This Side of the Pulpit » Computers&Productivity » Are blogs dying?
Are blogs dying?
My completely and totally anecdotal observation: my blog traffic really dropped off in March of this year. I hadn’t been tracking for some time, so when I looked it up today I was surprised by how much it had fallen off.
In that month.
I had the feeling fewer were visiting, but when I saw the March dip, and the numbers remaining fairly stable since then, I began to wonder. Why then? What happened in March that made me loose about 1/2 the average day’s readers and keep the rest?
I read my March posts to see if I could get a hint. Nothing. But then I realized it was around March when I stopped reading so many blogs and began relying on Facebook and Twitter more. I certainly stopped commenting on blogs around that time.
Now, I still check the Google Reader and much of the list on the left of this page. But not like I used to. I don’t read as deliberately as I used to.
So here’s my unassailable conclusion: people like who live, work, act and look just like me do not read blogs as much as they used to.
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Filed under: Computers&Productivity · Tags: blogging about blogging, pastor's life, social media
6 Responses to "Are blogs dying?"
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The ways in which we get information change – and if you use your looking at blogs mainly to get personal updates, there are other methods of this that are overtaking blogs as a method of this (I hardly see anything on my personal blog that I’ve had since 2004. . . and my friends rarely post there). However, blogs still continue as a place of theological insight and information. That could be a bit of decrease as people don’t necessarily want theological insight as often as they do want updates or help with Mafia Wars.
I think you’re right. I’ve noticed this too. I blame it mostly on Facebook.
More anecdotal evidence: little interesting bits/stories/videos I used to post to the blog now go to my fb page.
Several years ago “they” projected the demise of blogs…I couldn’t imagine that…but its true. FB is changing things in the social arena.
However…I would suggest that your readership is down because you haven’t been dabbling in the controversial. I noticed on my blog when it was running, the more controversy…the more traffic. The latest post from the Ochlophobist says the same thing (not that I read the Ochlophobist regularly any more after the focus changed to publicizing scandalous behaviors and constant criticisms of who is not Orthodox enough).
I think it is best not to worry about stats because if it is controversy that draws in the crowd then its probably not good for you or for them.
Oh, not worried. As I wrote, I hadn’t looked at the stats in months, probably. But when I did it looked very odd. But you’re right about the controversy angle; I’ve noticed it too, but I’m not inclined to go for ratings for rating’s sake
OH ya…and one other thing. RSS Feed readers. They are becoming more and more popular and used. So in most cases I don’t have to visit a blog to read…only to comment or to read comments (and frankly, comments are the only reason I read blogs…I LOVE people’s comments). In your case, however, the content of your feed doesn’t give the full post so to read your blog a person has to visit.