Future posts will be back to diamond-cut, wholesome fare on building relationships and community and saving money and carbon emissions via energy and gas conservation. But today the addict in me has to come forward and be known. The blogger addict, the one who craves hits.
I jones for blog hits. I check my blog stats way too often. I try to practice abstinence, try to not check them for eight hours, and I break down midway through and go check. I got 601 hits one day two months ago, and felt the endorphins bathing my brain. The world wants you, the endorphins whispered. You are loved.
Reading blog stats answers the inquisitive mental chatter of “how-am-I-doing, how-am-I-doing?”. The blog-stat chart is like an EKG, with spikes pointing in both directions.It tells me my amount of readership is doing poorly, well or average, and suggests what I want to write about or comment on next. All of which is quite rational. But the addiction itself — all addictions - are in no way rational.
Why all this intensity? What do I want from blogging? I want to become truly influential. I want to help our once-great nation overcome its addiction to consumption, especially fossil-fuel consumption. Meanwhile, I sweat and fight the shakes while huddled over my laptop. (OK, so I’m being over-dramatic.)
Unlike some drug activity, my blogging and hit-monitoring is not solitary. I typically do it at Stumptown or Extracto coffee houses, in the presence of others. I feel this elevates me, or at least keeps me from hitting the bottom that would trigger the dreaded intervention from my husband or carpool-partners. “Alison, we’ve become concerned about you. And we’ve decided we’re not letting you out of the car this morning until you hand over your laptop.”
It is oh so easy to be an addict. And so humbling. Confession: I am addicted to blog hits.
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3 responses so far ↓
1 Beth // Jul 17, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Me too, but I try not to look for an hour at a time.
2 Sara at On Simplicity // Jul 17, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I’m addicted to blogging, but I’ve sidestepped the stats addiction so far. (Phew!) It helps that the analytics I use only update once a day…
3 Chiara // Jul 23, 2008 at 11:29 am
It gives me pleasure to think that now I have given you one more hit. Take care
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