I want to take time this Monday morning and pay tribute to all those who read my blog, whether it is daily or only once. I started the blog almost a year ago with a hope that people would read it and comment. A year later, and readership has slowly crept up. I appreciate everyone who has taken time out of their busy days to sit down for a few minutes and read my thoughts on everything ranging from world politics to health to more recently being a father. In a sense, it helps keep me writing because I know that there are people out there reading what I write. Is it absolutely necessary to have people read what I write? No, but it is a big help, especially when they comment on my thoughts, either via facebook or on the blog itself. There is nothing I like more than to hear people's reactions to my writings. I like to provoke people to think more about what is happening around them, to delve deeper into their own thoughts and see how they relate to world events or just to the people around them. Through my blog, I try to offer a slightly different view of life, how we relate it to it, and how we can move forward. To see that people continue to read what I write says that I am not completely full of it, that perhaps I have something to offer. Have I attracted thousands of readers in a day as some bloggers have? No, but that is not my intention. If I have only a few people reading my blog daily, then that is enough for me. I value the people who read what I write, wherever they are from, and it is intriguing in this digital age to see how my words can transcend language barriers and be read by people half way around the globe.
There are two aspects that I find truly enjoyable about the blogging experience. The first, which has intrigued me from the start, is to see what countries people are reading my blog from (it is one of the features of the blog). I can click on the stats, see how many people read my blog in a given day, which posts get more traffic, and see if there is a continual following from a particular country. I think it is pretty obvious that being an American, most of the people reading the blog are from the United States. However, over the course of a year, I have had people read my blog from most countries around the world. For example, just over the past week, I have had people from the following countries read my blog at least once: U.S., Sweden, Russia, Canada, France, Georgia (the country), Netherlands, Brazil, Hong Kong, Latvia. There are a few constants throughout, but the world audience varies each week. The second aspect that I have come to enjoy about writing this blog is that I have more and more people coming up to me in my daily life and tell me that they read my blog daily and enjoy it. Some I know have read it and it doesn't come as much of a surprise, but there are others who approach me and catch me off guard when they tell me they have read my blog. I am truly thankful to everyone who has read it and continues to do so.
I have heard it said that you shouldn't need people to read what you write in order to actually write. While that is true, having people read my thoughts, my discourses on different topics, and to see that there is a steady stream of readers definitely helps. Is there a part of me that wants more people to read my blog? Absolutely. But I would rather have a few people read my blog who are truly interested in a different view than to have people breeze through just for the sake of saying they have read my blog. There are thousands of "bloggers" out there, each with a different topic, a unique voice, and varying perspectives on life. Some blog just to get their thoughts down, some to gripe, some to teach. I write this blog to offer what I think is a different view of the world. Some may share that view at times and others may not. I don't expect people to agree with me all the time, in fact, I like when they don't sometimes because it offers me a different perspective on one of my topics that I may not have considered. But in any case, regardless of how many people read my blog, I will keep on writing. I just want to thank all those who have read my blog over the past year. I also want to thank all those that have contributed in some way. So I end today with a tribute, and a toast of my coffee, to all those readers of my blog; thank you.
I have heard it said that you shouldn't need people to read what you write in order to actually write. While that is true, having people read my thoughts, my discourses on different topics, and to see that there is a steady stream of readers definitely helps. Is there a part of me that wants more people to read my blog? Absolutely. But I would rather have a few people read my blog who are truly interested in a different view than to have people breeze through just for the sake of saying they have read my blog. There are thousands of "bloggers" out there, each with a different topic, a unique voice, and varying perspectives on life. Some blog just to get their thoughts down, some to gripe, some to teach. I write this blog to offer what I think is a different view of the world. Some may share that view at times and others may not. I don't expect people to agree with me all the time, in fact, I like when they don't sometimes because it offers me a different perspective on one of my topics that I may not have considered. But in any case, regardless of how many people read my blog, I will keep on writing. I just want to thank all those who have read my blog over the past year. I also want to thank all those that have contributed in some way. So I end today with a tribute, and a toast of my coffee, to all those readers of my blog; thank you.
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