A Recap

Last month I completed my third year of blogging. Yet despite another year of increasing Cablog patronage the anniversary was ironically marked with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. I blame an excessive workload for I still love writing and cablogging.

The statistics show an average of exactly 500 unique visitors per day through 2006. With the growth of dynamic IP's the figures tend to indicate the majority of visitors are returnees, rather than casually arriving via search engines. Generally a large percentage of readers are Australian with many of them from Sydney.

A word about comments. Cablog is unique in that the average number of comments doesn't reflect the number of readers. The 1221 posts to date have attracted just 4.4 comments per post. Whilst this initially puzzled me I now put it down to the nature of my posts. These are, in fact, simply reports of passenger encounters and therefore not as subject to the numerous opinions and interpretations generated by politics and other contentious issues. At the risk of sounding arrogant I prefer it this way as I've neither the time nor energy to get into interminable comment box debates. I just wanna write.

Of course this is not to say I don't value readers and commentors and again I take the opportunity to thank you all for the continuing support and encouragement, whether you be responding readers, silent regulars or simply casual 'lurkers'. It's truly appreciated.

Finally some recognition for my blog host Typepad, from the Six Apart family. Family is the operative word as Six Apart is a wildly successful venture by husband and wife team, Mena and Ben Trott. Together through their companies they have brought delight and fulfilment to millions around the world with their user friendly blogging platforms. And once again they've received favourable press on their wonderful story,

A husband and wife team are eyeing unimaginable riches after an early foray into blogging,

One day I'll explain how they virtually saved my life. Needless to say I love those guys.

Comments

[jl]

Congratulations on the milestone, Adrian. Long may you ride! :)

[Darlene]

Three years and still writing top posts. Now, that's a writer.

I think it's good to read your posts and think about them for a bit.

That people keep reading is the best response of all.

I've stopped reading some of the explicitly political blogs because I got bored with it all (literally just looked at one mega-blog one day and thought, "why the hell am I reading this, I feel like I am back at school").

Never feel like that with Cablog. A well-written blog.

Happy 3rd anniversary.

[MikeFitz]

Congratulations on your anniversary, Adrian.

You're right. I keep coming back because your posts offer "insight" and not "opinion".

Keep up the good work.

-- Mike (occasional commenter but regular reader)

[jayjay]

Great blog - love your insights into the human condition.

[mc]

Here's another theory... I tried posting a few times and my comments were never published (though they did not contain anything offensive, sensitive, etc.). Maybe the numbers do not take that into account.

[Sean]

Congrats! Keep writing even if you give up driving.

[phil]

Adrian - my congratulations also. Similar to Darlene, when I dived back into the political/economic blogs immediately after Christmas I got so depressed. It's like being back at school all right, specifically it's like being bashed up in the playground ("my dad's better than your dad!").

I get a general feeling that we need more frequent restoration of our souls (maybe we just need reminding that we've got souls and are not just economic units, but that's a personal peeve), and human interest stories such as yours - both upliftng and depressing as they can be - contribute to linking us to the human condition.

Surely after three years of blog success you've got the makings of that book?

[pat]

Congratulations Adrian and I endorse the sentiments expressed above.

I reckon if you ever do write a book you'll become the Australian Damon Runyon.

I forgot to express at the time my condolences on the Jets losing to Parra in the reserve GF. If it's true what Marx said about history then that was a tragedy. Unfortunately, next comes the farce.

All strength to you and your keyboard in 2007.

[Turner Mitteron]

The only problem with statistics is that they lie.
If I post from home my addy comes up as Eastwood NSW and if I post from work it comes up as Sydney, and I live in country Victoria.
Happy New Year to you and your readers and I hope you are runner free, have no agro passengers and most importantly, have no liquid pizza left in the back seat in 2007.

[ab]

Happy third blogday Adrian - so how many years is that equalivalent to?

[NiteShok]

Cheers, Adrian. Keep writing, I'll keep checking in.

[adrian]

Pat, Damon Runyon ? Thanks but steady on old son, I couldn't even organise a book of cab stories last year. Actually I submitted it to a manuscript assessor who confirmed what other industry people had told me - a compilation of my previously published cab stories as is, won't work. At least not without a total overhaul and reworking, preferrably with a unifying theme. (I suspect this is the dilema Melissa at New York Hack is experiencing as she struggles to publish her book. She's basically quit driving to do so.) I mean I could do a total rewrite but boy, once a story is posted I'm over it and loathe revisiting old work. Hence my desire now to create a new work based on these encounters. Otherwise thanks for the positive feedback folks.

Oh, MC, that's puzzling as there's no comment moderation here, aside from the obvious transgressors and first time I've heard of non-published comments. Plus I've only ever blocked five commentors and their IP prefixes don't match yours so I can't offer any explanation for this. Turner M, true enough, some IP's don't log from the area they should. It may be listing the ISP's base location. Others may know more on this anomaly...

[Walter]

Congrats, Adrian! Love checking in with you and seeing how cabbing is going. Many happy returns.

[pat]

Well, publishers are known for always knowing what the public wants so their advice is invaluable.

On the other hand you could accept that your stories already have a following for what they are; short tales covering the gamut of the top end of town, the melancholy middle class to the brutal hollowed out types from struggle street.

Personally I don't think you need "a unifying theme" in fact it would be detrimental. The theme of your stories is Oz itself in closeup without the literati condescension and cultural loathing. I detect love or at least empathy with these people as your overall theme.

You write in the Australian vernacular which is attractive to foreigners (Oz, in particular her people, can be exotic as it is) and for us locals it is a riveting snapshot of life beyond the office towers and daily grind. Banjo Patterson had that ability as do you. And even back then people dreamed that they might "like to change with Clancy, Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go...". We're still in our dingy offices in the "foetid air and gritty of the dusty, dirty city" - it's still our city the same as it ever was.

I likened you to Runyon because his stories though fiction were based on real characters, real events and written by someone who has lived amongst it,with sympathy and understanding with a style in their idiom.

If I were you I would write short stories in the same style as you do now utilising the characters you have met in a fictional plot.

Perhaps you could initially bypass publishers and publish yourself via e-books consolidating the readership you have already established. You would also benefit from total ownership and thus all the profits. E-books are a passive income, the best type there is.

Anyway, just my thoughts.

[Lee]

I'm glad I discovered your site, Adrian when I first began my own blog back in May last year. I can't remember how I stumbled across it...but it was a lucky stumble...I've been a regular reader and 'commenter' ever since. I enjoy your blog, Adrian. :)

[foolery]

I visit from time to time and find your writing interesting, colorful, expressive, personal, and honest. Can't ask for better than that!

As a blogger myself I created a personal mission statement as my first post a year ago. Everything I wrote would be for my enjoyment alone, and if other people liked it, great! If not, no sweat -- it's my personal outlet. It's hard to compile a book out of writing like that, and I so agree that once you've created something the last thing in the world you want to do is revisit it. But if you've been true to your own convictions, observations and humor, that comes shining through for your reader.

Forget the book, unless you can do it with virtually no editing. We'll all keep reading.

Cheers!

Laurie in California

[losing it]

I enjoy your blog on a regular basis, not into comments but just butting in due to the subject line, also I love Sydney and I made a seachange and perhaps I should not have!!!

[Krupo]

Congrats, I wandered in after seeing a link on New York Hack, who hasn't been writing much lately herself.