Last night as I was making my way through my blog reading list, I was thinking about how wonderful it is that my blog reading list is completely unmanageable. As much as I liked being able to read every post from every blogger (as I could a year or so ago), I have learned to like it even more that there are undiscovered posts out there. The ones that slip by when I am trying to read on my little phone screen, or the ones by a blogger I haven’t found (yet) are gems that I hope to run across someday in the future.
When I first started reading perfume blogs, it seemed like the pool of existing and potential perfume lovers was finite. I don’t know why I thought this. Maybe it was because when someone new joined the community, s/he usually had a similar story of “I’m so glad I found all of you like-minded people.” It felt as though we were a scattered family who just had to find each other, and one by one we were.
But how silly! Of course people are falling in love with perfume every day, just like I did. People who never thought much about it before are smelling something so different/repulsive/entrancing that it causes them to Google “perfume different/repulsive/entrancing” and — poof! We all know what happens from there. (Spoiler alert: you will become obsessed.)
I’m curious. How do you feel about the perfume “pool” these days? How did you come to be here, or, have you brought anyone into the group lately? (I’m happy to say my mom is now a complete perfumista!)
Image courtesy hotel-pictures.net.
Hey Natalie,
HAH! The perfume pool. It was only a while ago that I found you all, maybe 3 years at the most. I keep finding new blogs, perfumistas and fragrances almost daily. The world I lived in has expanded exponentially and I couldn’t be happier. I don’t know about brought anyone to perfumista-sistahood but I have shepherded some perfumistas to the scentboggosphere.
Portia xx
I couldn’t agree more, Portia. Meeting new friends through blogging has been the best part of this whole endeavor.
Almost EVERYONE I know has taken more of an interest in perfume because of me! It’s infectious. But John and one of my best friends, Kathleen, have gotten the most into it and built little collections of their own … John with plenty of help from me of course! He doesn’t think too hard about it, but he wears scent every day. When I see Kathleen (she lives in Chicago), she is usually wearing Champagne de Bois.
It is infectious! But you seem to have a special knack. I have a few people I’d like you to meet …
Hi Natalie, I understand what you mean. The perfume world goes on and on. I’ve limited myself to a few blogs, so that I still have time in the day for other things!
A pool with a view is a lovely thing
A great way to put it (pool with a view)! Metaphorically and literally.
I don’t think I’ve particularly influenced anyone or brought anyone into the perfume blogworld, but I got drawn in very much as you describe it. If I’m being honest, over the last couple of years I’ve increasingly struggled to keep up with all the new bloggers out there. It’s more an indication of where I am personally and the distractions in my life. I’m all for new blood and ideas.
I know what you mean, Michael. I have less time for blogging than I had when I started, which also probably impacts the fact that I feel the reading list is not something I can work through every week, which I used to do. It’s exciting to see all the new blogs springing up and new voices joining in.
Natalie, a very nice post, and I’m in agreement with you. My only problem is that I do feel a nagging sense of guilt that I don’t read all of the voices that are out there (and sometimes no longer get around to reading my friends’ blogs in a timely manner). One thing I’ve noticed about blogging, though, is that people who start their blogs around the same time tend to comment on each others’ blogs and get to know one another well. So in some ways, it’s like new neighborhoods are formed within the broader community, which is quite lovely.
I felt guilty for quite a while (and maybe I still do a little bit), but I have tried to let that go just for the sake of not putting pressure on myself to be more “present” in the blogosphere than I really can without sacrificing time for other things that need to be a priority for me at the moment.
I really like the idea of neighborhoods, and that is an excellent observation.
I’m with Suzanne.
It does seem neighborhoods are formed but they are never exclusive, it just seems those people know each better. And often people from the same continents (countries) connect better to each other than possibly the rest but that is also understandable.
I haven’t really brought anyone completely over but I’m slowly getting there. My boyfriend keeps asking for new stuff I have he might use and several of my colleagues are waiting for me to organize a sniffing session – I told them many things about perfume now I have to show them.
I just have to find a little bit of time to put everything together.
Yes! Non-exclusive neighborhoods. Exactly. That’s very exciting that you will be organizing a sniffing session. I hope you are able to pull it off and maybe do a post about it.
Yay your mother’s a perfumista!
I haven’t managed to introduce anyone myself. They are either a latent perfumista you can “activate” or they’re not, I think.
I’ve thought similarly to Suzanne about the comaraderie between bloggers emerging at a similar time. I think it makes sense as you are at the same point in your journey and can travel together. I love that Suzanne calls them neighbourhoods.
She is! She’s very savvy. Other than that, I don’t think I have made much of an impression on anyone either, so we are in the same boat.
I am still shy of talking about perfume with people I don’t know very, very well.
I do find it challenging to keep up with everyone, especially when after blogging for a while, my circle is quite large. There are those people who manage to keep up with everyone all the time. That is amazing to me! I don’t know if I will ever be that organized.
I’m coming at this question from a slightly different perspective. Over time, I have found that my circle grows and shrinks at the same time as more people start blogging, and long time bloggers take a hiatus for whatever reason. I’m not sure if I have turned anyone into a perfumista. Most of my friends forget that I have this very fragrant and expensive habit. A lot of them have cadged samples off me, but I haven’t managed to persuade anyone to jump down the rabbit hole too. Thank goodness for perfume bloggers! A wonderful community
Yes! I had forgotten about the hiatuses, but you’re right. That impacts my reading list as well. There are some people that I am still hoping come back to blogging on a more permanent basis, but I get that that is selfish. Still, it doesn’t hurt to hope.
PS. Love the image. That’s your place, right?
I absolutely have infected people, and I continue to get bitten by bugs other perfumistas have passed along to me (How have I managed to miss the Delrae line all these years?). I know what you mean, that the “pool” used to seem smaller, but I think that’s true of any online fandom (and the perfume blog world IS a fandom). There are always new converts! Sometimes you don’t even notice them because they self-organize into islands of excitement far away from the “center” of the discussion. But they are there!
I always forget about Delrae, but they do have some very nice perfumes. And nice job “infecting” people!
I have recently noticed a new wave / generation / ‘neighbourhood’ of bloggers emerging who seem to have popped up in the last year, and as you say, that must be so really because people do discover perfume all the time on a rolling basis. I feel bad that I don’t keep up with as many of the new voices as I would like, and struggle sometimes to read my time honoured bloggers, many of whom I count as friends, whether virtual or corporeal!
Oh, and I have converted a ton of people in my circle, and that carries on apace – I am a proper proselytiser, me!
I’m with everybody else
I wish I had more time for blogging and reading.
I’m trying to read all posts from those I consider my friends (though sometimes a day ortwo later
). And I try to support new blogs when I find them – just until they find their own support circle, we become friends or it becomes clear that we do not “click.”