Last night I was checking my blog stats, to see how many hits I'd gotten after having the polenta recipe posted over at Mellow-Drama.
Lots.
Cool!
Then I checked a feature that I hadn't noticed before: Visit Length.
Oh my God. As if I weren't depressed enough. The majority of people who come to my blog stay less than 5 seconds.
At the bottom of that stat page, there is a blurb on how to read the information given. I quote (emphasis mine):
Based on this information you can see how much 'pull' and 'interest' your website is generating for your visitors. If you have a low 'Visit Length' you may want to think up more ways to encourage your visitors to stay around for longer. Offer them something more.
What more can I offer? Photos of the Jello wrestling match between Mike and me?
At first I got pretty bummed out about those stats. Then I thought, "Fuck 'em." (In a perfect example of typlexia, I first typed "Fuck 'me." 
At least I can get a kick out of silly stuff like that).
So anyway, I was thinking, Screw 'em, because this is my blog, and essentially it is an exercise in narcissistic self-gratification. Wait. "Self-gratification" doesn't sound too good. Well, actually it does. Oh, wait. I'm not going there with you.
I mean that I am mostly writing for myself and that this format is much more motivating than those cloth-bound journals I used to keep. I do have a few Constant Readers, and I am thankful for every single one of you.
So I suppose that I should just take an ostrich's view of the numbers. I'm at well over 5000 hits on Typepad (that includes my own). And I'm at 4500+ on another stat service I started using (a few days after joining Typepad), which blocks my visits. The visit length doesn't matter in the end. I do have some regulars, and I hope my writing is interesting enough to keep you coming back. No politics, I promise!
I'm just happy that since I started blogging at AOL in April (4680 hits over there!), my pages have been viewed almost 10,000 times. That is pretty cool.
Stay tuned, please. I'm still trying to get my groove back.
yes, pictures would be good, but only if you are wresting in raspberry. none of the others will do.
regarding visit length: i've noticed that i for one pop in for a quick check, look at the recent comments list, and bag it if nothing new. and that probably is 5 seconds. so don't get too twigged. it's just those of us that love ya can't stay away long enough for you to get new posts in!
and congrats on the amazing numbers. i'm just now crossing 1600 in 4 months exactly from a dead start. i either need to drop the politics, or challenge someone to a jello wrestle to get my stats spinning like yours are.
keep up the good work my lady. you have a lot of fans
Posted by: bothenook | September 25, 2004 at 06:21
Right about the 5 seconds thing. I do that on other blogs, so I figger my Constant Readers do that to me, too.
It was just a little disconcerting, that is all.
Posted by: Alison | September 25, 2004 at 06:50
Que demandes-tu aux surfeurs ? Que voudrais-tu qu'ils te donnent et qui te manque tant ?
Tu es terriblement attachante, tu es très douée pour nous faire sentir les petites et les grandes émotions de ta vie. Quand tu demandes quelques calins sur RP, tu vois bien qu'il en tombe des centaines...
As-tu ce contact privilégié avec tes proches ? Ce que tu racontes et quelque fois emprunt d'une grande solitude.
De toutes façons, merci pour la chaleur de tes textes
Eric
Posted by: ColdBear | September 26, 2004 at 06:32
I don't think you every really lost the groove. Perhaps you are groovin' to a bit different rhythm and just haven't recognized it yet.
Your writing is still first rate.
Posted by: Allan | September 26, 2004 at 12:39