Absentee Blogger, I Wonder Why

I did a little blog housekeeping last night. I went through my "Blogs I Try To Read" link list and added some blogs that I've been reading but hadn't gotten around to linking. And I took off some blogs that I used to read.

It's not that I don't like the removed blogs anymore. In fact, I really liked those blogs.

So why remove them from my link list? Well, the authors stopped posting. I'd check back and check back...and after several months of nothing new, I don't think the authors are coming back.

They've abandoned their blogs.

There's no "I'm tired of doing this blogging thing" post. No posts where the blogger even hinted that their entry on a cool movie was going to be the last post they ever wrote.

I know bloggers don't sign any kind of contract with us readers guaranteeing that posts will continue. If a blogger decides to stop writing, then it's clearly their choice to do so. They don't have to give us two weeks notice or anything like that.

Even so, this peacing out with no notice bugs me. I feel like I have a relationship of sorts with the folks who regularly come by here to read and respond to my pithy musings. I'd want to let folks know if I came to the decision that blogging was no longer for me. I wouldn't want folks to wonder if something untoward had happened to me.

My imagination runs wild wondering what happened to these bloggers.

Yes, I immediately think that something bad has happened to these absentee bloggers. I worry that they may have died. I worry that a controlling spouse found out about their blog and forbade them from continuing to post. I worry that the blogger had some sort of accident and developed amnesia, thus forgetting the existence of their blog.

In reality, they are probably just really bad at saying goodbye.

I wonder, if you have a blog, how long do you intend to keep it going? And are you the type to write a farewell post, or will you leave us all wondering and guessing what's become of you?

Comments

Anonymous said…
I intend to blog for the duration of my professional career (as a film producer / author / Liberian President).

If I ever did have to leave, I would say good bye.
Jameil said…
had some sort of accident and developed amnesia! hilarious. absenteers drive me insane!! and those people who say i'll be gone for a little while and they're gone forever!! i'm about to delete some people from the blog roll, too. HMPH!! lol. i just had this conversation the other day. don't get me all invested in your life, then just disappear, with or without an explanation!! lol. but you know what i think i dislike most? when people say i'm done blogging and then they're back a week later... DON'T PLAY W/MY EMOTIONS!!
the last noel said…
Yeah, I hate when bloggers flake. I mean, I've invested all this time in reading about their lives...then gone. Not good for a guy with abandonment issues.
I am afraid I would say goodbye and then the next day want to post again. Did anybody miss me? LOL I am also afraid if I get killed in a car accident my readers would never know what happened to me. I hate when people stop posting.
Anonymous said…
I've been blogging for 6 years or so- but have several old blogs I let die. My initial blogs crossed a few lines I didn't feel comfortable with, and another had my children's full identity and again I ultimately decided that was not a good idea.

So perhaps life changed or their view of their blog changed? A goodbye would be nice though. I have a huge area in my bloglines of abandoned blogs, surprisingly a few have actually come back to life. I am very comfortable/happy with my blog so I see being there for the long haul.
Anonymous said…
I don't have a blog but I love reading yours. Please don't abandon it! By the way, Thumper said to tell you hello.

Mouzhan
Ndelible said…
I hope I have the strength to say goodbye if ever I decided to stop the blog and post vacation or no creativity this month notices. But then, I've got a lot of old material I can cut up and post if I can't get my act together. I've just started my blog, and plan on keeping it going as long as it will have me.
Anonymous said…
i intend to blog until i no longer have anything to blog about... i guess, as with most things in life, i'll feel the end when it is approaching.

i do, however, go through times when i don't feel like blogging. sometimes those phases last a month. but, i always come back to it.

kari
Anonymous said…
I have a three-month rule. If a blogger hasn't posted in three months, they're off my page.

As for how long I'LL blog, I have no idea, but I hope to give a proper goodbye to my readers once I decide to quit.
Liz Dwyer said…
DJBA
Glad you would say goodbye to all of us common folk. Ah, when you are President of Liberia, we'll all be able to say we knew you then.

Jameil
You just made me laugh out loud! It's hard to delete folks, but when there's been no sign of life since Christmas, well, then I guess it's time to let the online "relationship" go.

Noel
Isn't it odd how connected we get to each other in the blogosphere? On some levels, it's understandable because we're human and our souls/minds connect. On the other hand, folks I know who aren't bloggers think it's weird when I say things like, "Oh, he/she's one of my blog friends." They tell me that no, those are strangers, not friends. But, we do know quite a bit about each other's lives and I do feel a sense of loss when folks stop posting. One blogger I particularly loved stopped posting and because of what I knew about her life, I worry quite a bit about her.

Cloudscome
I often think about what would happen to my blog if something were to happen to me. I suppose a practical thing would be to add a section to my will with my blogging login and a message to post. That seems so extreme, but I'd want people to know I wasn't around anymore. Otherwise, folks might just think I'm abandoning my blog too. And yeah, I wonder if folks would miss me too if I just stopped posting abruptly.

Yolanda
Wow, six years of blogging quite an accomplishment...and quite a commitment. I'm impressed! You deserve a medal!

I hear you on re-starting to make things more anonymous and to, in essence, redefine/refine yourself as a blogger. I wonder if folks will bring their blogs back to life or not. I hope that if they do, they'll get back in touch. They'll have a "reincarnated" blog.

Mouzhan
I'm glad you're enjoying reading my blog! It's very kind of you to say so. No blog abandonment happening here anytime soon...and hugs to Thumper from us (and a hug to you too!) Lar says, "Wassup!" and wants to know when y'all are coming to LA.

Ndelible
I so appreciate it when people put up their, "I'm away from my blog for two weeks" notices. It makes me not worry about them. I also like it when folks do things like pull their top 10 favorite posts and then link them all in one spot. It's a bit of an, "I'm gone but enjoy these in my absence!" kind of thing. You are off to a great start on your blog...so glad I found it.

Kari
But it seems like there's always something to blog about. I'm dying to post about Live Earth but it's too late at night and I need to go to bed...Anyway, I've noticed that I sometimes have a hard time posting when there's a lot of difficult stuff going on in my life personally. This space is personal in some ways, but I do not post about all of the small worries, hopes, dreams and fears I have. So, if I haven't already written about those things somewhere else, I find they're too much in my head, and then I have nothing to say here because I'm thinking about the other things. On the flipside, and to completely contradict myself, I have also noticed that I sometimes post more frequently when things are bothering me in my personal life...it's like I'm distracting myself from my own reality or something.

Ah, it's too late at night for these thoughts. Time for a snooze!
Liz Dwyer said…
Mojan
Oh you were commenting while I was responding to the previous comments!

I like the three-month rule thing. I think I'll adopt it so that I'm not worrying for six or seven months. And once your baby comes, you'll have that much more blogging fuel for us all to enjoy!
I also have a three month rule. I'll blog until I drop but as I drop I will send a short goodbye.
Liz Dwyer said…
Phillipe,
How short is short? "Bye"? :)
Kate said…
I like the three month rule, too. Seems like that is enough time to work through whatever life throws your way (or in your way).
Liz Dwyer said…
Kate,
Probably so...maybe that's why the seasons each last approximately three months. Well, depending on where you live anyway!
Oh, I got worried and had to check your link list. Whew. I'm still there! I was away for 10 days but I'm Back Now.

I don't intend to stop blogging. I am quite addicted, and have given instructions to my near and dear that if I should die, he is to post an explanation on my blog.

"I would like you to know that Susan died today. Bye."

He replied that I am a drama queen and walked away, so if I disappear and nobody knows why, it's not MY fault.
Liz Dwyer said…
HISF,
Of course you are still on my link list! How could I take you off? You don't count because you let us all know that you were going on a trip. And you were courteous enough to let us know approximately how long you'd be away so that we wouldn't get too anxious while we were waiting for you.

I can appreciate the use of the short, sweet and to the point explanation. That needs to get posted eons from now when I'm too blind to even read a blog.

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