One of the curious things about having a blog is seeing how people get here. Typepad provides statistics that allow me to see what people are looking for, using Internet search engines such as Google, yahoo, or MSN search, that brings them to my blog site. On my stats page, I can click on a link to the results page for each specific search. When I do that, the person's search terms are shown typed in the search engine bar, just as they are when I perform a search and then have the results displayed for me.
That is always an interesting experience; I feel as if I'm sharing an brief, intimate connection with another human being, who for a split second is showing me a window into their life. Who are they, and what is going on that caused them to be looking for that particular information at this time?
The most distressing of these was a combination of words that indicated they may have been entered by a young woman who was living on the streets with her child, looking for shelter. I felt very helpless.
Around Christmastime, there were quite a few people looking for pictures of FEMA trailers decorated for the holidays; I was happy that I could oblige. Lately, folks have been searching for pre- and post-Katrina photos of specific communities along the Gulf Coast, in particular Clermont Harbor and Waveland, MS. In addition to my own photos, I've posted a lot of links to photo galleries at other websites, so I trust that in some small way, I'm serving as a resource for hurricane-related information.
The hands-down grand prize winner of the most popular search to date is the phrase "La Catrina", which brings them to my post on La Catrina and Dia de Los Muertos. I don't know what they're specifically looking for, and I'm sure that sometimes they're surprised to find themselves here, but I always hope that they stick around for a little while.
i find it all interesting, too :)
i receive about 7500 hits a month for my desktop calendars
who are these people?? :)
Posted by: marlaine | Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 08:07 PM
Also, last weekend I got my very first spam comments (which I promptly deleted.) Is that the sign of being a successful blogger? :P
Posted by: Kitty | Thursday, April 13, 2006 at 02:18 AM
lol
success is such a strange word
the connections are the important thing
xo
Posted by: marlaine | Thursday, April 13, 2006 at 12:10 PM
Yep. I agree 100%.
Posted by: Kitty | Sunday, April 16, 2006 at 07:05 PM