Blog

6th Blog Anniversary

6 yrs ann

Say what?

OK, this was/is my original platform and I haven’t used it much in the last year. But, that hasn’t kept me from blogging.

I am still here. I still think about Understanding, Optional every day. I look at those drafts sitting there and I think, “I should do something with those.” Yet, I can’t find in me to push publish.

Weird how that works, right? So, I find that my other blog (if you have payed attention in the past you already know about it…or you have time to dig through the archives here) has taken a bit more of my time since I do it nearly daily.

I’ll still publish here from time to time, so don’t “Unfollow.” This blog just has a different vibe to it and isn’t suitable for an every day kind of publishing.

Keep an eye out though, I’ll have something soon.

In the meantime, I think I’ll have a beer, perhaps a stout or a porter, to celebrate.

CHEERS!

A question of quality or quantity?

qualityvsquantity

I haven’t ever really committed to a “schedule” for publishing my blog. I am not sure I will. However, I am looking to do more with it this year than I have in the past. That being said, the ultimate question comes down to – quality or quantity?

When it comes to growing your blog, which is better? I am sure that quality matters, but does it really matter when it comes to growing your blog?

I have seen other bloggers who say just getting out there and publishing something is better than nothing. Yes, I understand that. I have also seen other bloggers say that putting out something that others want to read is important. Yes, I understand that. So where do the amount of what you publish and the quality of what you publish meet? Is there an intersection of balance or is that a fantasy (especially for someone with a family and a job)?

Perhaps I just think too much about this and go into too much detail by trying to support what I write with facts and details. Perhaps I care to much about what I write and want to make sure it is accurate. Perhaps I should care less, but not be careless.

Does having a schedule really work?

Does having a singular topic or focus area help?

Any insight or advice from the veteran bloggers out there? I know there are lots of places I can probably go to read about this, but I don’t want to comb through pages and pages of info because in the end it is all just opinions anyway, right? So, what do you think?

Milestone – 100

Screen Shot 2017-11-15 at 11.13.54 AM

The above congratulatory image came across my blog notifications with my last post and I have to say I was a little surprised to see it. I hadn’t been following my stats that closely since I hit the last milestone so I am happy to see I have lasted this long, though admittedly I probably would have gotten here faster had I not taken nearly a year-long break.

I started this blog on a whim and have found that I really enjoy it. I enjoy writing. I get to say what I want or highlight something I think is worthy of people knowing; if people are paying attention and are interested in my words, well that is just a bonus! My wife thinks me spending time on this thing is silly but, oh well, you can’t win them all over…

These days I do most of my writing while I am at work (not while working!), during my lunch hour. It doesn’t give me a lot of time to write and it takes longer than I would like to get some things finished and published, but it is usually quiet and I have a little time to focus on something I like to do. I guess in some ways, it relaxes me.

Anyway, to mark the occasion I thought I would review some of the stats I have accumulated over the last 100 posts and see where I have come from, which might just give me some direction in where I am going…or not. I read lots of blogs and there are so many out there with a singular focus, but that is not something I have ever wanted to do. Maybe that is why my “readership” is low, but who knows for sure. Maybe I just don’t choose topics that people are interested in. Either way, I write about things I care about and if others care too, great. If not, that’s ok too.

TOP 10 (Views)

These are based on views, but I am sure not all of these are based on “reads” so much as some may have something to do with hits because of “image searches.” But I guess I’ll never really know for sure.

Redbox Chat – Customer Service Lost in Translation
Milestone – 50
Parental Detention (or, I’m Making a Point for My Child)
Let’s Review…
Dollar Shave Club: Review
About (apparently people wonder who I am?)
Don’t Be So Bossy!
Easter is Better Than Christmas – Why?
Goodbye, Gramps
“Can you please call the police”

TOP 10 (My Preference)

These are the posts I enjoyed writing the most and believe they are worth reading if you give them a gander or two, but that’s just me…have a click and let me know what you think!

Scope (or reach)

One thing that continues to amaze me is the scope (or reach) of this little blog. It amazes me that something I post could be read or viewed by so many people around the globe. I am always interested to look at the little map of views and see where people are “checking in” from. I know the internet makes things more accessible and I shouldn’t be that amazed but it just fascinates me. Looking at the stats for this particular category I can see that I my blog has been viewed from 96 different countries!

That is a pretty amazing stat to me. Of course, a majority of the views have been from North America and Europe, but there are some little countries in remote places too. Pretty cool and I hope the views from different countries continues to grow so I can add even more countries to the list. Is it possible to get at least one view from every country?

Readers/Subscribers

Here is one place I hope to grow, and quickly! More than half of the people who are listed as “followers” are from my Facebook friends. That’s great and probably most of my views come from things I post that are also posted on Facebook. But, I would like to get the number of “followers,” real followers, up. If I am reading the stats correctly, I have about 155. Not bad for someone who doesn’t post on a regular schedule, nor has a specific topic to focus on, but I would love to grow that number. If anyone has a suggestion or three about how to do that, I would love to hear from you!

Closing thoughts…

Thanks for indulging and reading my review of the first 100 posts. I appreciate everyone who has stopped by, and especially those who keep stopping by. You all give me a little jolt of confidence each time you do.

If you have been around for a while or have read more than a few words on here, I would like some feedback. What do you like? What do you not like? What do you think I should focus on, if anything? Where should I go with this from here? I am sure you all have ideas about what you might like to see more of, or less of…so shoot me some feedback. I’ll listen, I promise!

Thanks.

Ryan

1st Blogiversary in the Blogosphere

Happy anniversary to me!! Not really one that is a big deal, but still kind of cool nonetheless.

Yesterday was my ONE YEAR BLOGIVERSARY!!

I started this blog last year because I felt like I had things to say and maybe someone would listen. Admittedly, some of what I have to say is more interesting than other, but thanks for reading anyway.

I don’t have a lot of visitors every day, but I do manage to show up on people’s search results so every day I get a few people looking at what I have to say. Some days are better than others. But it amazes me that people stop by and read what I write.

Over the next year I hope to write more because I have more things to say, interesting or not. I am generating ideas all the time and making notes. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of time to write since I am totally overwhelmed by the new class I am teaching this year. However, keep your eyes out for more and then let me know what you think.

So for now, I think I’ll enjoy a beer tonight and celebrate one year of writing about stuff I care about. CHEERS!