Saturday, January 21, 2012

If a tree falls in the forest...

*sigh*

...does anybody hear?

Since Christmas, everything changed in my blogging world. Traffic diminished considerably, which is normal and ok. However, when traffic came back partially...it was quite crappy...very crappy.

First of all, 35 % of the post-Holidays traffic is generated by a Pub Sub, or if you prefer, an Internet robot. It sends me traffic I never asked for...and the traffic that comes to my blog never asked to be on my blog. In other words, it's a very bad match. From my stats, I can see that the people coming to my blog, from the Pub Sub, don't read it.

There's another 40 % that is basically the Bloggers community. If you prefer, they are bloggers themselves. They come on my blog, they tell me I have a "great blog", and then comes my favorite line: "I love your blog...please visit my blog and vote for it and subscribe and...". Some of them go even further: "Go on my Facebook page and my Web site and click on this and that and the other thing".

So basically, at least 75 % of my blog visitors don't read it. At the very least...either a junk-referral or bloggers that only try to generate traffic for their own blog.

I've found that the rest of the 25 % doesn't read it much either.

I don't want to be part of this. This is not about reading. This is not about sharing opinions...this is about HITS...how many hits today? This week? More hits than you? Whether it's for the ego or for money (see: Adsense)...I'm not here for the money, neither for the ego. What a crock of shit.

I'm too much of an idealist? Maybe. But for the price I'm paid to write this blog (Re: $0.00), I can afford to be a little idealistic, with principals and integrity.

I wanted to stir things up. Give a new point of view. Generate opposite opinions to mine (which in turn would generate great debates). But in the end, the blogging world is largely like real life: about money and ego...with a whole lot of talkers...but very little listeners...

Since I don't want to be the tree that falls (and ending up writing letters to myself that people will hold in their hands but not read them)...I have come to to the conclusion that it's a good time to put this blog on an official hiatus until I figure out all of the angles.

If you have an opinion about this, please feel free to drop me a line: reflectionsonamoderncircus@gmail.com

22 comments:

  1. So funny you should post this...I have just started to feel exactly like the way have described. I post and post and post and get a lot of "I will vote for you if you will vote for me" and no one seems to be reading. I started thinking if I really want to talk to myself why not start a diary...
    But, in my opinion, from a lot of the blog that I have read, you should definitely keep yours going as it is quite in your face honest. Not many of those kind out there!
    Good luck!

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    1. I'm glad someone one else noticed the joke that has become the bloggers community. The love we get is very much conditional to the love we give...which makes it "eurk!!". Funny that you mentioned the diary...exactly what I thought about lately. I know you read my articles and I appreciate it. Also I appreciate your thoughts on religion (your blog). I guess we have become a rare kind of bloggers...are we in danger of extinction? ;-) I'll take a break to reflect on what's my position on blogging. But I will consider your comment. Like I said before, thank you for your continuous support.

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    2. I am just now reading your reply....I just wanted to say one more thing on this topic....believe it or not, regardless of what it feels like, people with real opinions are a rarity and make a difference.
      I feel the same that in the end who cares what I think, but I value, as you do, real thoughts and by pushing the envelope in this area.....I think others will come around!!!
      That is why I am continuing on this blog journey - even if it is only for a vote trade once in a while. :)

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    3. Well Shayna, thanks again for your kind words. I appreciate that you value real thoughts and genuine opinions...Here's my suggestion: continue to generate traffic, make your blog journey very successful, gather lots of money and build a multi-headed-monster blog of real opinions...then hire me...and I'll become your most loyal Canadian employee :-) I sincerely wish you the best Shayna.

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  2. I know how you feel but I totally disagree with you. I think you should keep writing your blog. There are some of us that enjoy reading your blogs. Think about it!

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  3. crap man, you're an idealist? stop complaining. we live in a world of machines now. and i think you knew nature selects, this machines work on binary, right? and it works by law of nature. so, don't stop writing, or i'll have to kill ya.. ^^

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  4. @Sherlyne : What can I say?...You were my first supporter and first subscriber. I really appreciate you going out of your way to post that comment, your first comment ever on this blog. I just think there are a very few persons that enjoy my blog for its content. Anyways, I'll take a break to reflect on what's my position on blogging. But I will consider your comment. Thank you for your continuous support.

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  5. @ Qodam: I don't know what to make of your comment. ha! ha! ha!

    If you say that nature selects, then I should quit. ha! ha! ha! Obviously, I was not naturally selected (I was "robotly" or conditionally selected!!).

    I'm not complaining...I was just explaining why I was thinking about quitting...or accepting my "naturally not selected" status ;-

    Maybe it doesn't show, but I put a lot of efforts to have a fresh article published every week on this blog. Lots of research and "natural selection" (for the humor). In other words I was not talking about my cat or posting my diary. As a result, being "read" by a majority of clickers (as opposed to by real readers), sounds like a letter to myself.

    Thanks Qodam. I'll keep your comment in mind while I reflect...

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  6. Being quite a dilemma between the need for blog hits and visitor loyalty. There is no definite formula to return a person's loyalty to a blog except one: the need.
    If someone needs met then he would return to the blog / web. But the problem, itself needs changing and quite a lot of blogs that can meet your needs. We compete in the niche that

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  7. Thanks for your message, Inez. Too bad you didn't finish it.

    My main concerns were the illusion of the hits and the fact that most of the readers are bloggers themselves. They come to "visit" your blog CONDITIONALLY to the fact that you'll visit theirs. In the end, no one really reads. Look at the people's profile. They subscribe to 200 blogs. On a weekly basis (or worse, on a daily basis, who has the time to read 200 blogs?? This is bullshit. It's an hypocrisy I don't want to be a part of...I won't pretend I read all the blogs of my readers so that they come and visit my blog.

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  9. hi, I am from Indonesia and interested in your blog, maybe I'll come back again, thank you

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  10. I completely agree with what you say, but I think you have to keep at it.
    You can't think about all the junk referrals and people looking to boost their own views by commenting, because you WILL feel like that.
    Instead think about the people who do enjoy reading your blog. Like Shayna, and myself now.
    If at least one person reads, enjoys and gains something from your writings, isn't that worth it??
    I certainly think so.
    I hope you read this comment at some point.
    Try and look on the bright side. You have one more fan and reader in me.

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  12. thank you very much for sharing the information ... god bless you

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  13. I guess I discovered you too late. That's a shame. Still, I'm going to follow anyway you in case you change your mind some day.

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  14. If you were not on hiatus, I would suggest joining a blogging community that has the same interest as you. For example, since I am a poet blogger, there are sites for poet bloggers to share work and read it for the sale of the work.

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