I imagine most people are at least a little like me, unrealistically wishing they could do something far exceeding their abilities.
I would love to be an actor, although my temperament is ill-suited to it. I would love to be an opera star although I’ve never been able to sing a single note in tune. When younger I would have loved to be a sports legend although I have never been more than mediocre in any athletic endeavor.
I would love to be a widely read writer, and I’ve tried. I’m still trying. Have been since I retired in 2004.
But my books have not taken off. I understand why. For one thing, I have done virtually nothing to market them. Even more important, while I think they are good (actually I think the memoir When Your Lover Dies is excellent), as good as several I’ve read, they don’t come close to the level produced by so many of this day’s noted authors. It has been a thrill to sell a few and receive good comments. But in truth, most go to kind and tolerant friends.
I have known visual artists who have become discouraged because their work has not been appreciated. I’m sure most writers feel the same way.
I did and do find pleasure in this blog, and it has been a joy to hear from several that they enjoy it, even when I dare to carry on about subjects on which I have no expertise.
I was receiving the validation for a creative activity that every artist craves. The creative process in itself is satisfying, but if the appreciation is not forthcoming, some of the pleasure is diminished.
One way to measure that validation is to discover how many people actually are reading it. The platform I’m using, Weebly, supplies a daily record of the number of hits. My numbers built over time to between 250 and 450 per week. I felt like hot stuff. I couldn’t understand it, though. Where did all these people come from? I thought, naively, that it somehow just happened. Perhaps people forwarded a posting and those receiving it started tuning in on a regular basis.
Then reality set in. My platform implemented a new technique for counting hits. Suddenly my weekly count plummeted to 15 to 25. Could this be right? I was willing to believe the higher numbers were inflated, but it was a blow to accept the lower, well less than 10 percent of the previous counts. On reflection, however, the lower values come close to what logic tells me is the case, more or less matching the size of the email list announcing a new posting.
But how could the platform have gotten the count as wrong as it apparently did? I decided an online chat with Weebly was in order. They offered the following explanation (unedited):
“Okay so simply our old statistic model parsed web server logs to get traffic data to calculate page views, where as our new stats model which similar to Google analytics, utilizes front-end tracking where a website visitor’s browser pings Weebly servers to report usage. It is much less susceptible to over-counting as well in regards to bots and other automated traffic to your website. The figures are now more accurate and more reflective of the industry standard in analytics.”
Well, that certainly cleared it up!
My initial reaction was continuing to write the blog simply wasn’t worth it. You know, the normal view of a petulant child.
Then I realized a couple of things. I enjoy writing the blog. And, while I don’t have many readers, there is a high in knowing I have some.
So you who do read these words, know that you are most appreciated, and your willingness to stick with me means the world. Because of you and also the fun I’m having, I’m going to continue with it, at least until I have 100 postings under my belt. This is number 87. Then I’ll decide whether to continue or not.
Having said all this, I figured it was time to look at myself and speak sternly, “Get real, Bob.”
I may not be a great actor or opera star or athletic wonder or renowned writer, but I’ve had a good life doing a fair job with the research and teaching I love, surrounded by wonderful family, friends, and colleagues. Isn’t that enough? I think so.
I would love to be an actor, although my temperament is ill-suited to it. I would love to be an opera star although I’ve never been able to sing a single note in tune. When younger I would have loved to be a sports legend although I have never been more than mediocre in any athletic endeavor.
I would love to be a widely read writer, and I’ve tried. I’m still trying. Have been since I retired in 2004.
But my books have not taken off. I understand why. For one thing, I have done virtually nothing to market them. Even more important, while I think they are good (actually I think the memoir When Your Lover Dies is excellent), as good as several I’ve read, they don’t come close to the level produced by so many of this day’s noted authors. It has been a thrill to sell a few and receive good comments. But in truth, most go to kind and tolerant friends.
I have known visual artists who have become discouraged because their work has not been appreciated. I’m sure most writers feel the same way.
I did and do find pleasure in this blog, and it has been a joy to hear from several that they enjoy it, even when I dare to carry on about subjects on which I have no expertise.
I was receiving the validation for a creative activity that every artist craves. The creative process in itself is satisfying, but if the appreciation is not forthcoming, some of the pleasure is diminished.
One way to measure that validation is to discover how many people actually are reading it. The platform I’m using, Weebly, supplies a daily record of the number of hits. My numbers built over time to between 250 and 450 per week. I felt like hot stuff. I couldn’t understand it, though. Where did all these people come from? I thought, naively, that it somehow just happened. Perhaps people forwarded a posting and those receiving it started tuning in on a regular basis.
Then reality set in. My platform implemented a new technique for counting hits. Suddenly my weekly count plummeted to 15 to 25. Could this be right? I was willing to believe the higher numbers were inflated, but it was a blow to accept the lower, well less than 10 percent of the previous counts. On reflection, however, the lower values come close to what logic tells me is the case, more or less matching the size of the email list announcing a new posting.
But how could the platform have gotten the count as wrong as it apparently did? I decided an online chat with Weebly was in order. They offered the following explanation (unedited):
“Okay so simply our old statistic model parsed web server logs to get traffic data to calculate page views, where as our new stats model which similar to Google analytics, utilizes front-end tracking where a website visitor’s browser pings Weebly servers to report usage. It is much less susceptible to over-counting as well in regards to bots and other automated traffic to your website. The figures are now more accurate and more reflective of the industry standard in analytics.”
Well, that certainly cleared it up!
My initial reaction was continuing to write the blog simply wasn’t worth it. You know, the normal view of a petulant child.
Then I realized a couple of things. I enjoy writing the blog. And, while I don’t have many readers, there is a high in knowing I have some.
So you who do read these words, know that you are most appreciated, and your willingness to stick with me means the world. Because of you and also the fun I’m having, I’m going to continue with it, at least until I have 100 postings under my belt. This is number 87. Then I’ll decide whether to continue or not.
Having said all this, I figured it was time to look at myself and speak sternly, “Get real, Bob.”
I may not be a great actor or opera star or athletic wonder or renowned writer, but I’ve had a good life doing a fair job with the research and teaching I love, surrounded by wonderful family, friends, and colleagues. Isn’t that enough? I think so.
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