February 4: Not Catching On, Where Have All My Readers Gond?, "Rye" Dip Monday

Okay, I'm not sure what's happening.  For the last few months, the readership of Saint Marty has taken a dramatic downturn.  I'm talking thousands of pageviews. I've been trying to discern the reason for this decline in popularity.  (Yes, I'm beginning to feel like the nerd at the dance, sitting in the bleachers, watching the cool kids making out on the gym floor.)  I haven't been able to come up with any explanation yet.

At first, I thought it was because I switched from A Christmas Carol to The Catcher in the Rye.  Ebenezer Scrooge's tale is a little more uplifting than Holden Caulfield's.  That's certain.  It's also better known.  When I start talking about Holden and Phoebe and D.B. and Jane, only die-hard Salinger fans are going to know what I'm talking about.  However, the drop-off began in December, when I was still squarely in Dickens' country.  So that's not the reason.

Then I thought I said or did something that offended so many of my disciples that they decided to boycott my blog.  So I reread most of December's posts.  I couldn't find anything even remotely controversial.  In fact, some of the most popular posts I wrote for 2012 were in December.

I thought about my new weekly format:  Monday--Rye Dip; Tuesday--Saint of the Week; Wednesday--Worry Wednesday; Thursday--Blessing Thursday; Friday--P.O.E.T.S. Day; Saturday--Good Reads; and Sunday--My Favorite Things.  Perhaps I need to tweak my format.  I haven't really examined the pageviews to see which days have higher ratings.  Maybe I need a mid-season replacement.  That's something I'll have to check into.

Perhaps it's simply the time of year.  People are doing other things besides blog stalking.  I'm not sure I buy that line of thought.  It's the middle of winter.  It's cold and snowy.  The days are short, and the nights are long.  All those details would indicate higher blog traffic, not lower.  I don't think the decreased traffic is due to seasonal trends.

I not going to come up with a definitive answer here.  Too many variables.  I'll leave it up to my disciples.  If you're a frequent reader of Saint Marty, drop me a comment.  Let me know if something is bothering you.  Maybe you don't like The Catcher in the Rye.  Maybe you hate Worry Wednesday or Saint of the Week Tuesday.  Or maybe you've been spending your winter snowshoeing or skiing.  Let me know.  I'm not above pandering to popular opinion.

My question this Rye Dip Monday is pretty simple:

Will the pageviews of Saint Marty start rising again?

And the answer from J. D. Salinger and company is:

"Must we pursue this horrible trend of thought?"

I didn't say anything   I was sort of afraid he'd get up and leave on me if I didn't shut up.  So all I did was, I ordered another drink.  I felt like getting stinking drunk.

Holden's friend, Luce, gives me my answer:  must we pursue this horrible trend of thought.  I shouldn't worry about pageviews or readership or popularity.  I should simply continue to do what I do.

Either that or Saint Marty should get stinking drunk.

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