We’ve Gone Nuclear

I won’t deny that I enjoy following the blog stats. I mentioned recently how I’ve been getting more comfortable following the Technorati numbers (favorite me while you’re thinking about it). But I can honestly say that I haven’t really done all I could to make my stats explode. There are a ton of tricks and techniques that I simply haven’t bothered with. My basic plan has been to network with people with similar interests, and try to comment on at least a few blogs per day. I typically can’t get out and dive into heavy discussions, but sometimes I’ll find myself unable to resist.

Recently however my blog stats have been blowing up. Not just a little bit, but nuclear. I had been enjoying weeks and weeks of around 4,000 hits. Then 5 weeks ago it made a jump to 4,800, and then to 5,700, and it kept on jumping until now this week I’ve averaged 2,700 per day.

How crazy is that?

Lately I’ve been wondering what all the fuss is about. I clearly don’t write that many amazing posts. I do try to keep it fun though. My objective has been to create a blog that I would want to read every single day, and I’m happy how it’s turning out. But I think I accidently helped myself with two decisions right up front.

1. I chose the name The Original Mud Puppy.
This was a moniker that I hadn’t used in many years. For some reason it just came to me when I was creating my first blog. You can read the story of how I got that name here. But I think that name is simple and original enough that it makes it easier for people to remember me when I’m out there mixing it up.

2. I chose to use a goofy picture of me as my icon.
Sometimes at work we like to goof off and play gags on each other. One day I made this picture and set it as a desktop for a coworker. It seemed like a fun picture to use as my icon when I started blogging, and I get tons of attention as a result.

I’m positive those two things got me to this point. Had I used my real name and a boring picture of myself it would have taken me much longer to get here. But now that you’re here it’s up to me to keep you coming back.

I’m think I’m up for the challenge.

Related:
» Be A Better Blogger
» Blog Etiquette

Filed under: Blogging, Blogospher, Mud Puppy, Stats, Technorati

Technorati

Authority — 107
Rank — 76,867

Those are my stats as of this morning. I don’t know why, but lately I’ve been keeping tabs on my Technorati profile.

From what I’m figuring, your authority comes from the number of sites linking to your blog. And the rank is your distance from Los the #1 blog (currently the The Huffington Post). I’ve had my rank as high as 60,000 in the last couple weeks. I’m interested in seeing if I can break the 50k mark (humble goals right?).

Are there any other ways to get your rank any higher?
Are you linking to The Mud Puppy?

Filed under: Blogging, Link Love, Stats, Technorati

Web 2.0 Goodness

I think I’m much more open to the thought of Web 2.0 than I was to the thought of Web 1.0. I remember vividly being scared at just the thought of the internet. Mostly because it was such a change, and I was unsure how it worked. But now that Web 2.0 is finding it’s footing, I’m all over it. Actually I’m smack dab in the middle of it already. And so are you if you’re reading this blog. It isn’t as big a deal as it might sound. It’s just a switch of web philosophy from a place you go to get information, to a place you go to interact.

There are a few major players in 2.0 that I’m still not fully taking advantage of. Some I wish I was using more, and some I have zero interest in using.

Facebook — Facebook freaking rocks. My first social networking platform was MySpace, then I grew up and left that behind and joined the grown up version called Facebook. I dabbled in VIRB a bit, but Facebook has the interface and the following that makes it just right for me. I have friends finding me all the time. My only regret is that I don’t really use it. It just sits there like a worm on a hook, catching any fish floating by. I guess if I didn’t have this blog I’d be using it more proactively.

Twitter — I saw this start up awhile ago. I sat back like I do with most things and watched to see if it took off. Well, it’s taking off. Los even pimped it today. The problem is, I have zero interest in using it—either to view others or to post my own. There’s just something ADD about it. Why do I want to know what people are doing all hours of the day? Shouldn’t I be enjoying my life?

Digg — I don’t Digg anything. Well, I’ve dug a couple stories, but they were simply blog posts that I wrote and liked and wanted to see if I could get a wider audience for. I don’t know, it just hasn’t felt like something useful for me. Perhaps I’ll check and see if there are some Digg RSS feeds that might be of interest.

Technorati — Man, I really wish I was more schooled in how to utilize this bad boy. I think I’ve sent them my information and set up an account. I just have no idea about the ins and outs and all the advantages Technorati has to offer. Definitely something I need to look into further.

Flickr — Flickr is another place I technically have an account for, but don’t use at all. I still wonder why I don’t take advantage of this site. Look for some Mud Puppy Flickr’n soon.

What other Web 2.0 goodies should I be taking more advantage of?

Filed under: DIGG, Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, Technorati, Twitter, Web 2.0

Technorati

I’m messing around with the Technorati website and setting up an account. They told me to post a link to my Technorati Profile to get the ball rolling. We will now join our regularly scheduled programing already in progress.

Filed under: Technorati