
Just in case you don’t know me. Let me introduce myself. I am Bridget, the scribbler of The Happy Quitter, and for sure the only blogger out there who asks people to unfollow my blog. Yep! I did that already a few times throughout the years, and this week I did it again.
In case you are new to blogging, please stop reading right now!
To ask someone to unfollow reading my blog, isn’t that blogging suicide?
Isn’t the goal of blogging to have as many readers and followers -we do sound like a cult- as possible? To be polite at all times, never argue with fellow bloggers, always agree because they can’t hear you swearing.
Why the heck am I so complicated? Bridget, play the game! Don’t shoot yourself in the foot?

Why do I ask them to unfollow reading my blog?
Well, mostly because I unfollow reading their blog, and sometimes, on days when I am not just a normal stinker, but an extraordinary stinker like this week, then I let them know about it.
I unfollow you, please unfollow me?
And why not? Isn’t it the same game we play when we collect followers and readers? I scratch your back, you scratch mine!
Sometimes I stop scratching!
My priorities haven’t shifted, just because someone invented the internet. I am also am a dinosaur when it comes to social media. The attempt to please everybody and never disagree and LIKE everything. Where is this coming from? It’s not real (life).

Why do I unfollow bloggers?
- If they became boring. Constant repetion, the same pictures over and over. The same stories.
- If they post too often -numerous times every day. For a while I click “like” then I leave.
- If they are too negative, whine a lot and there is no progress.
- If they are fanatics, mostly religious fanatics or political fanatics. Fanatism in every form!
- If there is no real substance, or lack of interest on my end.
- If they content changed drastically and doesn’t interest me anymore.
- If they play “My way or the highway.” Which mostly means they are judgemental and not open-minded.
- If I sense dishonesty.
- If I ‘see’ a decline in the quality of what is being published.
- If bloggers don’t reply to comments.
- If they’re very self-promoting or ask for money for their content or their blogging.
As you can see. A rather small list. 🙂
I suppose people unfollow my blog for the same reasons.
I have 3,673 followers but only between 50 and 100 likes on blog posts. Guess what? Around 3,600 bloggers have decided I am not worth reading anymore. Sigh!
It sounds brutal, doesn’t it?
Perhaps they have moved on -blogging-wise, and subject-wise. Real life is more important and takes over once in a while. Possibly I have outgrown some? Surely, I was no longer of interest for many more.
We grow! We change!
I can’t help it. Perhaps I am a stinker or maybe I am too honest, too naive, too complicated. Who knows.
The posts of my favorite bloggers are informative, thought-provoking, and heartwarming. Content is king I suppose. Great photography, witty posts, great stories, new topics, great poetry, awesome writing, and interesting music. They keep me engaged and I am hoping for more.
Some people I really like and I love to get to know them better, a few I can’t stand and that should be alright as well.
As for the statistics, and the numbers of followers and readers?
Honestly, for me, it has never been about numbers -I am a flag collector. Once in a while, I go to my statistic and I look at the flags of all the different countries that stopped by my blog. Africa, Australia, Europe, North and South America, Asia. One unknown reader in Tibet always makes me smile, just like the ones in Africa.
I love so many of my readers, treasure the interaction, and follow so many interesting blogs. I have cried and laughed, I have learned a lot. But sometimes I shake my head!
The truth is I can’t like them all -and I don’t want to.
When I ask someone to unfollow me, then I probably really don’t like you and that’s okay.

Interesting read. The title hooked me in, not knowing what was coming, but happily, I agree very much with the content!
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I am glad you liked my post. Nice to meet you!
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I agree, but why do you care if they do or don’t follow you?
-David
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only if they comment, because otherwise I wouldn’t know they are following. 🙂
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but, in theory, if you don’t like their comments, you could simply not approve them or just block them entirely – and voila – problem solved!
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Sure, but why do it hidden and not be honest about it?
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oh, I see. hhmmnnn… I guess it’s just easier (for me) and also – I don’t actually think that ppl are going to heed me if I tell them to stop. In fact, I have people whose comments automatically go into my spam folder (and I blocked them long, long ago), but they continue trying to post their spammy comments… it’s kinda weird.
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Damn, talking about honesty today! So many of my followers are newby bloggers that either don’t stay for long or do it more follow for follow. Some sell weird vitamins. Followers do not translate into readers! I thought it was rather brave to ask people to unfollow. You make me laugh, Bridget!
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“Follow for follow” my favorite kind of followers. I am glad I make you laugh.
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As probably the recipient of probably more than one of your very honest “barbs”, I appreciate your thoughts here. I’m sure you can guess I share most of them!
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I never guess. 🙂
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Pingback: Blogging Suicide or Honesty? – mindful musings
Phew! I’m relieved you haven’t asked me to unfollow yet. Maybe next week? Hopefully not. I enjoyed the post about caviar and onions.
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LOL you are safe, just don’t start slacking 🙂
I am glad you like the “Caviar and Onion” post.
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I like your reasons for unfollowing blogs.
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I suppose that means I am not weird? 🙂
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Or we both are? Obviously similar kind of weird for what matters. 🙂
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I think you are indeed unique in your interaction with a blogger you’d prefer to “unfollow” you. I am not very good at confronting difficult issues, but I have to admit I admire your willingness to be so direct. In my day to day life I really do have to keep negative people at bay, and that’s required some awkward moments in the distancing. You are a bright light, Bridget. You have a strong sense of self, I think. That’s a wonderful quality!
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You always make me sound so much better than I am. 🙂
Just like you, I am tired of the endless negativity ,and I am sickened of all the lies that seem to spread like wildfire these days. I don’t do social media and I assume that the only reason while I am (still) critical about it.
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Nice article..
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I completely agree with you, so respectfully I refuse to stop following you. Like you, I like the flag following. It completely makes me happy to see views from weird, obscure countries.
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You are too funny “refuse to stop following you,” just made my day. 🙂
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I tend not to concern myself with meat my followers are doing. They are welcome to read and participate, but they are not required to. But i check each one and delete spam follows on a regular basis ( religious fanatics, porn sites and other sites that seem to follow just to be noticed).
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http://akpufred.art.blog/2022/03/12/miracle-working-god/
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I love the flags too. I love that part of blogging as a hobby. People all over the world have opportunities now days to be so close to one another through social media. Just fun sharing photos, life’s adventures and tips for all those pen pals out there. That’s how I see it. Life can get complicated though and sometimes our hearts aren’t into blogging one day or even getting online. I take breaks from the computers when I can and just go out and try to see what real life has to give me for the day. The screens can be a bit overwhelming sometimes.
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This is a refreshing look at the practice of blogging. I have sometimes wondered why people follow my blog yet never interact with it. The handful of people who regularly comment, offer suggestions, share their anecdotes relating to what I have posted and with whom I get the feeling that we have made a ‘connection’ are very precious to me. I have learned a tremendous amount from fellow bloggers. I have unfollowed a few for a variety of reasons and am quite aware that many have unfollowed mine. You are right: we remain free to choose.
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Blogging honestly! It’s not about the likes, and following, for sake of following. But sharing, without compromising your heart!
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I occasionally ‘unfollow’ bloggers for some of the reasons mentioned in your list. However, I’ve never requested that they do the same. The connections I’ve made on WordPress, however few in comparison to the total number of followers, have enriched my life. For that, I give thanks ❤
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Human connections, online or offline, that’s what we need to thrive. I have learned a lot, have met a lot of people, have cried and laughed. I enjoy blogging -most of the time.
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I often go through those who supposedly follow me, and delete those who obviously have no interest in me, or me in them. There is still a huge discrepancy between numbers who like and/or comment and those who follow. Like you, Bridget, I am interested in where people are commenting from, and the odd far flung country pops up every now and then. Despite all the odd WordPress hiccups, I enjoy, enormously, the daily toing and froing, exchanges of ideas and pictures, and getting to know more about my blogging friends, and even myself!
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I enjoy it too. I took a few breaks, went away, came back and so far, I am still having fun. The moment it will become a task or a chore, I will fade away. I never checked my followers, didn’t even know I could. I need to do that.
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If you go on the main menu and select USERS you can then see followers and email followers and delete any that you wish to.
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I did! Yippie!
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I expect to see your follower numbers diminish in their hundreds!!!!
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It was only one 🙂
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Every journey starts with a single step!
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Fascinating – we can all recognise some of the reasons. Maybe I am more cautious, but I don’t do the same, I just read less – for example I tend to concentrate on those with whom I have an engaging relationship. Sometimes I am surprised when I receive comments from people I never thought read me which demonstrate that they have been reading me all along.
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We all think alike when it comes to unfollow bloggers, I suppose.
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I totally agree with this reply
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Thank you, Louisa
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🙏🙏🙏
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Wonderful post! I have not asked anyone to unfollow me, but I have gone to my list of followers and removed them myself. I should probably do that more for those who are clearly not interested in my content. I don’t choose the follow by email option because it is too much email. My blog following is smaller, but I have a handful of those who engage regularly. This I treasure, and this interaction blesses my day in various ways – including even to challenge me to learn, to do better, to grow.
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You are the second one mentioning the ‘list of followers’ and as of today, I know it’s existing as well. 🙂 Finally I can get rid of the one reader I always wanted to lose. 🙂 Thanks!
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Darn! I will miss reading your posts! 😉
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Loud Laughter here.
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Well, you had a thinking kind of day! 🙂 Are you saying you had over 3,600 followers and most of them have ‘actively’ unfollowed you – or that’s how you’re interpreted it because only 50 to 100 are active in liking or commenting? I find the following thing tricky. because if I tell WordPress to let me know when you post, then I’m inundated with emails and can’t keep up. I already spend all day on the computer for work, I just don’t need to be distracted 🙂 So I rely mainly on logging into WordPress and checking my notifications. I particularly look for the prompts that I follow, and try to support anyone else writing for those prompts.
Don’t be disheartened. And yes, in cyber world you can be choosy with your (friends) following, just as in real life.
It can be difficult too if you feel you should comment, but you don’t have anything good to say. In those cases, I ‘like’ just to acknowledge that writer exists, and I noticed them.
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I am not dishearten, I find it rather amusing and it’s certainly a reality check. Blogging is a nice time-consuming hobby, which sometimes makes us feel more important than we are. It’s nothing else than a public diary, and there are Billions of it. I am a small fish, in a big pond and should never forget that (not just here).
At one point or another 3,600 people found my little blog (which is amazing) and many moved on. The discrepancy between readers and follower numbers is interesting but that’s about it.
We never know how many unfollow us, sadly we can’t blog readers and followers either, that’s a wanted glitch in WordPress. After all, they throw a lot of advertisement into our posts, that’s what we are here for.
As for your last paragraph. It should never be difficult to speak the truth, not in real life or here. NEVER! The truth doesn’t have to be rude or offensive, however it can help someone grow, change, be better.
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