So…I’ve been writing this in a blog format online for a while now, and though it started kind of slow with virtually no real following…that lack of initial interest has actually tailed off to the point where the only page clicks these days are from my own IP address. According to the stats page, there have been approximately 3,374 pageviews since inception, and about 3,365 of them have been from my computer. To be honest, things got so bad a few months ago that I promised to stop writing it. Unfortunately I made the threat to quit on this blog so nobody really saw it. As often happens with me though, the complete disinterest and total lack of response buoyed me to carry on…if for no other reason than I would have an exclusive site to visit my own work.
According to the experts, the most important ingredient necessary to drive folks to a blog is good content. The idea is if you write well, or if the subject matter is interesting, people will feel compelled to visit, come back and ultimately promote your site. Knowing that wasn’t an option for me, I looked at a couple of other ways to supposedly draw folks to the page.
Yet another ingredient to blog success is to post frequently, but I can barely scrap up the creative energy to crank out subpar content for this once-a-week Friday format, so additional writings is not really not an option either. So (that’s the second sentence starting with so) knowing that substantive ingredients like quality work and increased frequency weren’t realistic, I wondered if a blog didn’t work like most things in life, and that maybe I could just dazzle folks with more BS instead. Much to my delight…this is apparently possible. While fundamental elements like the ones alluded to above are best, there are also tricks you can use to drive unsuspecting internet viewers to your work. Who knew?
Apparently, one of the tricks is to use words that people often search. In light of that, my infomercial rants about revolutionary products like the Oreck DualMax air purifier (you can get it at www.trydualmax.com ) or great investments like $273 faith seeds (www.yourbreakthroughhour.com) where Dr. Todd Koontz provides the scriptural answers essential to reaping a perpetual harvest (harvest is code here for tons of U.S greenbacks). There’s a 53 minute video available on that site, and if you really want to wisely spend an hour of your life, I can’t encourage you enough to check it out. Todd makes a lot of references to “good decision making” in the video, so If you want to spite him and make a really bad one, dial Todd’s number right now (803) 578-1000) and sow a $273 dollar seed. As Todd notes in the video, the turnaround time on your financial miracle is virtually hours away. So (#3), this paragraph was totally unnecessary, except to ensure that folks who have a life’s wake of bad decisions and are attempting to turn their lives around by making yet another, will be drawn here when they search things like $273 dollar faith seeds.
Yet another great trick is to use online tools like Twitter, but after having an account longer that most people (set it up in about 2007 after hearing about it at an IBEW conference) my age, I only have three followers. To be honest I only had two until a couple of days ago, when a colleague signed up because she felt sorry for me. One of the problems could also be that I haven’t sent many tweets (did from another account I’d set up when I couldn’t remember my password), but I really can’t figure out why people would care about what I have to say. Hey…ever have something hit you like an epiphany? Suddenly the three Twitter followers over five years is starting to explain the robust interest in this blog.
In all honesty though, there is something to the whole good content translates to more traffic argument. Though it’s been rare, there have been a few instances when certain subjects draw both visits…and feedback. Writing about fond memories of your childhood seems to work well, especially if you can paint a picture of a Formica/metal kitchen table that everyone remembers, or some traumatic story about having your bike stolen that folks seem to relate to. Recalling stories about personal humiliation on a college football field is also a hit, and few things work better than rants about trash TV.
There was however a post a few weeks that just seemed to resonate with people. Ironically, while some of the material here tries to deal with the big stuff, the content that drew the most visitors to this site was about the small stuff. The blog that week was based on the story of the old man that walked across the country, and the fact that it wasn’t the big obstacles (mountains, deserts and rivers) that he found demoralizing (Click here to read) Quite to the contrary, as he viewed those intimidating often insurmountable hurdles as challenges. It was however the sand in his shoes that almost cause him to throw in the towel, and it was this admittedly little thing, that became the most annoying over time.
Since posting that little piece, I’ve been on kind of a personal crusade to find out what it is that annoys people, or what they’d change (both at home and work) to make their life better. True to the old man and the sand story, I’ve been intrigued by the seemingly trivial nature of the responses, as for the most part is hasn’t been big requests, but rather some minor adjustment people would make. In essence, it’s the small stuff…or the little things…that make the difference. Think about what often starts fights, ends friendships, sinks marriages, causes people to quit jobs, or makes them think about quitting their quest to walk across the country, it’s not the big stuff…it’s the little things…it’s the sand.
What’s the meaning of this? Well, if your life is anything like mine of late, you’ve been inundated with what seems like almost weekly reminders of the fragility of life. Our time here is so precious, and we have a duty to honor it by not sweating the small stuff. It is the little things that make us want to give up…and it’s the little things that make a difference in our lives…and in the lives of others. This weekend, don’t sweat the small stuff, and do something seemingly little to make someone’s life (and yours) better. Be extra nice to a colleague, friend or loved one, smile at a stranger (or someone you know), set aside a piece of clothing for the homeless shelter or give some food to someone you know that’s hungry. If you have the opportunity these next few days (you will), say please and thank you. If you can, you may also want to pick up the phone and call your mom (or your dad).
Have a great weekend.
BTW...they've even screwed up Grooveshark...so you may have to watch/listen to a 10 second video before the song.
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