Greg, an alert reader from–well, I’m not sure where he’s from–left this comment on my About page yesterday:
So, help me out here. Your blog is getting major hits, top five on Wordpress, and while I respect your writing, and it is interesting at some level–to what do you attribute so much traffic? Do you have a lot of family? No sex, no sports, no mean spirited politics. What’s the secret?
Well Greg, normally I’d reply under your comment. But I thought it was such a good question that to leave it buried in the bowels of my About page just seemed too much of an injustice.
To hell with the secret. First, let’s get our facts straight.
“Major hits?” I hadn’t noticed. But then I hadn’t been paying much attention. I’m a busy guy. I’ve got two kids, two jobs, two pets, two snowstorms to shovel out from, two cars–no wait, scratch that, one is in the shop with transmission trouble . . .so just one of those for now.
Plus with all those mysteries to solve and domestic dragons to slay . . .
Admittedly, I’ve been a bit distracted.
So I put my people on it. Spared no resource. Determined to find out what Greg was talking about, I signed off on hours of overtime. Intense research into all manner of ego-searching ridiculousness ensued.
Finally they came back with this:
Huh. . .
So it was true. Greg was right.
But why?
I quickly began to wonder myself, what was “the secret?”
Again, I sent everyone here at Chris Wondra . com back out on the street, instructed them to pound the pavement, leave no leaf unturned, use every “hard work” cliché they could in order to read and interview every link baiting, social network building, SEO, WOM, and viral marketing expert out there.
By gum, we were determined to figure this out.
And what did we find?
Nothing.
According to the experts, it’s a total fluke.
Anomaly.
Flash in the pan.
There is nothing special about me or this web log . . . or my writing for that matter. Nothing to see here. Move along.
But they also said this:
“Continue to follow your bliss, Chris Wondra. Do what you love. Enjoy the path you are on. And make as many friends as you can along the way.”
Then they quoted Joseph Campbell:
“We have not even to risk the hero’s adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us. The labyrinth is thoroughly known.
We have only to follow the thread of the hero path.
And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god.
And where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves.
Where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence.
And where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.”
I particularly liked that last part–about being with all the world.
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12 responses so far ↓
1 Donald // Mar 7, 2007 at 12:07 am
I was directed to your blog by a teacher of mine. I was befuddled by the whole peter answers thing, and he found the answer here. Anyway, I’ve been browsing around your blog a bit, and have come to the conclusion that I enjoy reading what you write. Your intelligent, interesting entries with just a SLIGHT underbelly of sarcasm kind of make me feel good. Not euphoric in any way, or even anything remotely close to euphoric… but I am definitely getting the “good vibes” from your writings. And from reading comments, it seems others feel those “vibes” too. So, I guess that could be the secret.
Oh them vibes, them vibes.
(p.s.- Though I have no idea how you conduct yourself in the classroom and have basically NO basis on which to.. well.. base.. my opinion on, you seem like a teacher worth having. Luckily I have had the priveledge of mostly worthwhile teachers, but I know there are many out there who should just be coal miners.
Not that there’s anything wrong with the “mining biz”.
-Donald
Donald,
Now those were some kind words. Thank you very much. Anyone who can intelligently use phrases like, “SLIGHT underbelly of sarcasm,” and “not euphoric in any way (to which I might add–’not that there’s anything wrong with that’)” Is welcome here any time.
Even if you are from warm and sunny California.
Thanks for the visit Donald, and the kind words. Your not a bad writer yourself you know. You might want to think about joining the ranks in the blogosphere as well. You certainly have a voice.
Chris
2 Donald // Mar 7, 2007 at 12:08 am
..oops, put one too many “on’s” in there somewhere..
3 tobeme // Mar 7, 2007 at 9:36 am
Seems to me that your success is all about the law of attraction and manifesting. You have manifested this, simple as that.
You are a very good manifester, are you not?
4 Kenzie // Mar 8, 2007 at 1:27 am
Aw, Chris, we love your blog because you’re– well, you are you. You have a fabulous attitude and outlook on life. I especially enjoy your humor. Yay!
Thanks Kenzie.
And I loved your “Great Pair of Shoes” post BTW.
CW
5 Kenzie // Mar 8, 2007 at 1:28 am
Love* Typo!
6 Greg // Mar 8, 2007 at 11:30 am
Oh! Now I get it. I’ll try that.
Great post. It was the perfect answer to a lame question.
7 writer chick // Mar 8, 2007 at 10:03 pm
Lucky fluke my friend. Congrats!
WC
8 Avery // Mar 9, 2007 at 8:40 pm
I get on the “growing blogs” list about once a month, I think it’s when my entire family decides to check the blog on the same day, pushing the daily hits way up there, but only for a day or two, then they go back down to about 200 per day.
My guess you were drawn out of a hat for the blogs with over a certain number of daily hits average… No reason for the guess, except that’s how I would do it.
By the way, I wound up here via the best blogs of the day via wordpress.
9 basel // Mar 22, 2007 at 6:01 am
אני שם שלי באסל.אמא שלי סמירה.אבא שלי סאלח.חבר שלי גואד
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