Today I removed the "Followers" widget from my blog. I realized that being reminded that I have no followers every time I look at my blog was sort of like being reminded of some social deficiency. Not that I am particularly concerned whether anyone else reads this blog, I'm doing it mostly for me. No one else I know knows that I write here. But seeing "You have no followers" along with the invitation for someone (anyone) to be the first to "follow" your blog could invite a certain degree of self-deprecation after a while, whether one feels this way or not. I think that after a while there might be an element of desperation that could ensue from continually seeing the fact that your blog exhorts someone, anyone to (please!) follow your blog. Not that I'm desperate or anything ...
I got to wondering if others who view a blog with the fact that there are no followers displayed and the prominent invitation to "be the first!," could also serve as a deterrent for some. It's like no one wants to be the first person to step out and associate themselves with the unknown quantity... It has a feel of being somewhere in between wondering, "Who is that masked man behind the electronic curtain?," and having to pick the person to be on your team that no one else really wants to pick. I have removed the stigma. Life is good. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!
Oh, if anyone asks if I have any followers, tell them that these are my followers:
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