During the years I did not post to this blog, things had changed. WordPress added new features and withdrew others; that’s to be expected. A few of my readers from the past have showed up again. Thanks! The most striking difference, however, has been in the increase of “likes.”
I always look at the blogs of readers who take the time to “like” one of my posts. Many of the people “liking” my posts do not write blogs having any relationship to mine. At first, I wondered why someone whose main blog focus was on pets, diets, fashion, birthing, or whatever, would even read my posts, much less “like” them. After looking at a dozen such blogs I realized that the “like” button has become a way of advertising and self-promotion. These readers may not actually like my posts. They may not even be reading them, but responding to tags I’ve used, or maybe just calling up a random “next blog”. They want me to look at them, to read what they’ve posted.
That’s to be expected, as well, but there’s something disingenuous about the way the “like” function is being used, and I don’t LIKE it. I would prefer readers to click the “like” button only when they like my posts. I’d like even better for those readers to make a comment. What I do not not like is for readers to skim tags and “like” my posts as a means to encourage me to look at theirs.
It’s not that I am not interested in pets, diets, fashion, birthing, or whatever, but that this blog concerns a particular aspect of my life, and should attract readers who are interested in such an aspect, and/or maintain an independent interest in the tags I have used. Those are the readers whose blogs will attract me in return.
The Internet is nothing if not a means to widen one’s personal net of contacts and affiliations. New ideas come almost unbidden, and secure ones develop. Relevant blogs can be investigated immediately and thoroughly. Used efficiently, the blogging platform offers a forum for all kinds of personal growth. Used selfishly, it merely clogs the pores of sincere seekers.
We’ll see who “likes” this post!
Marahm 
I’ve commented on this post because this is how I feel about engagement and interaction.
Thank you, susiebasscraftphd. The blog platform is still better than Facebook for in-depth communication.
Me! I did! But I do read them and I remember you from way back when blogs were more popular. 🙂
I have a hard time commenting some days due to my computer or something (like this is my second attempt here on this post), but it’s easy to like your posts. I remember you from way back when blogs were popular, and I do read your posts. Good to “see” you! 🙂
Thank you, Susanne! Good to “see” you, too!
Il” LIKE ” this post.
My first comment disappeared…..I
LIKE this post
Thanks, Qamar!
It’s weird, isn’t it? I have people that repeatedly visit and go through liking old posts, and usually they seem to be just advertising in the way you describe. Maybe they are using “bots” to do it.
Yeah, Sarah…the old days were more efficient, when advertising and “influencing” and “phishing” and bots and trolls and insincere people who just wanted attention didn’t clog up the flow of blog posts.