Saturday, April 14, 2012

N is for Narcissism? Let Me Check My Blog Stats…


I’ve been thinking lots about narcissism and blogging and attention to one’s web site. Is that the very definition of narcissism?  Maybe.

Children's books are a passion of mine, and I’ve been writing them for seven years. My first one in a series of four, including One Pelican at a Time.  All were  published by Guardian Angel Publishing. All four of them took much time, thought, critiquing from my writer’s group and self-doubt right up to the end.

Never, though, during that process, did I run to the computer after having been away for an hour to look for comments or pour over stats. This realization may say something to, or perhaps, about me. Oops. There goes that narcissism word again…

The shift from creative writing to blogging/web site production may carry with it the need to be more personal, more introspective, more in tune with one’s own psyche to convey who we are to our readers and, perhaps, to define our own worthiness to ourselves. And with that may come some narcissism by task default. I certainly hope that’s what it is.

In the meantime, I’ll continue writing kids' books, consult with my publisher, speak at conferences, meet with my writing group, revise, edit, use my Thesaurus endlessly and only occasionally be deeply introspective. That is, until it’s time to write another entry for my blog. Oh, yes.

And even when it’s posted, I’ll pour over it from every angle, perhaps move a photo a centimeter or two, recheck links to be sure they’re working, read my witty words for the zillionth time and be, well, narcissistic.

Please excuse me now. I have to check my stats.






   http://www.amazon.com/One-Pelican-Time-Story-Spill/dp/1616331399/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1334417949&sr=1-1
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22 comments:

  1. Donna McDineApril 14, 2012 at 9:49 AM

    Love it! Personally when I first started writing for children and started with my blog, I didn't give much thought to comments and stats and I know I was much happier not giving it a second thought. I've been doing much soul searching on the comments and stats and I'm going to go back to my old way of thinking and not be so consumed by them.

    Best regards,
    Donna

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    Replies
    1. UnknownApril 18, 2012 at 2:44 PM

      Thanks, Donna. You are totally right, of course!

      Delete
  2. TaffyApril 14, 2012 at 11:26 AM

    I use to stress that I got no comments. But then I realized I wasn't posting for the world, mostly for me. To get the thoughts out of my head. Then someone said how they loved my reviews and I started to feel PRESSURE to write posts. *sigh* Thanks for commenting on my blog, Nancy!

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  3. penelope anne coleApril 14, 2012 at 3:28 PM

    Hi Nancy,
    You are an inspiration. I enjoy your blog. I appreciate your insightful comments and your good ideas--very helpful to me, a newbie. Thank you and keep up the good work.
    Blessings,
    Penelope

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  4. AngelaApril 14, 2012 at 4:13 PM

    Great post! Just dropping by from the A - Z challenge. All the best!
    http://angelasfreelancewriting.com

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  5. MTeacressApril 14, 2012 at 5:41 PM

    Nice to meet you on this A-Z challenge - especially someone who loves children's lit as much as I do. Have a lovely weekend. :)

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  6. Charmaine ClancyApril 14, 2012 at 6:38 PM

    I think you've capture blogging perfectly!
    Wagging Tales

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  7. Natalie DeckerApril 14, 2012 at 9:59 PM

    thanks for dropping by my blog. Your post made me laugh. I am not like this with blog but emails. Constantly checking my phone and any other device that receives emails. So when I go out of the country I'm unplugged for the most part and the weird thing, I go through a withdrawal process at first like...Where's my phone? Where's my laptop? One day of being unplugged helps four days I feel like someone zapped from the 1800's to the 21st century and I'm like oh phone, what's this...

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  8. About JollyJillyApril 15, 2012 at 4:42 AM

    Nice to meet you and thanks for comments on my blog.
    I started blogging because a niece does it and said I should try. At First I thought "why" now I get excited by stats and followers lol

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  9. T. Powell ColtrinApril 15, 2012 at 9:03 AM

    Hi, Nancy, so nice to meet you. First of all, your books look delightful. I'll look into to them for my grands.

    Secondly, although I love comments, I made a deal with myself to not fixate on them. I've had to sit myself down during the A-Z and have another talk. :)

    Teresa

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  10. D.G. HudsonApril 15, 2012 at 11:32 AM

    Thanks for dropping by my blog, Nancy! I liked this post.

    Stats, whether great or small, make us feel that we are either advancing in our progress or they tell us we need to change something. I have an analytical trait that makes me want to look and compare things, try to figure out what to do next, etc.

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  11. kjmckendryApril 15, 2012 at 11:48 AM

    Great post! I try not to worry about my stats, but I find myself checking them anyway

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  12. Rebecca BradleyApril 15, 2012 at 12:01 PM

    I rarely look at my stats. I think it's more lazyness than anything else. I spend too much time at the computer to have to do something else I can't keep up with blogging as it is.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Tara TylerApril 15, 2012 at 1:24 PM

    used to look at stats when i started, just to see if anyone was paying attention to my drivel =)
    it was also cool to see where viewers were from and what strange searches trigger google to send folks my way!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Patricia StolteyApril 15, 2012 at 1:48 PM

    Hi Nancy -- I'm returning your A to Z visit and having a good time here. This is such a great way to meet new and interesting authors/bloggers.

    Patricia

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  15. Lisa CampbellApril 15, 2012 at 3:28 PM

    Ah, don't you wish you could just publish a post and forget about it? I try not to care about feedback, but it's not easy. I'm hoping that the longer I blog, the less I'll care. I think I've made a little progress. :) Thanks for visiting my blog. I really enjoy yours.

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  16. CherylApril 15, 2012 at 8:55 PM

    Great post, Nancy. I checked stats a lot with the first book. I hope I can focus on something else when the next one comes out this fall.

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  17. Leslie S. RoseApril 16, 2012 at 1:27 AM

    Thanks for visiting my blog in the A to Z, Nancy. New follower. I just feel like mine is "the little blog that could." I'll do as much as I can and hope it continues its forward momentum. Good post. Thought provoking.

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  18. UnknownApril 16, 2012 at 9:42 AM

    Thank you so much, everyone, for stopping by and leaving a comment. Don't you just love the blogging community?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anna TanApril 17, 2012 at 1:50 PM

    Lol! Very relatable.
    I sometimes find myself studying my stats and wondering how to make them increase. =)
    Oh well, a part of life, I guess.

    Thanks for dropping by at my blog!

    anna

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  20. susanApril 20, 2012 at 3:39 PM

    Thanks for dropping by to my eco alphabet. I know what you mean about stats checking...it is the graphs I love...though I always feel a bit guilty about looking and wishing for more - it feels like pure indulgence doesn't it!

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    Replies
    1. UnknownApril 20, 2012 at 5:30 PM

      Susan, you are absolutely right. It does feel like indulgence, and with it goes the tinge of guilt--but not enough to quit! Thanks for the comment...

      Delete

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