Curiosity

Recently, I have become curious about my audience of  blog readers. I have been bloging daily since March 1st and only have missed a handful of days. This is an awesome accomplishment, one which I am proud of making. My posts seem to yield a consistent and slowly growing contingent of regular readers. Some readers are regular commentators, as well. Just like anything public, it is nice to get feedback on what you are writing and how you are connecting with people.  I know when I have hit upon a nerve, when readers agree with me, receive different perspectives, and more, when I am able to have a few lines of feedback from my readers.

However, my curiosity is more about those who do not comment. I know linking to  my Facebook page brings my posts to more readers. My son, who is soon to be a new graduate student and my sister-in-law, both loyal readers, brought this to my attention. Previous to their observations, I did not realize that my slowly growing of followers number on WordPress is actually larger due to the Facebook links to my blog.  Like a lot of things in life, more is better.

But, who are these readers? Are they people I know that are reading my blog surreptitiously? Are they able to find a connection while reading my posts? When they like a photo that is featured with the post, are they liking just the photograph or something I said in the post? Without comments, I do not know.

Occasionally, I write about things that might irritate my readers. I can be critical, hopeful, biased, and forgiving all in the same post. I know my blog is not funny, nor is it meant to be. I am not a funny person. I have a good sense of humor, but writing humorously is not my forte.  From my experience working as a classroom volunteer,  I know that authors write for different reasons. My reason for writing is not to entertain, but to inform.  I think there are local issues and observations that need to be discussed because if no one discusses them, the problems continue to exist. I want to stimulate your critical thinking skills, your problem solving skills, and maybe start a conversation about things that might be important to you – to all of us. I tend to express myself better using the written word. And, since I have tried more traditional ways of communicating concerns, of which some have worked and some have not, I thought blogging might still allow me to address issues I am passionate about – namely, education and the environment – without becoming overly frustrated that my audience is hearing me but not listening.

But, I ask this: are you reading my blog off my Facebook page? If so, I would really like to know. If you do not want others to know, why not send me a private message? What topics have I written about that have resonated with you?  What makes you curious enough to read my posts but not leave a comment?  I am curious about you, my readers – especially readers I know, readers that have personal experience with the topics of which I am writing. Am I reaching you? I am curious.

In any case, thank you for reading. Please feel free to comment, especially if you never have before.