The Internet Is Filled With Them
03/29/2014It happens from time to time. Someone comes along who just has to diss your efforts. This time it was an adios over format, the subtext of which is that the content on Inkophile isn’t worth a click to read. Oh, it was dressed up with other insincere junk, but when someone says he is leaving as a “mater (sic) of values and principle”, you know you are being trashed for lacking them. Sheesh.
A blog can be a time consuming endeavor. Some posts take more than twenty hours to research and write. There is one in the works that will exceed a hundred hours due to extensive product testing. When readers click a link to an individual post, that indicates the subject was of interest and is something about which I should write more often. Comments have the same effect. Hence, continuing to write posts has value especially when it is clear in which subjects readers have an interest.
Recently, posts about paper topped ink reviews for number of clicks. I had no idea this was going on until I happened to see the stats. With over 860,000 page views, it really is useful to know which subjects have the most appeal. So clicking links is how you help shape this blog.
Those clicks also inform retailers and manufacturers which products interest you as the result of a mention or review. This affects which products are submitted for review as well as what sort of products retailers stock. That sounds like a win for everyone.
J. Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite Ink
An Inkophile's Blog 
Hang in there. You provide a great service for many of us.
You engendered strong feelings, so that poster’s departure shows you that your work had impact, even if not that intended.
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Thanks for the positive remarks. The former reader’s comment about clicking did provide grist for a post and that’s never a bad thing.
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I for one enjoy your efforts and would hate to see you discouraged. Please continue to bring us the pleasure we have been getting from your blog!
Anthony Lea
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Thank you, Anthony. Your encouragement is much appreciated. 🙂
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“values and principle”? What, you didn’t hand enough reviews of blue ink? I’m sure whatever was written was hurtful, but I have to think the person who wrote it was a pretty miserable person.
I, personally, enjoy what you write a lot.
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Heh, I am kind of a sucker for blue ink. Just between you and me, Ted, Exaclair sent four bottles of non-blue ink recently and so far I’ve only mentioned one of them. That leaves three on hand for future reviews. “That person” will miss all of them. 😀
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I look forward to reading your blog
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Welcome aboard, Don. Hope you enjoy the ride.
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To each his own, eh? Keep writing. I’ll keep reading, because I like your posts and find them interesting and useful. 🙂
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Thank you. Writing does balance some of life’s challenges, but it’s even better to be useful. Having fun at the same time is truly special. Lucky me!
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Some people are strange animals, ignore them. I’ve always found your writing informative and enjoyable. Please continue.
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Good description of them, Andy, but some animals might feel insulted. 😀
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I am very sorry to hear that someone posted such remarks here at Inkophile. I look forward to your posts, and encourage you to keep up the good work. =)
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Hey, it takes all kinds, kp, but he will be happier elsewhere. And I am happy to have him gone. Just look at all the friends who remain and the new friends Inkophile will make today and in the future!
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The anonymity of the web allows people to say things that they never would live. As a result, a thicker skin is sometimes needed…but don’t get discouraged! There’s always hundreds of people who quietly appreciate your content for every critic who bashes it.
Never feed the trolls! 🙂
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Better to feed those who enjoy the hobby, yes? Bet you’ve seen a troll or two, Brian. I like to imagine them as short, rotund, and hairy with tiny horns and impossibly large feet. Sad creatures and subhuman, but comical in a way. I don’t have the skills to draw such a thing, but you get the picture. 😀
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I do get the picture, and yes, I’ve dealt with a few! 🙂
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I look forward to your posts, and I understand how you feel about being dissed. I also know that if you weren’t reaching a lot of us who benefit from what you’re writing you wouldn’t be shaking up the ones who don’t – never forget that you’ve built a large, albeit silent fan base, that hangs on every word, every review, every recommendation.
Thanks for all that you do for the “vintage community.”
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Wow, Bert! That’s quite a validation. Thank you so much! It’s hard to provide what that silent reader wants, and clicks are often the only feedback available. Writing about the troll provided an opportunity to remind people that they can have an influence over my posts. Readers also inspire me. When I see that a post has earned a thousand page views or more, I will return to that subject knowing it has struck a chord. You have a well-read blog. Do your readers affect you so?
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Totally – Reader comments kept me going with The High Road when, initially, I thought I would be the only one interested in the story. http://www.bert-blogging.com/p/the-high-road.html
Once I had to work through dissing when I got a scathing book review once – Finally I got it that the reader is the “customer” and each has his on opinion – of course, I’m not evolved to the point of not wishing some of them would keep their opinions to themselves.
Your blog is awesome – don’t ever doubt it.
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Thank you for the vote of confidence. Mutual support is much appreciated. It can get lonely on the web making friends and friendly comments all the more valuable.
Many years ago the leading department store in Atlanta, Rich’s, had the motto, “The customer is always right.” As a customer, I loved it. As a blogger, not so much.
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I visit your blog a couple of times a week and look forward to it. Some people just don’t understand the creative spirit. And reading your reply made me realize that a blog is probably much more work than writing a book. We appreciate your hard work.
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Thank you for visiting so often, Rick. Writing a blog is a lot of work and some days are more challenging than others. However, after nearly six years of doing it, not continuing would leave a huge emptiness in my life. That’s the personal side of it. There are public reasons like providing a service to a small if loyal community that weigh into things, too. Trolls are too self-involved to see that side of things. The good folks can see the bigger picture.
As an aside, I haven’t the attention span to write a book, and bow to the superior effort it takes. People who can do that get my respect though bloggers do, too, for nose-to-the-grindstone, cranking-it-out-regularly writing. Thank goodness for both types of writers.
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I read and enjoy your blog regularly; it’s one of the pen blogs I follow with my RSS reader. I applaud your decision to address the issue of the troll on your blog. As you said, the Internet is filled with them. They are the modern-day equivalent of vandals, barbarians who would rather destroy the work of others than make a useful contribution.
I’m not surprised that one of your blog posts can take twenty hours to create. My own blog about my collection of vintage pens and their history, myantiquepens.com, can take ten to twenty hours to produce a post. The research alone can take several hours, while photographing, writing a draft, editing, and rewriting can easily take another ten or more hours.
You shouldn’t have to put up with a troll that denigrates your hard work. We blog because we want to share what we’ve learned with others so that they can have a deeper enjoyment in our shared passion. I’m glad you are not letting one troll destroy what you’ve built. Keep up the good work!
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Thank you, Harvey, I appreciate your comments and hard work as well. Readers see only the finished product and that is as it should be. But it is rewarding to hear feedback from the occasional reader. Clicks are second best, but very useful. Do they influence what you write?
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Clicks do influence what I write especially on my other blogs since they are well established. myantiquepens.com has only been around for a short time. Comments—the non-troll kind— are useful too. Interpreting clicks is a bit tricky since they might reflect how cleverly the post title was worded rather than how interested the subject is to your readers. You will get a lot more clicks for a post titled “How to make a million dollars by mixing your own ink” than one labeled “Why I like potatoes”.
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Good examples of how to grab attention. For my readers, any use of Moleskine in the title bumps page views so I do discount for that. There is the other advantage in that using Moleskine as a lure, might bring in new readers though it’s better when I find ways that fountain pen aficionados can get better use of the less than friendly paper.
You have an amazing collection of fountain pens sure to generate pen-vy amongst my readers. I’m still drooling over the Pelikan Toledo M900. What a gorgeous pen!
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Thanks for your kind words about my pen collection. I started myantiquepens.com because I got tired of being the only one who ever saw my collection. I thought a blog might interest others who might not otherwise get to “see” these pens and perhaps learn a little pen history along the way.
The Pelikan Toledo M900 is a fantastic looking pen. I guess that’s why I chose it for my first post. It’s a shame that the pen is so expensive because I’d like to write with it. But if I did, it likely would lose hundreds of dollars in value from its mint condition price. Still I do write with many of my vintage pens, especially the ones that are common (like a Parker 51) and those that are beat up enough that more wear and tear won’t matter.
Also, I think it’s great that you take the trouble to respond to every comment. Few other bloggers are as responsive and responsible as you.
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Thanks for sharing your collection. It’s a wonder to be sure.
That’s exactly why I can’t buy a pristine vintage pen. The urge to put it to use would be too great so I pass on such beauties to keep them out of harm’s way.
Responding to every comment is a goal not easily met on busy days. Early Sunday is often the best to carry on a dialogue and today worked out very well in that regard. It’s good to hear from you and so many others. I appreciate the time and effort people put into their comments. My readers are the best!
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I’d ink the pen & enjoy it. But then my collection is for my use, so no pen comes in, no matter how pristine, that doesn’t get used.
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Beth, that is exactly why I switched to used pens. The drawback is that you don’t know until you ink it, whether it was the former owner’s nightmare or just a pen that wasn’t loved. But it’s a gamble even with new pens. “You pays yer money and you takes yer chances” either way.
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This person who had to make an issue of not continuing to read your blog is an example of a subspecies that unfortunately seems to thrive in the anonymity of the Internet. They feel that if they disagree with you they must be right, which means you have to be wrong, and they are entitled to tell you so in the most hurtful way possible. There are many more of us who appreciate your work as an effort that entertains us while helping inform our decisions about the products that are out there waiting for our attention. Don’t be discouraged; you’re doing great! I look forward to every entry. Thanks for many good reads.
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Thank you, Mari, and well-said! They say “it takes all kinds” but I would be fine with putting the trolls in their own little world, far from the hardworking good guys. 😀
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I look forward to your blog with my morning coffee. Yours is one of my favorite sites. Please continue doing what you do so well.
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That is so cool! I consider it high praise to be read with your morning coffee. I do that with my must-read blogs, but never considered anyone would read Inkophile that way. Wow. Just wow!
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I enjoy your blog and hope you’ll continue to inform and entertain us. Anyone who feels the need to be hateful under the guise of saying goodbye, rather than simply choosing not to read something, is much too self-important. I say “thank you and carry on!”
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So true, so true, so true. The comment was the only one I ever received from the now former reader. Good riddance to bad rubbish, eh?
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Your work here is much appreciated and I read as often as you post something new. Always gonna be haters.
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Yes, there will always be haters and I do understand that. There are things that should be passionately hated, but this situation seems petty and puny. I am starting to feel sorry for the guy, well, sort of. Mostly I feel sorry for the people around him as they are likely targets, too.
Glad you like Inkophile. Thanks for being a reader and for posting your comment. 🙂
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I have learned most of what I know about pens from something you have reviewed or from a link you posted that introduced me to another blogger. You deserve praise and encouragement, not gripes. I will read your blogs as long as you are writing. 🙂
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Thanks, Pamela. There are so many good resources for pen information and the list in my sidebar gets extended every month. Pen people certainly do love to write!
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I just subscribed to your blog, and it was mostly because I found it so useful and interesting that I did not want to miss a new post, not because I did not find it useful before I subscribed. Thank you for all you do!
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Thanks for subscribing, Denise, and for being a reader. Glad to hear you find Inkophile useful. Useful is a good thing, a very good thing. 🙂
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I too am part of that large, silent fan base Bert mentioned – I really look forward to your posts, read every one, and enjoy them immensely. I also learn a great deal about the topics I’m interested in – ink, pens, paper and related information. I do understand how nasty people can get online, but hope that never outweighs for you the many positives that all of your efforts bring to the overwhelming majority of your readers. THANK YOU for all that you do!!
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Thank you, member of that silent fan base. 😉 More on our favorite topics of pens, paper and related information later. Several posts are in the works and vying for attention. Must feed the beast!
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thanks, keep doing it. Martha
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You are most welcome, Martha.
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I read your blog all of the time. If I don’t want to, I won’t, but I DO.
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Thanks for reading Inkophile, Jeanne. I really appreciate your continued support and comments. 🙂
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LOL – the nut case really brought your supporters out – I wonder if I could hire him to leave a comment on my blog site.
Keep having fun.
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Want his email address? 😀
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I like the observation someone once made that people who get wound up and self-riighteous are often hiding from their own self that exact flaw in themself. The incident says much more about the commentor and not much about you or your blog.(Easily said, not so easy to remember when under attack.)
Keep having fun with it, and let your enthusiasm show. That’s what I look for
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Agreed that the commentor might have a, ahem, problem, but who doesn’t? Most of us try to keep those things hidden rather than let them flap in the wind. You know, some folks might find my enthusiasm a bit quirky. Aren’t we all unique? 😉
But I am glad to see the complainer gone and happy to see so many friends post comments. This has been a very interesting day.
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Ignore the naysayers and keep up the great work on the blog, Margana.
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Thanks, Erin. Naysayers be damned, no?
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Thanks for taking the time to put together this wonderful blog. I enjoy it and love all the links and reviews. Take care and happier blogging.
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Thank you. I enjoy getting feedback especially on the links posts. They are so eclectic that I wonder sometimes how they are received.
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People are so in love with themselves. Negativity seems to reign, but not really. I always get excited when I see one of your blog posts come through. Keep on going! You have kept me from flying blind in my favorite new hobby. Oh, and I love your links. Thank you!
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I’m so glad you like the links. Fountain pens and colorful inks always brighten my day. I hope that works for you as well. 🙂
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