Why Is This Blog Going Wild With Page Views, Almost 60,000 In A Month?

I have no idea how or why it has been happening, but my blog, "My Appalachian Life", has gone wild with page views over the last couple of months. Before this streak started, I have never had more than about 35,000 page views in a month, and that only twice. For several years, the blog had averaged about 3,000 page views a month despite the fact that I was posting on it regularly, and often shared blog posts on several Appalachian based groups. This month the page views are approaching 60,000. One of my favorite and most personal posts, "My Appalachian DNA", has had almost 1,000 page views this month. Could it be because Blog Spot has linked it to the feature where you click to be taken to a random blog? Does that feature even require that a blog be linked? Could some other person with a large social media following have shared this blog on some of their postings? Or is it just a random, unexplainable fluke? If you have any idea why this has suddenly started happening, I'd love to hear it. https://myappalachianlife.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-appalachian-dna.html

Half A Million Page Views In The Life Of This Blog!

Sometime overnight this blog reached 500,000 page views for the life of the blog.  It has consistently averaged about 3,000 page views a month over the last several years but on several occasions it has had as many as 10,000 to 19,000 page views in a month.  On one occasion, in March 2015, it came up just short of 21,000 page views for the month.  And, all the page views and follower numbers are due to the fact that the blog has slowly accumulated a gradually growing number of followers now at about 215.   Without readers, there would no reason to write a blog, or to put it another way "if a tree falls in the wilderness and nobody hears it does it make a sound".  The answer to that one is no in my opinion.  Once in a while I write a post about some person in the history of Appalachia and suddenly receive a comment from a family member, friend, or former student of that person who says "Thank You!"  That makes it all worthwhile!  You might have also noticed that I have never allowed advertisements on this blog.  It has never been about an attempt to make money.  For me, it has always been about spreading information and ideas to as many people as possible.  My original intent was to keep this blog absolutely restricted to topics about Central and Southern Appalachia.  In May of 2016, I found it necessary to write about Matt Bevin's War Against Appalachian People  and I have never regretted having taken that step.  Matt Bevin proved on a daily basis that he was totally unfit to hold any position of public trust at any level.  In October of 2016, I finally wrote my first blog post about the TRAITOR Trump.  I deeply regret that I did not write a first post about TRAITOR Trump much sooner.  As our country has steadily sunk deeper and deeper into the moral and ethical desert which has been created by TRAITOR Trump and those who support him, I have wept as the majority of the greatest nation on earth have done.  I will continue to write speak out against, and do everything in meager power to try to influence every American I can to work to help us hold this TRAITOR, multiple rapist, career criminal, tax cheat, racist, and idiot responsible for at least part of his thousands of crimes against America, American Democracy, the human race, and the planet in its entirety.  If that upsets you, you are part of the problem.  And, in closing, I would like to thank all of you who read this blog, learn from at times, and agree with the values which it works to uphold.  THANK YOU ALL!  

 

Why Do Blogs And Bloggers Become Defunct?

 Recently, I scrolled through the rather long list of blogs on my "Reading List" on this website and found that many of the blogs on that list had not had a new post in quite some time, some of them for even a few years.  When a blog and blogger go that long without any new content it is safe to assume the blog is now defunct.  But why do they become defunct?  I'm not even sure I know all the answers but a lot of possible answers are seemingly obvious.  Some of the bloggers simply die.  Other bloggers might find new interests which they enjoy more and simply quit blogging.  Others could even have found themselves in prison.  Who knows?  I have published this blog since April 15, 2011, and it has grown steadily both in the amount of posts I have created and in the number of people who have become interested in it.  In the nearly 10 years I have written this blog, it has slowly grown from a few dozen followers to more than 150 followers.  But, I have no way of knowing how many of those followers actually actively follow the blog to the degree that they read most of my posts, read some of my posts when they are bored, or simply return at irregular times to see if I have posted anything in which they are interested.  

Over the last couple or three years though, this blog has ballooned from about 50 followers to more than 150.  This blog averages about 3,000 page views a month and has had a little over 362,000 page views in the ten years it has been active.  But, interestingly, the two highest months in page views came in September 2014 and March 2015 when it received 18,917 page views and 20,917 page views respectively.  At that time, I probably had less than 30 followers.  I have no idea why the blog received such high numbers in those two months.  The roughly one year period from February 2014 to March 2015 had consistently higher numbers than the blog average.  January 2015 was the lowest month in that period with 5,262 page views.  I repeat that I have no idea why the numbers ran so high for that period and why now, with at least three times as many followers, I usually get lower page views.  If any of you readers can explain why, I would love to hear it.  

Now, to discuss the reason which prompted me to write about this in the first place.  Over the years, I have added 32 blogs of fairly varied subject matter to my reading list and have not ever deleted one from that list.  My primary areas of interest have consistently been Appalachian Studies, Auctioneering, Travel, and Disability Issues since my wife, Candice has been in a wheelchair for more than twenty years.  Of the blogs on my list, I clearly know less than half a dozen of the creators and have only ever met one of them in person.  I have probably corresponded with a dozen or so either via e-mail or the comments sections on either my blog or theirs.  The one person I know, have met, correspond with regularly, and expect to see again in the future is Mike Brandly who is an auctioneer, real estate broker, auctioneer trainer, and expert witness in matters of auction law.  His blog is called Mike Brandly, Auctioneer Blog, and has had more then 1.4million page views due to his national prominence as a multi-faceted auctioneer.  I have actually taken my required continuing education for my auctioneer license from Mike and we are Facebook friends.  We have a couple of Facebook groups in common, two of which Mike runs and one run by a friend of mine to which I referred Mike. 

I also know, in a less personal way without any face to face contact, a woman named Heather Johnson who writes a wonderful blog called Paralyzed With Joy and has done so since November 2009.  Heather is a full quadriplegic due to a horrible car accident, not her fault, when she was 17 years old.  If she can maintain a blog for 12 years, anybody can.  And her is one of the most interesting blogs I read.  Heather, one of her sisters, and I are all Facebook friends.  

Another blogger with whom I have had extensive contact beyond his blog is known to the world as either Greenbrier Jim or Wayfarin' Stranger which is also the name of his blog which he operated regularly from February 2011,  to March 2014, and then ceased to produce it which is a damn shame since it is a wonderful blog of both his own high quality photography and Appalachian History.  Jim grew up in Morehead, Kentucky, where I attended Morehead State University years after he left town.  I suspect that Jim may be having health issues which have kept him from continuing.  But his blog is still worth exploring for the quality of his work in both areas. 

Another blog and blogger which I appreciated a great deal was called Dave's Cupboard and focused on unusual foods.  Dave, who I do not know from Adam, ran his blog consistently from January 2, 2006, until June 26, 2015.  I suspect that Dave might have either passed away or suddenly suffered a major health crisis.  His daughter was listed as a co-author on the blog and I sent a message of inquiry but never got an answer.  I love odd, unusual, even strange foods, and I miss Dave's blog a lot.  It is also worth visiting for the past reflections on many things a lot of people claim they never eat.  

Only two or three blogs on my Reading List can be said to still be active with posts having been created in the last few months at the latest.  I miss the work of every one of the authors who created those blogs and wish they were still active.  And I have to repeat, I have no idea why some of them stopped.  

Random Thoughts On Having 100 Followers!

 

 

Sometime early this morning, April 12, 2020, this blog had its 100th person sign up to follow the blog and it only took nine years, almost to the day, from April 15, 2011, when I wrote and posted the initial blog post entitled "A Brief Introduction To My Appalachian Life".  I realize that neither nine years to achieve the milestone of 100 followers, or that number of followers themselves approaches anything like a record.  But I have been writing and posting more frequently and steadily for about three and a half years since I have retired from my full time occupation as a mental health and substance abuse therapist and my part time occupation over the last ten years as a self-employed auctioneer.  But I will say that 100 followers on any blog is above average and most bloggers and blogs never achieve that level.  It can be assumed that at some time over the last nine years that number of people have read something at least once on this blog which left them interested enough in my writing to try to come back and read more of it.  In the spirit of total honesty, I will also say that having 100 followers listed on any blog does not mean that all of those 100 people are actively reading the blog which they are reputed to be following.  Some of them might have died, decided they are no longer interested in that blog but are too lazy to delete it from their list of followed blogs, or they might have simply stopped reading anyone's blog. 

Roger D. Hicks & Loyal Jones, Photo by Candice M. Hicks

But I remember how long it took for this blog to achieve even fifty followers and that was most of these first nine years.  Over the last four years as I have written more steadily on the blog, I have seen a surge in followers which is also linked to the fact that I have also begun to more frequently post links to my posts on Facebook both on my own Facebook page and on several group pages devoted to some aspect of Appalachian Studies.  As the title clearly implies, the main focus of the blog is Appalachia and Appalachian Studies.  But over the last four years, I have also written more and more frequently about American politics.  I suspect that most of my followers are interested primarily in Appalachia and Appalachian Studies.  But I also believe that my political writing has attracted a few of the people over the last four years.  I also realize that some of both groups of followers are not particularly interested in the other aspect of the blog.  I know that some of my followers who are interested in Appalachian Studies might dislike my politics and my political writing.  Tough shit if you are one of those!  With the fate of the country I love lying in the hands of a Russian Owned TRAITOR, you can bet your ass I will continue to write about American politics, and I will continue to push for the indictment, prosecution, conviction, and imprisonment of that TRAITOR until the day one of us dies and I sincerely hope it is him because I would love to piss on his grave so long as he dies, as he should, in a federal prison cell after having been held legally responsible for his many crimes against this country, the remainder of the civilized world, and the entire human race.  I also know that an equal percentage of the followers who have joined this blog over the last four years because of my political writing wish I would stop wasting their time with more articles about Appalachia, the place of my birth, my education, my culture, and my life.  Tough shit if you are one of those!  I will never stop writing about Appalachia as long as my mind and my typing fingers work.  And since I follow at least one blog written by a woman who is a quadriplegic who must write with adaptive software using eye blinks, you can bet that I would not quit writing about Appalachia so long as I live.  I do sincerely hope that I can someday devote far less of my writing time to American politics. But that will not happen until we are blessed with an actual legally and duly elected president which I look forward to on January 20, 2021.  I hope all of you join me in supporting that effort to elect a president who has not committed TREASON in order to illegally occupy the White House.  If that happens, I will probably write very little about politics and most of you politically interested followers can smile and go home with peace in your heart which I am certain has been absent every day since January 20, 2017.  I realize that no matter who occupies the White House for the remainder of all our lives that there will be other crises which will crop up.  But you can bet your ass those crises will be much less stressful on us, less dangerous to the country, and far more quickly, ethically, morally, and legally dealt with when we have removed, via a legally conducted election, the current scourge from his TREASONOUS occupation of the White House.  

But I would like to thank each one of you who is actively following this blog for your interest in my work.  I know a few of you personally, some of whom I knew before I started this blog, and several I have come to know because of this blog.  I actually got to come to know one of my literary and Appalachian Studies heroes because of this blog.  I will always treasure the day the great Appalachian scholar Loyal Jones, the founder of the Appalachian Studies Program at Berea College left a message on my phone inviting me to lunch because he had read some of my work based on some of his work.  I also treasure the day Bill Best, another professor emeritus at Berea College and I became friends because we both write about and love Appalachia and despise the current illegal occupant of the White House.  Because of this blog, I have also come to know Frank Barnett and his sister, Mary Marguerite Barnett-Price, who along with me, grew up on the waters of Beaver Creek.  Frank is a noted expert, along with Bill Best, in the field of saving, preserving, and propagating heritage food crops in Appalachia.  They have taught me a lot about the crops my ancestors grew and I am appreciative of them both.  John D. Shelton and I connected because his wife is a descendant of a few of my common ancestors and John also agrees with most of my politics.  Jay Shuck was known to me for several years before I began this blog.  He and I have completed a graduate school program together and worked for the same institution for a few years.  Marie Manilla, a noted Appalachian author whose work I appreciate, decided to join this blog sometime after we were introduced by our friends Edwina Pendarvis and P. J. Laska, both of whom are noted Appalachian poets.  I do not know all of you followers but can rest assured that I appreciate your interest in my work.  If you are remotely interested in Appalachian Fiction, you might consider going to the section at the bottom of the front page of this blog which is labeled "Links To Other Sites About Appalachia" and read one or two of my fiction pieces on various websites around the country.  If you do that, always feel free to send me an e-mail with your honest opinions of that aspect of my writing.  Be honest!  I can take it.  My work has been rejected by experts and yet a few of them have enjoyed it.  

If you choose to continue to read this blog, know that I will always tell you the truth.  I will not lie to you either in print or to your face.  If you want to know my unvarnished opinion of anything or anybody, just ask me.  I will not wait to determine what you believe before I tell you.  I will answer you immediately based on my honest opinion and to the best of my knowledge.  You can take me at my word.  If you ever desire to contact me, feel free either on the comments section of the blog or on one of my listed e-mail addresses.  My telephone has never been unlisted and it will never be.  Call me if you feel the need.  Maybe we can have lunch together some day and actually learn if we like each other.  Once again, Thanks To All Of You who follow this blog.  

Photo of Freeway Carpets Marquee, El Paso, TX, photo by Roger D. Hicks

Some Reflections On One Hundred Published Posts

When I began this blog on April 15, 2011, I had some clear cut goals I wanted to accomplish with it and, in some ways, I was not certain exactly what I intended to do with it in the long run.  Now, after almost exactly six years, I am posting my one-hundredth blog post.  I have actually posted a few more than one hundred posts since I have previously posted and deleted a handful for various reasons.  I have accomplished a few things with this blog which have clearly made it worthwhile to continue and I have to say that, in the beginning, I was not exactly certain that I would make it a long term project.  As the masthead for this blog says, I had hoped that it could become "An ever growing site of non-fiction, flotsam, fiction, memoir, autobiography, literature, history, ethnography, and book reviews about Appalachia, Appalachian Culture, and how to keep it alive!!! Also,how to pronounce the word: Ap-uh-latch-uh."  

Partially because of my position on the appropriate pronunciation of the word "Appalachia", I came to know and sometimes converse with one of the best bloggers I have ever found on the Internet,  the man who prefers to be known as Greenbriar Jim who published a blog called "Wayfarin' Stranger".  The Wayfarin' Stranger blog is primarily a photographic blog of Appalachian photographs shot by a fine photographer who also happens to write some damn fine observations about Appalachia and the world.  He has not posted on that blog since March 13, 2014, although he and I have e-mailed some in the interim.  When he quit posting, the world lost a voice it needs to hear from time to time.  In some ways, Greenbriar Jim represents a large group of people who begin and later end blogs which are worthy of living much longer lives. I am also egotistical enough to say that he and I represent another minority group of Internet bloggers who want their blogs to become more than just a means to send trivial rants, autobiographical blurbs, and meaningless drivel.  I believe that in some ways both of us accomplished that.  I have referred his blog to many people who wanted to learn about Appalachia.  

I have also received a few cogent messages either through the blog comments section or by e-mail from people who also obviously wish to see the Appalachian lifestyle and culture continue for the foreseeable future of the world.  I have connected with a few relatives of some of my long dead friends whom I have written about.  I have accumulated 49 followers as of this post which is more than many bloggers ever have.  I naturally have no idea how many of those people continue to read my blog.  Some may have dropped off long ago but forgotten to delete me from their reading lists.  That is the way of blogs and blog readers.  I also have a few on my reading list which I haven't read in far too long.  The blog has had a total of 228,500 page views as of this sentence.  The most page views it has ever had in a month was 20,917 in April 2015.  Most months it has far fewer and I have no idea why for a couple of months it flirted with the 20,000 page view mark.  A few posts such as Appalachia What's In A Name, One Appalachian Man's Opinion Of Gun Control, and The Family Cemetery And Burial Practices In Appalachia are consistently the greatest recipients of attention.  In all three cases I believe I understand the reasons for their popularity.  Appalachia is the homeland for hundreds of thousands of displaced and urban Appalachians who long to come home to the hills whether those hills be in Kentucky, Alabama, West Virginia, North Carolina, Virginia, or Tennessee.  That explains why that post has more than 61,000 page views and leads the pack every month.  The blog post on gun control generates strong opinions on both sides of the issue and my side happens to favor strong gun control and rational use of guns as tools not adrenaline generators, substitutes for solid self esteem, or psychological splints for limber penises.  That explains why the gun control post has generated more than 48,000 page views.  In the Appalachian psyche, there is no more important place in all the world than the little family cemetery where each of us has buried our ancestors, siblings, children, friends, and other loved ones.  That explains why the post on family cemeteries has generated more than 24,500 page views and has been quoted extensively in a masters degree thesis at a major university.  There are also other posts which get little attention for reasons I do not clearly understand.  Posts on Appalachian Heroes like Florence and Sam Reece, Albert Stewart, and Cratis Williams receive little or no regular visits and all of them are some of the most important people to ever live and work in the region.  

The blog also brought me a phone call from one of the more famous people I have ever written about here and that person bought me lunch one day so we could talk.  Because that person is a major representative of the most conservative branch of Appalachian Studies and I have friends who have fought loudly and often for many political issues in the region and the world, they referred to me as "pretty radical" and I considered it a compliment although it was probably not intended that way.  I have been contacted by one potential author who interviewed me for a book she was working on about Appalachia.  To date, I have not seen that book or heard from that writer again.  Maybe I disappointed them, who knows.  I am sometimes contacted by people who are doing genealogical research on the Hicks family and wish to question me about my writing or question my ideas in general about the ancestry of most of the Hicks' in Eastern Kentucky.  I love a good, respectful intellectual discourse.  If you fall into one of those groups of people, feel free to contact me at any time.  My e-mails and telephones are listed and can be found on many sites on the internet.  I answer all of them every time they ring or a message pops up.  I have been able to review a few books for some of my writer friends and I hope I managed to sell a few copies for them.  I have managed to cast some of my literary bread upon the waters and I hope that some of it has floated onto fertile ground.  I sometimes find my writing both here and in other venues quoted, misquoted, and even appropriately cited.  If I have generated honest, open thought, I have succeeded.  If I have led someone to work to preserve Appalachia and Appalachian Culture, I have been extremely successful.  I am looking forward to the next six years and the next one hundred posts.  I hope you are too.  

As I reflect on what I can do with this blog in the next five or six years, I would love to continue to write about Appalachian Heroes, Appalachian Values, and Appalachian History.  I suspect that I will post less of my fiction on this blog since it has been published in other venues of late and I hope to continue to do so.