It is blogaversary time. Yes, Wordtabulous is growing older just like the rest of us. As I reflect on the past year I don’t know if I have learned anything that will help me, but I do, as always, have several observations to share.
Experts say that a blog needs a focus to build a following. I think they might be right. I knew starting out that my direction was a little unclear, but I thought my focus would evolve. I think we can all agree that this hasn’t happened. This is my official apology to people who have found their way here, thinking they were coming to a blog focused on: religion, cycling, fitness, product reviews, cats, photography, food, wine, books, writing, or humor. If you came here for a little unpredictability, welcome, you have come to the right place. Judging from the shiny statistics page, some came looking for Wordtabulous on purpose, but A LOT more–hundreds–came to get info or pictures of the musical group Walk Off The Earth, or info on the Beard Guy T shirt. Just as many came for a word about Leah McLean, KSTP news anchor. Between the searches on Leah and all the other local news celebrities, I can see there is an opportunity for a thriving site featuring personal information and gossip about them. So, there you go, people who want to do that, free idea with documented appeal. Here are a few other searches that brought people to Wordtabulous:
“what did Laura Ingalls fear the most, pa, animals, the winter, strangers in the long winter.” I LOVE that people seeking Laura knowledge have come here, but I am dismayed that someone seems to be trying to cheat on a multiple choice test. Read the book, cheater! The Long Winter was awesome!
“you’ll trust you hate, you believe you tabulous this reality” This person is either drunk/stoned, or just free flowing with the searches. Maybe this is a misspelled song lyric? It seems very poetic. I am sure tabulous is a whoopsie in this context, but I’ll take it. Thank you.
“dag yolu” According to a Google search of my own, this is a windy mountain road, or a place near a windy mountain road in Turkey. I once wrote about climbing a mountain road, but this seems very specific. Weird.
“small particles in abyss” I am sure this searcher found this site and was all, “Gah! This isn’t what I was looking for!” but now I know I get to claim a portion of the abyss searches on the web so I am happy. Sometimes I think we are all just small particles in the abyss, how about that? Think of the odds of us finding each other!
“shadowtale how to make it night so that lady dances” At first I was all, oooh, dark and vivid, I like! and then I found out that shadowtale is a free online role playing game and so evidently someone just wants to find out how to work the game to get a free show. I am not a gamer in any sense of the word; I literally DO NOT HAVE GAME. I don’t even click on these things because they seem…unhygienic to me. So it is majorly confusing how this search connected here. Although I do like to talk about nighttime, especially when the insomnia wants to play, so maybe? Seems thin.
“naughty nurses with huge racks” hahahahahaha! I don’t know, I truly don’t, how this sad person found Wordtabulous, but I hope they were so entranced with what they found that they gave up their search for titillating eye candy and moved on to higher things, like cat blogs and charity bicycle rides.
I secretly dreamed that blogging would open doors of writing opportunity. I hoped that people would read what I had to say and ask for more. And a few did! Which was awesome. I have met some really interesting people here (check out the blogroll on the right,) and while I don’t want to assume anything, I think some of them would consider themselves friends of mine, as I do them. When I follow a blog, I take it seriously. I don’t “like” blindly. I try to read regularly and comment thoughtfully. But this makes it time consuming, and when I don’t have time to keep up I get way way behind. I am horrible about going out and finding new blogs to check out. It almost makes me wish I could emulate those folk who do the “like” hit-and run. There is a cynical efficiency to zipping around, clicking “like” and hoping that you hit on some people who will “like” you back and stick around long enough to draw their friends. And there are the freaks. There was one blogger, who shall remain nameless but who claims to be a marriage therapist, who “like”d a post I wrote and WordPress was all “Hey, Lynnette, check out some of this blogger’s posts; maybe you’ll like them!” And all the posts’ titles had to do with the successful performance of a particular sexual act involving swallowing. No thanks, and I will NOT be clicking. Still, good for a (derisively snorting) laugh.
It takes talent and dedication to continuously draw followers and keep them. I admire those who are successful and wish them well. I suspect I will continue off to the side, musing and observing and throwing the occasional post out to see what you think. Thanks for visiting and being part of Year One of Wordtabulousness. Come back again, and comment any time you have something to say!
wordtabulous 
NooOOOH don’t gooooooo!! WHAAaaaaH! I love keeping (or rather getting) in touch with your inner mind. You are so wonderfully complex and witty and “listening” to you “talk” is like being read to – exciting bedtime stories setting the stage on my way to my own adventures. (Although mine are quite made up and yours are real.) True, having an audience requires you keep the audience engaged however have you ever considered that the audience might just be you , yourself, and we the family? You never know when this diary of sorts might become a valuable asset – much like the diary of Queen Victoria (whom your faithful reader and her husband watched about on public tv recently). Fascinating stuff. We love you!
I love you too! And I am not stopping blogging. Did that sound like I was going to stop? I only meant I am probably not destined for blogger stardom, and will continue my randomness on the periphery of the blogiverse. Oh no, me shut up? Not likely. Thanks for continuing to “kerbear” with me and Wordtabulous! (Did you get that? did you? kerbear=bear?) 🙂
Aren’t search terms fun? It really makes you wonder what people are thinking when they type in some of this stuff. Somebody landed on my site by searching for “2.” Simply the number 2. What the heck? What were they looking for, and how in the world did it lead them to my site? I guess I do use a fair amount of scatological humor thanks to my sons–could this be the source? 😉
By the way, thanks so much for including me on your blogroll! Is much appreciated. I have returned the warm fuzzy and added you to mine. Mine is still a work in progress, and it suddenly dawns on me that someone isn’t there that should be. I really need to just go through my reader and identify them all, but I keep saying, “Later.” 🙂
“2?” That is mysterious all right. Who would search for that? Must have been a premature enter-jaculation.
I go months forgetting I even HAVE a blogroll, then I stumble across somebody cool on someone else’s blogroll and I remember I could be helping some of my faves get noticed. Thanks for the return fuzzy, but keep the warmth to yourself! There is enough warm here today!
“premature enter-jaculation.”–Oh, that’s a good one!
Thank you!
Happy Blogaversary to you!!! See, I thought you had a theme — Mom’s life in Minneapolis while she waits to make it big as a writer — so I had a big laugh when you wrote that you didn’t! LOL Obviously, this is why we found each other on the web. Well, I hope you keep writing because I’m still telling people about all the creepy crawlies in the carpet, and I haven’t had time to read your short story you linked to weeks ago. That’s the problem with blogging — time. And you totally nailed the blogger’s Hamlet — to Like or not to Like.
Thanks for taking the time to write so we all can read! Cheers and happy summer!
Boo, my computer ate my comment. If this, for some reason, shows up twice, please delete one of them. My apologies. It’s being weird today.
I am all for no theme (as evidenced by my blog!) because I think it gives you more leeway as to what to write about, and you’re less apt to get bored if you can write about everything, as opposed to limiting yourself to one small topic.
Here’s to many more years of fabulousness/wordtabulousness! 🙂
Shoot. I am like ADD squirrel today, I was replying to your comment and saw something else and clicked it and poof! there went my reply. I can’t even blame the computer for this one. I think your theme is your STYLE: the way you write all the crazy variety of stuff you write, and your occasional serious post just reminds us that you, like onions and ogres, have layers. My aversion to being bored is probably the number one reason I haven’t chosen a theme to focus on, and that never occurred to me until now, so thanks for that! Also thanks for the visit and comment!
Can’t believe it’s been a year already! Seems like just yesterday when you said you were going to start blogging and asked if I would dive into the digital diary pool with you. Glad to see you’re still finding success – proud to have been one of the original Wordtabulous followers. Here’s to the incredible posts yet to come!
Thank you for being my swim buddy and all the support this past year! I hope there is some incredible, or at least wordtabulous left in me, we’ll see!
I laughed out loud when I read your very reasonable suggestion of keeping your blog on a singular focus. That was the instruction I received as well. Ho Hum – didn’t happen! Your LIFE doesn’t have a singular focus so why should your blog?
Thanks for the solidarity! Sometimes I feel may it goes too wildly astray, but that too is my personality and my life. When I think of all the posts I COULD have put out there, but managed to filter, I feel a little better. It could be much, much worse. Or better…
Other people’s search terms are a crazy mystery. As for me, I only search, “How to Look Younger” over and ove again.
You look great! But I hear you, Oil of Olay is doing okay by me…
The only thing I didn’t like about this blog is the fact that I didn’t think of it first!! How hilarious. Yes, how people land on my blog (and how many pages they had to weed through to get there) is beyond me. I posted a blog and called it “Nude Song”; it was about how our church music should be honest instead of all “happy’. I think someone was a li-t-tle surprised to land on my site! And then I posted one called “Haunted House”. I swear half of my hits are people looking for a good pic of a haunted house. I did not expect THAT! Ah, it’s free entertainment.
On another note, I always enjoy your blog even when I can’t get to a computer, am reading on my blackberry, and can’t get the dumb thing to get to your comment screen as fast as I need it to. I would call YOU friend, and I thank you for adding me to your blogroll! You’re on mine!
Keep writing, Lynnette, it’s good for your soul and ours….
Amy
I have the same problem catching up on blogs with my smartphone. So aggravating! Thanks for reading and for your friendship!