A Gift for Polydektes uses sitemeter.com to track readers. I get about 30-35 visitors a day. It provides a free cute map telling where readers are from and what link they clicked to visit.The last forty visitors breaks down like this: 13 from unknown (bookmarks&bots), 19 from Google searches (mostly related to the topics I discuss!), 3 from Yahoo search, 2 from links on my web site and two from other blogs (moneta-l-bloggers and A Survey of Ancient Coins).
So I'm getting readers -- that's great. I was hoping this medium would be more interactive and I'm slightly concerned that no one has commented on my last 14 posts. I was wondering what kind of posts would get more reader interaction? The only person who responds regularly is Wayne Homren, who responds through his own popular meta-blog the e-Sylum.
Reader survey: What kind of posts would you be willing to respond to? Book/site reviews? Dealer interviews? Digitization and computer stuff? Fakes? Other? Guest co-bloggers? How about 'open threads' where you can post your own questions or promote your own web site?
7 comments:
So I was the last person to comment 16 posts ago on the York well vacuuming!
I can also confirm I regularly check out your site and navigate here always from you site that I have bookmarked.
Re comments; I tend not to add a comment unless I can add something. The posts you make are diverse and interesting and I usually call in every two days or so.
Keep them coming,
Regards
Rich ("mauseus")
Ed- I would not assume lack of comments means lack of interest. I find your posts to be fascinating with a great mix of subjects. Please keep it up! I agree with Rich. I really just tend to post a comment if I feel I have something to add.
All the best,
Peter Tompa
Ed,
I visit the site regularly for your eclectic observations on numismatic matters and the steer you frequently give your readers to other sources and interesting topics; ones that I would not normally pick-up in my travels around the web.
Like others, I will only comment if I can really add something to the discussion. Frequently, your erudite exposition is so comprehensive that little can be added to the subject, so take the lack of comments as a compliment to your skill and expertise.
In answer to your question, I would be prepared to respond to any of the subjects you note, although the technology aspects don’t grab too much of my attention. I would certainly enjoy hearing/reading of interviews with dealers and numismatic luminaries, covering all aspects of the dynamics of the numismatic market and developments in numismatic study, preferably with an emphasis on ancient Greek numismatics. The latter emphasis obviously reflects my personal preference, but also I think that this area is under serviced relative to that of Roman numismatics.
Another topic, that of ethical collecting and the discussion of the associated issues of the ownership and dealing in portable antiquities is an area that potentially would generate a lot of reader response. However, I’d hesitate to go down this route as it potentially becomes a venue for vitriol from the extremists on both sides of the debate. For some reason the very mention of subject seems to bring out the worst in a lot of people and all hope of objective discussion vaporizes in the heat.
The caution in all this is that if you become too focused on any one of the subject areas, there is a risk that your site will be less differentiated from the many specialist numismatic discussion boards. For me the charm and utility of your site is the wide ranging topics that catch your attention and are passed on to your readers.
Keep up the great work.
Best Regards
Lloyd
The topic I'm most interested in is using computers to collect and study ancient coins. I'd like to get opinions from people on web sites they like (for coins and otherwise), and features missing from web sites that would make collecting more rewarding or more scholarly.
The "collection organization" site I really like is LibraryThing. Does anyone want to talk about it? My books can be seen here. William A. Burd's large book collection can be seen here. What's interesting about this site is how it links to other sites (Amazon, Library of Congress) for research. It's also cool how it delivers statistics, letting users find each other on the basis of how similar their libraries are. I like how users are allowed to upload pictures of book covers and authors. I like how collectors can list their books but still be anonymous.
I always read even when I don't comment. You're doing a great job with a wide range of topics, and that variety is something I hope you'll continue.
> features missing from web sites that would make collecting more rewarding or more scholarly
That is of interest to me also. I'm especially grateful when you draw attention to a technical paper I might not otherwise see -- something on metallurgy, for example. I'm always glad to have specialist topics introduced to me -- things I hadn't come across before. Items relating to methodology, die studies, hoard analysis, etc., are also interesting.
I'm also a long-time LibraryThing user. Here's the numismatics group I created there:
http://www.librarything.com/groups/numismatics
Everyone's welcome to join. While it does have bulletin board features, it's mainly of interest for discovering other collectors and for learning about interesting books in numismatics.
Also, is there a numismatics blog carnival? If not, perhaps you can be the person to start one. It's a good way of bringing in new readers:
http://blogcarnival.com
Ed,
I have your blog bookmarked. I agree with others, please don't assume no comments equals lack of interest. I do know the frustration, though, of feeling like you are talking into a void. I have posted topics before on discussion sites and it's very disappointing to get no replies. I very much like your blog- it's a relief to find that there is somebody out there who shares my esoteric and sometimes very specific interests!
As for topics, I can only speak to my interests. I like posts about coins themselves and numismatic research. I also like bibliophile and antiquarian posts. Posts about the trade and dealer interviews would also be interesting. How about something concerning your collection (assuming you still keep one)? It does seem that advanced collectors/scholars often leave collecting behind and move to a pure academic mindset. I am not particularly interested in technical computer issues. I would love to form a website to catalog my collection, but the nuts and bolts of how its done does not particularly excite me and does feel tedious. Copyright issues I find unexciting as well (each to his own) but I do comment when I feel I can contribute. Your project for an electronic research shelf is definitely worth doing. Fakes don’t really interest me (as long as I can of course avoid them). Tips on good websites/blogs are great. I have enjoyed reading bookride per your recommendation. There is quite a dearth of ancient coin blogs that deal with collecting itself rather than issues surrounding collecting (like Wayne Sayles blog).
Please keep blogging- you do have readers,
Kevin
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