STAT!

So, it’s January 31st, 2009 and the blog is still going strong. My New Year’s Resolution is working out very well. You can see that there has been at least one post per day, the one of me playing guitar was used for something in another dimension of the Internet and I didn’t want to load it up on YouTube, even though no one would probably view it.

What do you think of the content? Good? Bad? A pleasant time killer? Waste of time?

I genuinely have no idea what anyone’s take is on this blog because I do not receive any comments or emails and this is NOT to say that you HAVE to write in, but I was just curious.

Anyway, I’m always up for sharing how the blog is going with you the reader in case you’re interested.

I am still writing. I have a book of blog ideas that can stretch out for a few months so hopefully there will be something new for you to read every day regardless of what I’m doing (which is good because I have a lot of business plans and hey, I’m going to be a dad again this year so there’s always that too). It is a tough resolution, don’t get me wrong though. My business plans involve me being away from computers so I would need to blog enough to cover my absences, then come back with hopefully enough cushion time to write some more blogs and get the ground back under my feet. Add to that a crying infant and a probably-jealous older sister and an understandably tired wife and you can see how I’m going to be busy busy busy. Maybe some family will come to visit and take some of the load off of me.

As far as READERS go, like I said before, numbers are going down. There are spikes here and there, usually when I post links to the blog with videos for the guitar communities but usually it’s around 5-12 people per day. That’s unique, by the way, not one person coming back 12 times.

The monthly view of numbers looks pretty interesting and it was steadily climbing all the way to December when it took a dive by about 100 unique visitors. November had about 745 unique people coming to it, December had 640 something and January isn’t looking like it’s picking up very much. I think, if it’s going to happen in the first place, that it’ll be a while before numbers get back up to those levels again.

I’m not complaining, just stating the facts. I’m happy that there’s anyone reading this, so it doesn’t matter if the blog is diving and soaring to me so long as it hasn’t flat-lined. It isn’t like I’m TRYING to gain popularity with this blog. Why would I? It’s one thing for people to stumble on it from forum signature and keep reading it because they have a basic idea of who I am and maybe they find it interesting. I can see that happening. But for me to log out and TRY to gain readers, that seems a little… I don’t know. I just don’t want banner ads with my face on it saying stuff like “Come get to know me!” I definitely don’t want that.

It’s like meeting an interesting person and checking out their MySpace. Except I don’t update MySpace. My New Year’s resolution does not involve regularly updating my MySpace page. It DOES involve a new blog here every day. So save the link as a favorite and check back daily. There’s a ton of good stuff coming your way.

My OTHER blog (http://www.5th-fret.blogspot.com) is doing well. Unlike this one where there was a dip last month and this month’s not looking too impressive, I passed last month’s then-highest number by two as of early this morning. That blog I AM trying to get out there and maybe even become a “legitimate” blog. I don’t know exactly what constitutes a legitimate blog – I have no clue so just like whenever this happens, I’ll just make stuff up.

Russ’ requirements to be a legitimate blog:

Over 1,000 unique people per month coming in.

More than FIVE interviews with people in the ‘biz.

NAMM Press Passes.

No lower in rank in the top 100 than number 60.

Those are my requirements to be legitimate.

But to be considered successful in my own eyes?

Over 2,000 unique people per month coming in.

More than 10 interviews with people in the ‘biz.

Going to NAMM and covering it.

No lower in rank than number 20.

At least one gear review where a company sends me something to review.

Invitations to Guitar factories to check it out and write about it.

Now THOSE are some lofty goals, but I figure I have all the time in the world right? We’ll see what happens.

I know I say it frequently but I really appreciate you coming to read this blog. I hope you find some level of enjoyment from it and want to keep coming back. If you weren’t around, I wouldn’t feel nearly as good about putting all this out there.

Thanks, folks. I appreciate it in the truest definition of the word.