EBlog polls anyone?
Although the Web site stats (and occasional emails) make it clear that some people do actually read this blog, most attempts to get you all engaged in anything have failed so I’m not holding my breath. After all, even my most loyal reader (that would be my brother) has only commented two, maybe three times over the almost five years that I’ve been blogging and that he’s been reading. Regardless, I’m inspired by Blue Monster’s use of these little polls to try out this possible feature. So here ya go:
Or for something completely different:
Note that your answer to the first poll should only be influenced by your evaluation of the second poll if you are sufficiently talented to recognize the high quality and importance of the latter question.
January 24th, 2007 at 12:41 am
Some people do read the rss every day. Especially on last-minute mental health days.
January 24th, 2007 at 1:26 am
The funny thing is, I had more people answer the poll saying they would vote on polls (even though the only choices were yes, yes, yes, and yes) than have answered any of my polls! It’s like a communist election over there where everyone votes when there is no choice, but then you institute democracy and no one shows up!
January 24th, 2007 at 1:32 am
That’s sort of why I slipped in a real serious question right after.. so at least this one time people might respond.
I foresee “absolutely” and “probably” winning over “unlikely” and “no way”.. and let’s see, as a social scientist who does survey research, hmm… I wonder how I might explain that one……
January 24th, 2007 at 2:53 am
I’m a big fan of this blog and read it most days, albeit via my bloglines feed-reader page so I don’t know if that shows up in the web stats. I particularly enjoy the links; there’s almost always something of interest for me.
We are out there, Eszter. A quiet but powerful undertow of readers . . .
January 24th, 2007 at 7:48 am
You can count on me.
January 24th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Every morning, I visit your blog. Ko:szo:no:m sze’pen az e’rdekes blogot!
Best wishes!
January 24th, 2007 at 10:44 am
Yours is one of the blogs I check periodically, but I think I’m going to move it up to the big leagues and add it to my RSS reader (I suspect it will replace Balkinization, actually, both because the your content/focus is more interesting to me and because when was the last time Sandy Levinson posted a poll that I could vote in?)
Regardless, good luck getting readers to engage with your blogging . . . my general experience has gone something like:
Andy: “Send me and email! Comment and tell me how your day is going! Tell me about what YOU ate last night! Anyone want to trade mix tapes?”
Readers: *Crickets chirping*
Andy: COME ON PEOPLE I KNOW YOU’RE OUT THERE! I SEE IT WITH MY SITEMETER! DON’T PLAY GAMES WITH ME!
(Actually, to be fair, one blog-friend did trade mix tapes with me based on one such appeal, and it worked out handsomely for both of us.)
But most importantly: poor Valentine’s Day! No love from these readers (including myself . . .)!
January 24th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Yes, do Bloglines views show up in your stats? Is there a way for you to know whether they do or not?
And then there are the clickthroughs of all of your del.icio.us links…?
January 24th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Thanks to all those who came forward, this may well be the most commented upon blog post on here. (Well, except for that Chicago post a few years ago, but that’s a legend that may even merit its own post at some point.)
I have absolutely no data on RSS readers (Bloglines or otherwise) so I guess there are more potential readers than I thought. That just means even less (in proportional terms that is) of you care to comment than I thought. Oh well. I’m glad to hear you’re finding the material of interes to check in.
UPDATE: Wait, actually, I do have access to some RSS reader data through Feedburner. But it doesn’t tell me much and I don’t check it often. In any case, my point holds, the more readers, the lower percentage of contributors then. That’s okay, as long as there’s someone reading and getting something out of this, I’m content with the enterprise.
January 24th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
The trouble with things like Bloglines and Google Reader (my client) is that the loading of the rss file may account for untold millions of readers, or it may be just one uncle.
January 25th, 2007 at 2:19 am
Graham, since you’re not my uncle, I guess the conclusion is that there are millions reading this blog unbeknownst to me.:-)
January 25th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Well this is inspiration for me to keep blogging despite the perceived lack of any interest other than my own. Aside from largely unknown RSS readers, most of my links are from people who google-image “hair style magazines.” Also, I’ve been desperately wanting to try out poll daddy ever since the Blue Monster series. Now that you’ve done it too, I might join in.