Who's been Pressed today? Is it you?
How many of you bloggers are “Freshly Pressed-less” today?
Show of hands, please!
How many of you are secretly weeping into your blogs? How many of you are patting yourself consolingly on your blogging backs, assuring yourself that you’re still OK? It’s OK to be Freshly Pressed-less. Truly it is. And I am going to tell you why.
First, a little background for you readers who are not WordPress bloggers. “Freshly Pressed” is the front page of WordPress. Click on the highlighted link so you can see for yourself who the lucky Pressed Ones are today.
They tell us that these eleven of 575,306 new blogs are the best on WordPress today. They are the best of 107,357,994 words written today on this esteemed site. The best, mind you. Hundreds or maybe hundreds of thousands of bloggers pause at the Temple of Freshly Pressed to gawk at the best. They press “like”. They comment. They oooohhhh. They ahhhhhh. They admire.
And then they go back to their own blogs to Plan how to be Pressed.
WordPress folks even give tips about Pressability. The longing wanna-be Presslies try everything. They try writing dashing and daring headlines. They try writing magnificent topics. They try standing on their head in their blogging shower. They try everything because in their bloggly hearts they want–oh they want–to be Freshly Pressed. They want to be in the World Headlines. They do.
I KNOW they do for two reasons. One, I’ve been around the blogging block this weekend. It’s amazing how many times people will mention “Freshly Pressed” in blogs or comments. Bloggers will sometimes say–“And if this isn’t good enough to get on Freshly Pressed, I don’t know what is.” Or they will comment to the bloggers, “Wow! This one is good enough to be on Freshly Pressed. I hope they are taking notice.”
There is an entire sub-culture of Freshly Pressed wannabes living in Cyber-hopefulness. They’re politely trying to pretend they’re not panting and desiring the coveted award. They’re pretending they are blase. “I really don’t care about being Freshly Pressed. I blog for myself. I don’t blog for other people,” I’ve heard people say, almost with their chin in the blogging air. Still, you can usually see through them. PART of them still lusts to be thrust on the worldwide stage. They dream of 2,000,000 readers dropping casually by their blog to admire the exciting words, the thrilling photographs, the blogger himself.
OK, they dream of 500 people stopping by their blog. Heck, some of them dream of a hundred–do I hear twenty?–dropping by to enjoy the Fruit of the Blogger’s Heart.
The second reason I KNOW about Freshly Pressed desire is because…I’ve been there myself. And there’s only one thing worse than never having been Pressed. It’s having been Pressed and feeling the exciting titillating lovely thrill of hundreds of hits per HOUR pausing, lingering, visiting, commenting upon your creation. It’s like the biggest dopamine hit your brain can imagine. Your heart SWELLS. Your mind PUMPS. Your fingers QUIVER as you type responses. You go on overload. You sing REALLY loud all around your house, in between jumping jacks. You think the world rocks.
And then. And then, dear Pressie-Wannabe: your famous–infamous–creation is removed from the Front Page. Your hundreds or thousands of visitors move on. You make have gained a half-dozen readers–if you were lucky. OK, maybe sometimes you gain dozens. The hits drop from the hundreds back into your pre-fame levels. You are suddenly yesterday’s news. You are yesterday’s blogging child. Your dopamine levels return to normal and… You can’t help it. You want it back. Oh you want it back, and you wait and wait and wait…
And are you still waiting? As one blogging friend who has been Pressed and Pressed-less recently bemoaned with a quiver in his blogging voice, “It’s good while it lasts.”
You see, once you’ve been Pressed, you want more Pressing.
You now KNOW what it’s like and you want more.
It’s a sad state of human affairs, these matters of passion and desire.
I have been Pressed-less for seventeen months after experiencing five heart-thumping roller-coaster wild exciting thrilling lovely incredible Pressings.
At least 82.6% of me doesn’t care. Truly. (She said with her blogging chin held highly in the blogging air.) But 17.4% of me does. It still wants the thrill. The recognition. The oh-so-momentary-and passing fame.
I wouldn’t be writing this blog today just because of that 17.4% part of me. That doesn’t matter. I’m just going to continue to blog–cuz I love it, because it makes my day brighter, because it is FUN–until the fateful day comes when perhaps it’s time to do something different. Or, until death doth take the unwary blogger (heaven forbid!).
But I witness so much unrequited desire in the blogging world. Oh Pressdom! See ME, the desirous parts of so many bloggers clamor. Oh Pressdom, look at that good one, the more compassionate of us beg, wanting the “other” good ones to have their turn shining in the spotlight. Here’s a blog which, as Robin from Bogs of Ohio pointed out in one of the comments, deserved to find its way to Pressed glory today: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – Mafia Style.
I think many of us are in this together. Not all of us are 100% mature to accept what is in this moment, to blog selflessly for the pure love of it. We may be aiming in that direction…but we’re not quite there. Yet.
We still like or want or need recognition. We still like or want or need something more…
We think being Freshly Pressed will give us everything we’ve been dreaming…
And yet, the deeper part of ourselves knows that what we truly want–even more than five minutes of fame–is to be true to ourselves. To blog from what our deepest heart wants to say. To truly listen to ourselves–to get the recognition from the deepest part of ourselves. That is lasting satisfaction, a satisfaction which surpasses even Pressdom Fame.
P.S. I would NOT want to have the job of determining which blogs to press to global recognition. Can you imagine how hard that would be? Every blog–and blogger–has a story to tell. Many of our stories and photographs are downright fascinating. How could you decide? Kudos to the person who is deciding…and, um, Freshly Pressed editor, how do you like this blog?
Lake Superior Spirit 
Wow, have I been in the dark ages! I had no idea how complex or far reaching this all is. If I could choose, you would always smile out at us from the first page Kathy. If your yesterday’s blog didn’t make it, I think maybe their judges are on retreat. All I know is that you are a highlight in my day, and I actually get to enjoy your words and beautiful photos in spite of them. Chin up girl!
Susan, what a sweet thing to say. You always inspire me to continue to blog, as I realize that people sitting out in parts of the world really care. It was fun writing this blog because it really & truly helped me find resolve about the 17.4% of me that cared. I can hardly find 3% today. (That’s the joy of writing isn’t it, when you can resolve things that bother the edges of you?)
Wonderfully written, Kathy! I had to chuckle, because secretly, I have been hoping that someday one of my posts will catch the attention of someone over at WP Headquarters… 😉 I need to remind myself why I started blogging in the first place – it took me a while to even realize what “Freshly Pressed” meant!! I love the way you write about the thrill of it all – needing it like we need oxygen to breathe!! 😀 I know what you mean about the highs and lows, I’ve had an image featured as the “Photo of the Day” on Popular Photography’s website twice, and I still wait for it to happen again – it IS a rush!! 😉
I hope, sincerely, that one day one of your posts will catch the attention of somebody at Headquarters or that you’ll have other photos featured on other sites like Popular Photography. And, even if that doesn’t happen, we do need to remind ourselves why we started blogging in the first place. What is REALLY important. I feel like I’ve deeply resolved something by writing this blog.
No … I’ve never been Freshly Pressed … although I DID end up the being named “Featured Blog of the Day” once when I mistakenly typed “Saving Private Rayn” and ended beeing the ONLY blog with that peculiar title in the entire blogosphere that particular day. Otherwise recognition of any sort has largely eluded me. Probably with good cause.
Judson, I am smiling. To think that even a typo can make us the Featured Blog of the Day! Now, that is random. Smiling, again. It’s funny about recognition. Sometimes we want it, but then it brings its own set of hassles. Maybe we should all appreciate exactly where we are.
too funny. I just started blogging and was having an internal battle today over this same thing- why does it bother me if no one reads my blogs? i honestly just started as a way to get my thoughts on paper (as it were), but all of the sudden I’m paying attention to comment counts, etc on other people’s pages. it’s a blogging disease!
It can be a blogging disease, MO. I agree with you! We can get addicted to those stats, can’t we? (Of course, I once got addicted to counting the miles on my car…yikes!) We have lots to learn about ourselves, and I suppose blogging is just another way to show us what we sometimes don’t see. Thank you for visiting.
I was Freshly Pressed about a month ago and it was INSANE! I never thought it would happen to me, so I never set out to write a post with that in mind. It was such a surprise and one I’m still trying to figure out. If anything, it’s proof that if you follow your heart and write from instinct only the very best things can happen. 🙂
Love, love, love, this post!
Hello c.B. I am happy to hear that you were Freshly Pressed and know what I’m talkin’ about. Smile. Love what you said about following our heart and realizing what is important. (Glad you loved this post, too. It seemed to beg to be written!)
How hysterical! I love, love. love this post! And thanks for sharing my friend Robin’s evaluation of my recent post–that it deserved to be Freshly Pressed.
I can totally appreciate your description of the craving that ensues once you’ve been Freshly Pressed but then not again for a long, long time. I was pressed last December when my blog was only 3 weeks old–and never since. Alas.
So let me say it–did you notice the collection of posts that were FPed today? Good God–was it bad or was it just me?
This is a beyond-brilliant critique of it all! Thanks so much!
Kathy
Kathy, I truly did love your recent post. It was honest and hard-hitting and beautiful. Wow, you were pressed when you were just a young thing. I wish you another pressing one of these years now that your blog is all grown up. Truly glad you enjoyed this. I had such fun writing it!
I’d like to become better at finding what I LIKE to read rather than the only options I have are what is on freshly pressed or from commenters on comments. Someday, I’ll figure that out, and then someone will ‘improve’ it 😀
Elisa, that is a very wise comment. I am wondering if we are too complex of beings to easily find one genre that we like to read. I adore reading a certain kind of simple quiet blog and sometimes wish I was just a simple quiet blogger. Alas, there are too many sides which clamor from within a complex being!
Very recently, Kathy, I removed ALL my tags. All of them, every last, cotton-pickin’ stray-dog-biscuit-lickin’ tag. And d’you know why I did that? So that there would be absolutely no way that I’d be Freshly Pressed! Because, as I understand it, without tags, one can’t be Freshly Pressed.
I’d far rather that readers find me by more normal routes – and those are mostly by comments I’ve left in their own blog and in blogs that their readers read. I have also been using the Forums here – for instance to post the the ‘My Most Recent Post’ thread what I’ve been writing about and that brings in a few people. (and the forums also also give me the opportunity to help a few newbie bloggers with things that I know and they don’t.)
Apart from you, I know several people who’ve been freshly pressed, and I know what happens during and after it. It’s a come-down that I’d rather not put myself through. And the idea that a small number of people chooses an equally small number of bloggers out of millions, is just so ridiculous…
I will say a hesitant ‘well-done’ for having been FP’d yourself and a non-hesitant well-done for this post in which you’ve, so rightly, pointed out how silly it all is. 🙂
I am glad that you enjoyed this, Val, and that you can see beyond the quick moments of glory. Your approach to finding readers sounds like a good one. I am so pleased that writing this blog truly helped resolve something in me. The remaining longing/desire seems to have almost completely deserted me since writing this. It is so wonderful that writing and sharing can actually heal parts of ourselves. (Which you know very well!) Thanks again.
PS, for anyone who would like to know better ways of finding readers, I wrote a post a little while back about this: For Newbie Bloggers – How to find readers for your blog.
Thanks, Val. I’ll be updating my blog with some of your advice tomorrow!
Very good advice, Val. I went and read this yesterday. I hope lots of readers stop by (like MO) and use some of your tips to find more readers.
Interesting! Thanks for the info about WordPress culture. I’m such a mushroom that I didn’t even know what Freshly Pressed was FOR. And I think I’ve looked at it once or twice… What intrigues me is the general concept of trying to stand on my head in my blogging shower. I didn’t even know we HAD showers. I’m going to find my blogging shower, and from now on, I’m planning for my blogs to smell better. Thank you! : )
Martha, OK, girlfriend, I’m laughing. Quite loudly. And wondering…now WHERE is our blogging shower and WHY THE HECK did I say that? When you figure it out, please let us know. Still giggling.
Kathy, this was an education. I have a (self-hosted) WordPress blog and didn’t know about Freshly Pressed.
Sean, very glad to have provided a WordPress blogging education. I wonder if they feature self-hosted blogs, too?
Having been Freshly Pressed recently, I can say that my “15 minutes of fame” were great while they lasted… then it happened again, when I got hundreds of hits from StumbleUpon a few days later.
I was lucky once, I don’t really expect it to happen again, even though (thanks to StatCounter) I see wordpress.org in San Antonio, TX pop up on my blog every few days and wonder if that’s someone from the Freshly Pressed team.
I have to confess…. I almost never even check the Freshly Pressed page.
Ohmygoodness, Michaela, too bad I didn’t remember about StumbleUpon. Would have added that to this blog, too. Congratulations again, for your fame. I had a theory–back in the old days–that there was someone on staff reading my blogs. Now I’ve decided (this is a made up story) that they’ve hired a young girl to highlight a WIDE variety of blogs. Do you like that story? LOL…it’s probably not even true.
Is the opposite of Freshly Pressed, Staley Wrinkled? Cracking myself up this beautiful autumn morning 🙂
Oh how funny! Staley Wrinkled…good one, Laurie!
I am a freshly pressed-less blogger. I was however featured on the photo tag page over a year ago when I put all my baby bear pictures up.
Lately, I have been having problems even getting my new posts to show up on the tags list. I am doing nothing different … I used to show up there … I guess if it mattered more to me I would investigate that problem … but, like you … I write mostly for myself.
Congrats on your photo tag page feature, bearyweather. That sounds cool. Wondering why your posts don’t show up on the tags list. It’s interesting pondering how much things matter to us.
In the beginning,I blogged to share my photos on a trip Husband and I took, a way of keeping friends informed. Then I blogged as a “creative” outlet. Then I started getting comments which seems to breed the desire for more comments. And more. And . . . . I subscribed to Freshly Pressed, then decided my Google Reader list was getting overpopulated and I unsubscribed so that now I read only my personally chosen “freshly pressed” blogs. Or not so freshly pressed, depending on my schedule. In the very beginning, I didn’t care. Then I did care and I hungered for my 15 seconds in the limelight. That passed. I love comments, I’d like to think I give something to people who read my blogs, but truly truly being in the limelight no longer matters. For now.
Carol, it sounds like you’ve changed many times. This sounds VERY familiar! It sounds healthy, as a matter of fact. I think we all have to find a way to come to terms with our different desires and intents.
I got Stumbled last week and over 2,000 visitors flooded in for just one day! Oh, it was fun – but the pressure to top that! Nope, I’m back to normal now, thank goodness.
Ohmygoodness, Lady Fi! 2,000 visitors in one day sounds like a wild & crazy ride. Glad you’re back to normal now. That’s a lot of pressure to get higher than that. 🙂
Well, as a fellow Freshly Pressor, I have had it a couple of times. Wonderful feeling but I do not and have not written a blog specifically for it to get Freshly Pressed. I came to terms with that on flickr where people (me included) try to figure out how people get “Explored” which is flickr’s version of Freshly Pressed.
Now, when it happens, I love it as much as the next person but I do not let it consume me. BTDT. I rather let my passion for what I blog do that. I am much better for it.
I’ve never heard of flickr’s “Explored”. So it sounds like several different sites have showcases like Freshly Pressed. Sounds like you have a healthy relationship going around all this: love when it happens, but don’t have unhealthy expectations. The passion for what we love has to be our impetus.
Kathy, thank you for this peek into the world of blogging. A class room, Life 101 🙂
Colleen, it’s interesting how much Blogging 101 and Life 101 have in common. Something more to learn every day we’re alive!
Never really noticed..except I do remember when you got pressed…and how cool that was…and a way to ‘meet’ so many new people. Still…I think you like I love to write and would do it even if no one read. Maybe. 🙂
That is such a good question, Dawn. Would we write if no one reads? I know I did for years & years in a journal. Am not sure I would photograph for myself, though. Do you think you would take as many pics if it weren’t for others?
lol! Wonderfully written, Kathy. And thank you for the mention and the link.
You and I “met” through being Freshly Pressed. Other than meeting other bloggers, some of whom I now consider friends, I’m not really wow’d by Freshly Pressed. Sure, it’s fun. But there is a part of me that doesn’t really like that much attention. I panic when I see my stats go up quickly. How silly is that? lol!
Well, Freshly Pressed was worth it if that’s how we met, Robin. Yes. OK, I am now going to always remember that plus. I am fascinated that you have a part that doesn’t like that much attention. So interesting. I have a part that can’t stop staring when the hits soar like that–all day. I promised myself if it ever happens again–going to behave much more maturely and go for a walk in the woods. Blase, you know. ha ha!
Thanks for yet another great post, if that doesn’t deserve to be Freshly Pressed, I don’t know what does. 😉 I had no idea what I was getting into when I started my blog, I thought it was going to be a place to share a few stories and photos with friends, I had no idea how big the blogosphere was. I am finding it difficult to keep up with the few friends and readers I have, I don’t know how you manage.
Why thank you! You know, quietsolopursuits, for years and years I felt too cloistered and secluded in the woods. Wanted to be around people more. This blog has allowed me to experience as many folks as I want. And–like you say–it can get difficult to keep up with everybody. Actually just backed away from Facebook (although still have a profile there) just to try to simplify. Sometimes when you’re dealing with lots and lots of people there is not the energy or time to go really deeper and truly get to know the person beyond a surface level.
Well said, Kathy. I would not want to have the job of determining which blogs should be freshly pressed, either… It all seems so random. What I do wish WordPress had was a “Next Blog” button on the toolbar, like the one found on BlogSpot blogs – it would be fun to browse around for myself.
Barbara, that would be a really good feature on WordPress. Maybe you should suggest it to management. They do have a “Latest Blogs” link on the bottom of the dashboard page, but so often the blogs seem technical or uninteresting. Are you enjoying your new site?
Oblivious me – I never noticed the “Latest Blogs” link before – just checked it now and 5 out of 10 were posts from the same blog – politics – ugh – I see what you mean by technical or uninteresting. Yes, thank you, I am enjoying my new site to the hilt!
Glad you know what I mean, Barbara. Technical and uninteresting sure describes it!
Gosh I had no idea! Guess I’m stuck in the dark ages! Or perhaps staley wrinkled! 🙂 I am not a blogger myself but find such enjoyment reading your posts and those of other bloggers. Reading is a passion of mine, so it was like finding a library with a neverending supply of books! Wow! But honestly, I had no idea of the competitiveness! I had no idea what you were talking about “freshly pressed” so thanks a bunch for teaching me! What a joy to learn new things. Thank you Kathy!
What a great perspective, Brenda! I never once thought of blogging like finding a library of a neverending supply of books. Such a cool analogy. A lot of people would not like to admit to an underlying spirit of competitiveness (or desire) in our lives. They might feel that way, but try to cover it up. But I believe in a little fresh air & truth to air our repressed laundry. The wind blows the freshly-washed laundry clean. (ha ha, wondering where that metaphor came from!)
smiling at the thought of repressed laundry blowing in the wind, becoming all fresh and renewed! fresh air and sunshine work wonders! 🙂
Fun post Kathy. Congratulations of being freshly pressed so many times. I can imagine that it must be enormously challenging to stay creative and fresh and carry on with the “I’m just writing for myself” mantra after 2,000 visitors come in one day, and 20 come the next.
Oh dearrosie, that’s the truth, isn’t it? So many spiritual disciplines teach us that everything is impermanent. One minute, “fame”. The next minute, the “trenches”. To learn to have equilibrium as life rises and falls is a noble goal, I think.
Perhaps it’s the unpredicatability of being ‘Freshly Pressed’ that makes it so magical. I can’t help but wonder if being ‘Wrinkled at the Bottom of the Laundry Basket’ is the opposite of being freshly pressed. I hope not!!
That is a lovely positive way of viewing the Freshly Pressed phenomenon: that its unpredictability makes it magic! I am going to remember that, from the bottom of the laundry basket. LOL!
I blog because I want other people to read what I say. And I desperately want to be freshly pressed. There – I’ve said it. Thank you for your honesty!
I love honesty. I am patting you on the big time for saying your truth, masteringbabel. It’s really odd–writing this blog really and truly helped resolve my own desire for being REfreshly Pressed. I don’t feel tinges of desperation any more. But would also feel delight if it happens again! Nice to meet you here in the blogging world.
You’ve done it again, Kathy: You’ve beautifully verbalised the thoughts I’ve often had about blogging and being Freshly Pressed. Having been on the receiving end of it only a few times, I can clearly recall that rollercoaster of emotions one goes through, and the desperate (albeit hidden and quietly suppressed) longing it awakens to be Freshly Pressed again!
I did not know, however, that it is influenced by the TAGS one uses… Really?
Excuse me, I need to go and fix up my tags….
How I adore you for validating this, Reggie! Glad to hear that someone else feels the same way, and appreciates my honesty in sharing this (awful) secret. LOL! P.S. I’m not sure how much it’s all influenced by tags. I know tags help us get on certain pages such as “Photography” or “Life” or “thoughts” but I’m not sure about Freshly Pressed.
Now don’t great minds just think alike? I have a draft written called After the Pressing and it conveys so many of the thoughts that you’ve shared here.
Tammy, have you written “After the Pressing” yet? I couldn’t find it over at your blog. Please let me know when–and if–you publish it! Also glad that many of our thoughts were the same.
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