A Little Under the Weather
Consider this post to be a structured rant regarding my health, my website, and other things I can think of to apply headings to.
Feeling Sick
Last week I was prescribed some antibiotics to combat what the doctor thought was an infection. I never had an allergic reaction to antibiotics before, so I figured I was okay. However, after a week of taking the pills, I have been having symptoms resembling that of the common cold. I have sniffles, sore throat, coughing, headaches, ear aches, pain in the lower-back, and some other lesser symptoms. I feel bad about all this because I took some time off last week due to exhaustion, and now I have to take time off again. My boss is being really supportive, however, and would rather have me feeling better as soon as possible.
My doctor called me this afternoon and told me to discontinue using the antibiotics. So, we’ll see how I feel in a few days. I doused in some NyQuil as soon as I got home from work, but I’m still coughing and still have the sniffles.
Website Growth
I never thought I would say this, but my website appears to be growing in popularity. I’m not going to give away traffic figures since it is relatively low compared to other sites, but the amount that traffic is increasing is a nice motivator. I’ve noticed that the traffic I receive has a positive correlation to how often I post. I can’t post everyday though, so the traffic I’m getting is a nice compromise.
I submitted my blog to 9rules today. 9rules is a “cream of the crop” type blog network. It would be an honor to get in, but they are really selective. We’ll see in due time if this blog has what it takes to get in.
As of right now, I don’t see a whole lot I want to change in the design of my site. If I were to change one thing, it would be the “glasses” image. I’ve been considering paying somebody to design a logo that is more representative of me. Rather than forever tweak my website, I’d like to just stick with the design for a while and concentrate on developing my writing.
Spam
With the increase in popularity my site is getting, my site is also getting hit with an increase in spam. I used to go weeks without getting a single spam comment. Now, I receive about twenty spam comments a day. All I have to say is I love the WordPress spam filter. Every now and then a spam comment gets through the filter, but since I manually approve first-time comments, the reader never sees the comment.
Devlounge
I’ve written three or so articles for a blog called Devlounge. I’m not sure if my articles have helped anybody over there. So far my articles have been met with little community response (perhaps no news is good news?). I plan on writing a few more articles for Devlounge just to get the experience, and perhaps move on from there. If I feel like what I’m doing is actually helping (and Devlounge will have me), perhaps I’ll continue my contributions.
Christian Articles
I’ve been blessed with some debate over a few of my Christian articles. I’m aware my audience that comes here ranges from people that know me personally, to people that have stumbled in from other blogs (ranging from design to political). I’m at a point where I’m debating amongst myself whether to write more on Christianity. I’ve had an idea for a rather long series of Christian articles for a few months now. I’m just hoping that they are well received if I do start writing them.
My Audience
If you made it this far down the post, you are my very loyal reader! You are awesome! Now, since you are so loyal, how about you leave a comment and tell me what you would like to see from me as a writer. Do you like the ‘500 Words’ and ‘Invent This’ type posts, or would you rather have more commentary? Or perhaps you are the best reader and like things the way they currently are. Please let me know.
Join the Discussion (3 Comments)
I like the christian opinion articles, personally!
Posted on October 25th, 2006 at 11:26 pm
Hey, thanks for the compliment at the end there.
And then the nice little guilt trip there too. Nice touch. 
Let’s see, I like the 500 word essays. I could live with or without Invent This, but it is good to get the creative juices flowing. Nothing like religion (Christianity in this case) to get some lively discussion. One caution on that subject, don’t put out too many of those articles at one time, so as to avoid the discussion from splintering up.
Otherwise, it’s all gravy.
cetroyer
Posted on October 26th, 2006 at 9:07 am
Your articles are definetly helping. Don’t feel bad they may be lacking comments, as most of our articles lack community response. That’s something I’m really going to be trying to work on, because all writers want response and want to know if people found this useful.
Posted on October 29th, 2006 at 10:47 am