How To Lose 100 Subscribers in 4 Days
The Experiment
Bloggers are addicted to subscribers. It is sometimes a little uncomfortable to acknowledge how much bloggers focus on NUMBERS, instead of on PEOPLE.
Remember Jason Calacanis’s poignant words when he stopped blogging? He said, “I’m looking for something more acoustic, something more authentic and something more private. Blogging is simply too big, too impersonal, and lacks the intimacy that drew me to it.”
I think he made a good point. While many blogs are still small and personal, more and more bloggers want MORE: more traffic, more readers, more attention, more recognition. For many bloggers, hundreds of subscribers are not enough. They want thousands, or tens of thousands, of subscribers.
I want more subscribers too.
I want them (you!) so much, that I followed ProBlogger’s advice in his post Make Your Blog Sticky and added the FeedBurner Feed Counter widget to my blog, since supposedly it encourages more people to subscribe.
The results? Not so good.
When I put the button up, it showed 329 subscribers. The following day, it was down to 318, followed by a count of 304 the next day.
A couple of days later, it showed 300 and I was whining to my husband that “tomorrow it’s going to be back in the 200s.”
Sure enough, the next day it showed
But that was just one of Feedburner’s many glitches.
Even though it has since recovered, the bottom line is that displaying the Feedburner counter didn’t really work for me.
** Edited to add, that I find it funny (well it’s either funny or annoying - so I choose funny), that Feedburner decided, today of all days, to have another glitch and stop counting my email subscriptions, thus bringing the count back to under 300. Sigh.
Subscriber Counts Are Not Really A Secret
I may take the subscriber counter off my site later on. My main reason for doing so would be that MomGrind is very strong in several areas, including Alexa rank and Google PageRank, but my subscriber count (which I am VERY proud, by the way) is not considered high, and that might be a turnoff for advertisers. I do want direct advertisers. Google AdSense earnings are ridiculous. But I’ll save this rant for another post.
But even if and when I do take it off, anyone interested in knowing how many subscribers MomGrind has, would be able to look it up on FeedCompare. It shows you Feedburner subscriber counts even for sites that don’t display them.
However, there’s a big problem with Feedburner subscriber counts: they can be faked. Did you know that you can add 2500 FAKE subscribers using a Feedburner loophole? Problogger addressed this popular trick in his post How To Get 2500 new ’subscribers’ to your blog overnight. Needless to say, he does NOT recommend doing this.
The former attorney in me has to wonder: if you fake your subscriber count, and advertisers rely on it and pay you for an advertising slot, isn’t that a type of fraud? I mean, it’s unlikely that anyone will SUE you over that, but won’t they be entitled to demand their money back if and when they find out?
Generally, if you are curious about a blog’s real subscriber count, subscribe to their feed through Google Reader, then click on the “Show Details” link on the right. That number is just a percentage of a blog’s total subscriber count, and I’m sure it’s not always accurate (see this comment by Kelly of She-Power), but as far as I know, it can’t be tinkered with. So, by comparing another blog’s Google Reader numbers to yours, you can generally, for MOST blogs, get a pretty good idea of where they stand as far as subscribers go and compared to yours.
(Not that I would EVER compare myself to other bloggers. I am not THAT competitive.)
(OK maybe just a tad competitive). 
But why is the subscriber count so important?
After all, most of our readers are not subscribers. Our non-blogger readers usually just bookmark our blogs the old fashioned way, or find us through search engines. This is very apparent in the case of Dooce, who “only” has 2000 Google subscribers.
In addition, when measuring a blog’s popularity and influence, there are other important factors to consider such as Alexa traffic rank, Technorati Rank, and the number and quality of comments that a blog receives.
Why do we care so much about subscribers?
I’m not sure. Valerie Morrison, in an excellent post titled Is Your Subscriber Count Showing?, that inspired this post, said:
“When I started blogging I displayed my subscriber count because that’s what I saw on other blogs. I watched it go from 4 to 7 and then back down to 4. It made me feel anxious and unsure of myself, watching the numbers fluctuate, as if somehow it dictated my existence and worth.”
I think many of us can relate.
Social Proof
So, if we are so hard on ourselves when the numbers go down, why put it up for everyone to see? Marelisa, who writes Abundance Blog - Marelisa Online, commented that it’s social proof that your blog is worth reading:
“In an ideal world everyone would simply come to their own conclusions, but the reality is that most people want to be where there’s already other people. It’s the crowded restaurant syndrome: “Oooh, crowded restaurant, the food must be great!””
But what if your subscriber count is lower than what people guess when they see your blog? Bamboo Forest, who writes Pun Intended, commented:
“Mine is not showing. I follow the recommendation of Skellie. She recommends not showing it until the actual count is higher than what others may guess about your blog. So for example, if you get loads of comments, people may assume you have thousands of subscribers! Let them assume this, instead of proving them otherwise with the rss showing.”
Cath Lawson, who also tackled the subject in her post “Internet Popularity: Are You Faking It?“, commented on Valerie’s blog that the bloggers who tinker with their subscriber count make others, who don’t, feel inadequate:
“The trouble is, a lot of these bloggers go to massive lengths to create a perceived popularity. And it does tend to make those not in the know feel inadequate.”
It’s true that if my feed counter shows 300 subscribers, and another blogger who SHOULD show 300 displays 3000 instead, then yes I look less popular than they do. But when blogs show what seems to be an inflated number of subscribers, it doesn’t make me feel inadequate at all. It makes me feel sorry for them.
**Edited AGAIN to add:
Hunter Nuttall and Andre Kibbe of Tools For Thought just convinced me, in their very articulate comments below, to take the reader counter off my site. Since I don’t see any evidence whatsoever that the counter has any positive effect on subscription rates, it just seems like bad marketing to highlight a weakness right on my homepage, when other areas are so strong.
I will allow people to reach their own decision based on whether they enjoy reading MomGrind, and stop trying to tap into some herd mentality that may or may not exist.
This is NOT an attempt to HIDE my subscriber count - as I said it can be found on FeedCompare, but I’m convinced now that it doesn’t make sense to HIGHLIGHT it. Thank you, Hunter and Andre. 
What Do YOU Think?
Is you subscriber count showing on your blog? Whatever your answer is, how did you reach that decision?
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Scott McIntyre responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 1:20 am →
The issue of subscriber numbers seems to be occupying many bloggers these days, Vered.
I can see why this might be… it’s an traditional, outward sign that a blog is healthy.
However, personally, I am now extremely dubious about subscriber counts. As you say, they can be hacked and manipulated.
In the drive to make money online, sometimes bloggers may be tempted to be economical with the truth. The temptation to entice advertisers can distort reality.
I much prefer to judge a blog by the vibrancy of its comments section.
Dynamic dialogue attracts me to a blog community.
The life within a blog is represented by the sight of a sparkling conversation, not the display of a few random numbers in the corner of the front page.
Max Forlani responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 1:33 am →
Hi Vered,
I don’t put my subscriber count on my blogs. For Istanbul Trails the amount of subscribers does not reflect its success. People don’t subscribe to a site with tips and tricks about Istanbul, unless they’re planning a trip to it in the near future. And after their trip, they probably unsubscribe because the next year they will go to another city. Istanbul Trails relies heavily on visitors coming through specific search results while preparing their city trips or expat stays.
My second blog The Forlanis however is aiming at a loyal readership, since it’s a personal blog with stories of a clueless father (that would be me) and his first child on the way. But since the blog is so brand new and subscribers not in the hundreds let alone thousands (yet), I felt no need to put it there.
And even if I would have thousands of subscribers, I’m not sure if I would advertise it. For starters, I think the counter is plain ugly. And more importantly, I don’t want people to subscribe because a lot of other people did already, I want them to subscribe because they like the stories and don’t want to miss a thing.
Cheers,
Max
Max Forlani’s last blog post..How Can I Stop Smoking?
Joel Falconer responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 2:42 am →
Vered, good post. Just a few thoughts:
I’ve tried FeedCompare before. I would not rely on it. It says JoelFalconer.com has 0 subscribers and I can assure you that’s not the case ;). Same deal with a bunch of other sites.
Google Reader shows you how many people are using Google Reader to subscribe to a blog. You must be careful here. First, you obviously need to compare a Google Reader subscriber count to another Google Reader subscriber count, and not the Reader figures to, say, FeedBurner figures. Many people forget this. Also, it’s important to consider demographics. Will a tech blog have more Reader users in its subscriber count than a non-tech blog? Almost always, yes, because other demographics are more likely to use a desktop feed reader such as NetNewsWire.
Hope this helps!
Joel Falconer’s last blog post..Is Updated Technology Important to Productive Work?
MizFit responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 3:16 am →
I wonder, OFTEN, if Im smart or moronic for not checking out my subscribers, joining social networks (NO TIME!) or keeping one eyeball on my gooooooogle stats.
I fear that if I started Id not be able to stop and I could definitely grow depressed should my stats/subscribers plummet and my head mightcould burst out of my bandanna if a spike were to occur.
M.
MizFit’s last blog post..Tues Tip: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyhoo.
Lance responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 3:30 am →
I don’t display a feed count. Similar to what Bamboo Forest says, I don’t want people to be detracted because they are expecting a different number. And I try not to concern myself too much with what the number is. I do check it occasionally, to see the direction it’s trending. Other than that, what I’ve found matters more to me is the comments as opposed to the number of subscribers I have. Sure, I also want to see the number of subscribers grow, but more important for me is the interaction that goes on.
Davina responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 3:41 am →
Hi Vered. You’ve put a lot of effort into this post. I enjoyed the reading.
I don’t know my subscriber count but I check my stats daily. I get traffic spikes probably because I only post every 5 or 6 days. I feel less disappointed lately when I see the traffic decline though. I’m enjoying writing too much to worry about the stats. I just don’t want to get to the point where I feel like quitting because my stats or subscriber count isn’t high enough. And I know me… it’s never gonna be high enough! There will always be a personal record to beat. However, I’m not advertising yet… so that attitude might change.
Davina’s last blog post..Swinging Full Circle–That’s Life
Dave Fowler responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 3:59 am →
Hi Vered, I keep coming back to your site because I like what you write and I especially like the way you interact with your community. Vibrant is an excellent word to describe it.
I hope you continue to see a growth in your subscribers because for one thing, it means you’ll continue to write.
I hope you feel proud of what you’ve produced here; you certainly have every right to feel proud.
You do a great job of making people feel included. I can’t speak for everyone else, but that makes me feel happy!
Dave
Bill Kanapaux responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 5:50 am →
Hello Vered,
While I would love to have a huge subscriber count, I also known that I’m in an extended beta and it’s far more important for me to understand how to make my blog work than to worry too much about the ebbs and flows of readers and subscribers. That day will come.
My subscriber count is too low to post on my blog though not nearly as low as Show Details on Google Feedreader would suggest. That count looks way low for everybody, including the likes of problogger.
Bill Kanapaux’s last blog post..Danger? What danger?
Writer Dad responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 6:24 am →
Great post, Vered.
It’s funny. I think I’ve read every one of the articles you mentioned. I may show my count one day, but I don’t see the point. I don’t need that kind of validation or social proof. The comments mean more to me than a feedburner box ever could (and your comment section is always kicking). I want a large audience. If I don’t have a few more readers each week, then I’m not working hard enough. But I want them there because they’re drawn to my words, not from some bizarre peer pressure.
I really liked your post. Thanks.
Writer Dad’s last blog post..Writer Dad Through the Looking Glass
Dominique responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 6:45 am →
Vered,
I too agree with @writer dad that comments are more important then a counter. I have you on my google reader as I find it easier to do my daily blog reads through it rather then in e-mail or rss.
I don’t display a feedburner counter coz it is still under 100 and not growing. Only placed my Aweber one
Your content and your unique way of writing is what constantly brings me back to revisit your site:)..also the fact that you interact by visiting your readers on their blog and leaving comments there too
Suzie responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 6:45 am →
I dont have that button. Mybe I should get it. Forget it Im obsessed enough.
Mike Goad responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 6:54 am →
No, I don’t have a subscriber count showing. I’m not really interesting in showing how many subscribers that I have.
I don’t look at the subscriber counts on other blogs. If a blog looks interesting, I’ll read a few posts. If most of them are of interest of me, I’ll probably subscribe to the blog.
Mike Goad’s last blog post..Red 57 Chevy Convertible
Stacey / CreateaBalance responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 6:56 am →
I checked out the “show details” information on my google reader. I almost felt like I was snooping. I do check my numbers and I don’t display numbers on my blog. My numbers are low and they often fluctuate. However I am thrilled with how many comments I am receiving and how many people visit my blog.
Stacey / CreateaBalance’s last blog post..Sunday’s Strike on Perfection
Cath Lawson responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 7:23 am →
Hi Vered - I’m not too worried about subscriber numbers because of all the fiddling. And what are they proving if they’re saying they have 10,000 subscribers, yet their other rankings are lower. It’s like saying that 97% of them never bother reading their blog, which is probably worse than having no subscribers at all.
Almost 75% of my readers are repeat visitors, so they’re definitely not all using the feedreader. I guess a lot of people still use a favourites bookmark like they would for any other website.
For me - the number of page views are now more important than number of visitors. I’d rather have 10 people visit a day and read 10 pages each, than 50 show up, look at one page and disappear. If they’re not hanging round, they may not be reading at all. I don’t just have 10 visitors by the way, but it was easier to do the maths that way.
Vintage Mommy responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 7:33 am →
I don’t have a subscriber count showing (at one bag nation) either, I could never figure out how to do it and it just wasn’t that important to me. My feedburner account has always shown “0″ subscribers and I know I have at least one (you, right??).
I agree with Marelisa that people want to go where others are; I think that helps businesses of all kinds grow, but if you can “fake” the numbers, what’s the point?
Most of us bloggers get a bit obsessed with numbers sometimes I imagine; my ignorance of how it all works keeps me from getting more obsessed!
Vintage Mommy (aka One Bag Nation)
SpaceAgeSage responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 7:34 am →
I started out writing a blog to help readers interested in personal development. Then I realized it could make some money, which would be very helpful right now, but I found myself obsessing over all the things a blogger “must do” to monetize including more and more readership. I had some snags hold me up long enough to break me out of the obsession. Now, I’m back to writing more for the relative, friend, or stranger who happens to read and get something out of my posts. I also appreciate regular readers, including those who comment and add their insights to the conversation. I rarely check my stats anymore. Monetization will have to happen more organically, if it happens at all.
SpaceAgeSage’s last blog post..Having more experience doesn’t equal wisdom
Becky responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 7:47 am →
Overall, I’ll be honest that I don’t care THAT much about my subscribers. I know I posted about it recently, but it was because my agents wanted an exact count for the “readers” I have. Which, as you can imagine, is like trying to form an educated guess without guessing. But my stat counter (which I use to laugh at the hilarious search terms that I get) doesn’t count those subscribed, so any number I get is just off.
Fun, fun times. Luckily I think I appeased them.
Nathalie Lussier from Billionaire Woman responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 8:03 am →
I think as bloggers we can all relate. It seems silly that a number that fluctuates so much can be responsible for our good moods or bad moods. I always say, “don’t let the outside world impress you more than your inside world,” and that applies in this case too. If you believe in your content and your writing, then people will come, and it doesn’t matter if they subscribe or not.
Thank you for the insightful post Vered!
Nathalie Lussier from Billionaire Woman’s last blog post..How Getting Out of Line Can Get You To Your Financial Finish Line Sooner
Mark Salinas responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 8:09 am →
I have never paid attention, I just keep plugging away. Maybe I should some day? So much information. Very good post!
vw bug responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 8:10 am →
When I first started blogging, the numbers were interesting but I didn’t display them. You could click links to find them, but they were not displayed. I was so interested I had 2 or 3 different stat counters on my site. Still do.. just because I find the differences entertaining. When I first started I also did a lot of carnivals and the like to get more readers and had over a 100 a day every day. That lasted about a year. Now if I get 20 readers a day, I’m pleasantly surprised. Even though I am trying to ‘earn money’ on my blog… I do not have wish to change the tone of my blog to get readers. Hence, I do not display the information and I don’t think most of my readers care. Then again, I seem to be the odd one out when I talk to most of my blogger friends. Do what you like and what you are comfortable with… or need to do for the money. The paid posts I do, do not require me to have numbers displayed… so I don’t. Very interesting discussion and glad you brought it up!
vw bug’s last blog post..Mamaw and the Wii, computer
Cath Lawson responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 8:30 am →
Hi Vered - sorry, I forgot to say - thank you for the link.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 8:32 am →
@ Scott: Maybe I should put up the comment counter that Barbara put on Blogging Without A Blog instead of the subscriber counter…
@ Max: “I think the counter is plain ugly” Ha. I agree!
@ Joel: This just further demonstrates how unreliable subscriber counts are. Re Google Reader, needless to say, numbers should be compared within the same reader.
@ MizFit: I think you’re smart. I wish I could stop obsessing about stats and just WRITE MY BLOG.
@ Lance: I agree that the interaction is the most important part of blogging. I don’t think I could continue writing if I had a large subscriber base that was mostly silent. I really need the conversation.
@ Davina: “it’s never gonna be high enough! There will always be a personal record to beat.” It’s very true. It’s true for people in general: a new record always becomes the new baseline for MORE growth. It’s human nature and what propels humanity forward.
@ Dave: You have a way of making me feel good about things. Thank you.
I really am proud of this blog. It’s my creation and it’s a good, quality blog with an amazing community.
@ Bill: I think that for many blogs, the Google Reader count is around third of the total number of subscribers.
@ Writer Dad: “If I don’t have a few more readers each week, then I’m not working hard enough. But I want them there because they’re drawn to my words, not from some bizarre peer pressure.” I completely agree!
@ Dominique: Thank you.
@ Suzie: Yeah, I know what you mean about being obsessed.
@ Mike: I do look at subscriber counts, but not as a way to determine whether I am going to subscribe to a blog. Good content – useful, entertaining or thought-provoking, is what makes me subscribe.
@ Stacey: The fluctuations are a big problem. I think you just have to get used to it.
@ Cath: I agree that a large number of passive subscribers is NOT a sign of a healthy blog. And, you’re welcome.
@ Vintage Mommy: I just looked at One Bag Nation on Google Reader and it shows 165 subscribers – that’s more than MomGrind’s 120 Google Reader subscribers… you’re not doing too bad. CONGRATS on the new blog!
@ SpaceAgeSage: “I rarely check my stats anymore. Monetization will have to happen more organically, if it happens at all.” That’s an interesting approach. I think it’s how I felt when I just started blogging, but then I managed to land two direct advertisers and now it’s difficult to avoid wanting more of them.
@ Becky: I’m glad they were happy with the numbers you gave them!
@ Mark: Yeah, it’s TOO MUCH information really.
@ vw bug: “Even though I am trying to ‘earn money’ on my blog… I do not have wish to change the tone of my blog to get readers.” This is an interesting point. I talked about it with my husband today, and he said that as long as I insist on a quality, personal blog, it can’t grow much more than it has already. If I want crowds, I need to wrote material that would appeal to crowds. I guess I don’t want crowds that much.
Chris responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 8:49 am →
Well, as you can see in my blog, I don’t show my subscriber count because it’s still pretty pathetic. I don’t sweat it though. I will just keep writing. I pay more attention to my page views and my daily unique visitors, they’re more promising than my subscriber count.
I discovered it long time ago that you can game your subscription numbers and since then I’ve lost faith in its authenticity.
Chris’s last blog post..Bottom Falling Off, Part 5
Urban Panther responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 9:46 am →
I have given up on this whole subscriber count debate. I check my site meter stats at the end of each day. They go up and down, but at the end of each week, it averages out to slow but steady rise. Good enough for me. What I want to know is that I am sparking people’s thought processes and/or making them giggle. This shows up in the quality of the comments on my site. This is what causes me the greatest blogging joy. I am all about the dialogue.
Urban Panther’s last blog post..I am a twit
Hunter Nuttall responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 9:47 am →
Vered, before you displayed your count, I assumed you had thousands of readers, because you get so many comments. I was really shocked to see 300, and I think showing your count in this case would make people less likely to subscribe.
I show my count because (1) it saves me the hassle of logging into FeedBurner every day to check, and (2) I think it helps me, because my number of subscribers is higher than people might expect due to my relatively low number of comments.
All this stuff about feed counts being faked–remember that most people don’t even know what RSS is. They see a big number, and the herd mentality sets in. They’re probably not going to consider that it might be fake. However, I think people who fake their numbers should be shot.
Hunter Nuttall’s last blog post..Akashic Record Reading With Akemi Gaines, Part 1
Andre Kibbe responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 10:19 am →
With nothing more than intuition to back me up, I disagree with the “social proof” argument in to context of feed counts. I personally have never subscribed to a blog because of its feed count. On the other hand, I do seem to pay more attention to the number of comments — actually, the quality of the comments more than the quantity. For instance, many of the tips on a Lifehacker comment thread are juicier than the original post.
A robust comment thread suggests that the blogger has inspired a lively culture. A feed count, to me at least, is just an inert number. Today I had 858 subscribers, and last week I had 1017 after some link love from Lifehacker, but rarely do I get more than a dozen comments. It’s not uncommon for me to see blogs with 97 subscribers, but with their latest posts having 48 comments.
I keep the feed count off my page for no other reason than that I think feed counters look tacky. If I saw some evidence by split tests that feed counters actually constituted a call to action, I’d put one up. I will probably put one on an Advertise page when I get to that point, though, or at least a monthly screenshot from my Feedburner page .
Andre Kibbe’s last blog post..Thinking as a Batch Process: How the Weekly Review Streamlines Action
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 11:27 am →
@ Chris: “I discovered it long time ago that you can game your subscription numbers and since then I’ve lost faith in its authenticity.” This is definitely a huge problem with subscriber counts. Can we really rely on them if they can be faked?
@ Urban Panther: I agree that quality comments and an interesting discussion are the most important aspects of blogging.
@ Hunter and @Andre: OK. Both of you just convinced me to take the counter off my site. It seems like bad marketing – highlighting a weakness right on my homepage, when other areas are so strong.
I will allow people to reach their own decision based on whether they enjoy reading MomGrind, and stop trying to tap into some herd mentality that may or may not exist.
NaTuRaL responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 11:32 am →
well this was a great expriement, at least to see if it made any difference. i was “feeling your pain” as i was reading your numbers go up and down. really, i don’t care about the numbers as far as a blog being worth the read, either i’m going to or not…i subscribed to your blog on my first visit here because i like what i saw and what i read.
subscribers are great, but i love interacting with those in the comment section. they make the blog great as well.
you did a fantastic and thorough job on this post. kudos.
NaTuRaL’s last blog post..I Want A Wii
crunchy carpets responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 12:17 pm →
I honestly FORGET to check my subscriber nos…I forget to subscribe and just bookmark mostly..it is something I need to focus on more I suppose…
Marelisa responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 12:26 pm →
I was growing at a pretty good rate, and then when I reached 110 subscribers I put up the feed counter. Then suddenly the growth practically stopped, and then when I got to about 130 subscribers (painfully, painfully slowly) it picked up again. So I guess people thought I had more subscribers than I did. The social proof argument is based on the book “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell. He describes that ideas, behavior, messages, and products have a tendency to behave just like outbreaks of infectious disease. They are social epidemics. I’m keeping my feed counter up.
Marelisa’s last blog post..15 Brain Hacks - Gym and Spa for Your Brain
suburbancorrespondent responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 1:16 pm →
Feedburner (which I installed also) puzzles me - its stats are erratic and oftentimes dead wrong. I rely more on individual GoogleReader and Bloglines stats. Also, GoogleAnalytics shows you who is coming from what reader every day.
suburbancorrespondent’s last blog post..Sock It To Me
gracious responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 1:41 pm →
This post was of great help to me. I’ve been blogging since 2002, but I’ve been a part of the closed world of xanga. As I’ve decided to join the ranks of my own domain and opening up the options for hopefully making some cash in the future, I find myself wanting to hang off of every suggestion from problogger, and putting together the formula that “works.” In this case, it seems the formula isn’t working. It’s good to know. My thoughts on a sucessful blog, is letting go of the formula, and going back to what I love doing in the first place…and that’s writing down my thoughts for the rest of the world.
gracious’s last blog post..Delicious and Easy Rosemary Grilled Potato’s
Jill responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 2:29 pm →
What I don’t get: we both know that you don’t need to make money from this blog. I know for a fact that you started it as a hobby. Why do you care so much about the numbers?
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 3:04 pm →
@ NaTuRaL: Thank you for the support.
I love my readers and enjoy communicating with you A LOT. I don’t know why I got caught up in the numbers so much, but I read that it happens to a lot of bloggers.
@ crunchy carpets: Actually, if you don’t care about the numbers, STAY THAT WAY. Trust me. Focusing on the numbers takes away from the fun.
@ Marelisa: “I’m keeping my feed counter up.” I totally respect your decision. I’m sure it works very well for some – just didn’t work for me. It made me focus too much on the numbers. In addition, as I said, from a pure marketing standpoint, it doesn’t make sense in my case to highlight a “weak” number when there are other, strong numbers that I can present.
@ suburbancorrespondent: “Feedburner (which I installed also) puzzles me - its stats are erratic and oftentimes dead wrong.” VERY true.
@ gracious: Glad I helped. I think it makes a lot of sense to focus on writing, although some networking and marketing IS needed to grow a blog.
@ Jill: Good question. I don’t know what happened. It’s very hard not to get sucked into chasing readers and page views. MomGrind is still a hobby, it is still fun, but it is a quality blog with a growing readership and I can’t help but think about the business potential. However, I think I’ve been focusing too much on the numbers. There’s a huge satisfaction in watching a blog grow. When you get more readers, more page views – it’s quite an intense experience. But there has to be a balance between the fun of growing a business and the fun of communication and interacting. I am working on finding that balance. This post, and the discussion it started, is part of my attempts to find my balance.
Ellen Wilson responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 4:04 pm →
Hi Vered,
I’m heading in the same direction Cath is, I’m more concerned with how many page views and how long people are on my blog reading. That makes me feel good. My next post will be on that very subject! Reading the mind waves…
There are a few mentalities, and the herd mentality is one of them. But in the end the numbers game is a superficial thing and doesn’t count for much. Blogging is a long term investment where you will utilize everything you learn.
I’m glad you posted this because I too have been wondering about your feed count and how you felt about it. Now you can do the reverse experiment and take it off and see if it goes up!
Ellen Wilson’s last blog post..The Disappearing Barns of the Midwest
Ellen Wilson responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 4:14 pm →
But Marelisa puts forth a compelling argument. Hmmm. Yet I also rather agree with Andre’s idea about the feedburner number sponge looking tacky. But you have (had) it in an inconspicious place.
Maybe I’ll try the social experiment.
Ellen Wilson’s last blog post..The Disappearing Barns of the Midwest
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 4:24 pm →
Hi Ellen, I think you’ll only know for sure if you try. I had it up for two weeks I think, and it was as erratic as always - two steps forward, one step back. You were wondering how I felt - I felt frustrated and impatient, because I expected it to “work” and it obviously wasn’t working. But maybe it will work for you?
Bamboo Forest responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 6:01 pm →
“I do want direct advertisers. Google AdSense earnings are ridiculous. But I’ll save this rant for another post.”
I look forward to that rant. It would be a very interesting one.
Surprisingly I wasn’t aware of the “more details” option on google reader to find out how many google subscribers a blog has. You gave me something fun to do.
I agree. Your alexa ranking is extremely strong. Your comments, not just in number - but in quality and insight is extremely strong, as is your technorati ranking. Your blog is very powerful. No need to show the subscriber count. Wise move.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..7 Sounds That Make You Want to Gouge Your Eyes Out
Bamboo Forest responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 6:02 pm →
Oh. And, thanks for the link.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..7 Sounds That Make You Want to Gouge Your Eyes Out
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 8:09 pm →
@ bamboo Forest: Thank you! This was the most supportive, encouraging thing anyone has ever said to me about this blog. I really appreciate the support.
Al at 7P responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 8:11 pm →
Hi Vered - let me echo what everyone else has said and this was a very informative post! Subscriber count, Alexa rankings, Compete.com stats, PageRank, SEO, etc… It’s a wonder that bloggers have time to write articles!
I’m actually surprised that people would unsubscribe if they saw lower than expected numbers. That would make me actually consider tricking the RSS numbers. It’s just not worth it though since once integrity is lost, it’s real hard to get it back. Still, I’m surprised that it backfired for you, Vered.
Perhaps give it a couple of more weeks? Feedburner is quite volatile with their numbers so these could be just simply be natural fluctuations?
Al at 7P’s last blog post..The Criminally-Minded Approach for Achieving Goals
Kelly@SHE-POWER responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 9:34 pm →
Hi Vered
Thanks for the link. I think taking the counter off for you is a smart move because you have so many comments I would have assumed you had MORE than 300-ish subscribers. I think Skellie’s advice is definitely fitting for you. Let them wonder.
As for me, this week I’ve been sick so the last thing I care about is how many subscribers I have. I go through stages of wanting my blog to grow and thinking about what I could do better (I’m stable in subscribers, growing in traffic and also a bit in comments), but mostly I fall back on how important is this really in the scheme of my life? If I got up to 500 subscribers, well that’s a nice size blog, but what would it really bring me other than a bit of an ego stroke? I guess when it comes down to it, blogging is very much a hobby for me and so I can’t see the point in getting into the whole competitive side of things.
I think the best advice anyone can give with blogging is know why you do it. if you are trying to create a major income source then you’re going to have to be strategic and cater to an audience’s needs and try to get as many subscribers as you can. And even then you probably need a healthy dose of luck.
If you do it for self expression and community, then don’t stress yourself out with stats. maybe even ignore them. If you enjoy writing and people come to talk to you about your thoughts then you’re in a good situation I think.
Kelly
Kelly@SHE-POWER’s last blog post..SHE-POWER Women: Monika Mundell is the Writing Chef
Kristin responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 10:09 pm →
My blog has exactly 2 subscribers to BlogLines. I’m one of them. LOL So half of my subscribers is me! lol I haven’t ventured into the realm of advertising but I am hoping to do so very soon. I wanted to see if I enjoyed blogging first and I have found that I really do. In fact I just love all of the blogs that I have found from being involved in the blogging community.
Have a great day!
Kristin
Kristin’s last blog post..Drive a Stick
Exit 78 » Shout Out for August comments…, and then some! responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 10:33 pm →
[…] Vered […]
Barbara Swafford responds:
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 at 11:54 pm →
Hi Vered,
Shortly after I started blogging I found out that most of our “numbers” can be manipulated, so I don’t put much weight on them. When we start blogging for the numbers, we can easily lose the real reason we started to blog; because we love to write, share and/or help others.
Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..Charity Starts At Home
Mozi Esme's Mommy responds:
Posted: September 3rd, 2008 at 5:55 am →
Very interesting post! It’s amazing how addicted I am to numbers when my blog was NOT started for advertising or any other purpose that requires numbers.
Mozi Esme’s Mommy’s last blog post..WFMW - "J" Crafts
Kim Woodbridge responds:
Posted: September 3rd, 2008 at 9:52 am →
I’ve also noticed wild fluctuations in subscriber counts recently - http://www.winextra.com/2008/08/16/how-to-lose-two-thirds-of-your-rss-subscribers/
There is also the issue that a subscriber doesn’t necessarily translate into a visitor, which is what we we really want. I subscribe to way to many feeds - too many to read. For some of these sites I am increasing their count but I never visit the site.
My site is slowly getting more visitors but the feed count is low. It also fluctuates so much. I’ll get up and have 20 fewer subscribers then when I went to bed. I can’t imagine all 20 unsubscribed overnight.
I was displaying the count on my site but am going to remove it. If 300 is too low then 50 is laughable
For some higher numbers means more money. For others it is a validation that their hard work is paying off and that people are reading their articles.
Now what I really want to know is how to get more of my visitors to leave a comment.
Kim Woodbridge’s last blog post..Stuff This in Your RSS - Demo Girl 9/2/08
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 3rd, 2008 at 10:00 am →
@ Al: “Subscriber count, Alexa rankings, Compete.com stats, PageRank, SEO, etc… It’s a wonder that bloggers have time to write articles!” Very true.
I don’t think people actively unsubscribed when they saw the count – it’s always been a two steps forward one step back type of progress and it just remained this way. I think that in my situation it just doesn’t make sense to highlight the number of subscribers. If I must show off, there are plenty of other, more impressive, numbers that I can use for that.
@ Kelly: I’m so sorry you’re not feeling well. I will email you.
I LOVE your comment. You really clarified things for me. You said three things that I completely agree with:
1. “If I got up to 500 subscribers, well that’s a nice size blog, but what would it really bring me other than a bit of an ego stroke?”
2. “I think the best advice anyone can give with blogging is know why you do it.”
3. “If you do it for self expression and community, then don’t stress yourself out with stats.”
I was talking about it with Ido the other day, and he said the exact same things: that I need to figure out why I blog. If I blog for money and fame
then I need to stop insisting on writing what I want to write, and start writing what people want to read, which would probably mean more posts like this one and less posts like this one.
The problem with me: I want it all. I want to write from the heart and choose the topics that are interesting to ME. I don’t want to write to please an audience. And yet, I want that audience and I want it to grow. I guess you can’t really have it all – you need to choose.
@ Kristin: Well, I checked and you have 5 Google Reader subscribers so you’re in a better shape than you thought.
@ Barbara: “When we start blogging for the numbers, we can easily lose the real reason we started to blog; because we love to write, share and/or help others.” It’s true. I don’t think I blog to help others, but I definitely blog because I enjoy writing and interacting.
@ Mozi Esme’s Mommy: Exactly. You can become addicted to the stats even if you’re not a pro blogger.
@ Kim: This is interesting info about migrating to Google. It is going to be very interesting. I wonder if the FeedBurner loopholes will finally get fixed so that counts will be more accurate after everything settles in.
Re comments, when I just started out I visited other blogs and left comments on them. Now, most of my new commenters find me. I think I get people to comment because I ask questions. Even when I don’t ask a question, I try to craft a post in a way that would make people think and would make them want to add something to the discussion.
Bamboo Forest responds:
Posted: September 3rd, 2008 at 11:45 am →
“I want it all. I want to write from the heart and choose the topics that are interesting to ME. I don’t want to write to please an audience.”
I actually think your subject matters are right on target for generating wide interest and “pleasing an audience.” I also think that when you write what you believe in, what resonates with you, that will always be your best writing and it will connect the best with your readers.
So in a very real sense - when you write for yourself you’re writing for others. It will be your best writing and others will appreciate it.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..7 Sounds That Make You Want to Gouge Your Eyes Out
theramblinghousewife responds:
Posted: September 3rd, 2008 at 12:25 pm →
No counters. I have an “itty-bitty,” blog readership and have no big plans to put forth effort to expand it. I write for the sheer pleasure of writing —when I can find the time away from the paid writing gig (Which isn’t very often these days . . .:(
theramblinghousewife’s last blog post..Searching for Sacred
Rita responds:
Posted: September 3rd, 2008 at 3:25 pm →
Vered,
When I “inherited” my site, it had Feedburner on it. When I went to see what a “feeburrner reader” was defined as, I tried to remove it. I just didn’t care. As I went to remove it, it stayed: and brought my reader count to “0.” I was just HOPING that it wasn’t angry with me, or something. I finally got rid of it. Now, once a month, I go yo searchbliss.com.
Rita
Rita’s last blog post..Prophet and Loss Statement - Part II –Surprise!
Dot responds:
Posted: September 3rd, 2008 at 7:51 pm →
“I want it all. I want to write from the heart and choose the topics that are interesting to ME. I don’t want to write to please an audience.” It seems to me that you’re feeling a very common conflict for writers — we don’t want to sell out our artistic principles, but at the same time we want it to be popular, prize-winning, money-earning, best-selling. We want our writing to be liked or loved. And statistics, readers, views, comments, subscribers, ad dollars are all efforts to quantify that kind of approval, especially if, as you say, you don’t need to do it for the money.
That’s how I feel about my blog — I want to write what I want, and then I want the world to beat a path to my door. I know it’s not likely to happen, since my point of view has never been particularly popular in the non-digitized world, but it’s still my secret hope. But you’ve already got such success — I drool over the idea of having paid ads.
No, I don’t advertise that I have 0 subscribers. If I bothered to subscribe to my own blog, I’d have one subscriber, but I don’t have time to read the number of blogs that would require a feed reader, so I just browse. I have to settle for quality blogs, with a small rotating group of maybes. I have yet to learn what an Alexa ranking is. And now that I’m about to move my blog, any links to it that existed in the past will no longer work. Sigh.
On another subject, as long as there is money in it, there will be fiddling with the numbers. I often think of Bill Gates, who seemed to be this idealistic teenager (I say “seemed”) but quite early on was using business tactics that had been the subject of lawsuits when IBM used them. When the score is kept in dollars, some players play very dirty, and I would imagine that goes for bloggers as much as any kind of businessman/woman.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 3rd, 2008 at 7:55 pm →
@ Bamboo Forest: I agree that when you write about stuff that’s truly interesting to you, your writing has more appeal. It’s encouraging to hear (read?) you say that my topics do have a wide appeal.
@ theramblinghousewife: “I write for the sheer pleasure of writing” – I respect that!
@ Rita: Once a month is good. I check my stats once a day, and I think it’s too much.
@ Dot: “When the score is kept in dollars, some players play very dirty, and I would imagine that goes for bloggers as much as any kind of businessman/woman.” I agree. Money has a way of making people forget about principles and values.
Don Mills Diva responds:
Posted: September 3rd, 2008 at 8:21 pm →
This is really, really interesting stuff Vered. I’m not as interested in numbers as I used to be because I just don’t have the time to do the hustle AND keep u the writing. I haven’t even figured out how to use feedburner yet!
Don Mills Diva’s last blog post..A Leather Tragedy Turned Supple
Evelyn Lim responds:
Posted: September 3rd, 2008 at 9:11 pm →
I have the same thoughts as Hunter. I thought your subscriber base was more because of the number of comments that you get each time. I’m convinced now that your readers are stalking you because by the time I read your post (and sometimes even before I get an email alert), I see so many people ahead of me! Hey…I want to be the first few!
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 3rd, 2008 at 9:53 pm →
@ Don Mills Diva: I agree that there’s just not enough time to do it all. I certainly don’t want my writing to suffer.
@ Evelyn: Then I did the right thing by removing it.
“I’m convinced now that your readers are stalking you” - you are so funny! It must be the time difference.
Michelle in Mx responds:
Posted: September 3rd, 2008 at 10:54 pm →
I subscribe to you.
I’m still in the “think small” group.
Only a tad competative - soI might look at my site meter once I’m done here.
Michelle in Mx’s last blog post..A meme
J.D. Meier responds:
Posted: September 4th, 2008 at 1:19 am →
I originally thought it wasn’t important, but the point on social proof is a good one. Sign of life help. Some pro bloggers recommend showing your count if it’s over 100. It doesn’t need to be a lot, just enough to show that other people pop by and you’re not the house that never sells.
J.D. Meier’s last blog post..3 Revealing Questions for Myth Busting
Shamelle - TheEnhanceLife responds:
Posted: September 4th, 2008 at 3:14 am →
I know exactly what you mean.
I also keep a close eye on the subscriber count and see it swing up and down.
Personally, I think people who blog about technology etc tend to get more subscribers. Leo of Zen Habbits is of course a exception :-).
Like Kelly says we need to identify the motivation for blogging. Having said that I think we all “want” some recognition and fame.
Shamelle - TheEnhanceLife’s last blog post..Inspirational Quotes To Get You Through The Toughest Of Days
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 4th, 2008 at 10:24 am →
@ Michelle: Ha… made you look.
Thank you for being a subscriber!
@ J.D.: I agree that the social proof argument does make sense. I think that in my particular situation, the counter doesn’t add to the appeal, but it can certainly work fro other blogs.
@ Shamelle: There’s no doubt we all want recognition. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have chosen such a public method of expressing ourselves.
Christina responds:
Posted: September 4th, 2008 at 5:21 pm →
The subscriber count on my site fluctuates as well. Hopefully feedburner will figure out the glitches.
Sara at On Simplicity responds:
Posted: September 4th, 2008 at 11:17 pm →
Vered, I loved this. You actually say what the rest of us just think. I’ve actually been toying with the idea of adding the count on my site, since it’s gotten to be pretty respectable. I think I’ll take the advice you mentioned to someone in the comments, and at least give it try for myself. If it does nothing, I’ll probably leave it off, since the simple aesthetic is pretty important to me.
For what it’s worth, I’m completely jealous of your insanely high comment count. And, like Bamboo Forest, I’m dying for AdSense rant!
Sara at On Simplicity’s last blog post..What Could You Accomplish If You Truly Freed Yourself?
lizriz responds:
Posted: September 5th, 2008 at 2:58 pm →
My subscriber count shows, but my Site Reader stats are hidden. I think of displaying my feed count box mostly as encouraging other people to subscribe, since many readers still don’t use feeds, and they are convenient. Somehow the number represents real people and interesting information vs. just a button which is easy to just pass over with your eyes.
As for advertising, BlogHer ads uses an independent monitoring system, so I couldn’t fool them even if I wanted to!
lizriz’s last blog post..Scenes from the Gynecologist’s Office
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 5th, 2008 at 9:16 pm →
@ Christina: Those fluctuations are annoying, aren’t they?
@ Sara: I knew you had a high subscriber count because I SPIED on you on Google Reader.
I think it’s VERY impressive, and you did the right thing by putting it on. It actually blends well with your site’s look. You can always take it off if it doesn’t seem to increase subscription rate, although if I were you - with over 1,000 subscribers - I would keep it on. You should be proud. I’m totally jealous.
@ lizriz: “I think of displaying my feed count box mostly as encouraging other people to subscribe” - that was my assumption too, but it didn’t seem to work.
Shilpan | successsoul.com responds:
Posted: September 6th, 2008 at 6:25 am →
Vered - This is a subject that has flashed through my mind several times lately as I have a respectable subscriber base now. I’ve wondered if it is worthwhile to display it or not. The fluctuations caused by the glitches in the feedburner itself has caused immense grief for those who display their subscription count. I do not want that kind of stress to take away my creativity and joy of writing quality posts. Hence, I am not displaying it for now.
Shilpan | successsoul.com’s last blog post..Charlie Chaplin’s Guide to Picking Yourself Up When Life Knocks You Down
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 6th, 2008 at 11:30 am →
Shilpan, I know that you have a lot of subscribers (more than 1,000 I’m guessing) because I’ve been spying on you too.
I think that you should totally display it. As you say, it is a respectable number. You should be proud!
Wilson’s Words and Pictures | My Social Experiment: RSS Numbers responds:
Posted: September 7th, 2008 at 5:44 pm →
[…] 7th, 2008 in Blogging My friend Vered DeLeeuw, of MomGrind, started this social experiment and I would like to continue with […]
Daniel Richard responds:
Posted: September 8th, 2008 at 4:52 am →
I had long taken down the subscriber number on my blog while it was still going on as a young website. However, true enough, I too want to have more subscribers viewing both the feeds (there are the daily short ones provided only in the feed) and also on the main blog articles itself.
Hmm by the way, Sara’s page seems to be down now. Can’t access it.
I’m sticking to not showing any numbers for the moment, until it reaches the 10k+ mark.
Daniel Richard’s last blog post..Need We Have Another Reason (to Build People Up)?
Patricia responds:
Posted: September 9th, 2008 at 1:47 pm →
I let my techie be concerned about the numbers but I do like to know that someone is reading something I wrote and wanted to come back for more. How amazing to have a link to another blog - I see that on Barbara’s page all the time and the thank you’s on your page.
I think my concern is that when the seeds of doubt come on, I try to do something for someone else and knowing how to link would be helpful. I will chat with my techie about that too
I always seem to plant trees in all my endeavors and I want them to be healthy and have strong roots. I think more comments would provide the interaction I am seeking and certainly getting some income from my writing would allow me some vision of how the fruits of my labors were being consumed.
Numbers have never really done anything for me - well maybe not never - I am very proud of surviving and graduating from Princeton Theological Seminary one of the first 11 women to receive a M.Div degree and be ordained out of a group of 750 men. That number I am very proud of and celebrate - though no church has ever hired me because I am known as “the problem”. 52% of the folks graduating from seminary now are women.
So far for me I think a counter would just be some kind of security blanket for me…very nice writing and very clear information. Thank you for this post.
Patricia’s last blog post..Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Kind of Woman
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 9th, 2008 at 8:25 pm →
@ Daniel: 10K is ambitious. Good luck!
@ Patricia: “I am very proud of surviving and graduating from Princeton Theological Seminary one of the first 11 women to receive a M.Div degree and be ordained out of a group of 750 men.” You SHOULD be proud! That’s a major accomplishment.
Platform Beds Phil responds:
Posted: September 13th, 2008 at 7:56 pm →
I think having a subscriber counter is no different than those early page counters with odometer style numbers that kept clicking up by one every time someone hit that page. After awhile it didn’t serve much of a purpose and I think the subscriber counter is going to end up going the same way.
I find it interesting though that some individuals do like these counters and I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use them if you like them but blog posts are private to a certain extent and perhaps the number of subscribers should be private as well. I do see the point when it relates to bringing in advertisers and I guess if you have a high subscriber count than having that visible should help in that regard.
-Phil
Beginner Blogger Blues | Deeper Issues responds:
Posted: September 15th, 2008 at 7:53 pm →
[…] better. I began to obsess about getting readers, even though my blog was brand new. Vered wrote a very informative article about how important traffic statistics are to bloggers. Why didn’t I have more readers in my […]
Recent Links Tagged With "subscribers" - JabberTags responds:
Posted: December 27th, 2008 at 1:49 am →
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