Freshly Pressed Blogging Stats May 25, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Word Play, Writing & Writers.trackback
According to Freshly Pressed, there are 387,398 bloggers on WordPress this morning who, when last I checked, had posted 469,443 new posts.
Those stats, as impressive as they are, don’t surprise me in the least.
Millions of bloggers on WordPress (and elsewhere) want to share their thoughts and insights with the CyberWorld ~ interacting with others as compensation for their efforts.
You may be one of them.
We want to post pieces that elicit reaction from fellow writers and readers. We want to interact with others. If we didn’t want to interact, we would hide in our offices, locked away from the world, tapping on keyboards while twirling around in fancy executive chairs pretending to be important.
If we didn’t want to interact with others, we would be writing on our stand-alone PCs in Word, rather than posting our words in CyberSpace for the world to see. We would be sending private missives and queries to publishers . . . and licking our wounds after each rejection . . . all behind closed doors.
Some of us wouldn’t even bother with queries. Instead, we would shove completed manuscripts in our desk drawers for posthumous publication.
We are blogging because we have something to say that we want the world to hear. We enjoy exchanging ideas with others.
After we press “Publish,” we want to hear what others think about our thoughts and insights, especially if a “Here! Here!” . . . a “LOL” . . . or a “Bravo” is tossed into the mix.
Some of us didn’t fit in with the playground crowd, or the cliques in school, or the folks hanging around the water cooler. We watched from the sidelines, observed interactions, and took notes, filing our thoughts away for future reference. Now, at last, we have a forum, a platform, a podium, where we can have our cake and eat it too ~ we can sit in the safety of our offices, twirling around in our fancy executive chairs, while sharing our thoughts and words with the world through the relative anonymity of the Internet.
Sweet!
That’s why the number of bloggers and new posts doesn’t surprise me.
What does surprise me is that, at last tally, there were 469,443 new posts and only 443,574 new comments.
Where’s the FUN in that?
No rules. Just write!
Comments
Sorry comments are closed for this entry
Spirit Lights The Way 
It’s an old debate, but if anyone tells me ‘I blog for myself’ I’ll say ‘Sure you do, pull the other one …’ 🙂
I agree. If we’re writing for an audience of one . . . there is no reason to have a blog. A journal would suffice. 😉
Some people probably do want to share their thoughts without interaction ~ they prefer a monologue to a dialogue.
I prefer a give and take, the exchange of ideas. That’s why I’m so frustrated with politicians like Marco Rubio. TALK TO US!
I know that Debra closed the comments on her blog (The Blue Lotus Cafe) for all the right reasons.
She wanted to avoid receiving comments that might unduly inflate her ego. She wants to share what she’s learned with others without getting caught up in the numbers game.
I admire her for that . . . but won’t emulate her approach.
To me, the comment thread is the best part of many blogs. A give and take that adds to the experience . . . as long as we don’t get caught up in the numbers game.
Yes, the stats/numbers game. And spam bots. Ugh!
After turning everything off, the bots and my stress went away.
Then several friends said try something else for the bots and do not look at the numbers. hehe
So after much searching…I may have something that will hold them at bay…the bots, not my friends!
Today @Christine helped me find my Comment fix was not fixed. Now she says …it works.
As for the stats…I removed all the thingies except what I think I really need. Less is better.
Thus, back to (maybe fewer)posts and comments from real people and no stress(ego). Sounds like a plan.
Thanks Nancy, I missed you too:)
Cool!
I’ve wanted to comment on several of your posts and felt “stymied” by my inability to do so. Nothing earth shattering . . . just concurrence with your thoughts.
yay!
Re post to comment ratio – why do I have 100 hits and 20 comments?
Many readers prefer reading to writing. Not everyone is a Chatty Cathy like me. 😉
That’s cool. More room on the podium for “us.”
But bloggers who don’t reciprocate soon lose my interest. Visiting their blogs drops in priority on my To Do List.
When I first started blogging, I had no idea that anyone other than my small group of friends would acutally read…wow, what a surprise. It’s openedup a wonderful community.Unfortunately, it’s easy to get tangled up in the stats-each time I lose a subscription, even if one or two more take it’s place within hours, I still wonder where I’ve failed. I’m getting better at not taking the stats to heart…I even did not look at them for like two months, and then I suckered myself to the mercy of the stat king once again…what torture! Funny thing about being freshly pressed for me is that both times it was not on post that I was particularly “proud” of, so not sure how it came about…seemed mine were mere randomness, maybe computer picked.
I went to Freshly Pressed today just for the stats because I’d noticed the Comment to Post ratio in the past and found it “peculiar.”
Having more posts than comments seems “odd.” 😉
I know for every post I post, I comment on 20-30 other blogs. And I respond to all the comments on SLTW.
That means that my Comment/Post ratio is about 50/1. And it makes blogging much more FUN!
Weird isn’t it? My comment ratio (not including my replies) is less than 10% of my readership…crazy. Like you, I generally reply to all commenters and I’m subscribed to about 30plus blogs that I comment on and many I am not subscribed to but visit. I do take most weekends off to catch my breath!
There must be bloggers who post . . . post . . . post . . . post . . . without giving or receiving comments.
Because they aren’t visiting and commenting on other blogs, nobody stops by to see them. They’re just in their own little world.
If every post got just one comment which the blogger replied to . . . that would be a 2:1 comment to post ratio. If the blogger then commented on one other post and received a reply to the comment . . . the ratio would be 4:1.
That seems doable, right? Instead of knit one ~ pearl two . . . we could post one ~ comment two.
Regardless of the ratio, I’m happy to have made your acquaintance, Suzi! 😀
I’ve also noticed a lot of folks read my blog, but often don’t leave a comment…while I’d love for everyone to comment, I know I often do the same thing, read and then just go on without saying anything. I think I’ll be more aware from here on out…at the very least just say “thanks”…
I occasionally choose not to comment. But that’s a rare decision. Usually because I disagree with the general tenor of the post . . . but choose not to be disagreeable. 😉
Yup, that’s what I do too, Nancy. I have had to cut down my posting and reading right now because of all the projects I am juggling. (I always say, never again lol.) However, I do read 3 or 4 new posts a day and all comments on posts I’ve read.
I enjoyed this post particularly because it deals in facts and not emotions. Good job!
Thanks, Sandra!
Good luck with project juggling!
I think one gathers a lot about someone from what they write. For me blogging over the past 4 years has done many things, including making friends, who when you meet them are as delightful as their blogs
I agree. I love the back and forth of comments. I’ve met one blogger face to face. We had such FUN interacting in the “real world” after getting to know each other in the cyber world.
There’s absolutely no fun in that, and I think it must be a mistake of some sort! I love commenting and getting comments on my posts. It’s so nice to see that people actually read what you write 🙂
Everytime I’ve focused on the Freshly Pressed stats, I’ve noticed the same thing ~ a 1:1 ratio of posts to comments which seems “odd.”
Sharing and caring are what make the world go round.
Sometimes, I’m rushing through life (I know. . .) and don’t have time for a thoughtful comment, and I figure that saying nothing is better than a snide remark. With other posts, what I would have to say would be so far off the track of the author that I just enjoy the read and move on.
Of course, there are times when I’m just plain snarky. . .
You? Snarky? 😉
I don’t think that we should feel compelled to comment on every post that we read. That also would not feel like FUN.
I find that commenting on posts that intrigue, entertain, amuse, or inspire me adds to the enjoyment of blogging.
Dialogues are far more interesting to me than monologues.
Professor Camp, your snark is always welcome at the Anvil.
A lot of people read but refrain from commenting because they’re embarrassed, feeling that they’d look silly, uninformed, or in some way inappropriate.
Personally I read a huge number of posts every day, but comment on very few of them. I don’t believe in LOLing, or “Good Posting” and calling that a comment. If I can’t say something that I think adds to the discussion, I don’t say anything at all.
I agree with you. I gravitate to blogs where I do feel that I can add something to discussion . . . and shy away from blogs that don’t intrigue, entertain, amuse, or inspire me in some way.
If I find that I’m reading post after post on a given blog without being sparked to add to the discussion (for whatever reason) . . . I stop reading that blog on a regular basis.
Ok we keep writing about similar things, twin brain alert 🙂 I’m also talking about stats / blogging objective today. Community is a huge part for me, sharing and talking and getting to know people get a big thumbs up from me!
Yay! One mind. One muse. I’ll be around in short order, Vixter.
Getting to know people via the world wide web is a blast.
You are so right!
When I first started blogging I would go straight to my stats; now the first thing I check is the comments. It’s the best part of blogging 🙂
Same here. I’d much rather read and respond to comments than “analyze” stats. 😉
Yes, I am surprised at the number of posts to comment ratio – I’d never noticed this until you pointed it out! I actively follow about 30-40 blogs around the World. I probably allow more time reading and commenting on other blogs than my own.
Like you I usually always respond to comments left on my blog. I find thats half the fun of blogging and an aspect I only discovered thanks to WordPress post about “blogging buddies” for the Postaday2011 challenge.
(You’ve just reminded me to update my blogroll and remove people that are no longer active and add lots more bloggers to the list)
It has also amazed me how many people I followed initially that have disapeared completely ie ClassyRose, 1967 girl, PapaJoe etc…
Perhaps the race is not won by the swift after all and by those that just keep plodding along :)!
Cheers
PiP
PS Good point you left on my daughers blog Nancy…in the heat of the moment you want revenge and to sue. 😦
I’m with you, PiP. For every post I write, I comment on 20-30 other blogs and respond to every comment received on my post.
My comment to post ratio is probably excessive because I don’t have a life. 😉
It seems that WP should have a ratio between comments and posts more in the range of 3:1 or 4:1 . . . not 1:1.
I was just thinking about ClassyRose yesterday. So odd that she went missing without a word. Her last post mentioned telling readers that you’ve “gone fishing” when you go on vacation and then she disappeared.
Glad that you’re still here plodding along with me, PiP.
ClassyRose has not even responded to my numerous emails – she has completely cut herself off:(
Hey ho…
It does make me wonder if she’s OK. Her departure was so abrupt.
I love the interaction, Nancy.
Same here! So much FUN to see inside other people’s minds and get a ring-side seat to see how they interact with the world.
You got that right! Comments are the best part. I sometimes spend more time making them than writing posts – no biggie on my part- at least I’m expressing my thoughts! 😀 The discrepancy is odd, because I have found the reverse to be true for myself as well – although not nearly 50/1, probably somewhere nearer to 10/1, but at this point, I don’t care.
It has gotten to the point where the only stat I check regularly is my flag counter – still waiting for Delaware to show up. Once she joins the fold, I’ll probably quit that! Who knows, though – maybe I’ll start looking around for another country to plant its flag. . .hmmm. Sort of fun to see what answers I get when I ask, and still makes me damn curious as to why Delaware is a no-show!
I did start blogging for myself alone – that lasted about 2 weeks. Since then it is all about connections. I’ve loved (almost) every minute of it!
Wait… are you saying that you leave long comments?
I hadn’t noticed.
**whistles while walking away**
Better walk fast, and whistle a happy tune!
I feel the same, PTC. Sharing in comments is at least as much fun as writing posts . . . except that I can’t add fun graphics. 😀
LOL @ OA:
Whistle while you walk . . .
‘Cos Paula likes to talk . . .
I’m often wishing I could insert photos into comments I’m making!! Glad I’m not the only one!
Yes!
And I find my desire to illustrate comments rather ironic because, when I started blogging, I did not add any graphics to the posts. None. 😀
I so wish more would comment on mine. I love the people who regularly do, but I get a lot of anonymous visits.
Somebody somewhere posted a link to one of my stories from January, and it got 30 hits yesterday. No comments. It’s OK peeps. It doesn’t have to be funny!
I get far more views on each post than comments. That’s fine and expected. Some readers are readers not writers.
If all writers/bloggers commented at least as often as they posted . . . we’d all be happier ~ and they’d probably get more visitors due to their increased interaction on their own and other blogs.
I agree with you . . . comments don’t have to be funny to be appreciated. But I do enjoy comments that are LOL funny. 😀
My comments ought to be enough for you. . .and Nancy is catching up with me1 Quit complaining. . .
*walks away whistling a happy tune, even as she falls and catches self one-handed”
That’s not funny, Paula!
No more slips, trips, or falls for you. Enough! 😉
Actually, most of my falls are quite funny to look at, i would imagine. Whenever a butt like mine hits the floor or ground it is rather “prat-fall” looking, and feeling! I have learned to fall, so I generally injure nothing except my dignity (if in public – which is really embarrassing!). However, some falls aren’t funny! The ones that I instinctively put out my right arm and hand, for instance. I’m getting better at avoiding that, trying desperately to become left-handed, but my right-handedness has been hard-wired for 60 years now.
I only have one fear of falling (other than over a cliff, I suppose), and that is falling down the stairs backwards. That has come close to happening a couple of times, and I shudder every time I even think of it. . .like now. I’m REALLY careful on stairs!
If you haven’t already seen it, you need to check out Carl’s latest cartoon ~ Banana School.
The link is with Thursday’s Teasers and Tips on the post “What’s Up?”
I have seen a few blogs where you can not comment. I’m not sure of the reasons, but maybe they don’t want to replly. I wonder how they know if anyone is visiting their blog at all?
Stats show the # of page views and visitors, but that’s not terribly interesting to me.
I know that Debra closed the comments on her blog (The Blue Lotus Cafe) for all the right reasons.
She wanted to avoid receiving comments that might unduly inflate her ego. She wants to share what she’s learned with others without getting caught up in the numbers game.
Others close comments on a post here or there because they have something they need to get off their chest and don’t want to get any input.
Very popular blogs close comments to avoid visitors who are only there to promote their own work.
To me, the comment thread is the best part of many blogs. A give and take that adds to the experience . . . for both bloggers and readers.
I love to blog for an audience, and those stats are amazing. I love to comment because I learn from others. But I agree I comment and not so many comment back, as so many are just writing for themselves. So that is a shame. This wordpress challenge really keeps me going.
Some bloggers encourage responses by asking a question at the end . . . have you tried that approach? I often end with a question and think it encourages readers to share their thoughts.
When visiting other blogs, I’ve often assumed that the bloggers would be open to feedback, opposing viewpoints, etc., and found out the hard way that that is not always the case. Some bloggers want people to agree with their view of the world, or stay silent.
If you’re open to all comments, you might say so at the bottom. To see what I mean, check out Kirsten Lamb’s blog (on my blog roll). She ends every post by saying how much she enjoys the comments.
Another question comes to mind. Why do some bloggers delete all prior posts leaving the present post the only thing there? I would care to have several cartoons with reach of today’s post since cartoons are really such a quick read anyway.
I agree with you ~ allowing visitors to scroll through your cartoons is definitely a plus for them.
I’ve never come across a blogger who deleted all prior posts. I have seen blogs without navigational aids ~ so that it LOOKS like they only have a single post.
By clicking on “Home” . . . you might uncover other posts. Or scroll down to the bottom to see if there are links there to archived posts.
If you really can’t find older posts, and there is a comment box, I’d ask them whether they have older posts available.
I’ve deleted a post on occasion, but usually because I’ve decided to revise and repost an updated version. Other than that, it’s all here ~ the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. 😀
I’ve not noticed these numbers…am I negligent? That’s why we have blogging buddies, right, Nancy?
I’m still not sure I understand how Fresh Pressed works or what it is, but as a few of your readers have commented, I spend more time reading and commenting than I do writing blogs. While I’m “out in the community”, ideas are gestating and ruminating, but my meditations are my main kickstart.
I look at stats every few days. There are spammy entities that can knock the numbers up. At one stage, my reader numbers shot up – gave me a little thrill until I looked at sources. I clicked on them, they were spammy. I was advised it is good to get rid of them. I had WP block them because their automatic “hits” were skewing my numbers. Might be a great ego boost, but it isn’t valid.
Friends and acquaintances who read my blog say they don’t want to appear silly so they don’t comment. I asked some if the comments they read on blogs seem silly and they say, no, quite the contrary. Some people simply aren’t like us. As amazing as it may seem, they don’t need to speak up. 😀
Different themes impact blog management style. A blog-writing blog warned that comments can become a cluster of blogging buddies like Face Book. Newer readers will hesitate making a comment because it’s like busting in on a clique in high school. Because of my “theme” when I want to go deeper into a subject or be more personal with a commentor, I chose email.
Good grief, I’ll try to be a bit more wordy next time, Nancy!!
No worries, mate! I don’t see any excess verbiage in your comment. 😉
Freshly Pressed “picks” a few blogs each day to feature. Featured blogs get mega-hits for the day. Don’t know how precise the selection process is. Maybe it’s random.
I knew the blogging stats were there on the Freshly Pressed page and thought the ratio seemed odd. I checked back a time or two and saw similar ratios.
At first, I figured it was a time of day thing. Posts posted early . . . comments scraggling in later.
Nope.
Just checked at 4:42 pm:
The best of 338,973 bloggers, 514,111 new posts, 437,758 comments . . .
So, on average, posts go up on WP faster than comments. I find that counter-intuitive.
If I wrote a blog and got no comments, I would go out and comment on other blogs. If I wrote a blog with tons of comments, I would be responding to them.
So, I would expect a comment to post ratio of 4:1 or higher . . . not 1:1.
All I know is that the comments on SLTW . . . MAKE MY DAY! Thanks for yours. 😀
Great post. Fantastic discussion! When I started blogging I never knew that I would enjoy it so much. I am a responder/commenter to other posts and as a result have made blogging friends around the globe. AND, I get to put my ops out there whenever I want. Fun! 🙂
That’s exactly how I see it, Cecelia. I can join a conversation in progress, or start a new thread, AND I get to share my unique view of the world with others.
It is WAY MORE FUN than I ever expected it would be.
I love comments and I adore commenting. It’s the best bit: I’ve learnt so much from others across the ‘sphere…
Same here. One of the things that has made the largest impact on me is making friends with folks in the Southern Hemisphere and realizing the continuity of seasons both above and below the equator. Another is making friends with folks in other time zones.
Both have served to make me slightly less ego-centric. 😉
When I first started blogging, not even six months ago, I didn’t really follow anyone’s blogs and I was certainly too shy to comment if I did look at someone’s post. But now that I’ve been on the other end, I comment all over the place- because I know how much I enjoy Getting comments! It’s kind of like speed dating (no, I haven’t actually done it!) in that I can just sort of hit and run! Read a post, digest it, comment on it… and I’m gone!!
Thanks, Rosa! I started “blogging” by commenting on friend’s blogs. Feeling too constrained by the topics they selected . . . I branched out and started SLTW. Glad I did. It’s been tons of FUN.
Comments are what makes our blog come alive- interchanging our views, and experiences for adding thoughts to thoughts !! It’s interesting reading other’s views,sometimes giving us another way to look at something.
So true, Penny. We get so used to seeing “the world behind our eyes” that we sometimes forget that others don’t see things through the same lens.
It can be an eye-opening and mind-expanding exercise to read and exchange views from a slightly different perspective. I especially enjoy meeting people from the “four corners” of the world ~ different seasons, holidays, time zones, religions, and wildlife. Very cool!
Of course I write to be read! And I respond to every comment.
I don’t always comment on other blogs–mostly it is a time thing. If I don’t put a limit on the time I spend at the computer nothing, and I mean nothing, gets done.
I do try to comment at least once a week to the blogs I follow but sometimes even that little bit is more than I have time for.
Blogging can eat up way too much time if we don’t set limits. I’m doing better . . . but I probably still spend way too much time on the computer.
You? Oh come now!
BTW – why don’t we suggest to WP the possibility of editing our own comments on others’ blogs, adding graphics (instead of links) to them, and illuminating text without having to use html. Shouldn’t be such a big deal.
Of course, then my comments truly would be never-ending! Just what everyone would love! Especially moi.
I’ve only bumped into a blog that allowed self-editing of comments a few times. The first time, I had nothing to fix, but I reopened the comment and played around with it anyway . . . just because I could. 😀
Oooh! Was that WordPress? Maybe one of those “Premium themes” you have to pay for!
I don’t think it was WP . . .
I love getting comments and since I learned that people actually come back and see the responses you give them, I have started responding on every comment even if the comment is a simple “Good post!” because I appreciate someone taking the time to comment on my posts.
I definitely spend more timing reading other blogs than I do writing my own but I don’t comment on EVERY post I read. Sometimes I will just LIKE the post if I liked it but don’t really have anything I feel of value to add. If there’s something I want to say, I will say it and I always comment on at least a few blogs a day that I read.
Thanks, Sharon. Sorry for the delay in posting. This got trapped in the Spam Filter . . . not sure why.
I often subscribe to the comment thread on other blogs . . . to see what others have to say and to read responses to my comments.
I comment to most, but not all, posts that I read. Sometimes I have nothing to say. Shocking, I know. 😉
I’ve looked at those stats several times over the past year, and I’ve never seen the comments number higher than the posts number. So strange.
I love the comments, too. I like them in all shapes and sizes, and whether they liked my post or not.
Maybe the numbers are skewed because some bloggers are not interested in the interactive aspect of internet blogs.
I comment on most posts I read. I generally refrain from commenting on “religious” posts ~ preferring not to “debate faith” . . . except here on SLTW (or on PTC’s blog ~ because she encourages Open Debate on all issues).
I’ve observed that difference too Nancy. Yes, we all want comments but there must be reciprocity… There’s no fun in a one sided conversation (A comments on B’s blog but B never or rarely returns the favor), or when it seems like one blogger is doing the heavy lifting while the other blogger is doing not much but approve a comment.
As for the difference in #s; some bloggers close comments on their blogs. Others don’t get feedback even when the traffic is there, and then there are the bloggers who don’t comment back.
Nancy, you are a champion blog buddy because you always reciprocate and that makes the difference. 🙂
E
Thanks, E! Right back atcha! If I had ventured a guess, I would have thought that the comment to blog ratio would be about 4:1. It just seems so odd that there are more new posts than comments on WP.
Maybe WP needs to start a CommentADay Challenge to go along with the PostaDay challenge. 😀
I LOVE that idea! You should suggest it to them.
I wonder if WP finds the 1:1 ratio odd? If so, maybe Scott add a “Daily Comment Prod” to the Daily Post Prompt. 😉
I love the interaction too but I have a lot of ‘silent’ readers. Some of them email me direct rather than comment.
Many of my visitors are “strong silent types” ~ they stop by regularly (yay!) but don’t feel compelled to stay.
Others like to pull up a chair and hang out for a chat and a cup of tea or a glass of wine.
All visitors are welcome and appreciated . . . 😀
Dear Time Out Box:
I believe you always have to ‘read into stats’. For the 387,398 bloggers they have on file, there could be up to half that amount who have pulled their material and are no longer active.
You’re right, LL. But it’s not the number of bloggers to posts that surprises me . . . it’s the ratio of posts to comments.
Just checked and the trend remains:
The best of 387,005 bloggers, 586,239 new posts, 434,565 comments.
So, there are 150,000 more new POSTS than there are comments to accompany them.
Just looking at this post and the number of comments on it, that means an awful lot of people must be blogging to little or no audience.
We’re doing our best to increase the WP ratio! 😀
I wonder how many of those comments were made by Bloggers.
On SLTW, most comments are from bloggers & readers who enjoy writing.
Your comment makes me wonder which comments WP tallies.
I’ve been assuming that WP tallied all comments by adding the total of comments from each blog post but maybe WP only counts “visitor” comments or only comments by registered WP users or only comments on “new posts.” That would explain the low ratio.
Thanks, Tok