I have been pounding my keyboard here for about 10 months now, and it has been lots of fun. I am surprised at how many readers I get--between 500 and 1000 hits a day, and if I am lucky and get a link from one of the "big boys" like Autoblog, I might get double that many hits for a number of days. 500 hits is not many compared to Michelle Malkin, but for a little niche player like me, it is humbling. I can only imagine how much traffic Glen Reynolds gets--I bet he has a Linux server farm all to himself!
Many people don't realize how time consuming blogging really is. It takes time to read what the other people are writing, and unless you only are posting links to other people's stories, anything that requires any thought often takes a long time to compose. I have literally spent an hour writing up some of my longer posts, re-reading them, making changes, and adding supporting links.
So why do people blog, if it is so much work? For some, it is vanity--the thought that hundreds of other people are reading your words and shouting at their monitors that you are an idiot. Some folks probably make a bit of money off of it (Jalopnik, MPH). Some do it to cheerlead for their favorite (Trollhattan Saab, MyFordDreams) team. I'm not making any money off of this gig, so I guess my motivation is vanity--I like having a place where I can spout off my opinion on something someone else said, or wrote, rather than being buried deep in the comments or the "letters to the editor" section.
The real world is calling, however, and I have a long list of things to do piling up on my desk that need attention. So I am going to slow down a bit, and post less often. When I read something that winds me up into a righteous "I know better" tantrum, I'll be here.
4 comments:
AP, the real world calls out to all of us bloggers from time to time.
I'm ignoring it for a little while longer.
You'll still be on my RSS to I'll readya when you're back. Best.
AutoProphet, yours was the first "personal" blog I had come across, and one of the biggest inspirations for my own blogging experience. It was from you that I learned to "Hat Tip" and many other things. Thank you.
I'll miss reading your post on a regular basis, but look forward to the ocassional post. It may actually make them all the more special.
Joe
AutoProphet,
I've always enjoyed your site and reading your thoughts on the industry. Good luck with your "real" job, and hopefully we'll hear from you again one day.
I'm not a blogger, just a fan of your site. Sorry to see you slow down; I appreciate your blog more than most, but I do understand.
I'll leave you bookmarked and will check in everyday or so.
GLenn Johnson
Mesa, AZ
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