Thursday, October 11th 2007
Can you hear it wheezing?
My blog is dying a slow death.
I wish I knew what brought on this disease. Did I catch it somewhere in my e-travels?
All I know is that it’s shot to hell. My traffic, my rankings, my readership are all fading away before my very eyes and I don’t have a clue how to stop it.
I realize that I probably shouldn’t care too much about such details. However, after almost 3 years and hours upon hours of loving effort, it breaks my heart to watch my blog take a nose dive for the toilet.
Have I offended the Internet Gods?
Perhaps I should sacrifice a non-blogger in order to get back into their good graces?
Do you care about your traffic and rankings?
Can you help me appease the Internet Gods?
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I ♥ Abdullah Hussain, Steph., Katy, Elena jane, Major Bedhead, Fairly OddF Mother, Laurie, Suzanne, Bitsy parker, Merseydotes, Annie, MamaLee, Soapbox.SUPERSTAR, Ree, Busy Mom, AuthorMomWithDogs, Mel from freak parade, Margalit, Raehan, Suebob, Maggie, InterstellarLass, Thumper, Susan, MammaLoves, Indigo, PunditMom, Leanne, Cheryl, the Jungian Knitter, Jen in Jakarta, Miz S, Teebopop, Pam, Sleepynita, Assertagirl, and Heather.
I care about my traffic and comments but not as much as I used to. I’ve noticed that a lot of people who used to read me just don’t anymore. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong.
But your blog is lovely. Trust me.
I’m a fairly new reader of your blog and I promise I’ll be back.
I try not to look at my stats. I do probably once a month or so, but I think I’ve pretty much accepted it “as-is”.
I don’t even know how to check my stats, I have so few commenters it hurts, but once in a while you or RudeCactus leave a comment and it makes my day. Seriously? post more often, I like reading your blog but your posting seems to have dwindled.
And, maybe find some unknown mommy bloggers and leave them some comments, comments can be currency in the blog world, and guaranteed they will come visit you to see who you are. (Because unknown Mommy bloggers like me can be like that, or I am anyways.)
I hardly ever comment because I read you on Google Reader… Maybe more people are doing the RSS thing and not bothering to click over?
A lot of folks who have blogs don’t realize that many of us who read don’t actually have to go directly to your page. We read through Bloglines or another reader.
When we do, it’s not going to show up on your stats.
I read you every time you post. I don’t actually have to come to your site to do that, unless I comment, like now.
Since I am never wittier than the original post, I don’t comment often.
But I often see this same complaint and wonder if you realize that there are a lot more people reading your blog than you see in the stats because of the readers?
Just a thought.
I’m reading you, honey! And that’s all that matters!
I read every post…and I have never commented here before.
Like the others I read you on a (Google) reader…..(Broadband in Indonesia is slower than dialup) and it takes too long to click through.
Maybe feed burner is not picking up all the readers you have?
I want to not care and most days I don’t. I like that there is a hearty few who read what I write. And I kinda wish there were more of them. But I try not to think about that and post what I like to read.
Umm — so maybe there are hundreds of invisible to me readers following me via Bloglines and GoogleReader, right?
You had EIGHT comments before I even got here. Now before you go getting all depressed, show some stats, woman. I have posts that get an average of 5 comments for the whole lifetime of the post, and I’ve been blogging since 2001. :P
Yeah. Show us some stats.
I’m so glad you blogged about this. Same here — my Technorati ranking has plummeted over 400 “points” in the last week, yet my traffic is up. What does that mean? I don’t know, but I’m assuming the ranking drop is not good for trying to attract advertisers.
I love your blog and read you daily on Bloglines. I only comment when I just can’t keep my mouth shut, but I read every single word.
I don’t have much of a readership on my blog anymore, unless it’s through Bloglines and RSS feeds, but I attribute that to not having much time to visit every commenter. I think there are many bloggers who only recipricate a visit/comment.
Cheer up m’dear. Your blog is just fine!
I’m suffering from the same thing too. I think sacrificing a non-blogger is in high order-preferably one of those non-bloggers who looks at you oddly when you say you have a blog and says, “ooooh, you blaaahg?!” I always want to respond by saying, “yeah, and if you wait long enough you’ll see my second head shoot out of my neck too.”
I remain a faithful reader. Keep writing. We love you.
I am here…
I avoided statcounters for a long time because I didnt want to get stuck on whatever affirmation or discouragement it might give me. I don’t think a (probably temprorary) slide in readership ought to affect what you write. People ARE reading you & the others will likely be back soon enough (hey, I came back too. See?)
That said, sacrifices CAN keep interest - like the lady who sacrificed fashion for a year by only wearing the same brown dress, washed frequently - or the ones who wouldn’t buy from China for a year? People are always curious to see if you can keep it up ;-)
Hey, I’m still lurking… I matter! I count!
Don’t I?
I’m still here with ya. I haven’t looked at my stats in months. But I also am posting less frequently, and receiving less comments too. My own fault. I just don’t feel that creative.
I use google reader too, and because I am a sucky lurker (and usually don’t feel like I have anything new to add) I almost never click through and comment. But I am trying to be better about - because I feel so guilty! But I love your blog, I never miss it!
Don’t worry. It will go back up once you resume posting the naked hot mommy photos (hi, googlers!)
What everyone else said.
And one more thing. You have a life. Be glad of that. I find that my blog-stats and comments were high when my blogging obsession was totally out of control. It’s a sad fact, this choice we have to make, but true.
I was never happy when I cared about my stats. In my opinion, high stats come at a cost I never wanted to pay.
I’m here every day but I do read thru bloglines. I know that with my stat reader I can see who reads thru bloglines and google reader, but not every counter does that.
If you want to build up your readership, you have to participate in blogging events and comment on other blogs. I know it can be lame at times, but it works!
I agree with everyone else who said feedreaders. I don’t have as much time to spend reading blog as I used to. I try to keep up with everyone in my reader. I click away to comment when I have something to add. Actually, I almost always click away to visit your blog because it is purty.
I think posting daily has a huge affect on increasing traffic, but I just don’t have the time…or creativity. I blog when I have something to say. No one wants to read a play by play of me doing laundry. I have no problem with blogs that don’t update everyday, although I know some people prefer that. Shrug.
I read every post you put up….but I don’t always comment. I promise to do better. Can’t be contributing to you having some sort of complex.
The other factor that influences technorati ratings is that they only count the last six months of links. Everything further back gets ditched to help the new blogs play on a level playing field.
So between off-site readers and old links being thrown out, it can be hard to get a true picture of where you are. Relying on stats can be deceptive. That’s the part of blogging that can so easily get compulsive and distracting.
Can we choose who to sacrifice?
I care about my traffic. Way too much. But I’m thrilled someone gives a crap about what I have to say, so I just hold my breath when I pull up the #s in the mornig.
Page Ranking? Can’t get lower than 0, so….I guess that’s a good thing.
I love your site though, and visit every time there’s an update!
P.S. I use the google feed reader also!
I care about traffic as well. And I think that readers are one of the reasons why people are seeing a nosedive in hits and comments.
I’m here. So nice to meet you again and again. And I promise to come out of my reader to say hi to you more often.
Hmmm…I think what helps the most is commenting at other blogs. I sometimes (uh, often, really) only make a post to my blog once a week, but I enjoy reading and commenting at other blogs every day.
I HATE those frickin’ reader or bloglines, I mean, how LAZY do ya gotta be not to be able to go “click-click”?
I think some people read and then just don’t bother to click over and comment. And there may be interesting comments going on but you can’t see them from the reader.
You know, I think there’s a sort of general blog fatigue/malaise going around. Blogging is not new and interesting anymore (I’m always amazed when I meet someone who doesn’t have - or hasn’t had - a blog), so people are dropping off reading and commenting.
Lots of excuses up there above this comment, but all I can say is “I hear you!” My blog stats have been stinky lately. It’s not you, it seems to be going around. I wanted to posted yesterday “HELL-o???? Anybody out there?”
Everything else aside, when your post shows up in my inbox I IMMEDIATELY and EXCITEDLY read it immediately. If I’m in a meeting and the message comes in, I act like I’m reading a memo from the President. SO, don’t you dare think of slipping out of the blog world.
p.S. This is all probably happening because I never sent that damn Real Simple bag back. It haunts me.
I like your blog.
When I first started blogging I’ll admit I was an addict and I checked out my stats all the time. Now that I’m just enjoying a healthy pace I don’t care as much. I just hope that other’s find my blog to be as fun and inspiring as I find others to be. I feel so empowered to find women, like yourself, how are so talented.
This is the second post I’ve read of this sort which makes me feel a little bit better about my tanking traffic. I thought I must have made a comment on a big blog and pissed everyone off—-like there was a chain email going around saying, “Don’t go to FOM’s blog anymore; in fact, don’t read anything she has written anywhere!”. Maybe this is a seasonal thing? That is what I hope.
I kind of lurk here, but I do read you all the time. Thru Bloglines,often, which is what I’m attributing my lack of stats/comments to as well. It seems to be an epidemic in the blogging world.
But you got 30-odd comments on this post. If I got that many comments, I’d be over the moon.
i read with bloglines now, and usually just click over when i need to comment. but i’m new to your blog, tho i’ve visited in the past….
and altho i get a few hits a day, i don’t get too many new readers/replies. and i LOVE replies….
Thanks for posting this. I’m a new reader to your blog (but not a new blogger). It drives me nuts that I have readers but no comments. Though I’m trying not to stress it so much.
I’m here, even though I suck at commenting most of the time now. I read you through Bloglines and get behind and tend to read about 5-6 posts at that point.
You know what I like? I like that I just scanned through your commenters and read a group of ladies whose names I recogonize have blogged for a few years like we have and they’re all still out there and are going through a lot of what you/we are.
Keep on blogging, girlfriend. We’ll be reading whether your counter says we’re here or not!
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