[Many thanks to Lambert Strether,
a contributor at Naked Capitalism, for linking to my April 20th
Saturday evening post (I know, I know) first thing on the following Monday
morning, which caused a day-and-a-half-long flurry of activity on Frieddogleg
(as recorded by my Feedjit Live Traffic Feed.) Nearly a week later, the ripples
continue.]
“Some
will come back. So post wisely and well.”
―Lambert
Strether
The Rest of the Story
The
Feedjit
Live Traffic Feed shows that most of the traffic―as much as 90% of it―arriving
on Frieddogleg comes from a single source: Naked
Capitalism. Virtually all the rest of it originates from a
single source: BLCKDGRD. My gratitude to
each bubbles over. I can’t imagine a better scenario to mark my return to
blogging. Traffic when you need it. What a concept!
Another
mouse-click, this time on a backlink, takes me to Naked Capitalism and the page
on which the link to Frieddogleg resides. The link is rather nearer the bottom
of a substantially long list of links, but it’s easily found.
Later
on, I find that Lambert Strether, a contributor to Naked Capitalism and the
person responsible for giving a homeless link to Frieddogleg a home, posted a
reply to my earlier “thank you” comment. This, of course, prompted me to reply
to his reply―well, you know the drill.
When
somebody does me a kindness, I make it a point to acknowledge it, to say “thanks”
and, if possible, to repay in kind. I scroll down to the comments section, write a short “thank you” message that I hope
adequately expresses my gratitude, post the message to comments, and commence with revising my plans for a now radically altered
day.
Elegant
in its simplicity, eloquent in its meaning, Lambert’s third-round reply is the
one that ends our brief exchange. His simple words and prescient message need
no response. Besides, anything I can possibly say will only be anti-climactic.
Lambert
Strether’s closing words were these: “Some will come back. So post wisely and
well.”
Lambert’s
comment refers to blog traffic, the general subject of our online
back-and-forth. Profoundly wise, those words, and relevant to any blogger who
struggles to attract new readers or hold onto old ones.
Some will come back.
Yes,
some will come back; they’ll return
time and again because you give them something they’re looking for―something
they want or need and can’t get enough of anywhere else. If you give them what
they’re looking for and keep them engaged, first-time visitors and casual
readers often become loyal followers. These
are your people.
Unfortunately,
some will never come back. Accept that there’s little you can do about these
except maybe try harder in the future. Bear in mind that the things that
interest, motivate, inspire, compel, entertain and inform vary from person to
person, and that no blog is a one-size-fits-all operation. For these reasons, trying
harder is often an exercise in futility. Only you can decide if the extra
effort is worth it.
So post wisely and well.
The
second part of Lambert’s quote reminds us that, as bloggers, we have moral and
ethical obligations and responsibilities to our readers and to the blogging
community as a whole. We don’t steal content. We always give proper attribution
when we do. We don’t provide safe refuge for spam in our comments section. We
assume that our readers are as smart as we are and treat them as equals. We acknowledge
our commenters’ contributions. We seek (and sometimes give) permission. We show
respect for those with whom we share the blogosphere. We seek to inform, not misinform.
We do our best to deliver our best because that’s what our loyal readers expect
of us. These informal rules are simple and few, but when they’re observed they
make for a friendlier, more civil and more efficient Internet experience for
everyone involved.
Taken
together, the two parts of Lambert’s quote add up to a healthy admonition for conscientious
bloggers to examine their own efforts from time to time and correct the shortcomings
that tend to impede or dissuade blog traffic arrival or retention.
Taken
together, the two parts of Lambert’s quote add up to a single unified message: Think before you act. That’s the
take-away.
“Some will come back. So post
wisely and well.”
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