Blog People

I read in a print magazine today that only 8% of Americans read blogs. The writer was snorting with derision, accusing us blog-writers of just reading each others' blogs. To which I snort right back and say, yeah, so?

If that anonymous writer--and I won't identify him or his magazine--would have done a little math he'd realize that if 8% of 300 million Americans read blogs, that would be an astounding 24 million blog readers. I don't know about you, but given the chance to have even a percentage of 24 million people read my stuff makes me feel kind of lighter than air, y'know? How many people read his magazine?

My buddy Eddie has a counter on his blog but I don't. I don't really want to know how many people read my blog. It could be one or 10, it could be 10 million. So what? Years ago I sat in my basement office with an electric typewriter my dad bought in 1965. I wrote letters every night to my friends, one at a time. I've always done that. I finally burned out the typewriter in the 1980s, and before going with the computer I wore out another electric typewriter and had started on my third. Now I've been through four computers.

I see this blog as a continuation of those letters I spent hours on every evening. I have a compulsion to write. I'm sure many other blog writers feel the same. Maybe a lot of people don't feel the compulsion to read us, but that's OK with me. I am still compelled to put it down and send it out.

The blog is good for something else. I save a lot of ridiculous pictures I find in various places. This I found on an old book. Where else would I get a chance to show this?Click on picture for full-size image.

To the approximately 23,999, 999 people who probably aren't reading my blog all I can say is you're missing out on that.

Ciao for now.