My first humble post at Open Salon was in January 0f 2009. That post was assigned the number 89,102. My post this morning on the movie Letters to Juliet was number 626,233. What that means is that there have been 537,131 posts published on OS since January of '09 and my post this morning.
To say that is a lot of posts is an understatement. I posted yesterday morning and again this morning. In that brief span of time there was one thousand four hundred and three posts between my two posts.
Wondering why you might not be getting lots of comments or EPs are few and far between? Think of the sheer volume of posts going through the feed. It's amazing. Absolutely astounding and mind boggling. It used to be easier to follow some of my favorites; now I can be gone for couple of hours and miss their most recent posts just by the sheer volume of new post that were published in such a short period of time.
I don;t know if this mean there are more writers than readers, but from a content perspective, it's a lot of content.
Yes , I know we have spammers, bots, etc., nonetheless it seems as if Open Salon has grown exponentially. Perhaps for some who have been here for awhile, the OS world seems so much more crowded. Less like the old days or beta days.
There's such a tremendous amount of talent here, and it is increasingly hard to keep up with everyone's work. I apologize for missing out on some of your gems. I know I've missed more than a few.
What does this volume of postings mean to you?
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Further to your comments, the sheer volume makes me appreciate the people who follow my "stuff" and are encouraging. It nice to know that the work is not disappearing into the void of the internet. The diversity of the articles from writers on Open Salon never fails to astonish and inform.
Take care, OES!
GA -- I don't know what is real and what is "spam" it's just a lot of water through the pipe. People come here for different reasons, and stay or leave at their pleasure. It's unique for an unmoderated site, and the fact that it's "open" comes with its blessings and curses. Thanks for the comment.
Noggie -- Thank you for the very kind words. I'd be curious to understand the business model for this site, but it's proprietary and I feel like were reaping the benefits of a well off uncle.
I hope the plug never gets pulled.
Right now my inbox has 280 PM's - some of that is because I like to keep PM's when I have had an interesting back and forth with someone, some of it is people whom I have encouraged to drop me a line when they post. I have a lot of catching up to do!I work from home and can doodle away here - I'm always curious about us 24/7 OS'ers and people who actually GO to a job, raise children, care for aging parents and STILL manage to whip out great writing!
The stats are always fascinating to me; I don't know how to keep track. How did you figure this out?
I agree with the rich uncle analogy - it's free and open and not moderated and people are, in general, pretty nice! You are one of the nicest.
Matt - Your tolerance of your fellow man impresses me. I am an imperfect sheepdog. ::hangs head in shame::
Brian -- Sounds like you have the reverse Midas touch. NOT.
Thanks for your kind words.
I know some people complain that OS isn't keeping up or something, but I like it.
I do miss the old days. But what does this say about next year?
Robin -- you have a cool niche carved out here. xox
Leon -- Are you filling in for Blumenthal while he's away.
Densie -- Maybe you're the reason traffic has increased.
Thumbs -- Most everyone is an adult here. There are a few teen writers that are quite good. Average Jane comes to mind.
I think that was taken the wrong way. I should have used mature instead of adult.
mypsyche -- I always thought I was a mediocre writer. All these new and talented people now validate it for me ;).
ben sen -- This is conundrum of success if success is having more traffic. I know you have a loyal following. Please keep writing.
Linnnn -- Bill S. who recently left the OS scene had a great line about OS: "I get read here!" Got what you are saying.
Thumbs -- I get it know...my bad, as I read the meaning different from your intent. Thanks for clarifying.
Doug -- it is overwhelming. Remember that guilt is the gift that keeps on giving.
Dear Reader -- Plus you have the time change to contend with too.
Stellaa -- I love your candor.
Zinnia -- you've been here forever, too!
I have found it hard to keep up with all of the great talent here since the site came out of beta and the numbers starting growing by leaps and bounds in the summer of '08!
Seriously, it's tough to be seen around here lately, especially for the newbies who don't have a following yet, when I came on here a year and over a half ago, it was easier to be seen, different crowd, you had the late night krew, we would throw new writers at each other, like GO SEE THEM....that hasn't really changed, but it's tougher to find these new gems in the pile that gets heaped on.
That's also the number one reason why I still support blog whoring, especially other folks we discover. I don't get out into the Flow too much around here, so I know I definitely miss old and new posts left and right.
Rita -- Just relaying what I've read about the so called good old days. Not my sentiments.
John -- Yeah it's a lot of growth,
JC -- Rabid? Rabies? Really? Not so. Keep writing.
Please.
Andy -- Sometime I see your posts or someone comments on it in the feed, it's a crap shoot.
I've noticed a lot of people posting and I'm falling waaaayyyy behind on my reading, and I started my vacation!
Oh, well. Got to read faster, I guess.
Or maybe I should just quit my job?
I finally decided to begin posting...I'm very excited to have an outlet, but there is an awful lot of competition here. It is very intimidating...you really need to write well in order to hold your head high around here.
I think OS is Cool. A great place to read people's musings, write your own, and to interact with the audience. The numbers you indicated are exciting and I hope to continue watching the number of comments on my posts grow with my progress.
Leslie -- Every one can find a niche here. The cover is there to get the widest audience.
Don -- You're welcome.
Tink -- I used to read you for the tags, now I read you for the posts. Mazel Tov!
Stim -- It's like having the keys to a candy store. Lots and lots of candy.
Jeff -- Wise words indeed. Thanks.
PWRD -- I don't claim to be an expert. I'm just reporting on what I've observed. The growth has been unbelievable.
Vanessa -- Trying to catch up on reading at OS is like drinking from a firehose.
Tricia -- I have to find a balance between OS and the rest of my life like so many others.
BS -- It is hard unless your here 24/7...I can't recommend that.
Beth -- There's an OS urban legend is that there are actually 4 people who under a multitude of pseudonyms. You are not insignificant. I like your posts.
Amanda -- OS is like a virtual Library of Congress.
Gary -- Yes the sirens...
GreenMT -- Thanks for commenting, but please start writing.
I guess I'm like many others - read some old favorites, check out new pieces if it's a catchy title on an ineresting subject, check out some of the higher rated etc.
I comment more than post but I've noticed that an increasing number of posters don't reply to comments. Maybe it's the volumes, I don't really know. But in a couple of cases I've started skipping commenting and sometimes reading. If the comments aren't worth a response, why bother making them?
For now it's an enjoyable pastime. I've never written much before so it's been fun trying to acquire or brush up on the skills.
I joined last fall, but my last job had me killing myself--about 70 hours a week. Unemployment has given me precious time to write and post a few times a week here. I love finding new stuff all the time, but I do find myself drawn to a few people in particular.
As for getting EPs, I was floored to get two and both of them about being unemployed. My last EP has seen almost 9,000 readers as of this writing. I don't mind banging my own drum. I tweet, Facebook, Stumble, Digg, etc. so that I can get the word out. I do it for myself (as a writer who wants to get noticed and hopefully some writing deals, self-promotion is necessary). I also do it to bring others to OS so that my new community gets some notice, too.
I think OS will probably continue to grow because it's a great forum for writers and anyone can do it. And it's fun!
There's plenty of technology out there that can help the user find interesting stuff, without needing an editor. How about a "others who rated this post also rated . . ."
But ultimately, if your post flows through the feed at lightening speed, you don't get read and you don't get rated.
Abrawang -- Responding to comments is uneven to say the least. But the sheer volume of posts is hard to keep up with.
Token -- No doubt you've looked at this more deeply than I did. I just thought the sheer volume prevents us from looking at the really good pieces because there is so much noise. It's not my job to be the OS editor. I don't want the job.
I do see some of favorites passing along a link or two on a new blogger so that's one way to enhance the readers' experience here. Thanks for the thoughtful comments.
Kat -- All good points, especially the "fun" part.
Malusinka -- Your last sentence speaks volumes. Even a most recent favorites tab on the cover page would help you go back and find stuff you missed.
Patrick -- This is quite a testament when the odds of getting published are indeed difficult. Thanks for sharing your experience and success here.
I like your schtick, and I really like your avatar, so don't take this personally. But, in practical terms, what the information means is that bloggers will strain themselves even more to appease the masses (that is, dole out excessive flattery, resist stating the unpopular, strive to stay hip to the OS soup du jour, and generally kiss a whole lot of ass--not that there is anything wrong with that!) Others will see the futility of endlessly spinning on the hamster wheel and stop (if only some clever engineer could hook up a gadget to harness the energy that creates, we could power a small part of the world with it--a very small part of the world).
As for me, I have had a need to write something once a day long before I joined OS in January, '10 (I think). I try hard (i know almost all here try hard) not to post anything that I don't love, even if in a small way. I admit to waking at 3 with a fear that I'll heve nothing to write, to comment on, seriously or with humor. This happens a lot.
R,
In this compact report you resonate much of what I have discovered: OS is enormous and enormously good. It is at once many things: a familiar place for good writers, a nurturing environment for new ones, a social community, a formal eZine, an writer extension (AAA team?) for Salon proper, a meet n greet/potluck. No one person defines it (though some try) and no one sets rules for what is or is not proper writing (though some try) .
Thus big thing I have discovered: it is like the marrow of the world,, It is international and seamlessly intimate, personal. It is a pure-d wonderment.
And the interface needs to be changed to meet the needs. We need accordions and auto tabs, and we need to each make our own choices about what modules and tools we want on our blogs, and the content therein. The stage should stay in place, sacrosanct. All that surrounds it should be customizable.
I think those of us who were here in the beta days experienced a lot of change. There was a realization at the time that Open Salon would change dramatically once it exploded. What caught many of us by surprise is that readership seemed to actually decrease as Open Salon grew, instead of growing or at least staying level. Part of it was because it wasn't easy for readers to keep up. The feed and the "favorites" are inadequate tools.
Maybe that's because some of us weren't producing stuff worthy of being read. It's possible. But regardless of the reason, if you're used to a post generating 20 plus comments and then your posts are lucky to get 2, you wonder if it is still worth your time to write anything.
It also means we're onto something at OS -- something I'm happy to be part of...
I appreciate OS. It gives me an outlet for the words tumbling from my pencil and the emotions from my heart. Whether I get read or not, noticed or not, I will continue to write. After all, the writing is my true pleasure...