I Have Become A Hermit Blogger

About once a month I take some time and go over my blog statistics. To be honest, it only takes a couple of minutes to look over a handful of Google Analytics Pages (The process would take longer if I had a better grasp of the more powerful reporting features). When I compare a date range from this year to the same date range last year, a smile spreads across my face. I think to myself ‘I’m kicking ass against last years stats!’

On the surface everything looks great. Unfortunately, when I take a closer look, I come to a shocking realization that my visits are sporadic. I think this is the case for two reasons. First is that my once anal habit of posting on a set day and time have disappeared. Second is that I have become a hermit blogger.

Before I got more involved in the hobby of guns, I was very much into creative writing. I spent my free time bouncing around from blog to blog reading short stories and flash fiction, I even did a fair bit or writing myself. After reading a piece of writing, I made a point to leave a comment.

These comments brought people back to my blog, some of whom read my material and commented. My stats were low but I was thrilled with the regular activity. When my daughter stopped sleeping the bulk of the day away, I spent less time writing and my creative writing muscles turned to flab. I got discouraged when I tried to write during those odd moments when I had some free time. My writing wasn’t what it used to be and the connection I made with other bloggers began to fade.

My focus has since shifted to Firearms. While I miss writing, I’ve found that I’m more passionate about guns and shooting. I try to make time each day to read a couple of blogs posts. During my short commute to work, I listen to a handful of podcasts on the subject.

Even though I’m digesting a lot of information, I’m lacking the connection with other bloggers I’ve had in the past. I think this has a lot to do with my personality type and that I tend to not comment unless I have something to add (I don’t like commenting for the sake of commenting). I’ve decided that I need to make an adjustment to the frequency in which I leave comments.

I’m setting a small goal for myself. Throughout the month of March I want to comment on at least 5 blog posts and respond to at least one forum thread per week. It may not sound like much, but it is a tremendous increase over what I do currently.

While an increase in activity would be an awesome byproduct, this isn’t about increasing my stats. It is about getting back out there and making connections among the blogging community.