In Other Words

What the numbers mean

So we put up Liana’s sitemeter only a few days ago and she’s already gotten more hits than I have.  So I guess that means we’re both right, she does have ‘faithful readers’ while I do have ‘an audience of two’. 
 
Cool.  That means that few people learn of my daily debacles, a blessing in disguise, I say.  (This blog is mine, mine!  None of you matter! Bwhahahaahahh!!!!!) It does get me wondering what it is that makes one Blog more successful than the other.  Is it the style of writing?  Is it the pretty graphics?  Is it what is written about?  What makes a successful blog?
 
One thing seems to stick out.  The gimmick. Every good blog seems to have a gimmick.  Blogs that people like have to be out of the ordinary (in a good way) they have to be special, they have to talk about things that don’t occur to normal people.  They have to have an element that few other blogs have.
 
Exceptionally good texts, or they have to be about a person with an unusual job, or life, or friends.  Or maybe it’s a blog about the life other people would like to lead.  The ‘Baghdad Blogger’ Salam Pax. had a good remark.  ‘Make sure you’re in a warzone, that’s sure to get people reading, though there is the chance that somebody will drop a bomb on you’.
 
I’m not sure I want people to drop a bomb on me.  I think Liana’s Gimmick is an amazing network of friends that are slowly learning of her Blog.  That and she has an exceptionally good talent at bitching in written form (which people like, as it makes them feel better that somebody as beautiful, clever, smart and brilliant as Liana can have bad days too (and its always fun to read a good bit of bitching)).
 
Whats my Gimmick?  Good question.  I don’t think nonsensical rambling fits into the Gimmick category (people can go to school for that) so then it doesn’t really seem like this blog has one.  Yet.
 
I don’t think you can force a Gimmick.  I think its something that either naturally develops, or it doesn’t.  I mean, you can go look for trouble, but it will be hard to write a Blog when your dead (though if you could, /that/ would be a good Gimmick).
 
It’s interesting to think about what draws readers and what doesn’t.  It’s a bit like trying to figure out what draws customers and what doesn’t.  There is another correlation that’s important.  Drawing the ‘customers’ isn’t enough, you have to get them to read/ buy two. 
 
Of course I could be wrong.  Maybe reason people don’t come to read my Blog again is because they just don’t understand the convoluted ways of my cobwebbed mind.  That wouldn’t be terribly surprising and that would probably be healthy (come into my world, said the spider).
 
Enough musing on this topic, back to work. 
 

posted by Symbol @ 21.7.04