Hello my wonderful blog readers. Â Sarah here. Â Lately I’ve been craving more online interaction with my peeps. Â In fact, on Facebook I actually got rid of 200 friends that I wasn’t active with. Â I realized that I’m not into having lots of friends or followers for the sake of having lots of friends and followers. Â Call me old-fashioned, but I want to have actual honest-to-goodness relationships with people, no matter if we’re in the same city or across the globe from each other.
It’s not fair to expect you to do something if I never ask, so I’m putting my request out there. Â I‘d like you to interact with me more. Â Quite simply, PLEASE LEAVE MORE COMMENTS! Many of you do regularly, but I know that there are so many more of you out there who remain silent observers even though you have interesting things to say!
I hope you will assist me in my quest to strengthen my online relationships. Â Someday I hope to be at the level my friend Tia is at, where she blocks off an hour each day on skype for her online connections to have a get-to-know-you conversation with her! Â Whoa, huh?
As a thank you present, I leave you with a YouTube video that’s been rocking my world for the last week. Â Take 5 minutes and check it out. Â I promise it will delight you too! Â Enjoy…
PS-  If you’d like to connect with me on Facebook, just CLICK HERE and make sure to leave a introductory note letting me know you’re a blog reader.
Wow! Incredible dance. I love Cirque. I saw them a few years ago in Amsterdam and I’ve been itching to see another show. We’ll be in Vegas this summer so I’d like to try to catch one of the performances there.
As for blog comments, it’s a tricky thing. I have a few regular commenters who are fabulous. I know there are lots of other readers out there but I guess some people just like to stay incognito :)
Sarah, I know what you mean. I LOVE comments on my blog and wish some people would comment more. Your friend is truly an inspiration!
I think I better get back into yoga! Thanks for sharing and you’re welcome for my comments! Hugs.
Great idea! In this nomadic FS life somedays my connections on the net help me keep my sanity. It is good to know there are others going through the madness of it all.
Jealous that you’ve seen them live! Someday…
I am going to do everything i can think of to try and bring people out to “play”. My belief is that once you do it a few times, it starts to feel very natural. It’s just like building a muscle for anything else you would do, feels a bit uncomfortable at first.
Sara- You should friend her. She would love it! She writes the most amazing blog posts… just look for her among my FB friends. She’s the only Tia. And make sure and leave an introductory note telling her how you found her so she accepts your request!
You are one of my best commenters! Please don’t ever stop! :)
I’m pretty sure I have a bona fide addiction to my computer…. I believe in doing whatever it takes to keep up the relationships though! Distance is irrelevant!
I know what you mean. I don’t get many comments on my blog and I don’t have that many followers either. But I’ll be talking to someone and they will mention something they read in my blog so there are readers out there who are simply enjoying without participating. It’s a little frustrating since I would love to have lots of followers but I value the people who actually remember to check my posts instead of getting an automatic notification.
Hmmm…. I don’t really mind how people keep up-to-date, just that they’re frequent participants in the conversation. It’s strange when it’s too one-way. I had a crazy experience where I was in the market at Manila and a blog reader I didn’t know came up and said, “Hey, you’re Minnesotagal!” She then went on to tell me about her favorite posts and pictures I had put up. We have since become friends but it was Kinda Creepy to have someone know so much about you and then you don’t even know their name in return! That’s why I like this kind of exchange… I’m sure over time we’ll both attract loyal followings. I think it’s just about being consistent! Hugs, Sarah
New to your blog .. but I share your feelings! Some weeks I could care less whether anyone is reading … and other weeks, I crave some interaction!
I always try to comment on people’s blogs, since I know it feels great to get comments back and bec I always feel for people who write these important things and hear nothing back. Your blog was one of the first I started to read regularly a year ago and it led me into the world of FS blogging! Do you have a counter on your blog? That might make you feel like you’re not writing into space..anyway know I’m a big fan of yours! I just find your positive and introspective attitude so inspiring.
Agreed!
Thanks for being such a long-time follower! Makes me feel special… :) I have a counter on my stats page and I think it actually bothers me more because I can see that 400 people looked at my post that day, but no one said anything about it. It didn’t matter much at first but now I feel like I’m putting myself out there more and I want to get some “love” back for doing so. It helps motivate me to keep coming up with more things to write about. Know that any comments you leave will be appreciated!
Hey Minnesota Gal,
I think I have commented on your blog before (I think is one on your visit of Smokey Mountain), but other than that, I am guilty to be one of the silent observers. Love your blog, I follow you for two reasons, one is that we are both Diplowives, but more importantly because you are posted in the Philippines and since I am Filipina; your blog lets me see a different perspective of home, especially since I miss being there while we are here in Tripoli. There are other FS bloggers there in Manila but I like you best because your quirky, and I can see that you are really enjoying yourself there, and embracing my country and its culture (good and bad) with enthusiasm and an open heart. So technically I know you a little, and like you. And because of that, I hope to meet you one day when I visit home. Is that okay with you? It would be nice to be your friend, who knows, we could get posted in the same country one day.
Do you read my mine (blog)? I’d like to see your inputs as well (no pressure though) I hope you do, so you can get to know me a little as well.
Diplowife
Hi Diplowife! Thanks for leaving such a long message! I would absolutely ADORE meeting you next time you’re here! We are only posted in Manila for 1 more year, but I’m sure we’ll cross paths at some point… would love to hear more about what you think of Tripoli! I have added your blog to my feedreader, so I’ll keep tabs on what you’re up to. Are you on FB as well? Can you look me up: Sarah Miller Novak. That’s my favorite way to get to know people.
Appreciate you being a loyal reader! Hugs, Sarah
Hello Minnesota Gal,
Okay, guilty as charged. My name is Rod and up until now, I guess I’d been one of your silent followers. I stumbled upon your blog back in January while doing a search on churches in Manila. I come back every once in a while to check on updates. I can’t tell you how inspirational I find your postings. I was born and raised in Manila, but now live in Maryland. Your posts are just great reminders of home, but I particularly love reading about your travels around the islands (which I regret never having done when I lived there), and your volunteer work with the poor.
My sister and brother-in-law are living expat lives too and they always have these incredible stories to tell. They’re currently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. My family is trying to encourage them to start a blog so we could live their experiences with them.
Thank you for the posts and just for being so welcoming to share your life over there.
Rod
Hi Rod! Thanks for leaving your first comment (that’s always the hardest one!) :) I’m so thrilled that my writing resonates with you. I’m sure I will be scouring the internet for Manila bloggers once we leave here. There will definitely be a “Manila void” after this tour. I appreciate you being a loyal reader and can’t wait to get more comments from you in the future! Salamat, Sarah