Back in 2013, there was a time when I thought 32 views in one day would be the most I’d ever achieve on this blog. I was content with that because in the grand scheme of things, I’m a tiny grain of sand in a giant sandbox, known as the internet. I’ll take my scraps with a smile.
Not even two weeks later, I got 1067 views in a day. It was terrifying and I thought I would need security to leave my house.
You may think you want a big wave of views, but when it comes all at once, you turn into an 8-year-old at a lemonade stand, having to deal with a lineup of about a billion-ish people.
“Sorry, my mom didn’t buy me enough lemons. Check out my Sound Cloud. Ya dig?” Or whatever 8-year-olds say. (Do they say “Ya dig”? I’m grasping, not to be confusing with “gasping”, which I’m also doing because these parentheses can’t breathe. Boom.)
That was a “words trapped between brackets” joke.
I think most of us trick ourselves into thinking our blog stats don’t matter. We’ll say, “I blog for myself!” and then proceed to check the stats page every 10 minutes to see how many people read our lie and who will dare join us on Team Facetious by commenting, “Same!”.
And for those of you who never concern yourself with the stats page, who the hell do you think you are? An upstanding human being who I respect immensely? You’re darn right!
But for the rest of us validation-hungry sheep, the stats page tells us that people care. At the root of my motivation to write, is my desire to put words out there that I think other people will enjoy.
So, really, I’m doing this for you. No need to thank me.
Seriously, though. I find there are too many articles on the internet with catchy headlines and controversial opinions, that the author may or may not agree with, just to spark a debate in the comments section or cause someone to share the link and say, “Look at this big hullabaloo”.
That’s too easy.
The world needs less hullabaloos because, if you haven’t noticed, everything bothers everyone. I’d rather not start tornados bigger than admitting I’ve never had tacos. (Instant uproar, every time.)
I’d rather receive attention (views) for something I felt good about writing.
Which brings me to yesterday. I noticed my blog was 27 views away from 100,000 all-time. I love statistics and anything related to numbers, so of course I had been closely monitoring this situation for a few months.
In the future, our bodies should have built-in statistics that track everything on its own like, calories, number of words spoken in a day, and how many times we bite our tongue in our lifetime, etc. To access the stats, we plug our index finger into something. Tell the people in the year 2230 I had the idea first.
Of course, I finished yesterday with 26 views, which was perfect because the over-arching metaphorical theme of my life is, “Almost there, but not quite there yet”.
I took this screenshot, just in case it was a Y2K situation and my blog would end at 100,000 views.
I really don’t know if 100,000 views is a lot, or a little, for a blog that has been around for five and a half years, with 678 posts. I really don’t care. It’s a big number. It’s six digits. And by God, am I going to milk it for everything it’s worth because blog ideas don’t come easy and this is a meatball, just waiting to be crushed.
This morning, I found this:
I’m a bit sad I missed the 100,000th view. It made me feel like an absent blog-father. No worries, though. I’ll make it up with a trip to Dairy Queen. Ice cream makes everyone forget about prior disappointments – I think it’s the brain freeze.
I must thank all of you who helped me reach 100,000 views. This is your milestone, really. A lot of luck and sleepless nights have gone into this blog and I’m just glad it was all for something.
It is a joy to write for an audience that will go along with my antics. I feel like I mention the friendships I’ve made through blogging, in way too many posts, but I will never not be amazed by the connections we’ve made via words.
On the surface, all we may ever be to each other is a couple of static profile pictures appearing in the notification queue, but below the surface there’s appreciation, gratitude, trust, 177 truckloads of wit and sarcasm, and probably some sort of love, but we can leave that one out because 1) it sounds weird; and 2) if this gets any sappier, we could start a maple syrup company.
Before we get sued by Aunt Jemima for taking over her shelf space, I’ll end with this:
A few years ago, I coined the phrase – blogging is like talking to yourself and then realizing someone heard you.
Thank you for hearing me.
That is epic Paul!! Congratulations! You are the perfect example of hanging in there, showing up, and doing the work. So proud of you. You earned it through & through. Enjoy the good feeling! Andrea 😀
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So kind of you to say. Thank you for the support over the years, Andrea!
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My pleasure! #TeamBlogLife 😀
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Congrats… Am I allowed to say that I am a bit jealous? I’ll post a pic of my insights and you can see why, lol.
You deserve the love and the success. I am proud of you. Hugs.
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Thank you but don’t be jealous! You’re connecting with people in your own way! I’m sure there’s someone out there with a million views in half the time I spent blogging. Comparisons are pointless – be confident with what you’re doing!
Thank you for being the best Luxembourgish supporter I have!
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Lol… Du bass deen Beschten 😘
(You are the best)
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Congratulations! I have loved reading your blog since I discovered it recently. So excited for you! 🙂
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Thanks Hayley! Means a lot.
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Congratulations, Paul!! This is a huge acheivement! And you deserve every view!
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Thanks T! I always enjoy your commentary on my posts!
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Lol even when it’s at its most sassy limit? 😋 I enjoy commenting on your posts!
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YOU ARE SO FAMOUS. My friend is famous! You deserve every ounce of positive feedback that this blog gives you and I hope
It never ends because it wasn’t for you, and the first time you ever ran into my blog, I wouldn’t be so incredibly motivated to write in my blog. Thanks to you, I look forward to the connections and the comments and I’m always seeking inspiration to be better and funnn
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This blog will never end if I can help it! Ely, seeing your blog blow up the way it has since I first came across it, has been one of the best moments of my blogging experience. I saw so much potential in your writing and am so glad other people get to experience it now. Me and you always sort of try and one up each other with the humour and it keeps me motivated to think of the next ridiculous idea I may have for a post. I can’t think of a better way to end this comment than to cut it off mid-word like you did in your comm…
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LMFAOOOO I’m dying. I pressed reply and in my defenseless defense. I was driving. (I know I KNOW!!!) lol!!!! Thank you for your undying support my friend. I seriously appreciate and respect you. Seriously. (Maple syrup company much?!)
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I was going to start the comment by saying “You typed this while driving, didn’t you” but I didn’t want to guilt shame you! I knew it! I always know! Muahaha
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Lol!!! On point. I’m the worst BEST driver ever though. “But did you die tho” that’s what I’m always thinking.
Until…
ok never mind I won’t get dark about it LOL. But if I ever do die, while blogging and driving… Start a campaign and call it “Don’t write while making a right” or something cool and bleeding with puns. You’re better at that than me. Plus. I’d be Casper. So I couldn’t give my input. Ya know? This went far. I’m high on crystal light flavored water. Goodnight.
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I was already thinking up a punny tagline before you mentioned it haha. “Ely-eave the phone alone till your home” is my first crack at it. I have to go Google crystal light water now.
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YOU SEE. You’re the pun king!
It’s a powder you mix in your water lol mines has energy factors in it. Exactly what I need… MORE energy lol 😂 help me.
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Funnier*. So thank you!!!!! And you know. I don’t look at my stats because it kind of brings me down sometimes lol
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Time for you to write up your about section in the third person! 😂 Thank you for being my first follower! My inner monologue was this:
What! 1 follower, who is reading my crazy mess that I immediately regret posting!? I am not following anyone and don’t care if they follow me… who is this Paul… oh… well he is kind of awesome, but he’s the only one I am going to follow!!! Oh wait who is this kind crazy person who left me a comment, guess I’ll see what they’re about…. and they’re awesome too! Great now I’m doing the things I said I wouldn’t do like check to see who reads my craziness!!! Oooh someone read it…. nope, just recorded myself reading my own post!! WordPress is a thing? WordPress is a THING! I have to delete before I spiral out of control!!! But wait, Paul posted again!!!!
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Haha I love this. I remember finding your blog and thinking you had potential to be an interesting person/blog to follow if you continued on after the first post and you have not let me down yet! So I’m kinda glad I roped you into this blogging world and others are finding your writing as well!
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Aww, thank you my first blog friend, also my first Canadian friend! You are the best!!!
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So well deserved Paul! Congrats again on reaching this milestone! You go Paul!!!!!
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Thanks for the support Cass! Couldn’t get through Bachelor Mondays with ya!
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Your the brains behind it all, i’m just lucky I get to be a part of it
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WOW!!! Huge congrats. I watch my stats page, but I rarely get more than 10-20. and my most ever was 612. I hope one day to reach more people!
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Thanks Michelle! I have no doubt you’ll reach more people. Your blog is welcoming and puts a lot of positive vibes out in the world!
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Thanks so much, Paul!!! I truly appreciate that!!!
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Good job! Obviously you’re doing something right Paul … don’t stop!
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Thank you! I shall keep going!
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You’re awesome, neighbor. I’m not sure how we met. It was probably from another blog. Maybe your comment made me laugh and I had to check out your site. Whatever it was I’m happy it happened.
Blogging is proof this is a great world that we live in. One more thing: What the hell did you post to get 1067 views????
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I wrote a post called I Miss School, Already. It was featured by WordPress on their Freshly Pressed page which has since turned into Discover. My university also shared the link on their social media feeds. It was a wild day, let me tell ya!
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It just goes to show you, we can be stars at any given moment.
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Way to go, friend! Someday, when I’m all growed up, if I ever hit this kind of crazy number, I’ll have you to thank for it. Thanks for being the glue that holds together so many of the blogging friendships I’ve made out here.
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I really appreciate you saying this because when I was in school, I felt like the glue that kept so many groups together and in the last few years I’ve been missing that, so for you to say I’m the glue here really means a lot. I believe you’ll hit 100,000 some day as well! When you get within 5000, let me know so I can just refresh your page all day and expedite the process.
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Congrats! Not bad for someone who’s never eaten tacos 😜.
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I was getting worried I had scared people out of mentioning the taco thing! Thank you for putting it in your comment!
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😊
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Congrats! Love that last thought!
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Thank you!
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Thinking up and writing blog posts is hard, though you make it look so natural! A bit of boasting is allowed for all your hard work. 😀
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Thank you! I was trying to drown the boastfulness with humour, I think it worked lol
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Congrats! To be honest, I don’t remember how I stumbled upon your blog or if you stumbled upon mine first, but I think we’ve been yelling about sports for the past year or so. I know that you talk about how bloggers come and go over the years, so I give you a lot of credit for blogging for so long. I think I’ve technically had my blog for four years but didn’t use it as much in the beginning. Since I’ve been blogging consistently this last year, I’ve seen my stats go up and I like knowing that people are reading/interested in my blog. Because I can only yell into a void for so long.
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I just found this comment in my spam folder and have no idea how it got there haha. But, thank you! I think I came across your blog and saw you wrote about baseball in a fun way, which 99.9% of bloggers don’t do, and your other posts seemed interesting too, so I had to follow.
I think we’re a part of a really good community right now that reads/likes/comments on every post, which makes it easier to stay consistent. There’s so much turnover – about 80% of the people I interact with now, I didn’t know two years ago. By the end of 2017, I felt like I didn’t have a community anymore…and then last year happened and everything is good again in the blogging world. For now.
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Honestly Paul! Congratulations! You are such a phenomenal person and your writing really speaks to its readers. You are so unique and genuine! All the best for 2019! Proud of you 🙂
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Thanks Jenna! I must credit you with bringing me out of my blogging shell (so to speak) back in 2013. You were all gung ho about being friends on Facebook and Twitter and I hadn’t even thought to cross my blog friends over to that part of my life. And now it’s just second nature. I don’t get this far without your help!
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(Do they say “Ya dig”? I’m grasping, not to be confusing with “gasping”, which I’m also doing because these parentheses can’t breathe. Boom.)…….I almost snorted coffee out of my nose when I read this! And that’s NOT how I like to start my morning but I couldn’t help myself, lol. Congratulations on your 100K views, and keep on amusing us because reading your blog always brings a smile to my face! 🙂
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Hahah not sorry about the coffee at all. And thank you! I like putting smiles on faces.
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Congrats on the milestone Paul!!! I don’t look at my stats everyday, but I do keep them in my mind. This is what I love about blogging. We have our own little corner of the internet and we are elated with every view or like we get.
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Thanks Catherine!! So true. None of us are celebrities, so when other people notice our stuff it feels reassuring that people care about us too.
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That’s a huge milestone! Enjoy it! Congrats! 🙌😀👍
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This means a lot coming from a WP legend like yourself! Thank you and thanks for the reblog!
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Hah, we are all just bloggers blogging away. Keep at it and congrats again on the achievement!
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Reblogged this on HarsH ReaLiTy and commented:
Celebrate and appreciate those milestones bloggers! No one else will ever appreciate the hard work as much as you will yourself! Congrats on 100,000 views, that’s a huge step! -OM
Note: Comments disabled here. Please visit their blog.
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Yes! Well done 💜💜
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Thank you!!
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It is a pleasure Paul 💜
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Paul—my dear identical twin brother (but without the family red nose) who lives north of the border,—I cannot help but chime in with a compliment aboot (notice how I tried to speak Canadian there) your magnificent achievement here. Few, if any of us, have ever achieved such lofty numbers (I just reached 8 Million views in ONE DAY) without having to resort to telling a BIG lie. Which as you know, I’ve never done—unless you count the time when I told mom and dad I was the Prime Minister of Canada and that taking away my privileges could result in their having to up my allowance or risk being arrested by the Mounties. To my surprise, my allowance went down while the numbers on your allowance check went up—just like your numbers here. But seriously, though, this is really quite impressive and I’m very proud of you for lifting the edict on my commenting on your blog—even if it did mean my having to beg mom and dad for the chance to pad your numbers. Now, I am going to go drink some of Ely’s, Chrystal Light flavored water to see if I can get high too! That’s because my blog can only be found with the help of a GPS while yours is the talk of the town—not to mention WordPress. I’m so jealous. 😀
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Thank you, Paul! My brother from another country. Your comments are always a highlight and no matter how hard I try to reply with the same level of attic-ness, I just can’t match your brilliance. But don’t let your head get too BIG, mine will get smaller if that happens…I think. Enjoy the Crystal Light, I hear it can be heavy!
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😀 😀 😀 :D!
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Ahhhh congratulations, Paul! This is SO EXCITING. Honestly, I feel like you deserve more than 100,000 views, so who knows what the future holds for you. Keep on kickin’ it 🙂
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Thanks Kara! I wholeheartedly agree with you. I do deserve more than 100,000 views! LOL. That being said, if this blog ever blows up and becomes one of those famous blogs, I might pass out for a month.
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Congratulations on your milestone! I’m glad I could be (a teeny tiny insignificant) part of your success!!
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Thanks Ariel! You’re responsible for a fair share of those views, that’s for sure!
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If only because I’m coming back & reviewing your posts to answer comments, or check out other bloggers, or check out other bloggers’ comments.
What I hear you say is, keep commenting (& viewing) away like a fool. Will do!! LOL 😄
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Wow, congrats!! I’m excited to be a new follower, it’s nice to meet you! Jenny
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Thank you! Welcome aboard, Jenny!
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Thank you Paul!🙂
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I thought the built in stats, for calories, how many words we say, and how many times we bite our tounges was genius. Congratulations, to you!
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Thank you!! Built in stats would be so cool and helpful.
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Paul, I look at my stats all the time. I just started my blog about a year ago. I happened to look at insights, and it showed a lot more views. OMG! Do I care about stats? You bet! I live off grid, and the planet and our behinds are worth saving. Do we have time? I guess I will just die trying to get information out there. I do enjoy what I have written, too. It is a journal of my journey in my Amish cabin living a new lifestyle. BTW, maybe I have had 66 views in a day so 100,000 would be incredible. I will just keep at it. Thanks for your blog. Have a great day!
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Thanks for the comment, and for your efforts in trying to save the planet!
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Yasss!!! 100,000 is A LOT! Congrats brother!
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Thank you!! I’m sure you contributed a large number of those views lol
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Yes I did 😄 Your little sis is your biggest fan ☺️
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Congrats on the blogging milestone.The stats do creep up on you. And you don’t know who is actually reading your blog…but they are 🙂 I don’t keep track of stats but I do keep track of the years I’ve been blogging.
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Thank you!!
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