It looks like I'm not the only one experiencing the rollercoaster effect of The Truth Laid Bear's ecosystem. A few days ago, I dropped to 112 incoming links, but somehow managed to become a Large Mammal. Then, my links jumped up to 150, but I was a Maurading Marsupial again. Then Large Mammal, and now back to Marsupial. Hell, I barely even know what the #!&@% a marsupial is.
Then there's traffic from Sitemeter. It's free for me and God bless them because running through log files sucks. However, I get all giddy when I see big spikes in traffic. Then reality hits me.
It's all a lie. Well....most of it anyway.
I've got about 200 steady visitors a day. 200 people who I am pickled tink to think that they enjoy the, uh, "stuff" I conjure up day to day. I don't even cover news that often and, for some odd reason my mad Photoshop skills just don't seem to get used the way they should. But I appreciate that something I do just appears to be interesting to people.
The spikes in traffic are link-lanches from other sites, a lot of times from Bill at INDC Journal or my Blog Mama Michele. Lately there have been increased hits to a previous post on Debra Lafave, the teacher who had sex with a 14 year old student. Before the election was over, my satire post on John Kerry's divorce papers generated a ton of hits (27393 hits as of this writing).
But things have settled down and the traffic has died. And you know what? I'm ok with it. I really am.
You see, I am a blogger. I blog. It's not a full time job. I've got two of those already (one of them just being a daddy). I don't do it for the popularity. I don't do it for the money. To date, $1 has flowed into the tip jar. I do it because it's fun. I have a good time writing little itty bits of my life for the world to see.
Those hits are nice, but it's always good to remember that they tend to be transient. And all bloggers should be very greatful for their everyday readers. They're the ones you should care about.
And as for contents, yeah it's nice to see my name so close to the top, but honestly Both Gleeson and Cranky are excellent reads too. I'd cheat but all I'd end up with is a first place that I know would be a lie. And where's the fun in that?