Have you ever looked over the stats for your blog to see what people are reading? I have, and it's not pretty. Let me show you a random bit of stats for this blog compliments of Typepad:
These are almost all coming from Google and they are almost all about the latest *hot* gadgets. A more impressive term is personal technology, but still. I have to say that these *searchers* have good taste. Only the best for my google-based readers.
The truth is that I always have my ear to the ground for the best personal technology. It's really just me being curious and trying to get what I want. But, because of that, I track about 40 different sources with some regularity and hit places like Gizmodo, Engadget, The Gadgeteer, PDA 24/7, Russell Beattie, et. al. almost daily with my trusty newsreader NetNewsWire. I find stuff that's hot. And when I know it's new, hot and cool, I often write about it with my particular slant.
My blog name is Tech Ronin, after all. Tech is a major feature, whether it is gadgets or software or the impact or opportunities of technology. Anyway, the confession is that I do these little personal technology articles partly because I know they are going to get a lot of hits.
But what I really want is a following. And not just because I find cool technology. I really want the following to be about my authentic voice, my ideas, my writing. Stuff that's much more subtle than things you can find by putting a word or two into Google.
I guess you could say that my personal technology stuff is partly my loss leader. I'm really up to bait and switch. Maybe some folks who find me on Google will decide to subscribe. I want subscribers because that starts to feel like friends, associates, partners, community. It would be cool to gain financially, but that's way down the list.
OK, I think I promised to tell you how to improve the quality of your hits. Here's how. Don't sell out and narrow-focus your blog to the point that you forget that it's the added value, the personal touch, the writing, the connection and accessibility that will get you fans.