on my blogging dilemma...

so since I've been home and getting back to work (which has been a blast by the way... i absolutely love my job...) i've continued to blog but my attention to other bloggers has... um... dwindled

i recently posted that Google has been showing me a lot of love so the result has been that almost all of my traffic is coming straight from there...

so my traffic has neither increased nor decreased, but very few of the people who come to my blog are old dedicated folks who are interested in seeing what i write everyday and then commenting,,, but rather people looking for sermon ideas on the passages i write about...

i used to think having the same 30-40 people reading my blog everyday was sort of a lame audience to have... well now i'm reaching a lot more people but more more shallowly.. and i cant decide what I like better...

ideally I'd have both, but time has been a cruncher lately... any of you had this sort of experience? i know nathan commented on my site lately that nearly all of his traffic comes from other people's blogs... but he comments a ton... i used to, and will occasionally still, but mostly spend my time elsewhere....

whatever happens I'm writing for my own development etc... and i'll keep on writing... i just cant figure out whether i'm disappointed or happy about this change...

As far as I understand it, those of us who read it using a stand alone feed reader won't show up in your stats. I still read all your posts but haven't commented in a while.

ScriptureZealot wrote:

As far as I understand it, those of us who read it using a stand alone feed reader won't show up in your stats. I still read all your posts but haven't commented in a while.

yea i get the stats from feedburner as well though...
and while my number of subscribers has increased slowly, the number of people who actually read what they've subscribed to is relatively small... i have about 40 people who subscribe (according to feedburner) but the "reach" as feedburner calls it - which i understand is the number of folks who actually read it - sticks around 5 or so...

just thoughts... but you're right... i should be taking this into consideration

I know that I had run into a similar experience in ministry once. The young adults ministry that I lead (www.youtube.com/FocusMinistry) had about 15 people in it when I took it over, then it rose steadily to about 35 young adults (20-somethings). Then it dropped almost instantly to literally nothing with no rhyme or reason. Then after several months of going and not knowing if anyone else would show up at all, it picked back up, then went as high as 60 before settling back down recently to about 15-20 again.

Basically, what I had learned throug all of it is that I will minister to whoever shows up. I think that you get that idea. I also write more for my own study, enrichment and development. If the readers come, then that is fine. If they don't come, then that is fine too. I just have to be okay with whatever it is that I get. And there are some people who are regularly allowing me to speak into their lives through what I am doing online. And even if it is only one person, then I am grateful for the opportunity. I particularly enjoy it when people challenge me and put me in a position to think and grow myself. Therefore making my visitors people who minister to me sometimes.

Anyway, I would not worry too much about the stats... but keep up what you are doing. I am challenged and blessed by what you are doing.

Dan

I'm not sure how your stats display people who read your blog through a feed reader, if at all. I read yours through Google Reader and only visit your blog since the 3-column change if I'm actually going to comment. So while I read your blog frequently you may never see that displayed in the stats. Either way, you seem to get something for yourself out of your blog, and I think that the writing process can be pretty valuable. I know I'd miss your insights is you quit blogging or something dramatic. Maybe you just need to figure out more accurately what you are trying to accomplish?

bibledude- minister to whoever is showing up... i like that.

nathan - yea i understand... I'm pretty clear that I write for a couple of reason... 1 to glorify the Lord. 2 because I was reading the text and could tell no one what i was taking away from it, if i force myself to choose a verse and write on it everyday it clarifies that for me. 3 to become a better writer and prepare myself to teach someday...

i dont want one of these blogs that are written just so people come read... nick and lingamish are these in my opinion... they're interesting - dont get me wrong - i like to read them... but i wont load up anything in their archives and find it relevant. i wanted someone to be able to open almost any page on my blog and get something out of it, 2 years from now or today... so as a result I cater to a different crowd...

all of this has been useful... thanks eh?

p.s. nathan, i still ABSOLUTELY love my 3 columns... i messed with the design all the time, but now it is just as i like it... near perfection....