I think I know where you're coming from. I used to write about my depression, and I had (well, nowhere near the amount of comments you get, but) dozens of comments of people who could relate. I'm not depressed anymore so I'm not relevant in that way anymore. I used to write about our attempts to have babies, and I had dozens of people who could empathize. I decided to mainly keep those problems to myself, and I don't feel I'm relevant in THAT way, anymore, either. Now I just pretty much write about my daily life, and I have three readers. Three. No way I'll be making $40000 a month off my blog ;) And yet I keep writing, because I write for me... but sometimes I think back to the days when I'd get lots of comments and trackbacks ( OMG TRACKBACKS!!!) and wonder if I should just stop wasting Internet space and shut 'er down.
(also, just to be clear - your blog is not irrelevant to me, anyway. It's something I look forward to reading and I'd miss it if it weren't around).

I'm in ur grill, thinking your thoughts, having your day.

I started my blog because I thought I had funny or interesting things to say about be a dad interacting with the moms at the playground. But I don't have that conversation any more and I don't know what I'm doing. I'd quit, but then I'd have to take up video games again and my computer is too slow to play the new ones.

Honestly? It's the "BRAND" blogs that I read for a few days and then unsubscribe from.
The ones about life, the real ones... those are the ones I keep reading. And I'd hardly consider your writing irrelevant... there must be a reason that people keep reading, right?

I'm glad you haven't quit. I'm always happy to see a new post from you, because I know it will make me think, or laugh, or smile, or cry.

I think if you are writing this for you
... then it's relevant.
I think if you find community from here
... then it's relevant.
I think if you realize you're not "the only one"
... then it's relevant.

I am single, Non-Hashimoto afflicted, childless, no longer a California, I'm a crappy photographer, I didn't grow up a PK, and am not Hispanic
... still, you are relevant TO ME.

That you still have readers, beyond me, confirms this fact. That you have "troll-ish" people means you're pushing buttons besides mine and yours. Pushing = "relevant". Even if they don't like what you say.

It's easy for me (with a whole 3 followers) to say ignore the idiots. However - maybe it's easier for you to "follow your heart". I hope following means keeping this blog public. But you do know, you could always go private. Still write and still record for your children. Just no worries about relevant or nasty comments.

Just don't tell us you're going private. Just close it down. That way you won't have to deal with everyone asking for a password.

I'm glad you haven't quit. I feel the same way you do about my blog. I'm not a mom, I'm not well known. My posts aren't life changing. But I love to write. I write for me because sometimes the words in my head consume me until I give in and put them out there. I don't get many comments, people don't recognize my blog or twitter name, but I do it for me. Sometimes I think it would be best if I just stopped writing especially recently, but thank you for giving me perspective. I can't let my fear or my feeling irrelevant stop me from doing what I love. thank you. This was relevant and helpful to me.

WORD. Seriously, I feel the same way. I think there are a few of us holdouts around, we just have to find each other and rearrange the community a bit.

You have (more articulately than I ever could) just summed up and defined exactly how I feel about blogging.

I'm at a crossroads. I can feel it. But I just don't know which way to turn.

I'm here for the honesty, humor and insight on all things related to being a woman...not the Sea of Influencial Social Media Expert Brand Mommy Blogs of the World.

I think everyone will relate to you Y. I think until I posted my tribute to Maddie, my best friend was the only person to ever read my blog. But I did it for me, to remember and to focus on the things I wanted to take away with me every day. I would also very much miss you if you stopped posting.

And just on the plus side. I have some stomach sag going on, and I don't have a beautiful baby to show for it. I gained and lost a bunch of weight. So don't be embarrassed about it, you are beautiful.

I think everyone, at some point, stops for a minute and thinks "What the fuck am I doing here?" and wonders if it's worth it. I did a post with similar undertones - called Mediocre - feeling a little lost amongst the hundreds of thousands of blogs at times. But the less I check stats and traffic and worry about comments and subscribers, the more I find myself enjoying my blog again and remembering why I'm writing to begin with... because it's what I like to do. For me.

I read very few personal blogs, but have been with you for about 18 months now. To me, it doesn't matter if you have anything of earth shattering importance to say. I love your way of looking at the world, I love your photography, and I love knowing that other people struggle with some of the same things I do.

I don't like the commercialisation of blogging. Thats not what it's about for me either. So long as you have something you want to write, then thats a good enough reason to keep going. And I, and many others, will keep reading :-)

I read your blog because you DON"T write like you have all the answers. I like that. I also love to see Gaby sing and I love reading how proud you are of your family -- as you should be!!

I'm totally lost in that same Sea of Influencial Social Media Expert Brand Mommy Blogs of the World. totally.

I read blogs that make me laugh. that make me cry. that make me think. you, my friend, do all of those things. keep writing. PLEASE.

I will keep reading you - I don't think you're at all irrelevant.

And thank you for reminding me that some men are capable of loving stretch marked bellies!

It is only irrelevant if you find it to be...which you don't.

Not to blow sunshine up your a#$, but you are honest, funny, and if you write it, I'll read it. You are a slice of real life and it can be refreshing when other "mommy" blogs are just the perfect sections of people's lives.

If you find joy (ha!) in it, then do it. If you don't, stop, but know there's at least one person (me) who enjoys reading and would miss the graduation pictures, boys in the band videos, and the great posts.

I love reading your words...you inspire me to be a better writer. I will always read - you are totally relevant to me. xoxo

I read your blog because you're funny and honest and heartbreaking and interesting. Relevant, schmelevant. :-)

Do YOU like writing? Then keep doing it. The end.

I so hear you on this. I blog for me. Not for stats. (In fact, I don't even know what my stats are. It's true, the horror.) I have two non paid blogging gigs other than my own site. I blog b/c it's fun, and when it stops being fun, I'm not blogging anymore.

Thank you for saying this.

Well put. And good to hear! I'm not in it for branding either. (Though I see why some might want to be.) I've tried to quit, but there are still things I want to say, even if they are truly irrelevant in the larger picture. Even if no one reads them. Even if someone does, but doesn't get me at all.

I've been away from blog reading for several months because of a tough year in my work, but I'm back to reading and SO glad you're still here.

I toy with the idea of shutting my blog down weekly. I have tried all the money making things, gone through numerous weight loss attempts, tried political stuff, marriage stuff, family stuff, and everything else. In the end, my blog is a just a little bit of my world. Nothing exciting, nothing fancy, tends to piss people off with my right wing-ed-ness. But I have readers. People that comment with loyalty. I've made friends. It's an outlet. I know that in the big bad bloggy world, I have no place where I fit. But it's okay. I'll keep it going until I just don't have anything to write about, no pictures to post, and when my bloggy friends leave me.

I think your blog is great and, from the looks of the comments above, lots of other people do too. Keep writing if it's what you love. Do it for you and don't worry about the comments or the other blogs out there. :)

I go through the same thoughts on a daily basis, Yvonne.

But I LOVE to hear what you have to say, and I can tell that you do this for yourself. Keep doing it for you and you will do nothing other than honor yourself.

I have had the privilege of handing out with you in real time. I suck at keeping in touch via other venues, so I love to come here and hear your voice.

I'm so glad you haven't given up on blogging. I don't think that every post has to be--or even should be--earth shattering. I started reading blogs about two years ago, and since then they have become a part of my daily routine. Get up, get a shower, get a bagel, and see what is going on in the lives of these random interesting people that give me a free peak into their lives. That sounds kind of creepy and voyeuristic I guess... but I think that really I just find the collection of human experience to be fascinating.

Before I started reading blogs, I really thought I never wanted kids. Ironically, since I've started reading blogs I've found out far more of the "bad" stuff about having kids than I ever knew before... but I've also gotten a glimpse into the lives of some amazing women that have their kids and also have their own identities. I'm no longer (so) scared of having kids because I have some idea of what "a day in the life of a mom" really looks like. Not that its always pretty-- but that its do-able, and so worth it.

By putting yourself out there you give people not just entertainment (although you are entertaining), but maybe a little perspective into their own pasts, presents, or futures. I've never really been good at forming relationships beyond an occasional comment with the bloggers I read... but please know that if or when you leave you WILL be missed. Probably more than you know.

I hear ya.
I love your blog. But I completely understand what you are saying. I have plans to shut mine down. I keep a personal-family blog that's just for me. My other blog, which I once enjoyed, now seems irrelevant in a blog-overwhelmed-branded world.

I, however, will keep reading yours for the reasons everyone has articulated so much better than me above.

Yessssss!!!!!

This is one of my favorite sites: http://theshapeofamother.com/

It's story after story, picture after picture, of moms and their bodies. It makes me feel "normal," which is rarely a bad thing.

Also, I check your blog every day. Do it for whatever reason you want to, but know that there are people out here who feel connected to you because you live the life you do, and you share it the way you do.

S.

Y,
I check your blog every day (and hardly ever comment). I love reading what you write 'cause it usually makes me laugh my a*$ off and I thank you for that. Keep on writing and don't even think about that brand social media stuff. Thanks for the little break you give my day.

I read all your posts, though I don't often comment (in fact I think this is my first one) cause I use a reader and I'm lazy :). But I think you're very relevant and I'm GLAD you're not getting into the whole new market your blog hype. I just like to read things that make me think and make me laugh. I don't care about that other stuff.

I read all your posts, though I don't often comment (in fact I think this is my first one) cause I use a reader and I'm lazy :). But I think you're very relevant and I'm GLAD you're not getting into the whole new market your blog hype. I just like to read things that make me think and make me laugh. I don't care about that other stuff.

If you're blog is irrelevant, than I don't know who's relevant. You have some great thoughts to share and I look forward to your posts. Maybe I'm just behind the whole branding thing. You write for YOU. I read, for YOU!

I don't know why I blog either - it's very rare now anyway and I hardly ever open up anymore. Been burned too many times, I guess.
I love your blog Y - it's honest. That's all I'd ever want from you anyway. You're my friend and I love reading about what you're thinking. I hope you keep writing.

Let's not give that up then! Let's you and me be a two woman blogging fucking honesty train! Let's leave all the brandy brandersons in our wake, take a few ad revenue checks when we can and just talk about what the hell we really feel. Lord knows the world has a deficit of honestly right now. I love you. Your blog has helped me and you've helped me and your writing is beautiful and touching so just. keep. writing. and let's not worry about what it all means.

I've been reading your blog for years. I don't comment often, it's enough for me most days to simply nod or laugh and enjoy or empathize with the things we all go through as parents. You do an amazing job of putting it out there like it is. You make people think and react, either to agree or disagree. This in itself is a lost form in blogging. I am running out of blogs by "real people" who don't give a crap about marketing. If I wanted to hear about various products, I would watch an infomercial.

Please keep telling us about what is important, living, loving, being pissed off and dealing with it all at once. That's what is important in the long run. Knowing that there is someone out there that is dealing with the same stuff and getting validation that we're not all dealing with this stuff alone.

Hi Yvonne. I do not typically comment that often unless I have something that I really feel I need to say (I think it's been about 3 times so far) so I wanted to take the time to let you know that I, and I'm sure others, read your blog for that exact reason. No social media schmedia bullshit. You just tell it and that's what many of us bloggers that keep plugging away long for. An honest "Mommy Blogger" that just tells it. Opens up her life and allows people to come along for the journey. We've grown to love you and your family.

Hang in there!

At this point, I can't stomach reading the branded blogs or the blogs of people that will sell their soul for a free piece of cheese. I mean, I'll mail some of these people cheese if they will just quit acting so..so...pure bullshitish? I can't find words to describe why I can't read these blogs or the impression they have on me, because to be honest the influence they have on me is not a positive one. Influential, yeah. But to who? about what? At this point, I have only been influenced about the fact that I don't know who to trust.

To be candid, I love blogs where people are real, where they tell it like it is and not how they think an approaching company may prefer it. I love blogs where the writers have flaws and will own them; blogs where people will rock their flaws and their soul like a new shirt that fits perfectly.

There are five hundred zillion blogs out there that are willing to write about a Glade candle because it was free.

That makes them irrelevant, not you.

Your voice is art. Because it is your voice.

Every day I think about giving up My Blog, Mine, Mine, Mine, because all I ever write about is How My Granny Died, or How My Dog Died, or How Traumatized I Am That My Dad Killed Himself...

You know. Cuz it's all light and sunshine with me.

Then I think of those seven readers (formerly more than that, then down to three, now up to SEVEN, YEE-HAW!) and... you know. I just can't leave them hanging.

So don't do that to the twelve of us, Y.

You better not go anywhere. That is all.

By your definition, 99% of the blogs out there are irrelevant. That does not mean they're not beloved or important to many of their readers. This is my first time here, but judging by the number of times I had to scroll down to get past the previous comments, I can see you've got quite a following. I ha da blog, too, I have maybe 100 visitors a day. Whatever I say has surely been said by hundreds if not thousands if not millions of others. But I have had many women write to me saying that my posts about motherhood have meant something to them. So even my little blog that's seen by few is relevant, at least to them. And most importantly, to me.

Blogs are wonderful not because they say anything unique, but because of the person behind them. The real live human being that is expressing their thoughts and engaging with others. Looking at it that way, no blog is irrelevant.

Uh, I got that candle and I didn't like it.

And I want to join Stefanie's honesty train. We could call it the 'ho' train for short! WOoo WOOO!

I am so glad you are who you are -- and not a brand. You deliver life as it happens and that is perfect -- a slice of humanity, not sliced up fake exaggerated stuff. Be you -- that is why I come here!

The most relevant thing that blogging has given me is the opportunity to meet people like you, people I probably would never have met, people who are wonderful and funny and so very relevant to all the good things that exist in the world.

Oh, and those candles give me allergy attacks.

Thank you so much for writing this. I have gone back and forth on the issue. What I realize, that for me, I am not a brand. I never was. I do have my writing as a record, as practice, as a way of trying to form community (even though I feel like I am not doing a too good job of that now). I am starting a business. But, it is not the same as my blog. My life, my experiences are not a brand.... they aren't owned. They are fleeting, they are real, not plastic, and they deserve just as much to be told.

How much do I love you? I cannot even count the ways.

You overlook two very key facts.

One: There are more of, dare I say us? I dare. Us, than them. There are more just plain diarists or whatever you want to call the us's than there are social media rockstars, the sm people are just louder. For now.

Two: For many, many people, YOU are that "more talented, articulate" woman. You and I could say the exact same thing, and someone will want to hear you say more than they'd want to hear me say it. Because to someone, you are The Most Relevant Thing out there.

I know you. I know you write this thing for YOU, and that's why I loves you. That's why I love your blog. Because it's a letter to you. And I will always read that.

If you ever stop writing I will cry.

We've become a community over the years for a reason. Our words brought us together and will keep us together.

There's just no changing that.

I've never read your blog before, but I happened upon this post and I couldn't agree more.

I started my blog as a struggling new mother who was battling post partum depression and needed a lifeline. Now I'm a happier, toned-down version of that and I feel that I have nothing to contribute.

The brand thing has a LOT to do with it. I'm tired of hearing how I need to market myself or make money from my blog or whatever. I'm SICK of it.

But I also feel that the internet is saturated with blogs. As each year goes by we see thousands of new blogs that make us just one more in a giant sea. I feel that I have nothing to say that hasn't already been said. And the amazing feedback and conversations in my comments have been drastically reduced and I feel that I'm talking to an empty stadium.

Having never read your blog, I don't know what to tell you about your situation. However, I love you eloquently you worded this post and I hope you continue to blog if it makes you happy.

Yup.

Everytime I start to panic about the number of visitors each day (damn you Google Analytics...), I remind myself that even if no one reads, it doesn't change a thing. I'm writing for me and it's just an added bonus that some people find it entertaining to read.

I'll never be monetarily rich from my blog, but I'll be rich with other, intangible things. Like cheesiness.

I just want you to know I have read this blog FOR YEARS (since before G was born). I don't remember how I stumbled across it...but something obviously stuck with me because I read you nearly if not daily.

Do I read you because you are a mommy blogger? No. I am not a mommy. Hell I am not even married. (not that they are mutually inclusive).

We actually have probably very little in common...save for we live in the same state...are both female. But I LOVE to read your site and LOVE your pictures. I probably should have commented before but I figured since I really didn't have anything in common with you that it would just be...weird.

Wow.

I love what you all have said here. Thank you for understanding where I was coming from and for taking the time to share your feelings about what I wrote. LOVE.

I TRULY appreciate it.

I think I've only commented once or twice when I felt like I had something to add to your comments (regarding Hashimoto's and how your symptoms were identical to my sister's, blah blah), but I have to comment today to let you know that even though you may think that what you have to say is irrelevant, whether it actually is or is not, it's still really fun to read your blog. I love your personality and I love that you love your family and I love that you post stuff of your kids. And even though your life isn't perfect and you struggle daily with the same old shit that a lot of us do (body issues, health issues, money issues), you do it with laughter and class and sometimes vulgarity (my personal favorite). So please continue to blog if it's something that you truly love to do. Who the hell gives a shit what other people think (besides me)?

Oh, and I am not a blogger, I hate writing, and I don't look at any of the ads on anyone's blog...ever. I just like you.

You don't get it YET? People read your blog and love you because you're NOT the social media blah blah expert yadda zzzzzzz blogger. You're not the queen of giveaways or stunts or even talk about how "in" you are with everyone who's ever touched a keyboard for money.

You blog about your life, fears, insecurities and dreams. You make us feel things we didn't expect, laugh when inappropriate (my favorite), and feel like we're right there with you. (PS I will TOTALLY share my sad post-surgery boobs if it helps.)

You're you and I will keep reading.

Y. You are simply fabulous. I have been reading you since before you changed to this url. I lost you for a while but finally came across you again somehow once you changed. I do not blog myself because I feel I don't have anything to say period. I must say that you are indeed one of my favorite bloggers. There are only a few blogs that I have read consistently over the years and you are one of them. Personally, I am glad that you have not become a sellout because those blogs aren't from the heart, which yours without a doubt is. I for one hope that you continue to blog for many many more years to come. You have to write for you, plain and simple. Regardless of the topic you write about folks will continue to adore you and keep following along. As long as you continue to write, I will continue to read. I rarely comment but I am always here. I hope you continue to write for many many more years to come! *hugs*

Your words are not lost. You encourage me on a night that I was really feeling like the "old world" of blogging might be fading off into the distance. But if you keep writing, and my favorite writers keep writing about your life and your fears and just WRITE and blog about something other than "blogging" and "how to be better at blogging" and so on and so on. Write like when I come to your blog I am peeking in. I miss how that used to be enough. And am so glad you're here and others like you, like us. That just want to write. The other stuff will be the one to fade away. We never can.

Thank you for reminding me of this.

Steph

I for one have been feeling similarly can't seem to get inspired lately after so many tragic events out there really hit me in the gut but I want you to know that honesty and a personality count for way more in my opinion than stats and branding. keep on keepin' on.

Sweetie, I've been writing since 2001. I don't care about making any money, I just write for me and the friends I've made. My oldest is 19 now, and in college. My baby is about to turn 12. And I treasure what I've written. I love going back and reading over things I'd forgotten. Write for yourself. You're a great writer, and I love to read you, but just write for yourself. Then if others want to follow along, they can, but you'll still have all that to look back and remember.

I came over from facebook cos Greeble said to. I can completely relate. In fact, if you actually go to my website, there are like 3 posts in the past 3-4 months. So unlike me. I turned a corner in blogging and I don't know where I'm headed. I've been blogging since 2005 and I think it just got to the point recently, that I wasn't posting because I had something to say, but rather, because I had 3 or 4 things running in my mind to get out. I felt like I had to post, not because I wanted to. I also felt like I was missing out in my kids' lives. I have a almost 5 year old and a 2 year old and I felt like time was slipping by and I wasn't enjoying it like I used to, I was looking for fodder. Life was happening as I sat back and let it.

Thanks for saying what you did, it's really helped me. I'm glad I stopped by.

I hear you. I feel you. You obviously touched a nerve for so many of us... how very relevant!

We started our site as an exchange of information, ideas, and activities for moms (like us) of newborns who didn't know what the heck to do all day with these new blobs. And now we each have two kids... so what the heck are any of us doing?

Hi there! Here via perksofbeingme's tweet! [RT, actually]

Good stuff. I'm not a mom, but I can ID with your feelings. I'm also reminded of one of my [semi-recently] favorite quotes:

~*~
"What moves men of genius, or rather what inspires their work, is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough."
(Eugene Delacroix)
~*~

So, even if it has been said plenty of other times-- the fact that YOU are writing it is the important part! ;p

Cheers!

This post is so interesting to me. And relevant. I do understand the conflict and the feelings of being lost in a sea of more articulate people, as well as being adrift in the branding, business end of blogging. Not that I'm knocking that. For me, it's a hobby and a creative outlet.

I DO look to you as one of the more articulate woment. I love the way you see the world. I love your pictures. Your writing is fresh and funny and straight from the heart.

And it IS relevant, yo.
xo

I think you're completely relevant and important. You're one of the first sites I come to each and everyday. I love you, your honesty and your wit. I'd be DEVASTATED if you stopped writing.

I hate the way the blog world has turned into a huge branding and social media frenzy of who can get to the top the fastest. It's not fun, interesting or enjoyable like it used to be. I don't enjoy the How to Brand Your Mommyhood. It's not me.

Whatever you decide, just know I will find you and still follow you around (virtually) like a star struck teenager because YOU are Teh Awesome.

xox

I find it so ironic that it's taken me almost 24 hours to try and figure out what, exactly, to say in this comment. I'm stuck in a void of trying to find something meaningful to comment versus just posting "omg i luv you plz dont stop bloggin!"

I've been reading your blog for.. gosh.. a year? or so now and I love it. It's like a mini magazine of all the events in your life summed up into your thoughts and put into cyberspace. I've met you, cried with you, gotten to know your kids and learned of your fears and achievements all without physically meeting you face to face. Because I'm so shy I know that had we met elsewhere I would have never gotten that chance. You've been an inspiration to take better photos, to try and lose weight and love my body, and to hold on to those I love tightly in case I lose them suddenly. You did all that by just posting what comes to mind and I look forward to every update.

I fought the same battle when my blog failed to attract more than a reader or two and very few comments (if any) left me feeling like I was talking to myself. I ended up deleting my own blog and I regret it. I miss having the outlet to let the world know how I feel about certain things even if it has no readers. I hope that you will stick with us and continue to post! We would all miss you if you decided otherwise. (And don't worry, we aren't critics... just friends. :)

I've gone back and forth with the same argument. Seeing it written here has made me realize that it's invalid. I love reading what you write here (even if I rarely comment). I've been reading for years and you are relevant to ME and all the other commenters here. Please, don't stop. I would miss you.

I'm not one to take sides, and I do believe the blogosphere is big enough for everyone, and I do think women are unfairly targeted for trying to make a buck off their Internet presence, and I do believe to each her own, however....

That doesn't mean I have to read that shit.

I've watched some of my previously favorite bloggers float down that river. I don't have to worry about that here. The worse it gets out there, the more relevant you'll be here. And you already were.

Y, you are awesome. I hope you keep doing this for the writing. In the end, that's what will remain. I promise. And, we are better for having you here.

Be the gull that soars high above the Sea of Influencial Social Media Expert Brand Mommy Blogs of the World ... then poop right on their heads.

Stay put, Y. You're not alone.

Cheers!

What so many other people have said. Please stay. There are plenty of folks out there not writing as a brand or to be part of some larger thing, just writing to write; just need a place to vent, or a way to keep friends posted on your life, or a way to entertain yourself, or something.

I'm one of the 'pointless' ones that just writes whatever I want. I would miss your blog if it were gone!

I think you took the words right out of our mouths. Well said and I too hope you keep writing.

Y,

I am a lurker and I LOVE YOUR BLOG! I find you insightful, kind, thoughtful and someone I wish I lived down the block from because I'd love to have you over to my house to put your feet up and just laugh for an hour while my son and your daughter played together and our husbands chill out.

Please don't stop blogging. I don't read you for a brand, I read you for your beautiful heart.

Not irrelevant. Nope.

When the Great Sifter comes through (real people wanting to read real people being real)... that's what is truly relevant. With all the "brand" this and "branding" that... when it all comes down... people desire connection and a genuine soul. It is hard to find, and it is a HUGE magnetic in this age of "branding". People see beyond the hype and twists and always stay and devote themselves to those who touch us as humans, not statistics.

Write away... write, touch, reach...

Please keep writing. I know I'm not the only one
that checks on your blog a couple times a day
to see what you've written. Your posts always
make me think or laugh or both. You are a
wonderful writer, don't forget that.

I think this is a completely relevant POST, Yvonne! As is everything else you write. It's honest. And beyond all the social media stuff, we have to be true to ourselves. We have to keep authentic writing alive, and stay transparent. I quit blogging for 3 weeks, recently. It opened my eyes to why I write. I came back and am writing less, not caring about how many comments I get, but happy to share what I can - good and bad with readers who've stuck by me through it all.... Please don't quit! You are too important a blogger -- especially right now, when we need authenticity the most.

Well said. Between you and CityMama, you've eloquently said why I blog too. For me. For the record.

I don't care how many other bloggers there are out there. I'll always read you and love what you write.

PLEASE DO NOT EVER STOP WRITING YOUR BLOG (yes I'm yelling). I wouldn't know what to do without you!

Woman don't scare me like that! I kept thinking you were going to say you were quitting your blog. PHEW. I think you are relevant, and I do relate to a lot of what you say. Even when I can't relate, I appreciate seeing things from another's perspective.

Seems everyone is in a blogging slump. The theme seems to reverberate across the blogosphere this week.
I may not be able to relate to the mommy stuff, but I enjoy your blog all the same, so keep 'em coming!

Y. Every one of the earlier commenters has said what I want to say. I've been reading your blog for years and I won't stop. Please keep writing. It's clear to those of us that adore you that writing is a big part of who you are. We thank you for sharing youself with us and we'd all be heartbroken if you stopped blogging. Being true to who you are is always relavent.

Sometimes I get annoyed with the BRAND bloggers, not because they are so worried about their BRAND (although any reference to it means I'll never be back. Who in their right mind wants to BRAND themselves? Ick) but because their voice is the only one we hear anymore. It seems to be the only one at the conferences and the only one the media talks about. Which is fine, I guess, because they want the noise, seek it out, create it. But you know what? They aren't the revolution. They are just more of the same marketing hooha that we've always seen.

Those of us writing openly and honestly about our lives without thought of commercial gain, just because we can? Publishing our thoughts with no intermediary, no spit and polish, no BRAND? We are the new thing.

And that's why we are relevant.

I love your blog so much that when I first discovered it I made the classic, cringe-inducing NEWBIE ERROR of writing you a loooooong, heartfelt "OMG, I totally get what you're saying because see, one time my husband..." email. Yeah. And when we did finally meet in RL, you were kind enough not to duck behind a door until I passed, which I appreciate.

I'm kind of an anachronism in the blogging world because I am 52, my kids are 12 and 16, I am a Christian but not a 'Christian blogger', I have quite a mouth on me at times and I don't easily fit into an easily definable slot or demographic. And yet? I AM relevant, as are you, because though I may have a singular voice I often write about emotions and fears and life experiences that many women relate to-- or don't, but maybe like to read about ME experiencing!

So here's to all of the ruggedly individualistic bloggers out there-- God bless us every one, and long may we rant!

so is it inappropraite to lurk (or is it de-lurk?) and beg in the same comment? I love your blog, I love your words, I love your photography. please don't feel irrelevant and please don't quit!

Look at all these comments, Y! Of course you're relevant. You're more than that! You're LOVED.

While I enjoy the whole marketing/blogging/social media stuff (it's kind of my job), on a personal level, I enjoy reading blogs like yours much more. You're honest. You're real. And even when you do giveaways or get special treatment from PR people, you still write in a way that's all you. You've never been fake and that's why you have so many loyal readers.

And at the risk of sounding super cheesy, I hope you never change.

Stop reading all those marketing mavens and branding babes. They're selling their souls for a little piece of pie. It's not interesting, and it certainly doesn't add any value to the blog world. See, I think it's really easy to get caught up in the whole conference/trip/free crap/conferenc/trip/more free crap cycle and then your blog DOES become irrelevant.

But you? You always have things to say that I find extremely valuable. You just kind of lost your way in the "in-crowd" I'm so cool I wear hamburger bags on my head thing. What makes YOUR blog valuable is that you talk about your body image issues and you have hilarious videos of your daughter which, if they disappeared from the net, would be a great loss to online society. That kid is ADORABLE.

Taking my blog private has been the greatest gift imaginable. I can write what I want and I know that nobody is going to tear my words to shreds. So my writing improved, I wasn't searching for topic that would make everyone happy (like that could ever happen!) and I could talk about the real stuff that is going on in our lives. Because I know the people who read me daily, I also am able to feel supported instead of either ignored or torn to shreds by the hate sites.

You know the Peter Gabriel song "Don't Give Up?" Go listen to it. Realize that people find real value in your words. And then post more often!

See? There are 85 of us out here, at least! hahahaha...

I think about three people read my blog, and two of them are my parents. I don't write for an audience, or for potential revenue--I write because I enjoy making myself laugh, I enjoy posting pics of the kids for my folks to see, and and I enjoy reading old posts to remember what we did and where we were.

If you enjoy it, why quit?

Y, as long as you write from your heart, you ARE relevant. Don't get bogged down in the commercial side of blogging if you don't want to. Just keep on writing what you feel. To me, that IS what blogging is about. We all read what you write and we laugh, we cry, we question, we sympathize, we get angry, we FEEL, we THINK. THAT is relevant, YOU are relevant.

I've written three different versions of this post in the past six months. And I am finally at peace with the fact that I am just like you -- not a brand, not an expert, not a big voice.

I'm a small fish in a big pond and that's OK, because I am speaking my truth, writing my heart and my history, which is what I set out to do.

More power to you, and to everyone else out there like us, too.

PLEASE DONT STOP BLOGGING. I LOOK FORWARD TO READING YOUR BLOG EVERYDAY. I WOULD TRULY MISS IT IF YOU STOP WRITING. KEEP YOUR HEAD UP.

Hi - Y. I am sorry you feel so conflicted on this topic. I, for one, don't read you because you are a brand. I read you because I like to see what you have to say and just generally to check in on you and your family. You have been gracious enough to share your life and your family with us and I find you all adorable. I feel like I have gotten to watch your boys grow up and start to find their young adult selves and I've gotten to watch your little princess grow up little by little. You were one of the first blogs that I found and you are still on my daily check list. Many many many more have been tried and deleted - you know...those brand type sites!! I can tell that you write because you enjoy it and that's enough reason to keep writing.

You will never be irrelevant to me. But the "social media guru marketing expert branding SEO" mommy blogs? Yeah. I don't read a single one of those.

Love you, lady. Please keep writing.

Okay, how EXTREMELY happy was I that the conclusion at the end was 'I'm going to keep writing'? MONDO extremely happy.

And as someone who's not a mom, who's killed 5 blogs to date, and who doesn't have a brand, I'm quite happy that you'll be offsetting the Sea of Influencial Social Media Expert Brand Mommy Blogs of the World. Honestly, while it can be a somewhat interesting thing to read about, deciding about marketing and branding isn't part of my life, or the lives of most readers - it's relevant to us *as* readers, but that means it's a small part of our lives.

I'd argue that you're *more* relevant to the broader audience as a whole, since you're talking about the interpersonal stuff that we all deal with, rather than marketing concerns that only impact the most heavily trafficked blog owners. But bottom line: yay for more Y on the internets!

I've been reading you for a while now, but I think this is my first comment. I'm glad that you're not going to stop! I just started a blog myself, and I'm doing it only for me. I don't care if I only have two followers.

And your writing IS relevant, to me!

Hang in there :)

So by "irrelevant" you mean "something gorgeous that gives pleasure to friends and strangers with empathetic writing and lovely photography?" Because, um ... that. ;)

You and the writing you do are important to me. And THAT is enough to keep doing it!! : ) Really, I love reading your blog

Please, keep writing.

I relate to the reader who stated, "I have three readers." Over the last year, I've slipped into a blog black hole. Stuff was happening that I could NOT make public and I felt like I lost my voice. Now, I bemoan my lack of comments--because, lol, don't new readers just click off when they see that a blogger has almost zero comments!--and I'm overwhelmed. Hey, I was befuddled when I started several years ago; other moms with blogs I read and who linked to mine became Famous in Blogdom. Where did I miss the mark, what graphic/button/meme/giveaway/promo did I not add that would have launched a writing and speaking career for me, too?

Some might say, "Well, you're probably not talented enough to have gotten to that level. Wake up and face the music.". OK, I respect that opinion and it might be true. BUT, I venture to say that there are countless women who have the heart & soul & talent to make a mark in blogging....yet, it just isn't going to happen. There aren't enough hours in the day to keep up with reading/commenting on every amazing blog we find. I keep reminding myself that the reason I blog is to capture MY moments and thoughts. Finding new friends and reading inspiring words is definitely the icing on the cake.

a really heartfelt blog,honest and open thanks

So. I have heard of you. But this is the first time I have visited sadly enough. I have clicked around and been reading some of you original rock stars talk about how blogland is changing and how it has thrown a fair share of bloggers into some sort of identity crisis when it comes to their blogs. This post of yours is the first I have read that I totally understand. I have only been blogging for a little over 6 months and you have to know there are plenty of new moms that are interested in doing what you have done. Writing, expressing themselves, creating community, being honest....etc. Moms like me who look at all that social media stuff and generally go HUH?

So you must know from someone new on the scene that you ARE relevant. And your voice is greatly needed as a beacon in the night to guide the newbies like me who hope to learn a few things from some solid real writers and women and moms. So keep on keeping on and I'll see you around...

:-)

Lee

Yvonne.

You are NOT a writer without honesty. Your personal truth. Your writing is absolutely your art (trackback to Liz!). Artists create for themselves, no one else. They do it through painting or singing or FARMING. You need to stop comparing. Their is no comparison. Your writing makes you YOU. That is why people keep coming back. They can turn on the T.V. if they want something scripted. What they want is the SHARED REAL HUMAN EXPERIENCE and that is what you give them. And look at what they give you back. How many friends do you have in Virginia? LOTS. That's how many.

I

I think we've all felt, at times, that what we have to say has been said better by someone else. But you must realize that you are someone's "better" and that she is counting on your voice. We all are.

Please don't stop blogging. You are the only person to have blogged about a fugly shirt -- that I know of. Inspired me to blog about my fugly shirt experience at Kohl's WOMEN's department. http://www.musingsfromme.com/2009/01/dear-clothing-manufacturer.html

Do you find that maybe bewtween facebook and twitter that blogging in itself seems somwhat irrellavant.

I always appreciate and am inspired by your honesty and openness! And those qualities, independent of all else, are what I find relevant! And it doesn't hurt that you have a wicked sense of humor! So, not that you were asking for 'endorsements' but my vote is to keep writing (and sharing)! And either way it goes, THANK YOU for all that you've shared up to this point.

This post makes me want to do many things:
1. Give you a high five.
2. Buy you one or two or three margaritas.
3. Jump up and shake my fist and bark a la' Arsenio Hall
4. Maybe even snuggle in bed with you for awhile.

Because this? Is RIGHT ON.

Blogging=Writing. The end.

We need a better acronym for it than SISMEBMBW. Can you work on that, please?

(As you know, I heart your blog for whatever it is meant to be. Which is you.)

OK, I've never commented to you before, but please, please, PLEASE don't stop blogging. I really enjoy your posts. It's more than that, though. I like reading about other mothers who have the same feelings that I do. Do you even know how GUILTY I felt about hating my post-baby belly? Seriously, guilty. Motherhood brings out a world of confusing emotions and ridiculous experiences. I love reading about how other women handle it. Especially when those other women are good writers, like you.

Ah, you aren't lost in a sea of superstars. You are a super star. We each are. Don't forget that.

I read here because you aren't a brand. You've made it through NUMEROUS Google reader cut downs because you're writing is honest. Sure, you're a mom who writes about herself and her life. I can find that around every corner on the internet. But all those other blogs? JUST AREN'T YOU. So they can suckit.

Please keep writing. I would hate so much for the community that blogging started out as to just turn into branding. Someone actually asked me the other day about my "brand." What did I want to do with my "brand." Heck, I just want to write about politics!

Don't go anywhere, OK?

Maybe you can find a middle ground, because I don't truly believe that you write for YOU, and YOU alone. Or why else blog at all? Clearly we all want the feedback and the community and the reactions from others. Maybe the difference is that we all have to accept the changing blogosphere, because everything changes whether we like it to or not. At one point there were only three tv stations, now there are 1000, all fighting for our attention. It is the same with blogging. Now we interact on twitter, and facebook, and personal blogging does seem more irrelevant. There are blog magazines with writing staffs that are going to be a whole lot more proficient in writing quality posts than we can do alone. How can we compete with the Huffington Post? We can't. And some of us care more about networking and selling than writing anything meaningful. I wish we could give different names to different types of bloggers, so we all aren't thrown into one pot. We don't consider novelists and advertising copywriters as simply "writers." I think we should start distinguishing one person as a business blogger and one as a personal blogger, even if they are both considered "mommybloggers." We have to accept that fact that for most of us, we are like indie movies, catering to smaller, select audiences. I'm willing to go down to five loyal friends who read as motivation enough to keep on blogging. And I try to ignore the branding stuff, just like I avoid most boring television.

There must be something going around because just last week I wrote a post about this topic. I explained to my readers that companies were offering stuff adn if they wanted to go over and leave a comment they could win stuff. It's not what I am about or what defines me as a blogger and I wanted to be clear with them. The people who are self promoting themselves and wanting people to write a post glorifying the "giver" all for a tissue box is just so confusing to me. Why sell yourself short. I want readers because they want to read me not because I giveaway pencil toppers. So I do giveaways here and there but "no work" or "promoting" of myself is involved. I call it a bonus for stopping by.

Well, this my first time commenting but not my first time reading your blog. I felt it would be important to give my two cents on why I love your blog.....My best friend introduced me to your blog in December b/c she thought it was so dang funny, and I agreed!! I found myself on your blog a lot just to get a good laugh and know that there was someone out there feeling the same way I was about some things. Then, on January 20, 2009 my third son was delivered stillborn. The worst thing I could ever imagine happening, happened!! I was devistated and after some time I found myself back on your page looking for some sunshine in my life, something to make me laugh....when I started reading about your internal ultrasound......OMG...I thought I was going to have to pick myself up off the floor from laughing so hard!! Having recently gone through the same procedure with the same instructions from the nurse!! OMG...you have brought SO MUCh laughter into my life when days can be quite gloomy!! I hope you keep going b/c I look forward to see what you have to say next!!

A hundred and fifty comments later...

There's a serious case of this going around. I think we all got away from blogging and onto Twitter and FB and started being told we were a brand...I stopped writing for the same reasons. I felt I had nothing worth saying that wasn't already said--and I'll be a bitch and say by people who weren't saying it as well and yet who received tons of attention because they marketed the crap out of themselves--whew!!

Anyway, I find it interesting that so many of us are coming to this same place at the same time.

Thank you for saying it out loud--and saying it better than I ever could have myself.

I know what you mean, because I feel that way too sometimes - and being a fairly recent blogger (just over a year), I might just be right :-)

When I found blogging, I thought it was brilliant. When you move as often as I have, online bulletin boards and journaling can keep you sane. And something that combined the two? Genius!!

I loved that I could combine my love for writing, get things off my chest of simply share some fantastic things I was experiencing after moving to NY, and my love for shopping and pretty things somewhere... and when I started making friends I started loving it even more.

I am NOT a brand. I refuse to be called that. I'm a person, I have likes and dislikes, I like to interact with people and meet new friends, and I love how freeing blogging feels to me. If I can get something that was on my wish list for free in the process, I'll count that as a bonus. If not, whatever.

Do I hate that there are people who are only blogging for the free crap? Yes. Mostly because it has changed the atmosphere in the blogosphere, from one of non-judgemental trust and support to one where people second-guess every positive comment you make about something because you are probably doing a paid review. That sucks and it's unfair to those of us whose opinions are NOT for sale. So sometimes I resent that a bit, and I get discouraged, that I'm never going to matter, because I don't suck up to marketers and I don't stalk PR people.

And other times I don't care. Because I treasure real connections more than marketing ones. Because I care more about those who read my blog and care about me as a person than those who come just to see what I can do for them. Because at the end of the day, having more stuff NEVER helps you when you are feeling alone or you need a friend. Those are the things I value in blogging, and even when I feel like I am disappearing in a sea of people who market themselves better (or at all, since I don't really) I have my friends to keep me strong and keep me going. Free stuff can't do that for me :-)

i adore that you care and that you have passion to continue after all these years. that's why you can't stop, nor can you stop caring. it's not in your nature.

so don't stop. trying to not write when you need to write is worse than all this interwebs hubbub feels. i promise. don't stop.

someone told me the other day, and it's really true, it's none of your business what other people think. hundreds and hundreds times how many hundreds of people come here to read what you think? they make it their business to hear about how you don't care what other people think. don't let what everybody else is doing ruin this beautiful thing called joy unexpected. it truly is.

with love and memories of giggles in chicago,
dana

i stumbled across your blog while looking for tips on haircuts, believe it or not. while i didn't find haircutting expertise, i literally was in tears with laughter while reading your stories of haircuts gone wrong (that poor dog!). and i really needed to laugh that day.

what you write is fresh, honest and real. that will always make it relevant. you say the things so many of us are afraid to say out loud, managing to keep a sense of humor in the process. don't stop writing. my days would get a little less insightful and a little less bright.

Wow - in my little year of blogging I don't think I've ever seen so many well-written, warm, and intelligent comments on one blog post before. I think each one is telling.

Personally, I've never read your site before, but I related keenly to your post and I'm glad Mom-101 directed me here.

What I've been slowly discovering is that blogging is an emerging art form - a performance art of sorts. And like all screwy, talented artists bloggers suffer from immense self-doubt and an abundant amount of self-criticism. Then the art inside busts on out and we keep writing, with sunshine and unicorns abounding. Seriously.

I find it funny that a LOT of bloggers call themselves "bloggers" as opposed to "writers." Really, the good ones, like you, are WRITERS and I think everyone agrees that's an art.

All this to say self-doubt and the big question of "Why the hell do I blog??" seems to be par for the course (at least from what I've seen). I think it enhances and fine tunes. I think it's a rite of passage. I think it's a very good thing you'll continue to blog :)

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