Baboon Achievers, Gatherings, Media, Technology, Uncategorized, Words

10K

22 Comments

Photo credit:  Sebastian Pena Lambarri

Last week Chris mentioned that we were closing in on 10,000 followers.  If the rate that someone new clicks on Follow keeps up, we will hit that number this weekend.  As I’m typing this on Friday night, we are at 9,996.  This is for just the Trail – if you look at our WordPress account, it also adds in Blevins and Kitchen Congress, so the number looks a little higher than 10K.

I’m not big on social media optics, so I’m not sure what this really says about us.  Obviously from looking at the stats, we don’t have thousands of folks looking at the Trail every day; we average between 150 and 200 views most days.  And of course, I find it fascinating that not everybody is always looking at the same post as we are.  For example, yesterday 2 people viewed Why I Don’t Eat the Coleslaw from August 2015 and The Magnolia Steakhouse from November 2010, among other pages.

Although the overwhelming number of readers hale from the U.S., we have a worldwide viewership.  Yesterday we also had folks from Canada, Australia, Finland, Kenya, Cameroon, Germany, Nigeria, France, India, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Georgia and Benin visit.

We are all over the board in terms of comments… some days we are chattier than others.  I used to worry that we didn’t have more folks commenting, but then I think about all the other blogs that I read on a regular basis.  They have way more followers than we do, but fewer comments.  I also don’t see the kind of community that we have in the comment section of most blogs.  And I can’t speak for anybody else, but I almost never comment on any blog except ours (unless there is a possible prize in it for me).

So all in all, as we’ve hit our decade anniversary and 10K followers, I’m still feeling like we’re just a small fish in a big pond and I like it that way.  Hope the Trail is meeting your needs these days.

Not sure about a question for this data – did you ever imagine, in your wildest dreams, that we’d come this far?

22 thoughts on “10K”

  1. Morning-
    I find that sort of data kind of intriguing. I had to go look up the coleslaw entry. Perhaps someone was looking up Ogden Nash to find that? And then I clicked on a related link after that. Talk about your rabbit holes.
    And the people from all over the world!! How cool is that!!
    (OK, just had to go read about the Magnolia Steak house again. Lots of memories to see the people and names.)

    I still clearly remember the first time I’d heard ‘TLGMS’ (leaving Kelly’s apartment in the mornings) and then telling her about this fun show I had found. And the fatalist in my knew that wouldn’t go on forever.
    You just knew it would have to end someday.
    And Radio Heartland is still so lovely! And Dale sending up a “Trial Balloon” just to see what would happen. And again, I’d think, this is so good but it will have to end. But as Mr. Magorium Says, it’s just the opportunity for a new story to begin. And here we are!

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  3. Rise and Shine Baboons,

    No, I did not ever think we would come this far. I really thought this would die out years ago. I think the wild card was friendship—we became friends. Some common interests formed bonds and the bonds keep us going.

    I know I am the better for this fellowship/Baboon Congress.

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  4. Oh, life is so strange and funny at times. I think what I appreciate about this platform is that it affords us the wonderful opportunity to notice and highlight the strangeness and fun around us.

    I admit that when I write and comment here I don’t think that 10,000 people might read it. In fact, I will try not to think about is, since that might change how I comment in ways I wouldn’t like.

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      1. We harvested chard today, about 4 lbs of leaves once the stems are removed. I blanched and froze 2.5 lbs of it for pie of greens next winter. It it so nice to have that pie in January when greens are a treat. I expect we will have a similar amount to harvest in a couple of weeks. I like that chard keeps producing until frost, unlike spinach. I plan to plant more spinach in the next while for our fall crop.

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  6. An opinion floating around the culture these days is that we should not connect to social media sites because it is inherently better when people meet face-to-face. Since I have strong and frequent contacts with this social media site, I bristle indignantly at any suggestion that there is anything wrong about doing so.

    Of course, face-to-face friendship is lovely and healthy. I practice that as often as possible. But my ability to meet anyone face-to-face is highly limited, and was so before the virus came along to distort normal human interactions. Further, my social media friendships don’t detract from my other social contacts.They are an addition to them, not a substitute.

    Simply put, you guys would not be in my life at all had it not been for the presence of Trail Baboon. Bless you and bless Trail Baboon for making that possible.

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  7. I figured one year, tops. People would have been enthusiastic for a few months, lots of contributors, lots of comments, and then blog fatigue would set in: thinking of a topic every day, doing the writing and editing, some readers get bored by two or three consecutive posts and figure they’ll skip a few, then drift away.

    And honestly, Renee and Sherrilee, I am blown away by your consistency and dedication. You two must write 95% of the posts, at least. As I said before, I’ve been blogging for 10 years or so, and I can’t even manage one a week! Keep up the great work.

    But the main reason we’ve lasted is that true and lasting relationships have been formed by so many of us. Plus I think we are truly good, generous, thoughtful, intelligent, and compassionate people who aren’t afraid to speak but have rarely if ever, used this forum to rant irrationally (is there another way to rant?) or to complain about someone/something excessively or communicated in a mean-spirited way. The epitome of civil discourse. We could have organized a “salon” back in 18th century Europe, or whenever the “enlightened minds” of their day started those groups.

    Well done. folks. Here’s to 10,000 followers and may we continue to grow, or at least maintain, for another ten years.

    Chris in Owatonna

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  8. Where else can I have such warm and intelligent contact with friends every day? I didn’t really think I’d enjoy an online blog when I started commenting here, back when it was Trial Balloon. But I got hooked by the reading AND the writing – make you think a different way if you’re going to answer a question in writing. Sometimes I’ve copied my comments into a word document, so it’s become a bit of a journal.

    I’ve been concerned a couple of times when we had low numbers of posts for a few days in a row, but have learned that it just naturally ebbs and flows – the number of comments eventually rises again. Same with people coming and going – I enjoy when the Occasional Baboons show up, but really enjoy the daily camaraderie with you diehards.

    Someone said once that it was once TLGMS that I looked forward to when getting up every day… and now it’s this blog.

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    1. I’ve noticed a pattern that helps me when people don’t post here. It happened last Sunday. Guess what? The weather was spectacular that day, with low humidity and blessedly comfortable temps. People were out enjoying what was probably the nicest day of the summer.

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  9. Something else about this place is that it’s here all day.
    If we had to gather at some specific time, it wouldn’t have been sustainable. But some are early, some are late, it works for us whenever we get too it.

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  10. I always look forward to Trail Baboon, and one of the things I appreciate is the artful choice of header photos from day to day. Today’s clown fish is charming and somehow apropos.

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    1. that clown fish is cuddled up in an anenomie who’s is a living critter on its own

      they both do better with the other there

      you can have a clown fish in you aquarium and it will hang out somewhere but if you put an anenomie in there, that’s where the clown fish will be
      when you find the right place it’s simply where you want to be
      here we are

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        1. Yes, that’s Barb and Steve. Very nice folks..I haven’t been up to their place for a couple of years, but I have met some of those goats!!

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