Oh my, listen to me, a relative LJ noob dispensing pop psychology n insight (sigh) Someone slap me with a BIG WET FISH please ha ha ha