I have an idea of who reads my blog and why, but only an idea. You guys have been driving me crazy lately, because you’re simply not commenting, and it’s hard to tell which of my posts are working and which are not.
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I go through periods where I try to find out what keeps bringing my readers back every day. I’m willing to change some things at your request, if those requests fit into what I like to write about, or my vision of this weblog. If they don’t, I pull the “This is not a democracy; it’s a dictatorship” card and overrule you. But I can’t make those decisions if you’re not speaking, so I’m going to try to figure out what to do by giving you some census questions to answer.
Please let me assure you that I have no access to any data other than the results of the poll, just like you. And please, please, please—answer the questions. Take a minute or two. Especially my “invisibles,” the vast majority of my readers who come here every single day, and never email, or comment, or do anything but read. (“Invisibles” is my term for what other people call “lurkers,” but I don’t understand why there should be a negative connotation for people who only read websites, but none for people who never write letters to the editor or call TV stations to complain.) You “invisibles” are the ones I want to get a bead on, so I can continue to keep you around. And maybe get you to bring your friends along.
Let me tell you, it isn’t easy figuring out what you guys want when you never say a word. My mind-reading capabilities are taxed to their utmost in your cases.
First question: Seniority.
Next: Why you’re here.
Next: Who you are.
Next: Who are my Christian audience? (Please don’t take offense in any way, I’m just really, really curious about my demographics.)
Next: What kind of Jew are you?
Now, your politics:
Next: Why don’t you comment? (This is not for my regular commenters. Please skip this question.)
Next: What else would you like to see?
I know many of you are going to complain that some questions require more than one answer. I tried to make the answers varied enough so that you can choose one that’s at least close to what describes you. But if you insist, I can make multiple-choice answer polls for some of the questions, but not until a whole bunch of you have taken this poll.
You can cheat if you want to. All that will do is make me not bother to find out what my readers want in the future. Ruling by fiat. Yeah, I can deal with that. I’ve always had a hankering to be dictator of the world. If only.
I read your blog to find items to post about on my blog. I am concerned about the dangers posed by the radical Islamists, and I support the idea of Israel having a homeland in the Promised Land (does that make me a Zionist), and I get some good ideas from you for posts. I wish you had a trackback feature so that I could trackback my posts that started with something I read here.
Meryl,
Sorry. I just often don’t think to comment. Unlike your website my blog is Seinfeldish as it is a blog about nothing.
If it won’t bore you terribly here is a little on me so you can take a peek at who I am.
If you look at my blog you will see that I am a disgruntled tech support guy from The outskirts of Dallas, Texas and I have teamed up With Laurence Simon to occasionally make fun of METRO and tech support.
What you won’t see is that I am a father of 5 who loves his children, his wife, his family and his country very very much. I look to your blog as an alternative to the mainstream press who can’t get a story straight.
You provide me with a no nonsense view of what happens with Israel as well as giving me a peek into your life.
Basically, even though we haven’t ever had a two way communication, you are like extended family and coming to your blog is like visiting a friend.
Now that I have introduced myself, you’ll probably have to start asking me to shut up.
H
I come here for the food and the company. No really, I do. Ok, I am one of those guys who shows up all over the place, but I really don’t comment everywhere I go.
You usually have a good mix of content. It is well written and easy to digest, other than the cat posts. Those are like my own virtual hairball, but I digress.
I ask these same questions on my blog on a quarterly basis, but I don’t get much of a response.
I think that most people prefer to sit back and read. I haven’t decided if that is because they are afraid that they will look ignorant or what.
But FWIW, you are one of my daily stops.
Dear Meryl,
Mea culpa. 1-2 posts over 4 years of fairly regular readership is clearly unacceptable, so I’ve begun to remedy that lack by filling out the survey, including the straightjacketed set of choices for “political viewpoint”. (My viewpoint, in fact, maps most closely to a classical British — Gladstonian — liberal; that is, mostly American liberal for my social views, and more often American conservative on the political and economic fronts.)
Aside from Yourish.com, I consult solomonia.com/blog perhaps twice a week. Regrettably, your friend Lair Simon’s style is juvenile juvenile scorn, as opposed to your clever Juvenile Scorn.
Thank you for your considerable effort in producing a site well worth reading.
Best regards, Eric
I’m not a big commenter, but I do comment. I believe I even commented this week on something. (the MIG story.)
Jewish Christians. Talk about them and I’ll read.
I comment when I feel I have something to contribute, and then only if I determine the import of the comment outweighs the amount of fear and/or hate it’s likely to generate.
I’m here for the unique info I find out, and commentary from you. If I have something that I think would be useful, I’ll comment. I’m trying to avoid saying the obvious or creating an echo chamber, but not due to fear of creating anger. My old blog used to get some anger from the right and left (I’m somewhat leftish) but I gave it up due to lack of readership.
Meryl, I want you to know that I really enjoy reading your analysis of the mid-east political situation using your pro-Israel perspective. I am so disgusted with the MSM for their hypocrisy on this subject, anyone that can suggest a moral equivalency between Israel and the Arab barbarians is an appeaser of the highest order. I really hope that a catastrophic situation does not occur before the left wing wakes up and realizes what jihad really means.
In the mean time, keep writing, and I and many others, will keep reading your blog.
I came because I used to frequent TTLG, back when I was in college.
I stay because you post the news and analysis that I don’t get from the mainstream media, and that I don’t dare discuss with most of my friends (because I want them to remain friends, despite their radical left-wing politics.)
I comment sometimes. But usually I come to read what you have to say, I haven’t got much to add. (See? This comment in itself was useless, and this was one of the options and I voted for that one :p)
Even though I commented on a handful of times on your site, I put down that I was a non-commenter, because usually you’ve said all that needs to be said, I think. I said not to change your site because I’m afraid that the areas of agreement between you and your readers might constrict. For instance, you like Giuliani and I don’t, so I’m glad you kept that down to one to two posts. However, if you comment on American or UK Islamists, I think that’s an area that we readers could all agree on. Hope that helps!
I don’t comment much anywhere – no time, and I don’t like the clubby in-group/out-group atmosphere that seems to develop at most blogs (when it doesn’t distintegrate entirely into chest-beating and bullying).
As to why I’m here – hm. I guess you (Meryl) seem like someone I’d like personally – a slightly geeky Jewish writer who likes cats, Israel, Firefly… and New Jersey. What’s not to like?
I enjoy your blog because I love and pray for Israel. And our USA press is SO biased. But—passwords, and going to all the trouble to comment and then it dissappears…its sometimes too discouraging, sometimes.
whoa—that was too easy ! Thanks !
here are a few things I’ve written. But, my husband is funnier—the name of his blog is: The Lost Fart of Blogging.
I don’t comment very often because your posts are about all the commentary that’s needed most of the time. I’m sure you don’t want or need a chorus of sycophantic yes-men.
I read your blog pretty regularly these days, probably because I enjoy the snarkiness and because I often disagree with you. I don’t often comment, even on posts that really catch my attention. Sometimes it’s because the news piece is interesting by itself and doesn’t require further comment. Sometime it’s because I don’t know much about the issue. Sometimes, particularly on issues involving Israel, we’ve heard all the arguments before so it’s tough to contribute anything new, pro or con.
Also, I tend to be a perfectionist about my writing: I spend a long time composing even a brief comment. So I don’t comment unless I have time to spare. Rest assured, though, that I often find you blog thought-provoking and well worth reading.
I keep waiting for more extracts from the Diary of Iseema bin Laden. The boy has a great future as a feckless, international playboy, sort of like Taki.
Taki is a rich Greek antisemite with Pitchfork Pat at “The American Conservative” magazine. He once was asked by Customs in the UK if he had anything to declare. As a joke he said he had some cocaine in his shoe. They searched him and he was carrying some coke for personal use. That got him six months in one of Her Majesty’s Tennis Prisons For Upper-Class Twits. As far as I can tell he makes Bertie Wooster look like a genius.
Well, Michael, check out Hot Air and the Vent tomorrow.
I wrote it. And it stars an update of the Iseema bin Laden you knew and loved. I’ll post about it when it comes out.
I comment here, but only occasionally.
More about me:
51 years old
live in the South SF Bay Area
used to be center-left until 9/11, now center-right
Technically, I’m Jewish because my mother’s mother’s mother was Jewish (German Jew who changed her name from Mueller to Miller after emmigrating to the US).
Not Jewish culturally.
Not Jewish religiously
Not Christian or Muslim either.
Raised as a Presbetarian but I’m atheist now.
strong supporter of Israel
I love cats (got two of my own – Maximus Sylk Phansipans, a.k.a. “Maxi”; Bobbie Kuger Melinkamp, a.k.a. “Bobbie”) and love to see the pics of your cats doing what mine do also. But, that’s not why I come here. I need regular reassurance that someone else out there is as outraged as me about terrorists, their supporters and their apologists.
There is definately a leftward media bias and there is definately anti-Semitism. I just can’t seem to identify them as often as you do. Maybe you see it too much. Maybe my radar is not finely tuned enough.
Love you anyway. Thanks for being here!