The BlogExplosion experiment continues. It certainly has brought a lot (and I do mean a LOT) of traffic to this site. While a lot of the people who came by took the time to respond to the first poll I posted here, fewer have responded to the second. If I had to guess I would say probably about 24 to 30 percent of the visitors from BlogExplosion read or skim the top article on the page of a blog but still leave right around the 30 second time limit (the minimum allowed to earn credit for the visit). I am guessing that in the end BE will prove to be a decent way of bringing in traffic, but not bringing in “good” traffic, which is to say traffic that is actually interested in the content. In their FAQ they do mention that eventually they may give surfers the ability to “filter” the sites they visit to they visit, for example, only blogs that are based on sports or religion. I will say that BE is far better than most of the similar programs which are open to all sites, not just blogs, for they are generally filled with nothing but sites selling illegal software, pills and so on.
And while I’m on the subject, thanks to those who have rated this site (except for the two of you who gave it a 1). For a while yesterday it was apparently rated in the top 5 overall (5 out of 3000 ain’t bad). It has slipped a bit now, but another couple of 9s or 10s would but it back on the list, I think. And yes, feel free to take that as a hint. I’m shameless!
I haven’t read more than 2 pages of a book all week. The family has been sick (one case of bronchitis, one of some similar infection and one bad cold) and I just have been up in the night hunting down cough medicine, refilling humidifiers and so on. When I’m tired I just can’t read, especially when the book is as heavy as The God who Justifies by James White. It seems we are on the road to recovery so hopefully I’ll be able to jump back in my tomorrow or Monday. I don’t think I’m going to get through my 50 books this year!
A couple of days ago I picked up I See Things Upside Down by Derek Webb. As I expected, it is an excellent album – one of the best I’ve gotten in a while. It seems a lot of music, and perhaps this is more true of Christian music than mainstream, sounds the same these days. There just seems to be a lack of originality. You certainly can’t fault Webb for this. His album is original both in content and style and like his previous albums, is an experience. I’ll have a review of it next week. While I picked up that I noticed Caedmon’s Call’s new album was on sale so I got that one as well. It is very different from what they have done in the past as it has a “world” feel, but is very good. I recommend both of these albums.
Recently I read and reviewed The Word of God in English by Leland Ryken. Just yesterday I read an interview with John MacArthur who called it a “slam dunk” in the battle to defend literal translations. If you read my review, you know I agree with him. It is definitely a good read and will change the way you think about the Bible.
And now it’s time to get some lunch and get the kiddies ready for nap time (and quiet time if they aren’t going to nap). Have a great weekend!
