Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Some Thoughts on Blogging and Emails

About a month ago, KarenTeacher left a comment:

I find your posts informative and useful, but I don't always remember to look for new posts - is there a way to subscribe to them, or otherwise be notified when you post a new blog post?

I wasn't ignoring you, Karen. I was doing some research. 

To answer your question, yes, there is a way to get notified about new blog posts.

However, I don't have that feature set up on the blog. I'll explain why.

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I've always valued readers' privacy. I think readers in Europe are required to get a notice about cookies and data collection when they visit the blog. What they see is a message from Google, which owns Blogger, which hosts my blog. I don't set the cookies, and I don't see any data about individuals who visit the blog. 

I do, though, get some aggregated data -- I know which countries readers come from, and how many come from each country. (I'm popular in Spain and Canada this week.) I know which referring sites you come from (like Google, or Facebook, or Lymphoma News Today -- the site you were on when you clicked on a link that brought you to the blog). I also know how many of you use which browsers and operating systems. I have no idea what to do with most of that information. Google collects all of that and gives it to me.

But I don't know anything about you individually. Not your names or emails, unless you tell me who you are. Some of you email me occasionally, which I really enjoy. I like making those personal connections. But I don't know anything about you that you don't tell me voluntarily.

And I kind of like it that way. I love hearing from you and getting to know some of you. But I don't want to force that on you. You deserve the privacy that you choose.

I'll be honest -- I'm not good at being a blogger. I think I do well as a writer. But there are things I'm supposed to do as a blogger that I don't do. 

For example, I don't do advertising. "Best practices" say that I should. I could make a little money off ads, but I don't like the cost to readers. When I was first diagnosed, I used to get all kinds of ads for things like life insurance and funeral homes. And I know it was because I was searching for information about cancer. It really turned me off of internet ads, and I decided I didn't want to do that same thing to readers -- ave ads pop up that made them sad. Ads are much more sophisticated now, and you'd probably get something tailored more to your other interests if I was using ads. But I don't want to add to all of that advertising online.

As a blogger, I'm also supposed to do things like add images to my posts. I could do that, too, I guess, but what kind of image would I use for a post on bispecifics? If  was going through active treatment, I'd post pics of myself. That's a very popular thing that cancer advocates do, and I love it. But given the kind of posts I write, it just doesn't make sense to me to try to force an image. I've been using the same template since I started the blog, with the lime green rectangle at the top. It's very simple. I think it keeps the focus on the words and ideas. It's not what I'm supposed to do, but I do it anyway.

I'm also supposed to publish on a schedule, so readers know that they can come to the blog, say, every Sunday and Wednesday and find new material. I don't do that, either. My schedule is too unpredictable to have a set schedule. Plus, some posts just take more time to make sure they are accurate and clear. A schedule would be easier on you readers, I know, but I just can't do it.

One last thing I'm supposed to do -- I'm supposed to get email addresses and create a contact list of all of my readers. And the easiest way to do that is to have an email sign-up for notifications. And then I'd have your emails. I guess I could use your addresses for something else besides sending out notifications of new posts, though, again I don't know what that would be. I certainly wouldn't sell them to anyone. I can promise you that.

So I hope that gives you some sense of why I do what I do, and why I don't do what I don't do, and why I might be reluctant to collect email addresses. 

*******

That said, if you all think an email notification would be helpful, then so be it. I can add the widget and put it on the site. It will take me about 30 seconds.

But I want some feedback from you -- I want to know that people have read this and understand it and are still OK with it. So if you want an email notification, tell me by leaving me a comment below, saying so. If enough of you are interested, I'll make it available.

And I'll feel better knowing that you know what you're getting into.



6 comments:

Mark S. said...

Hi Bob. I've been following your blog since shortly after my diagnosis in 2014 and can't thank you enough for the value of what you have written over the years.
Regarding the notifications, my general process is too check your blog (bookmarked on my laptop) every 2-3 days to see if there's a new post. Takes very little time on my part and works well. I suppose a notification would be nice, but I am fine without.
Merry Christmas - Hope you and your family are able to enjoy some down-time and the Holidays!

Anonymous said...

Hey Bon

I check your blog daily so a notification is unnecessary for me.

Please stay safe and have a Merry Christmas and Happy 2021.

William

Paula said...

Hi Bob, I think you blog is perfect how it is. I don't require notifications as like the last comment I check every 4 days and usually there is a new post (and sometimes to me delight there is 2). So for me it's perfect. Have a great Christmas Bob and a safe and Happy New Year. From Paula, Dublin, Ireland.

Graça said...

Olá Bob
Feliz Natal
Tenha um ótimo Ano Novo,com dias melhores

Graça ( mãe do Rodrigo)

Brasília DF

Brasil

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas. I don’t need an email notification.
I have it bookmarked on my iPad. I check every few days.
Your blog is invaluable to me. For information, for comfort, for knowing I’m not alone.
Thank you for your research, your time, for sharing with us.
Donna

Anonymous said...

I don't need a notification. It's just more email. Got your site bookmarked on my desktop.
As a follicular lymphoma patient, I really appreciate your blog. It's the best. Merry Christmas to you, your family and all your followers
Joe