Remarkably and strangely, I have had less traffic on my site since the February 30 Day ( minus two) Creative Writing Challenge has commenced. But I have much better traffic. Better in the sense that people are sticking around longer. And I have many many more comments and interaction with some very funny and some very cool people.
Some of you I had never heard of before. Some of you, I had read your blogs but we had never communicated.
So now, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. Will my traffic return to normal? Will it be less referral hits and more search engine hits? Will it be my loyal following or will I keep meeting new friends? Will my recently acquired friends come back for a visit?
Due to my recent nuptials I had been unable to visit my new neighbours as frequently as I would have liked. But I have made it a point to reply to every single comment on my site.
So let us hope the shoe does not drop. Keep both your shoes on, walk right in and pay me a visit.
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| Shoe |
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| The Other Shoe |
Today is day 20 of the thirty day writing challenge (February edition) as arranged and hosted by Mike and Nicky over at WeWorkForCheese.com. Go check out their site to see who else is participating and read some more great stories.
I like dropping by here, Shawn. I enjoy your take on music and your sense of humour. And you're a fellow Canadian, eh?
ReplyDeleteI like it when you drop by. As well as the compliments. Keep 'em coming!
DeleteDo I write Canadian?
There has been a precipitous drop in traffic on my blog since I joined 30M2D and I blame Nicky ... and her shoes.
ReplyDeleteWe've been blaming Nicky & Mike for everything else. May as well blame them for that too.
DeleteI don't pay much attention to traffic except when I start getting a lot of spam. It would probably make me feel bad to see how few (three) people actually read my crap.
ReplyDeleteI didn't pay much attention to my traffic until I started getting a lot of hits. Before, I thought, if there are ten people in the world that like the same stuff I do, and I find them, I will be happy.
DeleteNow that I get 20 hits a day....
I have had more traffic than normal and more comments, and I can thank Nicky for that. I know that it is short-lived and that once the challenge is over things will return to normal - following the same pattern as last time. I did make a few new blogging friends, and a few regulars stopped dropping by as often.
ReplyDeleteThere are many witty and talented writers in this challenge, and I enjoy reading everyone's posts although I tend to run behind some as life calls. I try to answer all comments too, but it may be a day or two, and I am constantly playing catch up.
All that being said, I appreciate each and every person who reads my stuff, and enjoy the sense of community it brings.
Yes. Exactly. Thank you for reading. And for commenting Linda!
DeleteI always answer comments and visit those who visit me (if they leave a link). Meeting and interacting with everyone is more than half the fun! This particular group of writers is an especially fun one, so I'm glad you've joined in, Shawn.
ReplyDeleteAnd I never miss your Sunday recap. I wish there was a way of telling people I was there without leaving a comment.
DeleteCongrats first- second it was nice to find your blog!
ReplyDeleteMy blog has a small following, so these challenges offer more comments. :)
And in my case a lot more comments. And thanks :)
DeleteMy page visits goes up and down all the time, so I just figure it happens. Comments are fun and the interaction is the best part as I've found a few newer blogs, too.
ReplyDeleteI just passed the three year mark on this site, 360 odd posts. And some of them are really odd. The traffic has been up and down, thankfully mostly up. But I set out to write for me, and apart from these writing challenges, I have been. :)
DeleteThe traffic thing is not that surprising to me. The prompts are not really SEO. Not too many people searching for "the day I met Abraham Lincoln" or "unintended". Next time we'll try to include Kim Kardashian as a prompt. Yeah, that's right. I said next time.
ReplyDeleteKim Kardashian as a picture prompt?
DeleteI bet people were searching Abraham Lincoln, two movies.
I get your point. Search engine traffic dropped, better bounce rate, more interactions and repeat visits. All because of you and Mike.
I really need to start paying more attention to my stats, I have no idea what's happening with them... But I'll definitely come visit you even after the challenge ends. ;)
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome any time Ziva. I have a bottle of Finlandia waiting.
DeleteAww Shawn, you definitely know how to make me feel welcome.
DeleteIt's the lively repartee that keeps me coming back to these challenges. I've been bantering back and forth with some of these people for three plus years now. It's like catching up with old friends. And it's always fun to "meet" new people. To paraphrase Tallulah Bankhead... Some of my best friends are bloggers!
ReplyDeleteI've discovered two ways of cutting through the bull and making good friends. Over a blog and over a beer.
DeleteAnd to quote Tallulah Bankhead,
"There is less in this than meets the eye."
I have enjoyed getting to know you during this non-contest contest. You can count on me to keep checking in. Hope you will do the same.
ReplyDeleteYou are always welcome. And you can count on my visit.
DeleteHa ha! You know what? Years ago I could have told you all the stats of all my sites. Now? I have no idea!
ReplyDeleteI was obsessed with stats for a little while. The focus now is on the content. If you write it, they will come.
DeleteI've lost three subscribers since this thing started. Oh well.....
ReplyDeleteI have gained two. At least Mike, you know where some of yours went.
DeleteThis challenge has been fun for all sorts of reasons. It's forced us to write better, and more often. It's also encouraged us to step out of our comfort zones and to interact with our blogging neighbors a whole lot more. I feel as though this challenge has helped me develop a number of good habits. One of the habits I intend to continue even after this challenge is to keep in touch will all of the new blogging friends I've made in February. I'll stick around, Shawn, as long as you keep on writing. :)
ReplyDeleteI really don't think I have been writing better. :)
DeleteYou captured it in a nutshell. We were challenged and we stepped up.
Hey Shawn! I'm playing catchup after a couple of busy days. I'm hoping to hang onto a few of you after the challenge, and intend to read a few more more blogs than I did before, too :) You won't shake me off that easily. Indigo
ReplyDeleteI am playing catch up on catch up. I will get myself organized in the next few days or weeks and make sure to save and 'follow' my favourite blog links.
Delete