As I begin my second decade as a blogger, I am taking a step
back to see what I have accomplished. At first glance, I am pleased to see that
in ten years, I have approximately three hundred page views per month for a
total of over 18,000. Anyone familiar with the blogosphere knows that is a teeny-tiny
number compared to the most popular blogs. Even a moderately-read blog gets more
than 18,000 pageviews per month, so my ten-year total is unremarkable.
Except it’s not. It is remarkable to me to think that
without any marketing other than posting to my Facebook page, my thoughts have
been shared with over 16,000 viewers. (About ten percent of all “views” are not
humans but robots tasked with searching the web for various reasons.) This
means that my message that Heaven Always Matters Most has been seen by a large
group of people. I am hopeful that some of that number have come to Christ
because of my words, or they have drawn closer to their Savior or become better
servants because of me.
 |
| Audience distribution |
More amazing to me is the geographical
reach my tiny blog has achieved. For a long time, the second largest group of
readers of my blog was from India. Of late, Russia has moved from third to
second, with India falling off the chart. I suspect the original draw to each
of these countries is that I have had contact with missionaries from each, and
I suspect that they somehow influenced a number of people in their circles to
check out my writings. I am at a loss to explain my sizable
Chinese
readership.
It is no surprise to learn that Facebook
is the number one referring entity. That’s the only place I “advertise” my blog
other than an occasional direct email to someone I think might want to read a
particular post. Google is the second most frequently used pathway to my blog.
This is encouraging because it means that people who may not already be my “Friends”
have searched for something and wound up at my site. I seldom get comments on
the page, so I don’t know how things are being received, but I am confident in
the truth of what I write, so I believe the cause of the Kingdom is being
advanced.
 |
| Most widely read posts |
I am curious as to why the most popular pieces have risen to
the top. “Obama Isn’t
the Problem” soared into the most read article in its early days back in
the 2012 election season. I suspect I may have prompted this by using the
article in an English composition class I was teaching at the time. I enjoy
stirring debate, and this article certainly got my mostly millennial and
largely progressive students riled up. However, those 27 students cannot
explain the 145 hits this post has received. “The
Uncomfortable Subject,” a piece about the homosexual movement in America,
recently moved into number one. I have no clue why it became so popular.
The reason for the next two most popular items is also a
mystery to me. “How
to Watch Television (1)” became widely read over the years for some unknown
reason, but the two subsequent installments have languished far below. I think “A
Route 66 Adventure” became popular through people searching Google for travel
tips; I know that’s what I did when we were anticipating our trip. I am pleased
to see “Eulogy
for Robert Rosencrants” come up fourth, though to reach that position every
member of his church family would have had to view the piece. In any event, Bob
was a good friend and a valiant warrior in God’s Kingdom; I hope many people
will be inspired by his life.
The rest of my 300+ posts not on the list above fall
gradually into an average view-count around 20-30 each. I would love to know if
it’s pretty much the same people every time, or if there is a smaller cadre of
regulars plus a number of first-timers who account for the statistics. I have
had a “Follow” button on the blog from the beginning, but few people have
bothered to click it. My shattered ego (ha-ha) wonders if so few people have
joined in this way because they are reluctant to be associated with a guy whose
opinions are often wacky and sometimes unpopular (in certain segments of the
population).
I began writing a blog because I love to write. That fact
alone is enough to convince many people I am unusual, to say the least. Years
of teaching undermotivated English composition students made me aware how many
folks just don’t like to write. I wouldn’t be completely honest if I didn’t
admit that I also feel like I have something to say that is worth reading –
most of the time. Once again, my bruised ego laments the lack of a large
readership; he says to me it’s their loss.
Going forward, I have no plans to change the title and purpose
of my blog, or the heavenly blue-sky background on the page, or the fact that
many of my posts will have political overtones. I have recently added an email subscription option for those who want to be notified when I post a new article. I suspect there will be times when I post more frequently than others due to my life circumstances. As I
write this, the country is in the midst of the COVID 19 shutdown, so my
production is prolific. I am enjoying it, and I hope my readers are as well.
I once dreamed I would become a popular writer who could
afford to sit around writing the days away, supported by the royalties from my
many books. To date, the four books I have published have amassed me the great
sum of just under two dollars in royalties. Given that my first novel cost me
almost $2,000 to “self-publish,” I’m not exactly striking it rich. Fortunately,
digital publishing is now free and easy enough for just about anyone. That
probably explains why my self-published works languish on the Amazon.com virtual
shelf with tens of thousands of other hopeful authors’ works.
Blogging my way to riches isn’t going anywhere fast either.
In the beginning, I chose not to monetize my work because, like many people, I
am annoyed by the ubiquitous pop-up ads that clutter most websites. Even if I
had swallowed my principles and gone commercial, I would still be looking at only
pennies of income – not anything like the top blog’s millions of dollars per
year. But then, I didn’t begin, nor have I continued because it pays well. I do
this because I like it. Even if no one reads a word, I find fulfillment in
organizing my thoughts and putting them down in what I hope is a cogent, pleasant,
and maybe even artistic way.
There is also that matter of the Heaven I blog for. I can hope
that I have touched thousands of lives with the truth that heaven does matter
most. I think of the Ray Boltz song, “Thank
You,” in which he is imagining his time in heaven someday, learning of the
many people he influenced during his lifetime. If only one person winds up in
Heaven because of something I have written, it will mean more to me than my
sense of fulfillment down here or any amount of money I might have made had
circumstances been different. I preach a silent word to an unseen multitude. God
can use those words to lead people to the Word, the Way, the Truth and the
Life. That’s no small thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment