This one goes out to my fans.
Analyzing my hit logs, it seems that about 40-50% of my “readership” are bots checking rss feeds (either the straight rss feed or atom – this blog supports both) and coming up empty.
Not surprising, as I’ve never been able to keep to a consistent (or prolific) posting schedule. Indeed, adding me (well, the blog) to an rss reader is the best way to keep up with updates here. You’ll forget to stop by, you only check in once a month, and by that time I might have written five really long thought-pieces — or I might have written nothing. If you use rss I just become part of your larger media diet, “Oh, RocketBomber. I’d almost forgotten about that guy. What drunken rant did he post this time?”
Still, about 400 times a week, some poor bot is tasked with loading my rss feed and comparing it to the last check, and coming up empty 90% of the time.
I thought I might give those hard working bots something to chew on. Not that they care. (But who knows, they might — maybe some day they will). Thanks, bots, for keeping that last lifeline open, a cable anchoring just another blog from sliding down the long slope into irrelevance.
I have about 15 items in my drafts folder; I’ll see what I can do about getting something into a postable form by Monday.
—M.
