Visitors Aren't Just A Metric
I was looking back at some of my 2007 traffic statistics last week, and I realized that my posts are starting to get in the realm of 40-50 unique visitors, with some as high as 200+. Relative to other websites, this may not be a big number, but it suddenly sunk in for the first time that those 50 or so people reading my blog posts are, in fact, actual people.
The Dangers of Abstraction
The problem is that I, like most bloggers and website owners, can get a bit obsessed with metrics. Now, there's nothing wrong with metrics, but getting too tied up in page views, unique visitors, Feedburner subscribers, Stumbles, Sphinns, etc. inevitably leads to a "what's next?" mentality: Ok, I hit 200 subscribers; now, how do I get 250, 300, 500?Respect Your Audience
Unfortunately, we start to lose track of the significance of having those 200 subscribers or 50 visitors in the first place. Those 50 visitors are people who have taken the time and effort to visit your site, and that comes with a certain obligation. Beyond altruism, though, those 50 people are also an opportunity, a chance to put your best foot forward, professionally speaking.Change Your Point of View
Look at it this way: what if, instead of writing a blog entry read by 50 people, you were giving a presentation to 50 of your peers? Would you take it seriously? Of course. Personally, I've spent days or even weeks on some conference presentations. I'd be embarrassed to stand up in front of an in-person audience unprepared, and I know that that presentation is an opportunity.So, when you sit down to write your next blog entry, imagine that your readership (whether it's 20, 50, or 5000) is a live audience, and see if it doesn't help you take that audience seriously. Your visitors are more than a metric, and realizing that isn't just good usability, it's good business.
David LaFerney
· Tuesday, January 15You're completely right. We're so used to seeing subscription numbers in the tens of thousands from our favorite megabloggers that 40-50 doesn't seem like much until 1)You think of them as people. 2)You start trying to build your own audience. Now it seems like quite a respectable achievement.
Hjortur Smarason
· Tuesday, January 15Ver good point. I guess it also depends on what you are writing. A blog with a very specific topic has a lot fewer readers, but more "quality" readers. That is, they are probably very "like-minded" and knowlegdeble about your subject and therefore their loyalty and participation is of great value.
To get to the masses you have to be mainstream, maybe a bit witty and definitely not too deep and for many, that is just not very challencing or interesting.
Dr. Pete
· Tuesday, January 15Hjortur: Are you saying I'm not witty? :) I have to admit that, sometimes I think of something that would make good linkbait and would probably appeal to the Digg crowd and bring in more traffic, but I realize that: (1) it's not right for my audience, and/or (2) it's not right for me.
Hjortur Smarason
· Wednesday, January 16Oh, no Peter. That's not what I meant. I know you can be witty :)
A little wit is always helpful, unless you are telling about the death of someone. But just wit, college humor style, is likely to get you a lot of traffic but little loyalty or relationship building.
Hjortur Smarason
· Wednesday, January 16Just to add to this. Seth Godin just posted on his blog a one sentance blog post: The more people you reach the more likely it is that you're reaching the wrong people
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/01/the-more-people.html
Ann Smarty
· Thursday, January 17Very good points and nicely put. I like Tad's post on this topic and the way he categorizes the visitors to the site.
Lucy Dee
· Thursday, January 17I think that a blogger's connection to his/her readers is very important. And a lot of bloggers take those 50+ visitors for granted. But the best bloggers are the ones that make the reader feel truly a part of the blogging/reading experience by thinking of "the reader" every time they press the publish button. It's the close connection to the material and the blogger! That's what reels them in.
I like what you mention about a live audience. I should know. I'm a comedienne. But yes, I do think of writing to "live audience" each and every time. I want to impress them and inform them. That is my overall mindset.
Dr. Pete
· Thursday, January 17@Ann: As a usability person, I should know better than to take people for granted, but it's just too easy to abstract visitors on the web. Thanks for the link: Tad can occasionally be over the top, but every once in a while he has a really spot-on post.
@Lucy: I appreciate the perspective from someone in a different industry. I've been working hard to get out of that academic bad habit of talking at people and spend more time engaging my readers. Of course, that's easier now that I have readers :)
Mike Maddaloni
· Monday, January 14I agree Dr. Pete - people get so caught up in stats and using the right keywords that they forget to use proper English!
People are not numbers - except if your name is 7 of 9...
mp/m