Self-Assessment

My pageviews increased significantly at the beginning of the third quarter. This was when I started offering the link to my blog on facebook, adding labels to my posts, and telling my friends and family about it. Other than that, my blog remained fairly constant - I did not change my subject matter, or the frequency of my posting, nor did I add social media very often. And yet, in the month of January, my views jumped by about 150. They have since dropped back down to below 100 - this is possibly because the facebook statuses are losing effectiveness, or maybe the graph is not accounting for the fact that the month of March is not yet over.

My most popular post by far was about religion. I think that this is because it incorporated several cultures and religions under one idea, which made it appealing to many. This is also the post with which I probably still agree the most upon re-reading. Facebook, Blogspot, and Google are by far the most common traffic sources (in that order), which means that about 4 out of every 5 of my readers have been a personal acquaintance, and about 1 out of 5 readers has been primarily interested in the subject matter. If my posts were more consistent, or perhaps thorough, I think that this ratio might be a little different.

My readers are not yet invested enough in my blog to recognize the label "scooter-pootin" as a point of interest. I am still mostly receiving new readers who stumble upon (no pun intended) my blog and read it out of curiosity, not attachment or necessity.

It seems that, for the most part, theoretical posts that could apply to a large number of people are what receive the most views. With some exceptions, the posts that focused on my personal situation, or even that of my high school, got fewer hits. This makes sense to me, because as a class, we were talking about the effectiveness of keeping a constant theme on one's blog - it keeps people coming back for more when they can rely on the subject matter. I, however, have no theme, and was not lacking readers by any means. This is because, although some of my posts went rather unnoticed, the ones that were appreciated were appreciated by a rather large, indiscriminate group of people.

Remaining uncertainties include how to "follow" other bloggers, as well as how to keep blog advertising from losing its effectiveness. Facebook statuses and labels worked well in attracting readers. Word-of-mouth was less effective, because it's not documented on the internet. It's said once, then forgotten. I would give myself a B minus, because I although I take pride in not compromising any aspects of my blog for more readers, I could have gone a little further in the advertising side of it.

I have learned that blogging audiences are different than audiences of literature, films, or any other type of fictional media in that they are much more concerned with the information to be obtained that with the style with which it is presented. Eloquence, although it helps, does not draw in readers, because one cannot search for a particular writing style or level of skill via internet. I have also learned that what may seem like mundane thoughts to me might actually seem interesting and different to other people. In the future, I will try to take advantage of my unique brain and opinions when writing, instead of trying to conform to what people might want to hear. This has proven to me that I do indeed have something to say, even if and when I don't know it.

Lately I've been questioning the true value of determination. It's a characteristic held in high regard all over the world, especially in the West. Now, far be it from me to try to undermine the opinions of all those who have preceded me, but lately I've been noticing some serious negatives. Determination requires great focus and attention. Since we are imperfect beings, we cannot give our attention to many things at once - and we can only give our "undivided" attention to one thing at a time (hence the term). And yet, it is common knowledge that the most successful, or at least the happiest, people are well-rounded. Does not true determination contradict with just that sentiment? For example, the determination to finish a research paper often requires that one disregard the human need for sleep, which could also impair not only performance in other classes and athletic activities, but also one's relationships. Most people become pretty irritable when sleep-deprived, and may resort to saying hurtful things in their frustration. And all for one paper? Another example: "work-a-holics" (a term that does not follow the rules of word endings at all, but nonetheless has been established as a recognizable word) who fail to spend enough time with their families, and prioritize their carrers and salaries over their sanity. I am sure that there is a happy medium between exclusive determination towards one thing and the inability to apply oneself at all, but can we still call that medium determination? Is it perhaps more along the lines of anticipating consequences?

Spring Fever

Today I felt particularly energized. I was not expecting this - we all lost an hour of sleep last night. Some might argue that it's because I gave up coffee for Lent, but I drank some this morning because it's a Sunday. But I didn't even finish the whole cup, and my usual Sunday is very depressing no matter how much coffee I drink, because I know that the next day is Monday. So why today? I think I was infected with that wonderful disease of Spring Fever. The sun was so high in the sky this afternoon! I haven't enjoyed walking my dog that much in a long time. It didn't bother me that I'm currently breaking a personal record for most homework enforced in one weekend. I think I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm sprinting to the finish (sorry to combine two unrelated metaphors). Now, some might argue that this is dangerous - we haven't even finished the third quarter, and my grades have seen better days. I also still have the majority of my research paper to write. But I would disagree. I think I can turn this fever into a motivation, rather than an obstacle. If I'm almost done, then I have no reason to fear. I can't burn out, because time is on my side.
So for at least the third quarter, I'm going to use my ailment to push the limits. No guarantees for fourth quarter - by then, it's much too warm out for school.

Mall Rant

Today I went shopping. At the mall. With my mother. This never happens. I can't even remember the last time I bought new clothes, I hate it so much. But I finally broke down and admitted that I needed some pants. It was terrifying. Christiana Mall to me resembles that mythical dragon who if you cut off one head, it grows ten more. Why the heck do we need 50 different dining options? It took me ten minutes just to decide on a smoothie. And the Juniors section of Macy's is a nightmare. There were so many clothes I couldn't see straight! What is with this ridiculous amount of consumerism? How can people just hang out there on a Friday night without losing their minds? And no wonder America is so fat. With that many delicious options in the food court, how are you supposed to choose just one? I went into a total of four stores, and by the time we left I was completely exhausted. It took my mom an hour just to buy three things from Ann Taylor. "Which color?" "Do these make my butt look big?" "Why are these pants worth $130?" They're not. It all just seemed so not genuine. None of the merchandise in that place is going to have the same value in two weeks, so why do people hold it in such high esteem now? The fact that half of each denim section in any store consists of jeggings is so disappointing. Soon people are going to realize that you cant paint spandex blue and add a couple back pockets and expect them to fit the same way that denim does. Anyways, I'm never going back there again. Never ever.