Dear Spikeys (aka: followers)
41Wednesday 06 November, 2013 by Uncle Spike
I started up this blog back in mid June. It was a ‘soft launch’ so to speak, with my intention being to write once a week etc etc… Yeah right, like a stuck to that. But I can unashamedly say that I love my blog, or rather, I love blogging, as it has brought about a whole new hobby to keep me out of Aunty Spikes hair when she is preparing lectures of an evening or at the weekends. So I guess this post is actually from us both.
Can’t believe sometimes how well it has taken off. Sure, I’ve had to learn a ton of stuff and fine tune like some small orchestra, but all in all, with spade-full’s of help from my bloggy friends, Uncle Spikes Adventures is still alive and kicking after almost 5 months 🙂
I was having a browse through my Stats page this evening after a minor calamity which I shall term as one of the Up’s & Downs of life. Picture this.
– Kiddo in bed, Aunty Spike working away
– Make myself a sneaky mug of hot chocolate 🙂
– Milk boiled, cocoa stirred, lift up mug
– Sneeze, start again, bugger 😦
Anyway, back to those Stats. With just over 200 posts and not far off 20,000 hits, and over 900 comments, the support has been very encouraging indeed, so guess I had better keep on going.
But what was interesting, was a browse through the list of Followers. As I am sure we all know and experience, there are always a few who are are just commercial hitters or reciprocal Stat Hunters. However, many of you have been kind enough to let me know that whilst generally one of the shy bunch, a large ‘silent contingency’ of regular readers exists and are alive and well out there (“helloo”). Add to that the many ‘regulars’ who are constantly nice and chatty and well, ‘always there’… I’m truly honoured to have such an audience for my collection of rambles through my funny old life.
It was also interesting to see how many of my very earliest followers are still hanging around 🙂 And so I dedicate this meagre morsel of a post to you, my 457 Followers, or “Spikeys”, “The Spikets”… Hmm, time to stop rabbiting on me thinks!
Uncle Spike's Adventures 
i think I am really going to enjoy reading your posts.
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Hope so Louise 🙂
I get so little time right now, that I struggle just to slap on a few photos, but when I can, I love to put thoughts on screen….
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I’m always stunned by the amount of interaction I get from other bloggers.. I love it. Congratulations on your efforts.. very well done 🙂
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Aww thanks Livonne 🙂
It’s funny too what attracts attention too, often the simple posts, and how some posts which take a few hours get little. Funny old world, eh?
Spike
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Congratulations, Uncle Spike! Keep writing, you’re doing a great job!
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That’ll do for me – thanks guys 😀
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I’m so glad you’ve had such success! I’m only one of hundreds of your followers, and I don’t know how you decide a person is just a stat hunter, but I’m not one. I may not comment, but I don’t follow someone unless their blog interests or amuses me. If I don’t enjoy reading their posts or viewing their pics, I don’t follow. So, I’m a real follower. Just quiet. : )
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Quiet ones are good 🙂
Very happy you enjoy what I publish, and anyway, I guess I only comment on 5% of what I read, that’s pretty normal. If everyone commented, I’d need to train my dog as blog secretary!
🙂
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I just reread my post after looking at your kind words again… hmm, not happy with my inference about stat-hunters, so I changed it slightly.
I was talking about that small minority of one-time hitters who probably follow hundreds and whose own blogs are overtly commercial or just a bit desperate. I didnt in any way mean anyone a bit quiet – after all, you guys are known as my readers, not talkers – so quiet is good (hard t believe, but that’s me too).
Thanks for helping me understand what I had written that little bit better – see, you may say little, but that was the most helpful of comments 🙂
Thanks muchly,
UNCLE SPIKE
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Oh wow. I’m new at blogging, so I didn’t even realize that people do that, follow hundreds of blogs just to get stats. That’s stupid. : )
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Yup 🙂
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Congratulations! That’s a great accomplishment. Thanks for the props – it’s nice to be appreciated. I don’t always comment but I’m out here reading and enjoying your posts. The reason I don’t comment all the time is because some days I’m feeling more quiet than others. 😀
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Commenting or not – you read my stuff, and I can’t ask for anything better. For those days when you feel ‘quiet’, I know right where you are!
Thanks for your support Jackie…
UNCLE SPIKE
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Yay! Do we get cake now?! There should always be a celebration cake 😛
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What a good point to bring up… you offering? Tell you what, we’ll have a big virtual cake at 500 followers, or should that be 1000, hmm… got any friends??
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Virtual cake sounds good, virtual calories too!! I’ve got fiends, not sure about friends!!
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You’re doing great, Uncle Spike 😉 Looking forward to more of your adventures 🙂
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Mucho appreaciatedo (see, crap at languages). Glad you like how it’s going; it’s your blog after all in effect!
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🙂
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Well done Spike – keep it up! I have been blogging here since 2009 and before that on AOL and then Blogger. I have seen a lot of people start blogs that I have followed and then they have withered away, some lose interest, some run out of material, some just suddenly stop. My advice is to have a bit of a forward plan so you always know what you will be posting over the next few weeks. I look forward to you sticking around so that I can enjoy your posts for a lot longer.
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Thanks Andrew, my senior adviser 🙂
I do plan now, around 2-3 weeks for what I might term as my ‘major’ posts and photography titbits, currently writing and scheduling them every few days (now into December). I find that helps balance against real life work and thereby leaving me time and flexibility for ‘as they happen’ posts. No plans to become withered yet, blog wise I mean.
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So glad to hear it.
Three more tips:
Return to popular posts and edit & improve to bring in more visitors.
Recycle. Repost now and again to make sure new readers/followers get to see past posts.
Give pictures generous tags/descriptions & some will get close to the top of google search lists.
Good Luck!
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For tip’s 1 and 2) I have a few early posts which I cherish, and yes, would love to give them a quick overhaul and republish (so many new followers will never have seen them). Would you do that by amending the publishing date on the original post, or by creating a brand new post and a bit of copy/paste)?
For tip 3) I was told by WP that to max at 8 tags as they exclude over-tagged posts as the blogger is not being specific enough – i.e. 15 tags means they are just stat-hunters and not accurately describing their post with correct tags. For photos, are you talking about making more meaningful ‘captions’ – are they what the search engines pick up on?
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I don’t profess to understand how search engines work but simply by editing and refreshing posts this seems to somehow get additional attention.
After three years I almost ran out of WP space so I started a new blog and transferred older posts there whilst retaining a link.
I don’t take a lot of notice of WP advice – it isn’t always consistent and use as many tags as I think are appropriate but always keeping them relevant.
Photo tags seem to work but once again I don’t know how. I have a few pictures which for some reason rate high on Google and this brings readers in. If you Google ‘salt mine krakow’ for some reason I have the first image displayed! very weird!
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I’ll have a look at that – never really thought much about photo captions as a source of reader interest/capture – guess I normally just describe the scene rather than title it with a place name, hmm, hanks for that (captions are just like tags I guess).
About rehashing old posts, any comment Andrew about changing publishing date after updates, or better to add new posts with updated content?
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Haven’t really thought much about that to be honest as I have been using the alternative blog option.
One more tip – use hyper-links back to old posts as often as possible. It is a bit of a chore but well worth it.
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As always, thanks Andrew, your time and advice is much appreciated.
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I’m ot chatty much, but still here & enjoying the world according to Spike. (Apologies to John Irving just in case he’s a Spikey.)
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🙂 Good to know your there babsje
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I’ve had fun catching up with you in my spare time tonight– enjoying your humor, beautiful photos, and your sharing of some far-away places I may never see. Yet I’m thinking if you could get to California and Lake Tahoe (closer to my childhood home turf), I might get to your fascinating and beautiful part of the world. Congrats on “almost 5 months.”
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Aw thanks Susan. Tahoe, yep love that place (or was it just the feathered friend – hmm, dunno)
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Well done. I’m glad to be a Spikey.
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Spikeys or Spikets… answers on a postcard
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Well Spike, It must be getting on for two months since I started my blog. I remember your Camel pic being the first to call in on my site. I was immediately and completely smitten with your blog,and I have been following it ever since. I have seen the meteoric rise of your blog and Life on here would not be the same without your rambles ! Thank you…… from one of your spikeys! Cheers…
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Thanks Gill ‘Spiket’ McG.
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Congratulations and thank you for thinking about us! I love your blog and am happy to have found it. So much information, great stories and funny moments like the one with the hot cocoa :D. It’s a world half around the globe and yet so close through your blog posts. Keep up the good work 😀
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Hehe, aim to please, and all that!
Seriously it’s good to get your feedback, and to know that I’m not shouting at a brick wall in actuality 🙂
Any suggestions for blog topics, mail me; you never know what’s rattling around in the head of yer Uncle Spike!
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I sure will, if I think about something. So far I am still enjoying the things I have learned, such as the chickens eating scorpions (still haven’t gotten over that one :D), which are the kinds of things I love, the little tricks and quirks and things that happen on your farm. Have a great Weekend!
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Thankyouuuu, you too
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Well, thank you kindly and congratulations on 5 successful months.
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Always supportive; thanks Mr Edgar 🙂
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