Dragonflies, Butterflies & Lady Bugs

Sometimes Filler Entries Are Obvious

Last night someone spent about two hours reading my archives but didn't leave any note/comment/guestbook entry to indicate who s/he is. I know this isn't uncommon for me or any other diarist, but it sure makes me wonder about the person when I see it. It's such an uneven exchange, a person reads a lot of the details of my life (that I willingly put out there) and never offers so much as a "hey." And you know, I've been known to do it myself. Okay, maybe not two hours worth of reading without a note, but I have checked out a few diaries here and there, usually based on a banner, a mention in someone else's diary or a presence on a mutual buddy's list, and not left a note. Usually it's because I'm not sure what to say -- I'm not gracious in the way of say, hissandtell or anonadada72 (which is locked, sorry!) or LA or cat, or any of the other great note-leavers (and I'm sorry if I left someone out), and I can't think of a way to tell you whether your words touched me, made me laugh, or worse, if it didn't do much for me at all. Because the truth is, if you moved me in some way, I'll probably add you to my buddy list, and then I do make an effort to leave some kind of note. So that's the root of it, isn't it? Based on my own behavior, I wonder if, when someone doesn't leave a note it's because they really thought my diary sucks.

I suppose you could say it shouldn't matter, that my diary is really for me, but the truth is, when I elect to make it public, join diary rings and don't take a lot of painstaking steps to keep myself from getting Googled (and what an interesting bunch of search strings bring people here), I am admitting that I have/want readers. And for me, that means I have a responsibility to write something that's at least half-assed engaging, while still being honest and authentic. I have a relationship with you, the reader, whether it is because we know each other offline or because you have come to know some of the details of my life online. So... when someone reads a bunch of entries and doesn't say anything, I wonder about it.

And in other news, after reading all the nifty entries about JournalCon, I've decided I really, really must go next year. Much fun was had without me, and I just can't have that.

Yesterday's song was "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" by the White Stripes. No lyrics today.

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