I recall reading a blog-creation and advice guide that mentioned most blogs went toes-up within a year and never got beyond 1,000 hits per month. Okay, BOOJUM! is now past it's second birthday and does manage to hit about 1,000 hits per month. I suspect at least 500 of those are Anna, trying to boost the blog traffic by visiting 15 times a day, but allow me my delusion of success.
Relative success.
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| Conrad, looking deluded (His default expression) |
Your Title Matters
Indeed it does. Were this blog entitled "Uncle Brian's Victorian Faucet Collection", "Wincelemass Celebrations" or even "Tales of the Cyborg Carrot*", I doubt it would experience the dizzy heights of 3 to 4 hits per day.
"Boojum" has a literary heritage, being mentioned in a nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll. So it has legs. Those who are up on Nineteenth Century English literature might be tempted to have a look, as might those who wonder what, who or where "Boojum" is. It has been aptly summed up by Sophie as "nonsense", which is a pretty fair judgement.
So, you need to aim for a little light literary frazazelle, a name that will intrigue your potential audience.
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| Conrad, going for "Intriguing". And having to settle for "Frightning" |
Carpe Diem, Also Theme**
As you probably know by now, Conrad likes to generate a Theme and run with it for several posts. In the case of "Carbonated Drink Analysis" this lasted for only three or four posts; in the case of The Skreeming Voles, a fictional*** punk band from the Home Counties, it went on for months.
Having a generative meme like this in the background takes some of the heavy-lifting out of your creative process. Currently I have alighted upon parodying Shakespeare, under "Shakeshaft", which could well run for months if not years.
So, seek out a source with longevity. Not "Superheroes With Their Pants Down", I've already got dibs on that.
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| Conrad, with his Magic Rod |
Libel! Slander! Insults!
One of the things that drives BOOJUM! is our vehement hatred of certain institutions and entities, usually First Bus and The Metro. This is a splendid way of generating posts full of vim and brio, but there are consequences of such citric splendour.
This is where "relative success" comes into it's own, since a blog that regularly hit 500,000 visits would inevitably result in reciprocal visits of it's own from that scourge of modern civilisation, the lawyer.
May I demonstrate both civilisation's detestation of the lawyer, and simultaneously how widely-read I am?
I will take that as a "yes".
In Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Christo" one character suggests that Napoleon "form a corps of lawyers and send them where the shot and shell is flying the thickest."
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| Conrad, plotting the demise of all lawyers |
Promoting Your Wares
Conrad's presence on Facebook would be minimal, and non-existent on Twitter, were these not the two principal methods of pimping his prose. I find that posting a link on Twitter results in a small number of immediate hits, whereas with FB the hits tend to be more yet spread over a longer time.
During the week I post in the evening, then again on towards midnight, and repost yesterday's blog first thing in the morning. Weekends I tend to post twice, as I am never short of things to say, write or shout about. Saturday (i.e. today) is usually low in traffic as people are off and about doing things, having Fun or shopping.
You have to strike a balance here; inflicting a link within a post every hour might get you more traffic, but it might also annoy people enough that they hire a hitman.
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| Conrad, in one of his lighter^^ moments. |
It is indeed. The blog's traffic has grown over time thanks to me being persistent and consistent; a post every day unless exceptional circumstances intrude^. I suppose there are ways to boost your traffic - swear words, naughty pictures, current affairs and politics - but Conrad ain't going there. BOOJUM! is meant to do no more than amuse, and by that I mean me quite as much as you.
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| Conrad, doing - er - not quite sure, actually |
* This was almost a real thing back in the Nineties.
** This may rhyme. It depends on your Latin pronunciation. Paging Matt Ingham!
*** I do miss them, the virtual little blighters
^ In order of likeliness: robot revolt, zombie apocalypse or alien invasion.
^^ - and certainly less handsome -
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