cyber snub

The world of blogging can be terribly harsh.

I've been so excited by all this - writing down random thoughts and events, growing deeper as a person as I reflect on innumerable small blessings, reading other people's blogs and venturing into the world of cyber friendships.

But it's a harsh world out there and I have been snubbed. Sitemeter has revealed the truth.

One day I followed a link and discovered another woman who had listed 'grocery shopping' as one of her interests. She was being sarcastic, but curiosity got the better of me and I found my way to her blog. It interested me enough to keep going back, so I popped in and out of her cyber home, reading bits and pieces about her life (does this border on voyeurism?). One day she installed sitemeter and discovered she had an Australian reader. "Drop a comment," she said, "we'd love to know who you are!" So I did. I left a small comment explaining how I came to read her blog. I left a couple of other comments a few days later, and she ended up visiting my blog and leaving a comment there. My first real cyber space friend (most of you I know in real life, so you don't count!).

Shortly after this I installed sitemeter on my own blog. (beware - you are being watched! That's if I can work out who you are from the random locations logged!) And my cyber friend has not returned to my blog since this time! I have remained faithful and read her news, but she has not read mine. Is my blog not interesting enough? Is my life so boring she can't bear to read it? (Maybe she's just so busy she doesn't have time to read the blogs of virtual strangers!) I have been snubbed in cyber space.

Then there are the people who have asked questions on my blog - but never come back to read my answer. Or those blogs that have numerous readers leaving endless comments, while one faithful friend comments on mine. Sob... (can you hear the violins)... I just can't bear it. The pain is too much. Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo.

Oh OK, it's not that bad. I admit it's crazy expecting people to keep up with someone they don't know on the other side of the world and I have plenty of real life friends so what's the loss of a cyber pal here and there? But is my blog really that sad - or is it just plain sad to invest so much emotion in a virtual world? Hmmmm.