9. My Legacy.

My blog traffic isn’t exactly what I’d like it to be.  Most of my posts get roughly the same amount of traffic depending on what kind of post it is.  My Yeah Write ones get the most views, everything else doesn’t.  It’s getting better, I have some regulars (who I appreciate so much I can’t begin to say), but overall, my traffic isn’t high.

I have a few posts that have done really well that I’m proud of.  For example, The Cobbler’s Children Have No Shoes, a look back on my childhood, won a jury prize one week at Yeah Write and I am really happy with the way it came out.  It is my fourth most-read post to date.  
What troubles me is that the three above it really aren’t my best work.  
There was one, Get Ready For The Questions (#3), that tugged on the heart strings as I discussed the impending death of my dog and dealing with explaining it to my 5 year old son.  I don’t think it’s my best piece of writing, but it’s better than the top two.
Number 2 of the top 4 is the post I wrote after BlogHer, Yes, There Were Vibrators.  One day I noticed my stats going up like crazy and when I checked the source, I was getting a lot of readers via The New York Times.  Thinking this must be a mistake, I read the article they were sent to me by and lo and behold, that article did actually link back to my post!  It’s not a bad post.  But it is just a recap post after an exhilarating and exhausting weekend.  
A few weeks ago, I received a spam comment about salsa dancing on this post about Corn Salsa.  Haha, I get it, salsa dancing, corn salsa.  Funny.  I deleted the comment.  Not too long after, I got another comment, but this one wasn’t in English.  And then another.  Each day, my stats were skyrocketing and they were all for this silly little post about how I don’t like corn salsa.  This post has gotten more page views than any other by more than double.  
Far be it from me to turn my nose up at any page views, but it seems like my blog legacy is going to just be those times I wrote about corn salsa and vibrators.  I’ve poured my heart and soul into writing about family, my childhood, my past.  I’ve edited those posts, labored over the words and done all I could to get them into just the right order and in the end, the posts most people read weren’t the ones I would have like them to read.
If you’re new to my blog, please look around and check out some of my other posts.  Please don’t let my legacy be corn salsa and vibrators.

10 thoughts on “9. My Legacy.

    1. Michelle Longo

      I’m glad I made you smile Dawn! I appreciate your assistance. Thank you! (PS – I’ve been reading your blogs on my phone via email but I haven’t been clicking over to comment b/c of time constraints. But I am keeping up!!)

  1. Kianwi

    I can relate. Often the posts that get the most views surprise me, because I just tossed them off. And the ones I slave over sometimes are duds. I just look at it all as practicing writing and can’t let myself worry about pageviews.

  2. Stacie @ Snaps and Bits

    I hear you Michelle! I don’t get a lot of traffic either and most of it comes from yeah write or Monday Listicles, which I do b/c I love making lists. Don’t worry, I love your heartfelt posts – I won’t ever think of you as the corn salsa and vibrator gal!

    1. Michelle Longo

      I was doing Monday Listicles for a few weeks but I couldn’t keep up. It’s sort of like NaBloPoMo where I’m reading but not getting to comment on as many posts as I’d like. Hopefully I’ll make it back over there. And thank you, especially, for not thinking of me as the vibrator gal!

  3. Larks

    I hear you! I don’t have great stats either and I find when I write snarky, off the cuff bitching about politics my stats go up but when I actually put thought and effort into writing a personal, ‘deep’ post the internet gives a collective “Meh” unless I write one for Yeah Write when I get slightly more people because fellow challenge gridders feel obligated to read them.

    My blogging tombstone will read, “Here lies Larks. People enjoyed her most when she railed on about getting old white men out of her vagina.”

    And I love your heartfelt posts so please keep them coming.

    1. Michelle Longo

      It would be so much easier if we could title each post with the amount of effort we put into them so people could gush appropriately. As much as I claim I’m writing for me, there’s a certain amount of me (ok, a pretty big portion of me) that writes for attention. And if I’m not getting it I might have to throw a tantrum. Because that’ll help, right?

  4. ateachablemom.com

    Right there with you, Michelle! Two of my most viewed posts have to do with breasts (a mammogram) and snot (a list of things I say to my kids). I whipped those out in no time, but the ones I sweat over get measly stats. This is a great topic. And add me to the ever-growing list of those who adore your heartfelt posts.

    1. Michelle Longo

      You all are really sweet, you’re going to make me blush!

      Breasts and snot sound like great topics, I mean, how can you go wrong?

      I wish I could comment on every post that I read because I wish everyone I read knew that I was reading and enjoying. But if I did that, I’d read far fewer, you know?

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