Blogging Tip: Comment Selectively
The blogosphere is a community… and comments are an integral part of that community. But with so many good blogs to read, you have to limit which ones you subscribe to. And it can be challenging to make time to comment as well.
We all know blog authors appreciate comments, but how do you decide which blogs to comment on, and how often?
You can: 1) Read only a few blogs and comment faithfully, 2) Read your choice of blogs and rarely/never comment, or 3) Choose the blogs you follow, and then choose the blogs you will comment on regularly.
I’m attempting to do #3, so I thought I would share how I’m going about it.
I read blogs in spare moments during the day, and when I’m feeding Christian. I use Google Reader, and only recently I decided to divide my subscriptions into folders in order of commenting priority:
1. Blog Friends
My “blog friends” include those I’ve gotten to know… we read each other’s blogs. I like to comment on what they write, so I try to wait to read them until I know I’ll have a chance to comment as well.
2. Family and Friends
I also like to comment on my family and friends’ blogs. Most of them aren’t updated frequently so that’s easy to keep up with.
3. Personal
Personal blogs belong to people who have small-ish blogs and don’t necessarily read my blog, so we’re not “friends” but I love what they write. Sometimes I comment, sometimes I don’t.
4. Popular
Popular blogs are, of course, the biggies where my voice feels a little lost in the crowd. I know their authors still value my comments, but I usually only do if I feel particularly strongly about something they write.
5. Rarely Updated
And the rarely updated blogs aren’t really an issue because… well… they’re rarely updated. But I keep them because I like to catch what they write, even if it’s once every six months.
***
This method has helped me because I’m contributing to the blogs I read, but without pressure to comment on every one.
Based on your season of life, you may have time to follow 75 blogs and comment regularly on 25, or follow 10 blogs and comment on 2, etc. This is just a way to organize your reading and commenting to make the most of the time you have.
(I also enjoy commenting on random blogs here and there, and I like to visit your blogs when you leave a comment on mine.)
A heartfelt thank you to all of my commenters – you encourage me to keep going! And thank you to those who read and never comment… you will always make up the majority of my audience (that’s just the way it goes), and you’re very welcome too.
Your turn: What’s your method for reading and commenting on blogs?
Awakening
Sometimes he wakes up crying, but more often it’s a mild whimper… or playful squeals… or we open the door to check on him and he’s lying in the corner of the crib sucking his thumb, wide-eyed and waiting.
The reunion is always sweet. Though we see each other during the night, usually once, it’s quick and hazy and back to bed. Now he scoots hastily to the edge of his crib as I exclaim, “Christian! Good morning!” His smile pops out.
Chubby arms reach up and my hands encircle his small self, lifting him onto my hip. He slides comfortably into position, grasps my shoulder, sucks his thumb because he’s hungry but patient.
I hug his warm wiggly body and bury my nose in his downy baby-scented head. Time to change the diaper… I lay him down and he emits a high-pitched whine, nervously unhappy that he is not being fed yet.
When I wake up I think of my to-do list. My plan. My routine. Nap timing. Chores. The day is a blank slate waiting to be filled with efficient productivity. Vacuumed floor? Check. Cleaned bathroom? Check. Played with baby? Check.
Later, much later, I will remember. I am sometimes afraid that I will remember time management and good housekeeping instead of joyous days with my babies.
Jesus gives me the morning. My reunion with my little one. The weightless happiness of the beginning, when my own unmet expectations have yet to bear down on me. When I am not anxiously striving, feeling burdened and overwhelmed by my responsibilities
Diaper changed, I lift him back up. He fits so perfectly. We walk out to greet Daddy and a new day.
Renewed : 1,000 Gifts
“You are crossed in your desires, and so you are discontented and vexed and fretted about it; is that your only misery, that you are crossed in your desires? No, no, you are infinitely mistaken; the greatest misery of all is for God to give you up to your heart’s lusts and desires, to give you up to your own counsels… Think thus: Lord, you have laid an afflicted condition upon me, but, Lord, you have not given me the plague of a hard heart.” (Jeremiah Burroughs)
Being a new mother has introduced me to unfamiliar pressures, a hand tightening around my selfishness. My carefully laid plans go awry. My desire for undisturbed peace, leisure, and perfect order goes unfulfilled. I must constantly go against my naturally untalkative disposition.
Small sacrifices, these, made by millions of mothers before me, my own mother and hers, generations of crying babies at midnight, sweet neediness and dependence. Some call it the giving up of personhood, as if I am no longer Anna, only Mama.
No, my life became fuller when my son was born. I know the yearning of maternal affection, the gathering him to my arms’ comfort when he is crying.
But in some sense perhaps I am giving up “personhood” – I am being emptied daily, and I can selfishly resent my responsibilities when I am just. so. tired… or I can choose to lean on the suffiency of grace for patience and compassion.
***
244. Separation anxiety. It must be grown out of, yes. But I am the calming equilibrium in my baby’s world… and I love that for now.
245. Ibprofen.
246. Galatians.
247. Being invited over for a meal and uplifting conversation.
248. People who give and give and give.
249. Friends who are willing to share their struggles.
250. Long-distance friends who stay in touch.
251. Whole wheat chocolate chip cookies.
252. Christian’s two bottom teeth.
253. My dad buying a webcam for us.
254. My mom! and sister! coming to visit! this weekend!
255. The fact that I have all five of my senses.
256. The ability to walk.
257. Freedom from life-altering disease.
258. Knowing that no matter what happens to my physical body, I am being renewed inwardly day by day.
259. Having comfort in looking forward to old age, something the world only dreads.
260. Seeing true beauty in women I know, far surpassing magazine covers.
261. The way the blogosphere allows me to connect with like-minded women.
262. A visit to the nearby outdoor mall on Saturday.
263. Being challenged and convicted in my faith.
264. The Spirit groaning for me when I don’t know how to pray.
Weekend Links, Vol. 1
I enjoy some blogs’ tradition of posting links to helpful or interesting articles on the weekends. I don’t usually post much on Saturday or Sunday, so this is a good time to point you to content I’ve enjoyed lately (whether it’s old or new).
- Excuses or Change: What Are You Going to Make Today? :: Inspired to Action
- Being Productive With Those Spare Moments Around the House :: Zen Family Habits
- Just Another Toy or Glory Revealed? :: Thoughts & Whatnots
- How Long Does It Really Take? :: Productivity Your Way
- Picking up sticks like bones in a pile :: Here My Sweet Son
Happy Sunday!
Amy Inspired Giveaway Winners
Announcing the winners from my first giveaway…
I used random.org to calculate the the winners, but I couldn’t figure out how to save the image and post it on my entry. But I think you all will trust me, right?
I numbered the entries 1-21, and the first result was #18, which makes it Megan from Life & Wife of a Med Student. She commented, “I’d love a new book! And yay for your first giveaway!”
Edit: My second winner turned out to be ineligible because she lives outside of the U.S. I was sad because I hate to tell someone they won and then have them end up not winning! But I had to choose a different person. So I numbered the remaining entries 1-19, and the result was #13, which makes it Alison Joy. Alison said, “I’d love to win it! After you posted about it a couple of months ago, I checked my library system, but they didn’t have any books by Bethany Pierce. (I did, however, get my hands on Ann Tatlock’s Every Secret Thing, which I greatly enjoyed.)”
Congratulations, ladies! Email me at annakristine270 [at] yahoo [dot] com with your info, and I’ll get your books right out to you!
And thank you to everyone who entered! Happy Saturday!
This Is What I Love
This morning I am thinking about random small things. Flowers from God, as it were, gracing the path of life. Little pieces of beauty that can point to eternity and the ultimate glory of our God.
Appropriately enough, I’ll mention flowers first… beautiful peonies…
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Who doesn’t love roses?
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What about that fragrant cup of coffee, steam curling upwards, first thing in the morning?
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Or the golden glow of a candle in a dark room?
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I love the first page of a yet-unread book…
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Or an unwritten journal…
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Hearing or seeing a language I can’t identify charms me…
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So do the airy yet brooding notes of a violin…
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And beautifully-made clocks, particularly miniature ones…
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And the tangy sweetness of raspberries.
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All these things can be idols… and are dust… yet they are gifts when viewed rightly.
“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 4:4-5)
Book Review & Giveaway (Closed): Amy Inspired by Bethany Pierce
(Winners announced here)
I’m excited to be hosting my very first giveaway today, compliments of Bethany House Publishers, who sent me a copy of Amy Inspired by Bethany Pierce. (You might remember my mention of the book in the post Fiction I’m Looking Forward To.) Bethany House also sent me three copies to give away. I am giving one to a real-life friend and the others to two of you. I’ll have details of how to enter at the end of the post.
My thoughts on Amy Inspired:
It’s been quite awhile since I read a contemporary fiction book, so it was a treat to immerse myself in a well-written story (and it’s a little daunting to write a review!). I polished it off in three days. Bethany Pierce is a talented storyteller, and Amy Inspired was just as engaging as its predecessor, Feeling for Bones. I think the true magnetism of the story lies in the protagonist’s character development. Amy Gallagher let me into her head to the extent that I felt I knew her. Yet she was always unpredictable.
Though at times the plot felt slightly aimless, and some major themes (e.g., Amy’s relationship with her father) didn’t become apparent till near the end, the book captivated my interest all the way through. I love Bethany’s prose. Not only are there many beautiful tidbits, but her Austen-esque talent for apt, ironic statements made me laugh out loud several times.
Amy Inspired is a book about a writer. Books about writers, I am convinced, make up 50% of all books written. I still enjoyed another rehashing of the writer-figuring-herself-out theme, especially because Amy loved to make lists (like me). Don’t we all love to see ourselves in a story? And of course, Amy is more than just a writer. She is a woman exploring what it means to be almost thirty and single… her place in her family… the way she relates to men… and how her faith fits into her life.
I was disappointed by the “PG-13″ elements included in the novel. I’ve noticed in Christian fiction an increasing trend of including details that push the limits. I know it is considered old-fashioned and prudish to object to the frank mention of unmentionables and inappropriate situations, but most of them seem superfluous and unnecessary, added to please today’s readers who have an appetite for sensuality heightened by the licentiousness of our media and culture. These parts were not pervasive and offensive enough to ruin the story for me, but I wished I could edit them out.
And someday, I would love to read a contemporary fiction book that marries literary beauty with sound doctrine. Amy Inspired seems to pit fundamentalist (specifically, stale and hypocritical) Christianity against a more open-minded, less theological Christianity. I wish a story would pit stale and hypocritical Christianity against living and active and gloriously theological Christianity.
My favorite part of Amy Inspired? The ending… not because I wanted it to be over, but because it was creatively lovely and original. In spite of certain disappointing aspects, I truly enjoyed this novel and its themes of brokenness, death, eternity, reconciliation, personal growth, and love. The reading experience became what a good one always is: a refreshing stay in an imaginary world.
The giveaway:
As I said earlier, I have two copies of Amy Inspired to give away. My only specification? Please don’t enter if I know you in real life! 
I think that would be the best way to prevent a conflict of interests. 
To enter, just leave a comment below. For extra entries, tweet and/or Facebook the giveaway, and leave a separate comment for each. The giveaway will be open until 11:59 p.m. this Friday, September 24. This is only open to readers in the continental United States.
Happy entering and happy Tuesday!
Noticing : 1,000 Gifts
Written a couple of weeks ago. I published it then removed it because I felt that I was completely failing at it that day. Giving it another go today:
I’m learning that gratitude is not meant to be a brief hiatus from grumbling.
Nor is it a shallow list of creature comforts and temporary idols.
It is the practice of noticing.
Of quenching frustration and anxiety with truth.
Of not taking undeserved blessings for granted.
Of choosing to focus on His goodness when He gives and when He takes away.
I read these words in Martha Peace’s The Excellent Wife last night, and they pierced my heart like a dagger.
“The Christian wife can have that same passionate heart’s desire and continual delight in her Lord as she focuses her thoughts on what God is like (especially His goodness) and how He is working in her life to glorify Himself.
Where does such a heart come from? It is a grace gift from God to the believer… The wife’s responsibility is to ask God for that passion and then diligently to seek God through His written Word. She also has a responsiblity to cultivate a grateful attitude and thankfulness to God regardless of her circumstances. To cultivate a grateful attitude, she will have to deliberately think grateful thoughts to God even though she may not feel like it. God will do the rest, because it is consistent with His character that He answer such a prayer.
…Build contentment into your life. Frequently thank Him for your circumstances. Think about today and the future in a positive way, look forward to what God is going to do in your life and how He is going to be glorified through you.” (pp. 68, 70)
Frustation? Stress? Rising anxiety and tension? Grumbling? All a sign that I do not trust Him and delight in Him above all else.
I have much to learn.
So on this beautiful day, I continue counting… praying that this will be more than a list… more like a heart revolution.
229. Biblical teaching.
230. Friends with babies Christian’s age.
231. A husband who doesn’t mind me blogging about him.
232. A good night’s sleep.
233. Lots of friend time last weekend.
234. Lots of family time this weekend.
235. My beautiful cousin getting married on Saturday.
236. My dad’s opportunity to serve in Haiti again.
237. Sorted laundry.
238. Christian’s cuddly sleepiness in the middle of the night.
239. My Bible, with all its personal underlinings.
240. A baby who wakes up as I’m about to write #240.
241. Ann Voskamp’s book.
242. September.
243. Christian’s mobility.
The Unspeakable Gift
From The Valley of Vision:
To Create
Being made in the image of God has given us the capacity to be creative. We can’t speak a word and form life ex nihilo, the way He can, but through His gifts we can make something new.
I love seeing how others put the gift of creativity to use. Callie paints. My friend Jenni makes quilts. Grace decorates.
Language has always been my favorite creative gift. I miss practicing the art of writing during college, rather than just blogging didactically. I miss relishing the beauty of language and enjoying the rush of putting something into words just exactly right.
The other day, I came across this poem by Sara Sophia. It’s lovely. And it made me miss writing poetry. I’m not Emily Dickinson or e.e. cummings, but I still miss it.
Poetry can capture the impression of a memory in a way prose… or a photograph… cannot. I wrote my favorite impression-capturing poem during a drive from Ohio (where I grew up) to Chicago (where I spent my freshman year of college). (Previously posted here.)
I love the way the lights on Chicago’s skyline
turn into tiny stars when the evening sky
is sapphire blue.
Even though the other cars on the highway
are speeding past, an endless line of hurried traffic,
it’s a quiet night.
It’s my transition time, between home and school,
between family and friends, between old and new,
and each light, each moment, is a gem.
Some people say they feel insignificant and small
and even trapped and stifled by the towering buildings
and faceless crowds.
But I feel freedom and adventure. The air rushing through the windows
is warm, and musky with the hint of a coming summer
and I breathe deeply.
I want to take it all in, everything I see and feel,
and make it a part of me, this moment of possibility,
and this sky of city stars.
I wrote that for my Creative Writing class. I remember being in my sister’s dorm room, staring out the window and trying to come up with a “traveling poem” for the assignment. Suddenly that memory came to me and I wrote and rewrote for about half an hour until I had painted a still life with words.
I would love to hear your thoughts on creativity, and what it looks like in your life.
