 |
| Some graph or other |
If you are new to blogging, you may well wonder what the world of your 'numbers' may look like after a while.
My modus-operandi is simple:
- Christian in flavour
- Spontaneous posting
- Breadth of topic within the scope of the previous two points
- Written as a priest with a due sense of responsibility to that ministry
- Of me, in my style, and authentic (and with a little humour where appropriate)
That is what I do when I blog. This is not a derivative blog, and it either lives or dies by that sword. So, if you want to know how life will be in a year and a half after starting (making some wild assumptions about frequency, audience and other stuff), I offer my own experience as a sort of digital plimsoll-line.
- This blog has been read in 79 languages
- This blog has been accessed in 117 countries
- Average page-views per visit has remained constant since the beginning
- Two thirds of my traffic, on average, is constituted by returning visitors
- Increases in traffic and page-views has increased steadily over time and not in line with periods of increased or decreased posting (barring peaks and troughs on a day to day basis)
- New visitors as a percentage of the overall visitor count has steadily increased
- This blog has been linked on c300 other websites (by volume the BBC has generated most visitors, followed by Facebook with Twitter high in that list)
- The blog has been found and accessed from 755 unique internet searches ('the vernacular curate', 'vernacular curate' and 'humuhumunukunukuapua'a' being the top three searches)
In themselves, these are just numbers and mean little. The reason why I have produced them is to underwrite my own view that bloggers have an affect that they may never predict at the start. I have opted not to play the 'volume of visitors' game because I know who the bigger blogs are and so do you, but I find interest in some of the underlying numbers. I am humbled by all of this, if I am honest - and the statistic that is never available through Analytics is that of readers who have valued the words on this page.
If you are starting out, or in the first throes, take comfort from this information. This blog really is small-pototoes compared to some, but as cottage-industry gospel-infections go, wider than your typical pandemic! It also shows you how the silliest or most abstract posts may actually be the ones read most around this world of ours.
Blessed be the Trigger Reef Fish!
This blog has been read in 79 languages? How do you manage to write in so many of them?
ReplyDeleteI am guessing Google Translate can claim that credit. I have English and Sign-Language (plus a little tourist French, a little commentary Greek and Hebrew) - so I can't!
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, no-one was more surprised than me to read that number!!
:)
Very thought provoking David. I was astonished to find similar figures on mine though admittedly the one on banning sex images has attracted more than most. The word "ban" seems to be disregarded!
ReplyDeleteItsva good reminder that the most innocuous post can be read or misread anywhere in the world! Thanks as always. Many of my visitors come from yours.
I read an earlier post you wrote on the same subject and felt unable to comment but your words:
ReplyDelete'the statistic that is never available through Analytics is that of readers who have valued the words on this page.'
Are the ones that really struck a chord with me. They really are the only ones that matter.
....but why on earth would anyone search under humuhumunukunukuapua? Why?
ReplyDeletehumuhumunukanukapua? Because the world is full of funny people. (I should know). and most of those who read David's stranger blogs fall into that category.
ReplyDeleteStatistics are amazing things aren't they. They can boost an ego sky-high, or knock it flat on it's face.