With friends like that . . .
But he has a point. So I've decided to change the title of my blog to Sightings Over Sixty, or SOS. I'm not sure if I can change the web address (I'll try, but I often find that blogger.com won't do what sightings.com wants to do). But anyway, that's who I'll be from now on.
(And don't worry, I'll get to the Top 10 Countries in just a minute.)
But speaking of blogger.com having its own way, it recently deleted one of my favorite Gadgets -- the one that highlights recent reader comments in the side column of the blog. Has anyone else had this problem, and if so, do you know how to fix it? First, the Gadget just stopped working. And when I went to try to reapply it, I found that the option was no longer offered on the menu.
And with blogger.com, you have to pick from the menu ... at least as far as I know. So if anyone has any tips for me on that front, please let me know.
Meanwhile, I have to admit, I get a kick out of viewing my "Stats" page -- not so much to see how many people view my blog (if I was concerned with that, I'd be posting photos of a scantily clad Lindsay Lohan and mug shots of Mel Gibson) but where they come from.
As I've admitted before, I am a typical self-centered American. I only speak one language. I've never moved around much in my life, never lived in any other country. I've barely visited other countries -- couple of trips to Europe when I was younger; ditto Canada. I don't even do a whole lot of traveling. I'm soon to leave for my annual trip to a warmer clime, but I don't go to exotic Thailand or Costa Rica (not to mention Nicaragua; see # 8 below), just to boring old Florida or Arizona.*
Yet, through the magic of blogging, I've reached out and touched some people all around the world. And I really do think that's pretty cool. So finally, I present to you the top 10 countries in the world -- at least according to the "audience" page of Sightings Over Sixty.
1) USA . . . well, obviously, but it's good to know that we're still No. 1 at something!
2) Germany ... because of Friko at Friko's World?
3) Canada ... I have a couple of blog friends from Canada, like Natalie at Knatolee's World, which makes me feel very sophisticated, but it seems Canada is usually No. 2, so come on, Canada, you can do better!
4) Russia ... I really do appreciate my Russian visitors, but admit they might just have stumbled here by mistake. Maybe they do a search for "Olga." I have a blog friend Olga at Confessions of a Grandma ... I don't even know if she's of Russian heritage; I only know she lives in Vermont and Florida. But anyway, Olga, thank you!
5) United Kingdom ... again, thank you, Friko, although maybe they're fans of "Downton Abbey" (see my previous post).
6) Japan ... don't ask me.
7) Hungary ... Hungary? Why would anyone from Hungary want to read my blog?
8) Nicaragua ... again, don't ask me
9) Ukraine ... I did mention Ukraine in my post The Far-Flung Family. I also have a friend whose parents came from Ukraine, and he treated B and me to a Ukrainian Christmas dinner, but no one in the blogosphere knows that! Besides, I featured Kazakhstan more prominently, and so far as I know, I have no visitors at all from that part of the world.
10) France ... okay, I only get un peu from France, but still, they make me feel even more sophisticated than the Canadians do!
Anyway, I'd be interested to know from fellow bloggers if you get readers from around the world. Or, from bloggers overseas, if you get a lot of American visitors. And does it make you feel "special" like it does me?
*Please note, esp. international readers who might miss something in translation, any attempt I ever make at humor is intended to make fun of nobody else but myself ... the point here being not that there's something strange about Nicaragua, or that Florida or Arizona is old and boring, but that I am old and boring -- and if you don't believe me, just ask my kids!
16 comments:
Ah,yes, I've wondered. Most are fishing, set their computers to catch tidbits of news they can use; and if they don't leave a comment ever, they are not real people!
Oh, Rosaria, you've popped by bubble. Except, I HAVE received a few comments in foreign languages and I always figured THEY were the spammers.
Hi, Tom. I went looking for that gadget a while ago and could not find it My maternal grandparents came from the Ukraine, BTW.
I'm glad you asked that question. I have seen viewers from all over the world and it confused me a little at first. I figured it out when I looked at the posts (or, in some instances, groups of posts) they visited. Some of the pictures and graphics I use are merely linked to other websites on the internet. Most of the pics are ones I uploaded from my own hard drive. But the posts the mysterious visitors view are almost always one with pictures of some sort (usually of women). I finally realized that they aren't coming to my site to read my wonderful prose but to look at pictures which they probably came across while Googling images.
You’ve got me on twice, Tom, but I only post from the UK, so there must be fans in Germany you don’t even know about.
I have a lot of American readers, I really don’t know why, but I hope they’ll all stick around and carry on reading.
I wish hat some of the readers in the more unlikely places, like Russia, etc. would occasionally show their faces by leaving a comment, but they never do.
I'm surprised you don't have many from Australia. I get quite a few from down under.
What?! Australia didn't show up? I'm your newest observer.
Most of my 'visitors' are from USA,UK Nederlands and of course there are a few from Oz but I treasure the interaction with amazing people from far-flung lands!
Have a great day 'over there' !
My blog title is outdated also. I named it Benchmark 60 when I was looking forward to turning 60 and newly retired. Three years later I'm older but the blog name is the same. It's too much trouble to change it.
Like you I do love it that so many different countries stop by. Some immediately realize their mistake and disappear while some stay to read several pages. Russia may be the only country I haven't had a visit from. The large group come regarding a post I did years ago on Australian Cattle Dogs. That post brings in folks from South America, Europe, Asia, Canada and Mexico. A surprisingly world popular dog.
I don't pay a lot of attention to where my readers come from. I'm more interested in what they have to say. I should take a look.
I have tried a couple of times to leave a comment, but your "prove you are not a robot" check is very offputting.
Okay, I am trying this again with a large magnifying glass. I forgot what i wrote, however. Dianne
Dianne -- I know, I know, but when I tried going without the checker (which I did for about a month) I got so much spam ... mebbe from all those "foreigners." If anyone has a better idea, I'd like to try it.
I also tried going without the checker and was bombarded by robot visits. It's too bad the checker uses such difficult entries.
I love to see where my visitors come from, even if they found me by mistake. And sometimes they stick around. Indonesia, Australia, UK, India, Canada, South America, Spain, Soviet Union . . . and Iceland. So far, no one from Antarctica or North Pole, but who knows?
Just found your blog and enjoyed it.
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