Are we attention whores?

It’s been said; “Every writer needs a reader”, but is that true?

I realise I can only speak for myself on blogging, and when I do I say I blog purely for myself. For me Blogging is a vent for … well, whatever is brewing away in my head at the time, which is why you don’t see me blog daily or at set times, I’m here when the muse strikes.

I’ve blogged before about being ‘Internet Famous’, although that was more focused on cosplay, today I’m looking at bloggers.

As bloggers we write, and we take an interest in the writing of others, at least I do, and from what I see online so do others. If people like what they read and agree with it, they’ll share it for others to read, sometimes they’ll even share it if they don’t like what they read when it’s particularly well written.

This is all great and how I would expect a blogging community to work.

Where my initial question comes from is when I see bloggers asking for follows and shares. Do these people live on the likes and follows from faceless internet denizens?

Do they gain sustenance from the numbers of page views their blogs or linked sites get?

Almost. From what I can tell they run websites that hook in to various monification schemes, and their blogs link to their websites where you can see their blog in all it’s glory along with other content they put in there. While at their site you see ads and Christ knows what else by way of other cash generation tools. For some people it’s their living – if you believe the hype.

People who write well, and on topics that will generate clicks will do well, others (like me) not so much. This is why I didn’t go that route.

I feel sad for people who have to whine ‘please follow my blog’, it smacks of the cosplayers in my previous article who would post on community pages “Please like my page, buy stuff from my store”.

What these people are missing is any apparent cognisance of the pillars of marketing. If they’re in it to make money – which they seem to be from what I see, they need to take a better grasp of marketing. Some bloggers do it really well, some really don’t.

One of the worst things I’ve seen was a complaint from a blogger that came across more as a stroppy child getting their way, very much in a ‘It’s my ball and if you wont’ play my way, I’m going home and taking my ball with me’ way. The thing is – this is the internet, we have loads of balls, I’m sure we’ll find someone else to play with.

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