I don’t pay much attention to the amount of visitor traffic I receive here at Hop Step Jump. It’s a fair amount, I suppose, but it’s only about 1/10 of what Nowhere Anime Blog received. If I truly cared about reaching as many people as possible, I’d still be posting screenshots and writing one paragraph episode reviews - not wasting time on this editorial shtick.

However, I do pay attention to trends, and when I notice significant shifts in the number of people visiting, I start looking for the reasons as to why. In the end, it always boils down to the simplest of explanations: the more often I post, the more often people visit. Links from other blogs and sites typically only have a brief impact on the amount of traffic I receive. It’s so brief, in fact, that’s it’s lost in the noise in the long run. For example, Jason recently buried a link to Hop Step Jump in this post, resulting in a noticeable spike in traffic for a two or three day period. That’s since evaporated, however, and all I’m left with is curiosity about how much traffic Jason receives in the first place. It was an awfully big spike for such an inconsequential link.

But, anyway, returning to the matter of posting frequency and its impact on traffic, you might notice that I posted more in October than I did in the previous few months. You can probably guess why. In the period between June and September, traffic tanked, bottoming out a level I hadn’t seen since the blog’s earliest days. And it came at a time when I was tired, worn out, and seriously considering exit strategies (for the blog, that is… I wasn’t planning on jumping off a bridge), so I was clearly disheartened by the numbers I was seeing. So, I told myself, “you gotta post more,” and started making an effort to do just that.

Thankfully, it worked. My only goal, really, was to increase traffic from September levels. And as bad as September looked, I figured that was an easily attainable goal. However, when all was said and done, my October traffic was of a similar level as back in June - right around the time everything started going to shit in the first place - so I feel confident I managed to turn things around. And if last year’s numbers are any indication of what’s to come, I should continue to see increased traffic through the end of the year. The Year in Review got a lot of attention.

I have to keep posting, though. In October, I averaged one post for every two and a half days. That’s always been my target post rate, so if I can keep it up, I figure I’ll be fine. There will be good months and bad months, I’m sure, but if I can maintain my current posting rate in the long term, I’ll be satisfied. And I figure you guys will be satisfied, too.

And, yes, I just wasted a post on a bunch of oh-so-interesting meta-blogging.

See you again in two and a half days. Sorry.

As Hung mentioned on his blog, the 9rules Network recently reworked its membership agreement to require that members participate in their new social networking thingamajig… or else.

The primary reason I joined 9rules in the first place was because I was asked nicely; fellow blogger Michael Ono was trying to get an anime community established there and asked for my help. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I joined. I did so, however, with the expectation that I’d keep blogging the way I’ve always blogged. After all, I had already figured out how to attract the sort of readers I wanted to attract, and since I’m not trying to make money here, I’ve never worried all that much about increasing my traffic beyond the healthy level I already receive. So, business as usual.

However, the new membership requirement didn’t really allow for “business as usual,” and seeing as I was getting little to no benefit out of my 9rules membership as was, I didn’t see any reason to change my methods in order to remain a member of their little club. So, business as usual continues… except, I’m no longer a member of the 9rules network. Que sera, sera.

Of course, this little episode got me to thinking: what makes a good member of a blogging community? Contribution? Or participation?

I’ll come right out and state the obvious: as a member of the anime blogging community, I’m more focused on contributing interesting content than I am on participating in the discussions that naturally arise in response to that content. It’s not that I’m anti-social by any means. Rather, I’m just not one to speak unless I have something worthwhile to say. Last week, a colleague at work described me as having a “quiet demeanor” - this was compliment, I should add - and it made me think, “Gee, I hope people understand that I’m just as involved in what’s going on as anyone else.”

In other words, even though it may seem like it at times, I’m not off in my own little world here. I could probably do a better job responding to comments or participating in discussions with other anime bloggers, but my lack of participation isn’t something born from arrogance. Not by any means. It’s just my personality.

But as our anime blogging Author points out, the anime blogging community is full of people like myself. I’m not surprised, really. I’m sure anime fans are more likely to be introverts than extroverts, and the oddball nature of our hobby probably leads us to hold our passions and opinions close to our chest, even when amongst our own kind. And if you consider that there’s little money to be made or recognition to be gained from anime blogging, why make a special effort to stand out from the crowd? A successful political blogger may one day net herself a sweet gig contributing to a newsweekly. An ambitious tech blogger may one day find his name on the shelves at Barnes & Noble. A dedicated link blogger may eventually grow fat on ad revenue. But an anime blogger?

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: the anime bloggers I enjoy reading most are those who write with a distinct personal voice. When an anime blogger can effectively convey their passion for anime in words, I pay attention. And I don’t think I’m alone in feeling that way. If you collected the authors of the most popular anime blogs in a room, I think you’d find yourself amongst a pretty opinionated group. Not a group that’s focused on ad revenue, recognition, or other personal gain, but rather on sharing their love for anime with anyone who cares to listen. And there’s no shortage of people out there who care to listen.

Does it get any better than that?

I don’t know. Everyone has their own idea what makes a blogging community successful. Perhaps the anime blogging community could benefit from more structured (or spontaneous) discussion and less lecturing from the front of the classroom. I recognize that there are anime bloggers out there who are trying to change things, and I suspect that as more and more anime fans jump on the blogging bandwagon, the increase in diversity will likely lead to an increase in interaction. I’m pretty well set in my ways at this point, so I doubt I’ll have much to contribute in the future, but I still want to see what becomes of our little community.

And that’s your monthly dose of pointless meta-blogging. Next time, we do battle with the Ministry of Gundam and Agriculture.

Sorry for the silence… I’m taking a little break.