I really love my publisher. They are super encouraging and they really “get it” about social networking, and they’ve really encouraged me as an author to stretch outside my comfort zone and put the book out there (and myself) more than I would’ve done so otherwise.
So yesterday, when they sent a list of suggestions, I had to laugh out loud at one of them. It was basically:
Your blog doesn’t generate enough comments. Write posts that get more people talking.
Riiiiiiiiiight.
It’s just funny to me because the posts I think are definitely going to ruffle feathers or bring up controversy or whatever? They sit there like a three day old baked potato on the countertop. (At least around here no one would think to pick that up.) It’s like I know the anti-magic-formula for what will/won’t be interesting. And the posts I just randomly throw up on the screen and give not a second thought in writing? They get a bunch of Facebook likes and Twitter tweets, and even a few comments.
Why is that?
It’s like back when I was pregnant with ALL FIVE of my children. For sure, I knew for sure my first two were girls while they were in utero. And they were boys. And THEN, I knew, just KNEW that my next three were boys while they were in utero.
All girls.
(We never wanted to find out through a sonogram, preferred a surprise. Not everyone is like that. Some people want to know ahead of time, but I’m an open-your-Christmas-presents-on-Christmas person, and I really liked that in the hospital the nurses were always just a little more perky and helpful when they were in on the fun of the surprise as well. And *now* I’m really glad I’m done being pregnant altogether. Anyone else think a surprise is better?)
Anyway. Wrong exactly 100% of the time. You’d think I’d be remotely able to guess, even 1/5. But no.
Just like with the commenty-ness of my blog.
i don’t have the magic formula either. i guess i tend to see how many “hits” a post receives rather than focusing on the comments. maybe i’m wrong, but the one post that has generated over 2,000 hits on my blog has less than 3 comments….yet i tend to think its more successful than the ones that have loads of comments. you’re doing something right though – i’ve read your blog two days in a row! 😉
Haha. Thanks, Amie! I need to figure out how to read how many hits these posts get in WordPress (not user-friendly.) Then maybe I could feel validated (and JFP would think I was popular. Harhar.) The post I got the most hits on over on my old Blogger blog had a tag “German Drinking Songs,” and the other was about Otter Pops, and I’m pretty sure they clicked in, saw what I wrote, and rolled their eyes before clicking onto something they were *really* searching for.
Fun post, Jennifer. I hear you; the article I spent hours on? Nada. The 10 minute here’s how you say Happy New Year in Hawaiian? Practically viral in comparison.
No kidding! I don’t get it. And I’m going to have to go over and read your post so I can follow up my old Mele Kelikimaka with a Hawaiian new year greeting now.
Well, tell your publisher that this post got your invisible-on-the-internet brother-in-law to comment, especially since he can commiserate on being wrong about gender in utero (and will likely be wrong again).
Hahaha, Cristobal. So what are you predicting for this baby? (I’m gunning for a girl.)
In fact, got him to comment twice.