Why so quiet?

Fifteen (15!) posts ago I was a rookie blogger. On October 15th, 2011 I published my first post; I started sharing my opinions and ideas and I waited breathlessly for my readers to respond (Berger & Trexler, 2010, p. 103). And I am still waiting, and waiting, and waiting. . .

Now, this isn't entirely true, as I have collected 16 comments . . . okay, okay, five of the 16 are my responses to my readers' comments, and one of the 16 is from my sister, so really ten of the comments are unsolicited. Okay, okay, so I pressured Pam into commenting the first time. . . that leaves me with nine genuine comments.

This is kind of . . . disappointing. 

 

     And somewhat . . . deflating.

You see, "it is the blog's feedback feature that is most important to the blogger; it is the gateway to the discussion that the blogger hopes to generate through his or her original posting" (Berger & Trexler, 2010, p. 103). Berger & Trexler (2010) share "Seven Ways That Blogs Support Student Learning:

1. Supports critical thinking, encouraging students to think and reflect prior to writing.
2. Motivates and engages students.
3. Provides an opportunity to improve literacy skills.
4. Offers an authentic audience, encourages students to write responsibly.
5. Provides a forum for feedback, collaboration, and discussion.
6. Involves students in a community of learners.
7. Helps student develop their voice and provides equity" (p. 105).

In this list,  points 4, 5 and 6 all allude to some aspect of readership: an authentic audience, a forum, a community, which is intended to improve the content of the blog. As Kist (2010) states, "audience has implication for everything from language to tone and even to length" (p. 39). But it's hard to sustain the illusion of writing for an audience when your audience is so silent. The "Page Views" widget I have installed shows 531 page views, and I am not counting my own views - this seems like a significant readership to me. But why are they so quiet?

It could be that my readers follow a few of the rules like those William Chamberlian has set up for his fifth-grade students:

If you don't have anything to write, don't write anything; and,
Always remember that they can comment on your post, too! (as quoted in Kist, 2010, p. 55).

 I assume that the bulk of my readers are my classmates, but then some form of the old adage comes into play: she who lives in a glass house shall not throw stones. I have read many of my classmates' blog posts, but I have commented on a grand total of . . . I am embarrassed to say . . . maybe three? In Kist (2010), Angela Maiers posed some questions to students to consider before beginning their blogs; I wish I had considered and communicated the following early on in my blog, "What do I expect from my audience" (p. 62)?

I wonder if this might have increased the noise level of my blog?

References
Berger, P. & Trexler, S. (2010). Choosing Web 2.0 Tools for Learning and Teaching in a Digital World. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited. 
Kist, W. (2010). The socially networked classroom: Teaching in the new media age. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.