Friday, 29 July 2011

A bit of navel gazing after 6 months of GourmetGorro

6 months into the blog and with 10,000 hits and counting, I think it’s worth taking a few moments to reflect on the progress of gourmetgorro.blogspot.com. I’ve gained a lot of enjoyment from writing the 42 posts which have documented my thoughts on the copious quantity of food I’ve eaten this year. Hopefully I’ll enjoy reading them in years to come and take pleasure from the fact that I was able to consume so many calories and yet maintain such a respectable sized pot belly and pair of moobs. Also hopefully some others have gained pleasure and use from my thoughts on the various restaurants in Cardiff I’ve visited.

This leads me to think about the wider audience of the blog. It really is very hard to gauge the success of the blog in terms of readership, even through the pretty detailed statistical analysis provided by blogger. 10,000 hits seems like a decent showing for 6 months work but with almost all other bloggers opting to hide their hit counter, it’s very hard to tell. One of the only stats I have seen is that one of the most popular food blogs has 28,000 hits a day! In comparison to this, I am having a total ‘mare. This is compounded further by the low level of feedback (my parents telling me how great I am doesn’t count) which really does make it hard to tell who is reading my blog. Hopefully a decent proportion of my web traffic is coming from sources other than google image searches for pictures of Swarovski chandeliers (I hope they’re not looking for interior design inspiration) or from the occasional person looking for an explanation as to why they may be feeling ill after eating too many sausage and egg mcmuffins (I think the question answers itself). But in all honesty, who knows? So if you do enjoy reading by blog, if there are any restaurants you recommend I check out, if you agree or disagree with me on anything or if there’s something you’d like to share with me then please do.

I hope you continue to enjoy the blog.

5 comments:

  1. Always look forward to your blog, finally a foodie writer who doesn't take themselves too seriously. Well done!

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  2. Thanks for the kind words and the numerous retweets!

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  3. Hi,
    Thx for the link to my blog. The particular blogger to which you refer is one of the ones at the very top of the game. He's had several book deals and turned to blogging after time in professional kitchens.

    For an indication, my readership for my 6month stood at 3700 views for that month & probably 12k upto that point.

    Blogging isn't a competition, it's about being you & what you'd like to read or write about.

    A readership will grow as does a blog but slow organic growth is a lot better that a quick squirt.
    Hope this helps & congratulations on the 6months.

    Kind regards
    CHx

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  4. Chefhermes,

    Thanks for the comment. Reassuring to know my stats aren't too far off what yours were. I know it's not a competition. However a large part of the enjoyment from writing the blog comes from the hope that people find it of use when deciding where to eat in Cardiff (rather than one of my latest visitors who was searching on google whether there is a type of crack cocaine which looks like rice!).

    Best wishes

    GourmetGorro

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  5. I love your blog, and read it often so I must account for some of your hits :)

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