Thursday, March 25, 2010

I'd rather have the blog relationship...

... than the one night stand. Ok, let me explain.

There is one type of blog statistic that bloggers take note of: hits or page view. Now I've read folks talk about this on their blogs, as well as had private conversations with bloggers about it. It runs either spectrum, folks going "ZOMG look how many hits/page views I have! I am zee awesome!" or folks going "QQ, I haz so little page views, I am zee suck".

Sure, page views are one stat. But you know what? In this day and age where most people read blogs via readers and not directly coming to your blog, page views don't mean as much to me. Sure, you may have had an article here and there that has gotten a lot of links. Or sure, folks may find you via a popular search term in Google. But it's a one time visit.

What is more important to me as a stat is the number of subscribers. I remember surprising Jess a while ago with how many subscribers Pretty in Plate had via Google Reader. This is public information, as anyone can go to any blog in your Google Reader, click on 'show details' on the upper right corner. Now I don't know how exactly accurate it is, but I figure its close.

So why is subscribers more important to me? Well duh, it means these people actually care about what you have to say on an ongoing basis. Its more than just one random page view. To me, it just seems like more of a relationship. So yeah, I would rather have the blog relationship than the one night stand.

17 comments:

  1. Actually, you (generic you) have more readers that Google Reader says... because there's bound to be people who use other RSS readers. More fans!

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  2. Are those our only choices? Can I wait to see her before I decide?

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  3. In these terms I masturbate alot, and I got alot of people peeking in.

    I started my blogging with one reader, me....everything else is bonus. Don't get me wrong I love my readers, but at the end of the day theres only one person I aim to please me.

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  4. @Jen: Oh yeah, RSS readers (which I don't even know quite how that works because I am technology illiterate).

    @Eversor: Hmmm... what other choice could there be? How would a friends with benefits translate with blog readers?

    @River: Haha, leave it to you to take it to masturbation. Though that is a very good analogy. :p

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  5. I tend not to get bound up in the numbers - but I do like comments because, I don't know, I suppose because I discussing what you've written with people enriches the whole experience. I know plenty of people read and don't comment - and that commenting should never ever be an obligation - but I do enjoy those conversations :)

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  6. @Tam: Yes, very true. But I think some folks who don't get as many comments on posts may wonder if folks are even reading. That's when I point them to their number of subscribers to show them yes, people are reading, just not commenting.

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  7. I get wierded out by subscribers. There's that many people as insane as I am in the world....dear lord.

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  8. It's funny, when someone linked to me and I started getting an influx of readers I freaked out. It felt incredibly strange to think that people were actually reading my stupid pug adventures when previously I'd only been sharing them with my guild.

    I love repeat comments more than anything for the exact reason you stated - it's the same people coming back, and then you can get to be friends with them rather than just have them be some number. Much more enjoyable and important, to me anyhow. :D

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  9. I think a lot of relationships are born of one-night stands. Though I'd guess more are from getting hooked up by friends; blogrolls.

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  10. I'm with Tam here, I try to not pay too much attention to numbers (big numbers are fun for the ego, but nothing more), what is the most rewarding are the discussions that come up in the comments. The "pillow talk" of blogging, I guess, ha! I also love seeing incoming links from guild forums, where they use a post of mine as a reference or where they get amused at my desperate attempts at being funny. It's not the amount of attention but the quality that's really flattering.

    But I definitely see where you're coming from- some blogs get very few hits, very few comments, yet have a surprising number of subscribers. I was actually exchanging comments with another paladin blogger the other day who purposely stuck to herself so she could use her blog as her own personal space. She was shocked when someone pointed out that she had over 50 google reader subscribers.

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  11. Ohh I love guild forum links too, ALOT. But I think it's more of what NOT to do. LOL!

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  12. Very true - when I do get an influx of massive hits for a post I can also tell by my page hits that they don't stick around and read me - they are there only for that post

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  13. @Vidyala: Totally, its that relationship feel that I prefer.

    @Klep: We could probably go down a dangerous and slightly inappropriate road with this analogy...

    @Ophelie: Totally, the quality of the dialogue is the most rewarding. But I do think some folks focus too much on the number of hits/page views. I guess I just wanted to highlight that it doesn't tell the whole story.

    @River: Oh yeah, guild forum links are always amusing. Except when it links back to a locked/private post. Then I go >.<

    @Pugnacious: Yep, I totally notice that too.

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  14. Can I be your one night blog stand? :D

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  15. Me, You and Jess...I think the term is Menage et Trois...

    HAHA

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  16. I'm such a noob, I've never even checked subscribers!
    I do peek in the google analytics from time to time, just to ensure myself Tam isn't he only one reading my blog! :P (well, him and my RL best friend).
    I agree though, a blog is meant to be serially read, not hopped on once or twice. :)

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  17. The quality of the dialogue is the most rewarding. I think a lot of relationships are born of one-night stands.

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