It’s that time again. My blog has survived its second year and I sally forth into its 3rd term with I think as much vigour as I did the first. You can judge for yourselves if you like, my opening salvo to the blog world was this one.
It has been a fairly packed 2 years looking back on it. I have come to know many people in some way shape or form, some have come and gone both physically and figuratively and others like you obviously have remained, we’ve sadly lost Chris Mann on the way but Cass may have been granted a reprieve so I guess honours are even for the time being. It has been vital for me that people interact with me, it fashions and sometimes hardens my opinions and my resolve. I do not think I would be bereft of ideas without audience participation but by the same token I don’t think I would have been able to address such a breadth of subjects. I am grateful for that.
Statistics-wise I have in this 2 year period written 463 entries at an average of 0.63 a day, at a guess I think around 430 of these have been published and I wouldn’t like to guess how many words that is likely to be. Occasionally I have had to grind out an entry or two but these are rarely published I tend to leave it to see if I recapture any lucidity later down the line, but by and large the writing has been easy and enjoyable from my end and I hope the same can be said now and again at least from the perspective of the reader. I have mustered a total of 169,465 hits (231.83 per day) and of these have garnered 1,356 comments. There are 10 hardy souls who have subscribed to my mailing list, scholars and gentlepeople every one I’m sure.
My most read blog of all time was the review of the fairly recent U2 gig in the summer which has received 478 reads and gets more every day. Next is my dodgy LPs entry, one I was especially chuffed with and itself is about to clock 450 reads. The golden age for commenting was definitely Summer 2004 with both Short but Sweet and illblog clocking up 22 and 21 comments respectively. I guess the political stuff doesn’t illicit quite as much response but hey ho I do derive much pleasure from writing it. I periodically reset my referrer log because I find it strangely compelling to see what Google searches have led to people landing here but the links on Longrider and my twin Sarah‘s blogs have always proved fruitful and recently my response to the krypto-fascist email I received has been cited on both a Manchester United supporters club forum as well as one in Aberdeen. I also like the Blog City tags feature and it is of no surprise that my links have been from Capitalism, Imperialism, War, and Politics wouldn’t have seen that one coming eh?!
Finally thanks to Alan and Ceri at BC who have always sought to answer my, often inane and ridiculous, questions swiftly and succinctly, it has made the user experience by and large a painless one, and that has prevented detraction from the job in hand which, for me, is the writing itself. And thanks to everyone who has read and/or contributed at any point, I hope you’ll feel enthused enough to stick around and help me with the next 463 entries.
I’m on 2 weeks sans the booze at the mo’ so you’ll have to do the honours and raise a glass on my behalf, make it a large one, go on, we’ve a lot to get through.
*Reproduced by kind permission of Lynne
Song Of The Day ~ Cut Copy – Going Nowhere
Original Comments:
Rina made this comment,
You make me smile! By the way, I felt very smart yesterday thanks to you. Remember you were saying how the only time to get things done and projects and stuff as work is during the summer? Well I work in the IT dept. at school and one of the reall (full-time) guys and I were talking about breaks and I got to say that. I felt smart, at least smarter than usual as I never know what to say around all the techies.
Anyway that was babble. Hope you’re doing well.comment added :: 18th January 2006, 16:23 GMT+01 :: http://sugarbowl.blog-city.com
John made this comment,
Blimey ! Is it two years ? I don’t know how you do it Baron, but keep at it mate.
comment added :: 18th January 2006, 17:35 GMT+01 :: http://bigjohn.blog-city.com/
:ynne made this comment,
Happy Blogday to me favourite Baron (even if you *have* nicked my brithday-blog title, you bar steward!) Two weeks on the wagon, eh? And just as I was about to offer you some o’ this lovely mead wot I brought back from Scotland too. Shame, I’ll have to drink it by meself now 😉
-Redbaron responds – Hahahaha, When the title came to me I thought that’s a good title, it sounds a bit familiar but I couldn’t place it. It was stolen inadvertantly and in good faith but I shall credit you with it accordingly! Mead, mmmmmm, I love mead, drank it in Cornwall all the time. Nearly at the end of me abstinence as well!-comment added :: 18th January 2006, 22:20 GMT+01 :: http://raingoddess.blog-city.com
:ynne made this comment,
Oops! Gremlin alert! Didn’t mean to comment _that_ many times!! Sorry
comment added :: 18th January 2006, 22:27 GMT+01 :: http://raingoddess.blog-city.com
Kristie made this comment,
Happy Blogday, Baron. You keep me honest and aware and thinking.
Damn you! ;o)comment added :: 20th January 2006, 08:29 GMT+01
moog made this comment,
happy late blog day mate!!! not really around at the mo, and i miss you. i can still sometimes get emails, just not my blog quite so much… i hope that you are cool.. and im glad that the U2 review is the one peeps go to, it was a mad day 😉
comment added :: 21st January 2006, 14:14 GMT+01
RED BARON'S WORDS 