Do they not hear and see, or just not talk?
Would those of you who have lively blogs explain blogging success to me? This is almost a request I would feel comfortable posting at Mad Genius Club, except it's not concerning income-producing writing.
I started blogging FIVE years ago, today. My first post had 18 hits. (They dropped off after that, but I was sporadic about posting for quite a while.)
Some devoted friends have subscribed to my posts. I can usually count on at least 50 hits. Usually, if my post is interesting or amusing or relevant, I'll get 100+ hits. Anything above that is rare; my top five, without any undue promotion, were in the 500+ hit range.
I am utterly cool with this, although I do think my posts are mostly brilliant and more people would enjoy them if they read them. However: It is RARE that anybody ever comments on a blog post!
This was brought home to me in startling fashion after the hits started coming in for my blog post about my workable solution for prevention of school shootings. That's one I DID push, hard, by asking prominent people with popular blogs and columns to promote, and that worked. As of right now, it has been viewed 3594 times, which is well above an order of magnitude greater than the average number of hits my blog receives. (And by the way: I'm not gonna push my future posts in the same way, unless I once again I come up with a solution to one of America's greatest problems.)
But, comments? Not so much. If you read all five of them, you'll see what I mean.
I ain't fussing; I'm just perplexed. It seems to me that I'm not really engaging the audience I do have.
Maybe I should give away a toaster.
Peace be on your household.
I read all your posts, but I am such a lurker. It can feel very presumptuous. But I love your blog and your stories. They give me hope.
ReplyDeleteChristi, I can't speak for EVERYBODY, but just as authors likes reviews, I think bloggers like comments. So, feel free to speak up.
DeleteI don't get *that* many comments. I'm adding your blog to my blog roll right now, because I keep forgetting to.
ReplyDeleteI’d comment more, but I read my RSS feed on my phone and am usually on the go, so unless I feel I have something to contribute or a joke to make I generally just smile at the story and move on.
ReplyDeleteI run several blogs, and my writing one gets the least hits and comments.
ReplyDeleteYou could try being contentious, like for example, Charlie Stross. He gets lots of hits and comments, but that's not a path I would go down.