July 14, 2010

Economy got you down?

With the new dismal economic numbers coming out about falling retail sales and unemployment, folks wanting to put on a happy face will have to be more inventive about their methodology -- or otherwise risk the possibility of raising municipal revenues. Seems Obama has not quashed the American entrepreneurial spirit completely (though the Dems' policies have made a good start) with these ideas to secretly carry around that "Brighter Day" elixir:


This via the Little Miss Attila blog.

MALADROIT SEGUE: Oh, and while I am on the subject, I just wanted to carp about something (anything!) since I am in one of my bipolar downswings. The Other McCain posted this advisory to nascent bloggers like me (coming up on my one-year anniversary in August, О чем Этот Blog Является Всем) on how to get a million hits. Although I am a software developer and pretty good at tech things, I am a few pages behind extant really whiz-bang stuff. For example, I don't do FaceBook. I don't Tweet. (Sounds fruity or perverted and how could one possibly convey an intellectual thought in only 140 characters?) And there's a lot of other stuff that can be classified as as narcissistic, neo-tech persiflage.

But I am just insecure enough to be lured by the siren calls of website popularity; like many other simpering, pajama-wearing, PBJ-wolfing, basement-dwelling blog writers, I crave attention. The prospect of Ed Morrissey -- or, better, Michelle Malkin -- pouring their cup of morning joe while poring over my deathless prose is just too alluring an image to be dispelled by reality.

So I bit. I followed as many of Robert Stacy McCain's recommendations as I could technically comprehend, among them, linking to his site and linking to Miss Attila's site. And, and, and..

..my hit count went down!

I mean, compared to the inestimable Left Coast Rebel and MAinfo.com my visit numbers were hyper-anemic. I think I got as many stoppers-by in toto as Odie gets whenever he puts up one of those spectacular bumper sticker or Walmart series he runs. LCR gets more in a day than I get in a month! Like the California Almond Growers, all I am asking is one ping a day from each of you.

So what's the deal, Neil? Where'd everyone go? I mean, I took a shower this morning; I brushed my teeth; the can of Right Guard maybe a little low, but I use it religiously.

So I can't explain it but now I am getting desperate (and more insecure) and am looking for at a number of options. You know, like unlinking The Other McCain and Miss Attila being the most obvious or maybe asking ol' Stacy for a refund. But also things like offering a two-for-one sale: visit my site now and I'll give you another visit for free. Or perhaps going over to KOS or Huffpo and starting a war. How about linking Little Green Footballs to my site? If things get really dreary, I might just hit McCain's tip jar.

I am open for suggestions but don't tell me to write more interesting, exciting things because I gotta rule that out because that sort of thing is wa-a-a-a-ay above my pathetic pay grade.

DISCLAIMER:  I am actually not as desperate as I pretend. This is kind of fun to do and I do bump into some pretty nice people who stop by. I am not sure how good things would be if there were hunnerts o' comments and I were compelled to answer to each one.

14 comments:

  1. Here's to upping your ping count.. lol

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  2. ..I am grateful. Thanks!

    Now I wonder where I can find a girlfriend who wears on e of those bras in 40DD.

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  3. You don't want a girlfriend at all TWP. I bet your wife is deadly with a Ginsu knife...

    Speaking of alcohol, we need to get together soon, as I am resigning from the Left Coast Resistance to take a position in Florida.

    Retirement just was not suiting me....

    -LTB

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  4. ..firstly, point *ahem* taken.

    Secondly: edagds! Just when we had made our initial plans for the November revolution! Hopefully you'll be able to vote for Rubio!

    Will call soon on this.

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  5. WP...I hear you on the hit count, I have been trying to figure this out for about a year. Not sure what LCR does to get the hits, but would be nice to get some of that action!!!

    Maybe if we gave away Obama bumper stickers for every visitor!

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  6. I'm so personally torn on the hit count thing. On the one hand, it would be somewhat gratifying to think that people might read your opinions, and perhaps be enlightened by them, and (to dream a bit bigger) perhaps at some point they might actually influence public policy in a meaningful and positive way. On the other hand, I don't have the time or inclination to work hard to build and maintain a popular public presence, and there's a certain level of editorial freedom that comes with being able to hide behind a veil of anonymity and obscurity. A have a lot of respect for people like LCR/others who are comfortable and bold enough to voice their opinions openly, but I'm just not comfortable enough to do so, even if my opinions were somehow popular enough to warrant greater attention.

    That's my thought, anyway, for whatever it's worth.

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  7. >I don't do FaceBook. I don't Tweet.

    I did Facebook for a little while, but I got sick of all the meaningless messages, invitations to water somebody's garden, to be friends with somebody I've never met, and all that. In general I wish that people would bother me LESS, so Facebook was counter-productive.

    And Twitter...I don't care what other people are doing every five minutes of the day, so why would I think that other people care about what I'm doing every five minutes of the day?

    Don't even get me started on texting...

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  8. TWP,

    Buck up my friend, because you have an excellent blog. Well worth reading on a daily basis.

    The secret to effective blogging is networking to be honest. That's what LCR taught me. We both started blogging at the same time, but he's long surpassed me and all because few are better at networking than he.

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  9. This self-pity thing doesn't suit you, you poor lidow unpinged guy. You sound like another blogger a while back. This blogger kept changing things until the audience couldn't find the blog any longer.

    Kidding a side, I can help with the pings. I'll email you.

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  10. I think TheOtherMcCain missed the key part about getting a lot of traffic - write well about interesting topics. Although, perhaps he mentioned it and I missed it in my speed read.

    War Planner, I don't think I show up in your stats as a site visitor but you're in my feed reader, so I see all the new posts. I enjoy your postings and hope you keep the good stuff coming.

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  11. Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working. I admire your work, your wit and your patriotism. Thanks for all you do and for standing guard over liberty.

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  12. Bastiatarian said...

    "Don't even get me started on texting..."

    Ugh! I'm with you! Self-absorbed little geek-twits announcing every nanosecond of their pathetic existences. My fear is that they are so-o-o-o stapled to their blackberry that it accompanies them on their daily trip to the "throne room".

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  13. HI WP: I don't know how to get all the pings, and visits and stuff myself.
    You can be online all day looking at stats, and reading this and that SEO and It bores me. I'm happy to have lots of visitors and followers, but trying to expand to LCR level is too hard and time consuming.

    If Odie wants to give me a quick and easy formula....hint hint, I'd love it.
    But frankly I have too many other worries at the moment.
    Have a good weekend.

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  14. Bunny, I got those trips from you, Good Looking.

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