Sunday, January 01, 2012

Introspection on the start of a new year

As with many of my fellow bloggers, the year's end brings a degree of introspection. I am not, in fact, sure just how introspective I want to be, for this year has been a bit of a dog's breakfast.

I continued my personal writing - 717 posts across blogs, 52 Armidale Express columns, one academic paper, the first of a new column in a national business magazine, one feature for on-line opinion. That's quite a lot of writing.stata Dec 112

My reader response during the year was quite good. The graphic shows visitors (yellow) and page views (yellow plus red) to this blog over the last six months as recorded by sitemeter. The Google figures are somewhat higher.

The numbers bounce around, but if you compare December on December, you can see some increase in traffic. Of more importance has been the continuing pleasure I get from various forms of reader feedback.

And yet, I don't seem to have made a lot of progress over the year, especially so far as my major writing projects are concerned.

I am not making any new year resolutions this year, beyond a few health related ones. Rather, I have set two very general objectives.

The first is just to have more fun. The second, to make measurable progress on my aim to be a writer.

I mean nothing special by measurable, nor am I setting targets. All I want is progress when I come to look back.

To all my blogging and reading friends, may you have a good 2012. You keep me going in ways that you may never understand. I hope that I can help you in return as the year proceeds.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wishes returned Jim. Hope, for all of us, that the year is a little less fraught than that just passed.

Thank you for making your thoughts available; I think it is quite a brave thing you do, and I hope you really do get benefit from the interaction you so politely allow.

kvd

Winton Bates said...

Yes Jim, I think the objective should be just to have more fun. There is also the satisfaction of writing something well.

Some bloggers point their readers to the most popular posts they have written, but one day I think I will make a feature of the 'most ignored' posts I have written - the ones that I think more people should have read!

I don't understand the statistics of monthly visits. Visits to my blog are like a roller-coaster. There was a sharp decline in June, July and August and a peak in November. I notice something similar, although less pronounced, in your data. I wonder whether it might have something to do with summer holidays in the northern hemisphere.

Anyhow, I keep telling myself I am not particularly interested in the numbers - even while I check to see how many people are visiting and what they are reading!

Rummuser said...

It gives me great pleasure to reciprocate your greetings and best wishes.

I enjoy visiting and reading your posts. I am now quite knowledgeable about Australia, thanks to your posts!

Jim Belshaw said...

Winton, it's not a bad idea to focus on the "most ignored" posts from time to time. Like you, when I look back there are posts that I think are very good, but have just slipped from visibility with the passage of time.

I commented on the roller-coaster effect in the stats at the time. I thought then that it was an aberration associated with changes to the Google search algorithm. I still think that's the case. I laughed at your last point. How true!

Let fun and enjoyment in writing rule!

Jim Belshaw said...

kvd, thank you for the donation to the keep belshaw writing fund. I do indeed get benefit from the interaction, even if it's sometimes a little uncomfortable!

Jim Belshaw said...

Thank you, Ramana. We educate each other!

Neil Whitfield said...

I so like Winton's "most ignored posts" idea that I plan to have such a post very soon!

All the best for the New Year, Jim. I admire you for your insights and honesty.

Jim Belshaw said...

Hi Neil and thank you. I do try to be as honest as I can within some bounds. I take great pleasure in your insights comment.