Sometimes it's difficult for bloggers {like me} to remember that a good part of their readers are not bloggers. And those non-bloggers are often silent lurkers {I was once one myself}. There's an invisible group of people out there reading our blogs who want to feel included and connected. I know that when I started this blog, I wrote for anybody & everybody out there who might happen to see my words. As time went on, and I was mostly in contact with other bloggers, I often wrote {unintentionally} my words for an audience of bloggers. That means that non-blogging readers might not have understood some of the lingo or cared about what I was referring to in my posts. May I apologize to my non-blogging readers? It was never my intention to make you feel left out. {I haven't received any complaints, but of course I can't hear the silent ones.} :)
I do know that you're out there! You, my real-life Facebook friend that stops by and reads when I share the link. You, the woman who found me through a search, book-marked my blog, and occasionally stops by to catch up. You, the subscriber and long-time follower who has never left a comment. And you, and you! I sense your presence. :D Thank you for reading! I do hope you enjoy your time spent here in my corner of the blogosphere!
Some of you may prefer to stay quiet and private by not leaving comments or sending e-mail and that's OK {I'm totally non-confrontational and a people-pleaser, so hey - I just want *you* to be happy - LOL!}! But some of you may be quiet only because you really don't know a lot about blogs or how to leave a comment or that anybody even cares whether or not you leave a comment! By the way, all bloggers *love* comments because it's a way of knowing that their words have connected or are appreciated. :)
Never left a comment before? It's easy - really. At the bottom of the post {at the top on some blogs} after it says who posted it and the time, there's a number of comments listed - like right now this one might say "0 comments." Click right on those words to take you to the screen to leave a comment! Now just enter your comment in the box. Below that, if you have a profile set up on Google, Wordpress, AIM, etc., you can choose that profile to post from. Or you can choose "Name/URL" and leave your name and a link to your site if you have one. If you don't know what any of that is - just choose "Anonymous" {not all bloggers accept anonymous comments} and include your first name in the box under your comment. When you're done, click publish!
I'll try to be more mindful of the way I write in the future, knowing that many of you readers are not bloggers! Please forgive me if I slip up from time to time. And you, silent reader, I'm waving at you right now - you can go ahead and wave back! You don't even have to break your silence to wave! :)
Are you a non-blogger that has questions about blogs - like how to comment, how to subscribe, what is RSS, how to find a specific post, and more? There are no dumb questions you know!! Just click these words right here: "Contact Me" to find your preferred way to get ahold of me and ask away! I'd be happy to answer {if I know the answer!}.
Um, never mind. Turns out that 2 posts were sent in 1 e-mail and I just didn't scroll down far enough. Oops. ----> P.S. If you are currently subscribed to my blog by e-mail {thank you, by the way!}, would you mind checking something? I recently subscribed to my own blog to check on it and then did not receive Tuesday morning's post: 7 Random Thoughts {After Only 1 Cup of Coffee}. Did you receive that post in your e-mail? If not, then I'm concerned that you may have been missing some of my posts all along and I want to keep a close eye on that - thank you SO much! :)
If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click the following words to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!
Have a blessed day friends!
