It seems to sneak up on me every year, but today is yet again the Official Delurker Day, the once-a-year plea for those of you who quietly read to write one little comment of support. (Or even if you do comment, please say hi also!)
It’s hard to believe I’ve been blogging now since 2005, and it’s even harder to know that I don’t get to do it as often as I used to. There was a time when I really cared about my stats and would religiously follow them each day, looking to see which posts got the most attention and trying to guide my writing towards more like those. Since starting my crazy job working the night shift, I’ve had way less time, and significantly less brain power, to devote to blogging. As a side effect, I’ve also lost my obsession with my stats. I know less people come by here now, and that’s OK. (Even if Mom 101 named me one of her Top 50 Mommybloggers that didn’t make the Babble top 50 mommybloggers list and are probably more fun anyway. Also? There’s some awesome blog reading in that list.)
So while I may not write as often now, I still come back because I want to interact. I love it when others read and enjoy what I write, and I love finding new people who share my interests. I feel bad that I don’t get to interact with my readers as much as I used to.
(And let’s not talk about the backlog in my Bloglines. If I comment now on a post you wrote two months ago, take it as a compliment that I really wanted to comment, even though it took me that long to read it.)
However, just because I’m not writing or interacting as often doesn’t mean I have less appreciation for my readers. I’d probably still be here writing even if I was just talking to myself, but thank you for coming back and taking an interest in my life. I truly do appreciate it, and I value the friendships that have developed from this little corner of the internet. Thank you all for keeping me sane.
(And for putting up with the extraordinary number of parentheses in this post. Apparently half of my thoughts are really asides or after-thoughts.)
So if you have a moment in your busy schedules today (or whenever you read this), drop a quick comment in and say hi.
And one more thing – if you’re even more moved to do so, delurk in the world community and make a difference to the people of Haiti after that devastating earthquake. Donate to the Red Cross – even $1 helps – or if you can’t, use your blog or Twitter or Facebook to get the word out to others, asking them to help. The people of Haiti have already undergone a tremendous amount of poverty and hardship before the earthquake, and they need our assistance more than ever now.
Edited to add: I’ve now added a button on my sidebar that lets you donate to the Red Cross for the Haiti relief effort. All donations go directly to the Red Cross.
I’m a new mommy and I love that you are a realistic mom. I take lots of advice from you!
you will get a groove with the job and all the mommy stuff and then you will have more time to blog, but if not, its all good too. Can’t wait to see you in a couple weeks!
Delurking to say I hate the word “lurker” LOL. It makes me feel like a creepy old pedophile in his mother’s basement. I love your blog and have been reading for a couple years now, and I really have no excuse for not commenting, other than that I am lazy. It’s one of my New Years Resolutions though, and today’s the perfect day to start!
I don’t think of myself as a lurker, mearly a lapsed commenter. 🙂
I don’t mean to be a lurker – my feed reader just makes me lazy!
You were one of the first blogs I found when I first started too. I love reading you. I don’t always comment, but I do always read.
Wow, I remember delurker day last year was right when I started reading your blog and I delurked and I still don’t leave many comments… But I do comment ocassionally. So does that still mean I’m a lurker?
I know exactly what you mean about reading posts two months later. I do that all the time too. It’s really just a lucky coincidence that I get to delurk on delurking day.
Not at all delurking, but saying hi! I’m with you, feeling the time crunch and what it’s done to my blog reading/writing. Just glad you still find time to post. Know that I read them all, just don’t always have time to comment!
Hi, I love reading your blogs on my rss feeder
I have been a pretty good commenter – but I’m de-lurking today anyway. xoxo
Delurking to say hi!
Hi Christina!
(I find myself writing with parentheses ALL the time.)
Color me delurked! I love hearing updates about your life, life with kids, and juggling kids with work and a husband, because one of these days I’m going to find myself in that boat and I’m going to need every little kernel of wisdom (or sanity) that I can find/stockpile. 🙂
[waving] here I am, officially delurking. well I think I have delurked before, but am doing it again!
De-lurking! I love reading updates about your life & daughters. I am a teacher and one of my students has autism. It has been eye-opening to read about Cordy and your family’s journey. It has made me consider things from the parents’ perspective.:)
i didnt know their was an official delurking day 🙂 though i just posted a similar post on my blog!! not sure if ive posted here before or not, but i think i just found your blog recently!
Happy Delurking Day, Christina! Yours was the first blog I ever read, so you would think I’d “de-lurk” a little more often!
Hi, love your writing!
I’m here! I have been really busy with work lately, but I look so forward to when you post. I’m happy thinks have been going so well lately.
I’ve been really too busy today to delurk much but here. I’m delurking! I’m delurking!
XOXO
Hi! Sometimes I lurk, but I love your blog. Sometimes I comment, but only if I feel like I have something worthwhile to say. I donated to the Red Cross with that text message thing – so easy! They have raised $5 million through texts so far. Make it easy, and people will do it, I suppose!
I’m de-lurking to say hello and that i love your blog! Keep up the good work.
I’m totally going to try to comment more…
I started reading because of Haiku Friday, but I’ve been coming back ever since. I lurk a little and occasionally leave a comment 🙂
Hi there…delurking here 🙂
I’m here! always…but never seem to get around to commenting! but I’m here!
Sooo happy you posted about delurking day. I posted about it too, but I couldn’t find any button that actually proved there was a delurking day this month. So yay. I’ve read you for a long time now, I commented once (asking if you had a star wars wedding) but i’ve always been nervous to comment again, so hi.
Saying hi from Hungary I’ve been your reader for years 😉
I was thrilled to see my bloglines was down to a mere 740 unread posts, so I totally get the not reading/not commenting thing.
I’m not really a lurker. I just play one on TV.
Hi! I am delurking! 🙂 I like to read about your stories about your daughter Cordy. It is interesting to see her progress. I don’t remember how I ended up here. Probably from another mommy blog. Keep writing, you are fun to read. 🙂
Hi, love your blog!
Karen from Boston
I’m a couple of days late, but I’ve been around for years.
Crap, now that I’m thinking about it I think I MET you four years ago.
Hi from Cincinnati! I love hearing about your daughers and the challenges of working and raising kids.
delurking a little late but hey, i’m having overwhelmedness myself.
I say hi every once in a while…but will do so again. Hope everything is going well (and will continue to do so) for you and your family.
A new reader saying ‘hi.’
I’ve been here for a long time. I’m with you on not being able to blog or interact with the blogging community as much as you would like(and believe me you are far, far better with keeping up than I am).
You’re one of my favorite bloggers and even if neither of us can be here as much as we’d like I still love you and always will. (Just wanted you to know that.)