Ego and Audience

Well, it's a new week, N.Z. Bear has his blog rankings up again, and again I'm nowhere on the list.

It's not going to kill me, I know, but it's strange. More than a thousand blogs ranked, with daily attendance anywhere from 1 to more than two hundred thousand, and I know for a fact that some of us are getting passed by. Weird.

At first, I thought it was like a puzzle, but my blog is open to everyone, and my Sitemeter is working fine, with numbers rolling and easy to check. After checking everything on my end, I realized that somehow my blog is invisible to the rankings. I'm pulling decent attendance (thank you, dear readers), certainly enough to be in the top thousand any of the past three weeks, but no response.

OK, I'll admit, there's a little ego working here. I work hard on my articles, and I'd like to see my place ranked as much as anyone else would. But it's also a caveat to the blogs who brag about their numbers. You may not be what you think. You might be pulling many more readers than you are tracking, or maybe some other blog is beating you but getting no credit for it. Just a thought.

There are other rewards for writing a blog. Besides the chance to speak freely to the world at large, it's always a kick to get email. Many thanks for those! Also, if you write a blog, you might want to google your post name - I do that from time to time, and its amazing what turns up. Today, my blog was the top response to the Google query "eisenhower election opponent", and I found my latest article discussed by a group of Democrats. I was denounced by all there in no uncertain terms, but my points were discussed at length, which I found rewarding. I did not interrupt their discussion; from their comments about me, I did not believe my participation would be well-received, but I was pleased to see my stuff was being taken seriously.

I may be invisible to some, but I still have a voice. Gotta love that!

In conclusion for this article, I would like to mention, and recommend, that we spend a little time visiting and reading the blogs that are popping up. A link from a reader's comment, a search using "blog" and a topic of interest, you never know where you'll find some great insights or a good laugh.

UPDATE : The good folks at the Truth Laid Bear, have explained to me the specific process needed to get on their list. Next week, I can see just how far below the bottom-dwellers I really am!