Blogging reflections

First, welcome to visitor 80,000 who came from Sydney searching on Aboriginal population distribution.

The graphic shows traffic stats on this blog. Yellow is visits, yellow plus red page views.

While it's not clear from the graphic, I find that traffic bounces around a bit depending on topicality but also interest. Topicality affects Google search, interest regular readers.

While the number of return visits is reasonably stable, I know when I am getting too boring because numbers do drop!

A common feature of the Google search patterns is their wide spread. It is rare for any page to stand out, although there have been times when particular stories have run hard.   

I was reminded of this by a comment I received on a story from September 2007, APEC Security in Action, dealing with the  arrest of Greg McLeay. I leave comments open on past posts because it sometimes attracts interesting responses.

In this case, the commenter wondered what the outcome of the court case had been. I have a recollection, but wasn't sure. Like the commenter, I did a web search, but was not able to find anything.

Reading APEC Security in Action and the follow up story, APEC Washup - a failure in manners leads to a lost opportunity, reminded me of just how strongly feelings were running at the time. There was, as I saw it, a nastiness, an inhumanity, that had crept into the Australian body politic.

I wrote my first test post on this blog in March 2006. Over four years and 1,447 posts later, the posts have to a degree reflected changing events and attitudes, as well as changes in my own perceptions. It's been an interesting ride.