Tags
Blogger, blogging, followers, Freshly Pressed, loyalty, relativety, statistics, Wordpress, year-end report
In August 2011, when I first moved my blog from Blogger to WordPress (WP), I thought it would be enormously cool to be selected for the Freshly Pressed (FP) pages. Of course, I didn’t bother to research how to best position my blog for such a feat. What Comes Next on FP seemed so pie-in-the-sky that it wasn’t worth the effort to ponder.
Besides, I began to notice what happens to the comment section of bloggers who get FP. Holy crap! How do you respond to hundreds of comments per day? I knew I wasn’t up to it. Plus, I’d heard of the meanies who lurk in the corners of the blogosphere, just waiting to pounce on some witless blogger with hate, derision, and slaps to the heart. The chances of picking up some lunatic fringe element after getting FP seemed out of proportion to the potential feel-good aspect of the notoriety.
I was perfectly happy to plod along with my 40, or so, loyal, kind, and forgiving followers. Each comment meant the world to me. That a person on the other side of this planet would actually read something I had written astounded me. That they would take the time and effort to say something nice or erudite in response was humbling.
Then in August of 2013, I snapped some semi-good shots of hummingbirds, patched them up as best I could, and posted them on my blog. Suddenly my blogger’s life turned upside down. Some dear hummingbird lover from WordPress noticed my post and voila, there we were, hummers and I, on Freshly Pressed!
It was fun! I watched the hits and new followers pile up; I eagerly answered comments; I gave up on checking out new follower’s sites because there were 
just too many. Reality followed my momentary fame. Now I had to come up with something worthy of all the attention. Talk about writer’s block!
Eventually, I did what I always do. I forgot that I was writing to an audience and began just writing for myself. Sorry dear followers. It’s therapy. The razzle-dazzle faded. My core followers remained. I love them dearly. I pretty much forgot about my moment of glory, except that, quite mysteriously, my list of new followers continues to grow. I don’t know these people. They are from all over the world, some are simply out to sell something, many are new to WordPress and looking for their own audience. I applaud their efforts. To know that I’ve been FP, they have had to wade through thousands of new entries since August.
But with 1600+ followers, I am still only getting a few comments per post and those comments come predominantly from my same old, loyal followers. The top five commenters for 2013 were: Sybil, Sandra Parsons, Glenda, btg5885, and Auntyuta. Several more followers regularly leave inspiring feedback, but these five people plod through practically everything I post and then take the time to pat me on the back. Thank you!!!
What is really interesting is what happens to WP bar graphs after a seismic event like FP. Now, a tick on the stats graph that would have put a smile on my face, is barely visible. Was this what Einstein was getting at in his theory of relativity?
As WP kindly put my 2013 blog year in perspective: The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 9,300 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it. But, just because they saw it, doesn’t mean they actually read it. Relativity!
How’d your year go?
Rangewriter 
Just be yourself.
LikeLike
I have to be! Thanks.
LikeLike
I wrote three stories last year on “What The Fluffy,” and my blog was viewed 14,000 times. Go figure. It makes no sense to me, except that a story I wrote on the invention of the light bulb in 2011 still gets the most hits. And I figured out why. It used to be on page one of Google search. It’s not anymore. I just checked and I couldn’t even find it, which is probably why my views have dropped off. On June 1, last year, someone read my story about the hill behind Linden School in Sheridan, Wyoming, and told everyone to read it. 137 people did in one day. I think she has a bigger following on Facebook than I do on WordPress. I stopped caring that it would take a number of sold-out audiences at the Syidney Opera house to cover my readership, because, like you, I really enjoy the comments, and I don’t get very many. You wonder more about if what you wrote was good or not, but then most of the viewers out there aren’t reading to offer editorial comment. I have no idea how many followers I have, but I know I would rather be on page one of Google search than Freshly Pressed. Not to take away anything from you achieving that feat. Maybe I’ll write more often in 2014….maybe.
LikeLike
Yeah, it’s funny. I can’t figure out why people would bother to follow if they don’t care enough to read & comment. I pop in and out for visits on some blogs but only follow the ones I care enough about to read. Of course, that limits how many I can follow. I think much of the traffic is mere headline reading. A blink and they’re gone! pfew. Anyway, I’m number challenged, so all these metrics are a mystery to me.
Thanks for dropping by,Fluffy.
LikeLike
Sometimes I feel like people use “perspective” to make people feel better about themselves. WordPress is trying to make bloggers a little happier. I had a similar stat sheet, however, and it kind of seemed a little shallow to me. I like your blog though, and I “read” it, if it makes you feel better!
[www.alinktothematt.com]
LikeLike
It makes me feel very good, Matt! You’re right. The year-end metrics are a shallow ploy to boost spirits.That said, it’s interesting what sorts of comparisons WP comes up with. My funny looking stat graphic still makes me giggle.
LikeLike
My year was great and I had one day in September where I got many visits (appr. 4000). After that much traffic WP put some advertising on my page, even if the traffic never stayed that high in the last month. So that I don’t like.
Have a happy weekend. 😀
LikeLike
I think WP is putting ads on everyone’s blog these days. To keep your site ad-free, they bugger you for a $30 fee. I coughed that up just because I found the ads so distasteful. Now if I could figure out how to make my youtube videos adfree….
I’m sure you’ll have some exciting weekend adventure which I will soon get to read about. 😉
LikeLike
Note: I’m pretty sure YouTube videos stay ad-free if you don’t monetize them. Has this changed?
LikeLike
Well, when I post a Youtube video, or view someone else’ YT video, a whole grid of other videos shows up at the end. You know, the “you might also like these” variety? On occasions, some of the suggested videos were quite offensive to me and I really didn’t like those to be the last thing my readers/viewers might see after visiting my site. I don’t know of a way around this. If there is a way, I probably can’t afford it. lol.
LikeLike
Okay, I understand. No, there’s no real way around that. It’s just the nature of YouTube. In fact, I think the results are different for each user. I thought you were talking about pre-roll ads, which only play if you try to make money off of your own videos. On that note, what’s your channel. I’d like to subscribe.
LikeLike
I don’t do much in the way of videos. Mostly I just use YouTube as a means of getting a video onto my blog. I guess this is my channel? http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxnvR4cK0sxRY58p_vSXScQ I’m hopeless. I have a lot of stuff up on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/rangewriter/
LikeLike
It’s true, Linda: statistically, being Freshly Pressed can make it seem as though you had only one good blogging day the whole year. As for the real meaning behind those other numbers, I have no idea. But the significance of the word subscribers has certainly changed.
LikeLike
Yeah, that is the amazing thing to me. 1600 people may fly by my site, but they don’t see more than a headline, I’m sure. Why do they bother to follow? That’s what I don’t get. I can’t imagine what their “Reader” must look like. The idea of it makes my eyes cross!
LikeLike
Greedily, I have three blogs on wordpress, and one got freshly pressed last year (Pedersen’s last Dream). Of course, I thought it a great honour and loved to see the mountain of followers grow, even if many ot them – most of them – were not reading my posts, and still aren’t.
I have more followers, than readers, at the moment on that site, whereas my main site, the site I’m writing from, has more regular readers than followers. I’m getting confused here, as statistics aren’t my strongest point. I used to be good at Ludo, and will challenge anyone at a game.
Still, I am happy with wordpress, it has given me the opportunity to reach many people all over the world, who are also reaching out.
LikeLike
I’m with you about statistics. I occasionally glance up at the now, ever expanding follower’s count and shake my head. Every now and then, I click on a new follower’s link. All too often I find a site written in a language so foreign that I can’t even determine what it is. Other times I find those annoying sales/spam/lurking miners. But every now and then I discover a really cool blogger at the other end and then my heart soars. It’s a funny phenomenon.
LikeLike
Hello! I’m at woгk browsing yοur blog from myy neѡ apple iphone!
Јust wanted to sаy I love reading yyour blog annd loߋk forward tօ all yoսr posts!
Carry οn the outstanding wߋrk!
LikeLike
Most people would not admit to browsing blogs while at work. Must be a pretty cool jobl.
LikeLike