It was one of the lowest moments in my blogging life. A fellow blogger wrongly accused me of stealing her html code and then insulted me by implying that I’m too birdbrained to come up with such a code without peeking at and copying other bloggers’ page source.
I haven’t written my personal information on my blogs and in a virtual world where no one really knows who I am, I was worried that someone might really believe those things. But as the cliche goes, “every cloud has a silver lining”, and it was during those times that I had found a new friend in the blogging world.
It was Meretrisha of A Walk Through Life and Our Life as Parents who helped get through that hurtful experience. She never knew me personally but she believed in me – a reassuring thought that somehow, my other blog readers didn’t believe the accusations too. Despite the time zone differences, she stayed up until the wee hours of the morning (her time) to chat with me via YM while I asked for advice on how to deal with the issue on my blog.
I had befriended a few bloggers before but it was the first time that someone had crossed that invisible line that I had subconsciously drawn between a blogger friend and a real life friend. Meretrisha’s sincerity shone through her words and despite not meeting her in person, I had felt that she’s one of the real people in the blogging world. Now, I don’t just consider her as a blogger friend, but a “major major” friend in some ways. She now knows the person behind the woman who just signs as “Gee”.
This post is my new entry to Red’s First Blogversary Contest. I actually posted another entry yesterday but had to delete it. I realized that if I were to stop blogging now, finding a friend in Meretrisha will be something I’ll remember long after I’ve forgotten my other blogging experiences – thus, making it my most memorable blogging experience to date.
First Commenter:
~ Vera ~
It is so nice to read about bloggers making real-life friends through this big web. Mahirap talaga kasi sincerity is very difficult to measure when all you have are words. Happy for you Gee, that you have found a reason for you to continue blogging. May you be that kind of friend to other bloggers too, and remember that there are other “gee’s” out there, needing someone like “meretrisha” 🙂
You’re right vera, it’s really quite hard to measure sincerity when you only have words as a means to measure them. That’s why small deeds in the internet, like when other people get out of their way to connect with you, should be treasured. I thank you for always dropping by and taking time to comment on my posts.
what a pleasant surprise this is! thanks too for being so nice and friendly to me sis. i have very few real friends like you from this blogging world and i cherish all of them. i hope to meet more friends like you. good night! 🙂
just want you to know how I appreciated your support and advices during those times. If it were not for your advices, I would have made a fool out of myself via self-uplifting and venting out my frustrations online. Hehehe.
I also was able to find some friends in blogging world. Isn’t it so amazing
Yes anne. It indeed is amazing. I’m happy for you as well.
I agree with you. Though many people consider the blogosphere as a cold virtual place, which is true in some respect, yet there are also many people, bloggers especially, who are caring and kind.
I myself have found good friends in the blogosphere. Even if I haven’t meet them yet in flesh and blood, but I can sense that they are warm and thoughtful like my real-world friends.
In addition, based on my experience, my virtual friends are good bloggers with wonderful blogs, while those who have lousy sites are the ones who are mean, opinionated and judgmental.
You’re right Eli. Just like in the real world, the blogosphere is full of different kinds of people and finding real friends in both world is such a feat.
Hello Gee! I recently drop EC regularly here and also read your posts. To me, everybody can come up with such html codings and there are thousands of websites that offer free codings and that we can tweak them to suit our liking.I hope you continue to blog as I like to drop by here often and read your lovely posts.
Thanks for leaving a comment Emila. Your blog and creations you feature in it are great too. I’m happy that a professional illustrator like you would find time to leave a comment here. That’s exactly my point. A lot of websites offer free codings and it doesn’t take the IQ of a genius to tweak them to suit our liking. Claiming that somebody “copied your code then tweaked it” is so…. Ok, enough of that. LOL!
hey, gee! no wonder I got an error when I tried to submit my comment on that post. I left it open for me to comment on. hehehe. Anyway, it really is heartwarming to have friends around during those times. I’m glad you had Meretrisha. I also am sorry about that fellow blogger who accused you. I know you are not guilty of it. Enjoy blogging 😉
Sorry about that, I wanted my readers to leave my blog with a positive feeling, my earlier post didn’t so I took it down. Thanks for believing Elai. I am enjoying blogging now more than ever. Have a nice day!
Well Gee… that’s part of life and maybe it’s a blessing in disguise for you to win more friends and the courage to go on.
More power Gee and wish you and family… the Best!:=)
Hello feron. You’re right, a part of life but I can be vindictive at times so it stuck in my mind. Hehehe.
Regards!
i have 3 closest blogger friends and they know me well and yea they’re the one helped me go thru such pain moments in blogging world. 🙁
i’ve read about some of those moments in your blog caroline. I’m happy that you have found close friends in the blogosphere too. Have a great day!
Bloggers should all try to be helpful and polite to each other. A good friend in the blogging world can be very valuable. A person who rudely and angrily complains, whether they have a good reason or not, is not worth worrying about. Problems can all be solved politely. And as far as code goes, why can’t people just share? I’m sure that person got their code, or at least the idea, from somebody else.
Sometimes, people think they are superior to others and only them could come with anything “special”. In the process, they make a fool out of themselves.
I know how you feel coz I’d been in that situation before….but I don’t let anyone nor anything hurt or cause me pain for a long time, especially people who don’t even know you, or you don’t know. It’s enough for me to let off steam and vent out but never let them occupy my mind , more so , emotions.
This is the lesson I learned in blogging; people like them don’t really matter —coz they’re so dumb and stupid to throw upon their miserable lives to others. The trash they carry on they want to toss to others —so it’s up to you if you want to carry their trash too.
Hi Bing. I’m not really reeling from the pain. It’s just that I can be vindictive at times and this is one of those times when I have to remember what happened so that I will not mistakenly click on that blogger’s ads and be brought to her blog lest she think I’m snooping around for something I could copy from her. I once did that coz she advertised another blog and I saw her face when I opened the site. LOL!
It’s great to know that you can really meet new friends in the blogosphere. For me, that is the essence of blogging. You educate and learned from them. Nice post! =)
Finding friends, not only in the blogosphere but in real world as well, is hard and sweet moments like this makes a blogger’s experience worthwhile.
Your such a sweet friend and i know that yu really hve a good heart. God will lways be on your side Gee, btw, sasali din ako sa contest ni Red pero di ko pa tapos entry ko, hehe, Good Luck
Thanks jen.
Anyway, you better hurry. Mukhang malapit na ang deadline. Good luck too!
You definitely hit the nail on the head there Gee
Have a great weekend and thank you for the Friday link 🙂
thanks steve. LOL, I was in a hurry to post that. It should have been “come up” instead of come. happy weekend too!
I’ve always thought that the online world was impersonal and even when I started blogging, most of the interaction were very formal and one time only comments. It’s so heartwarming to know that there are people like Meretrisha who can be true friends in an impersonal world.
You’re right about that Marie. I guess you’ll know when someone is a “real person” even if you interact with them only through the internet.
There are so many bloggers out there and I’m so fortunate to have found a few who constantly visit my blogs to interact with me. One of them is you, Gee.. I can sense that you’re a nice gal and would be very much honored to be your friend too.
True that the personality we show here in the blogosphere may not be the “true identity” for most of the bloggers. But there are ways that one can show that to the other – by spending time to give meaningful comments and showing virtual love.
True friends are hard to find moreso in the web. I’m just glad you found one when you needed a friend during your awful experience.
Thanks eihdra. Time is gold and for some bloggers to really go out of their way to leave comments on a blog is something noteworthy and heartwarming. I only discovered that fact actually when I started leaving comments on other blogs – I realized how time consuming and hard it is to come up with comments and that’s when I really started appreciating my blogs commentators. Thanks for being one of them.
I so love what you said in the last paragraph:
“I realized that if I were to stop blogging now, finding a friend in Meretrisha will be something I’ll remember long after I’ve forgotten my other blogging experiences – thus, making it my most memorable blogging experience to date.” Ang sweet!! 🙂
I read all the comments and your responses. I agree, it’s hard to know who’s sincere when we only use words, when we can’t or don’t see the other person. I believe we eventually all learn how to distinguish the sincere ones among all the bloggers we meet and constantly communicate with online.
I’m glad I hosted a blog contest months ago because it was only then that I started to really get to know more bloggers. I guess that’s why I’m so addicted to blogging now kasi I love exchanging ideas, sharing stories / learning experiences, and meeting new people with different personalities and lives.
You’re one of the bloggers whose posts I follow talaga. I noticed I get drawn towards people who are also as warm as I am in real life, and I feel you’re a very warm person din. 🙂
I hope we all get to meet someday. In one of the blogger events sana! 🙂
Well, what can I say. For a while I was speechless there. Kitams, di na nga ako nakareply agad. Hehehe. Thanks Mhel. You are also one of the few bloggers whose posts I really follow. I admire your openness in your blogs – a what you see, what you get attitude and I believe that in real life, you’re also a good person and friend. One of these days, who knows… Regards. 🙂
Way to go, Gee!
Most of the posts I’ve read for Reds blogversary and mine as well talk about how important it is to have a friend. Firstly, I thought online friends/end-users, come and go leaving footprints. But, then I was wrong, one or two stays.
Thanks Lisa. You can find friends everywhere but I’m lucky to find a lot of good friends in the blogosphere. Regards and “congratulations”. Wink!
Hi She, nice site you’ve got here. Actually my first time to visit even though I’ve been seeing the link in your YM status. Nice to know that you’re enjoy blogging. Good luck to the contest.
Migs, eto na ako. Namasyal na ako sa blog mo ha. Thanks sa invite. Ngapala, good post. Kung sino man ung walang bait na nambintang sa iyo, pagtawanan mo na lang. She’s so so funny to even think about it. Har har har!
Hi Sis! SR kaw ba to?..nice page..
hi. thanks for joining. good luck
thanks! yes, hope I win 🙂
I think you win, congrats….