Just about every blogger I know claims that she or he only writes for their own pleasure and doesn’t really care if anyone ever reads the blog. But I’ve noticed that every one keeps statistics on hits and referrals. I’m no exception.
Since I started this blog about fifteen months ago my readership has steadily increased. This is based on statistics measured by Site Meter and also by my own hosting company. However last month for the first time the number of hits for the month actually went down slightly. I thought maybe it was an aberation but based on the results so far, it looks like this month will be even less.
I’ve been wondering what’s going on. Did my readers finally get tired of my humble scribblings and move on? I have to say also that I have been posting a little bit less than I used to, due to other interests. That would naturally bring in fewer people in over time.
I am wondering though about the effect of RSS feeds on my readership. About the time the decline started I began publishing a full RSS feed including the comments. Readers can now peruse an entire entry without ever hitting my site. I don’t know how many do this but probably a few.
Around that time or before I began to primarily use Bloglines for my own weblog browsing. This is because I can scan more blogs in a shorter period of time. And I really appreciate the ones with full feeds. Previously I used my own blogroll for visiting other sites, thereby producing a steady stream of referrals from my site. These often prompted a reciprocal visit and sometimes even in my being added to the other sites blogroll. Now I only use my blogroll for the handfull of sites without feeds.
I guess what I am trying to say is that I don’t think that the statistics are accurately reflecting the readership of my blog anymore. Of course a lot of those hits were only from Google anyway, many of which probably took one glance and hit the “back” button. So it never was an accurate reflection of readership.
However I keep trying to tell myself that I don’t really care how many readers I have anyway.
Comments (9)
More fresh vegetable photos would help…
Readership is down across the board, most likely due to the summer months. But I am guilty of not clicking through to your site when you don’t have photographs with your entries — I just read the text in the aggregator.
I should provide full feeds, but a lot of my posts don’t work we all an aggregator feed–they’re too long. And they fit the background, and the background fits them. And I guess I like people visiting.
I stop by every single day!!! I dont use RSS feed, Dont even know what it is. I come for the words, pictures are nice, but not necessary. It’s you I come to see.
I’m with Mary Lou - I stop by (nearly) every day and don’t have a clue as to what an RSS feed is.
When I first started reading your site, I was surprised and flattered that you’d want to stop by mine. I didn’t think there was much of anything there to interest you (or any man, for that matter). I view yours as a quiet, well-written sanctuary where I generally learn something.
When I mention you to Carl, I always refer to you as Bill Prairie Point.
This obviously has nothing to do with meters, tracking or google.
I check in every day, too! I do use an RSS tracker, but not for gardening blogs. It’s too much like visiting an old (new) friend and I wouldn’t want to lose that.
I stop by quite often, though I don’t leave comments on many blogs as much as I used to, mainly because I’ve been so busy lately and don’t have as much time to spend on the blogs as I used to. Then, too, I think many of us who started blogging last year are beginning to slow down; some people have even given up on their blogs. I know that personally I feel a stronger need to get outside and actually do things rather tan sit at the computer. That might partly explain the lessening of readers lately.
Butaki IS right, I know I am slowing down, I read and forget to post! But I always visit everyone at least once a day.
I originally linked to your blog through my sister’s blog, Bashasgarden. Now I check your blog just about every day. Your pictures are beautiful and your postings are very interesting………so far I have not tired of them. I don’t have a blog but check into several every day as I find them to be so very interesting and informative. Please keep up the good work!!
Happy Monday! (Now get posting!)
I was swamped for a good long while. Wasn’t posting on my own blog, and just watched my unread bloglines entries pile up. I do use RSS and Bloglines, but I find with blogs that I read regularly, like yours, I just click through to the blog itself. It’s the ones that rarely have a gardening post that I read in Bloglines itself. The stats that your hosting company provides should tell you how many hits the RSS feed gets. That, of course, will be overblown if it counts everytime a feed reader checks. I don’t know the ins and outs of that myself.