The Glittering Eye is two years old

Today is my second blogiversary, the anniversary of the first post of this blog.

My first blogiversary post is here. I want to repeat every single “Thank you” I offered then. That post includes links to some of my favorite older posts. I’ll put links to some of my favorite posts from the past year at the end of this one.

It’s been an eventful year. My total numbers of visits is over 215,000. I currently get about 500 visits a day. That continues to be pretty small potatoes compared to what the big guys are getting but it exceeds my wildest expectations of two years ago. I’m pretty solidly a Marauding Marsupial (after the re-calibration of TTLB Ecosystem), usually ranking around 1200 (currently 1134). I wouldn’t mind having more traffic or evolving in the Ecosystem but where I am is nice, too.

I’ve continued to edit the Carnival of the Liberated over at Dean’s World. I’ve joined the Watcher’s Council. These are my joys.

A number of commenters are becoming regular visitors. Come on back, y’all. A vigorous, vibrant comments section is the one ambition I had when I started this blog that I have yet to achieve to my complete satisfaction.

This year I’ve actually met two bloggers in the real world: Jeff Medcalf of Caerdroia and Beth Donovan of She Who Will Be Obeyed!. There are a number of bloggers that I hope to actually meet including Marc Schulman of American Future, Callimachus of Done With Mirrors, Mark Safranski of ZenPundit, Dean Esmay, Michael Reynolds of The Mighty Middle, Joe Gandelman of The Moderate Voice. If you’re a blogger and you find yourself in Chicago, drop me a line. I really should get off my duff and meet with Mark S. and Rick Moran of Right Wing Nut House. They’re both Chicagoans, too, and I don’t have much of an excuse except indolence.

In August I converted from Movable Type to WordPress. Slowly, very slowly I’m tinkering with the template. I’ve got a lot of work to do. I’ve completely removed the old MT archives and developed a magic way of maintaining the links to the MT archive posts in other people’s blogs. I really need to suggest this as an enhancement to the WP development team.
I’ve learned a lot over the last year. For example, I’ve learned that my posts that garner the most hits over time are my recipes. My all-time most-read post is “How to poach a chicken breast”. If all I wanted to do with this blog was get more hits, I’d post nothing but recipes.

But for me one of the most important reasons for this blog is to help me explore things I’m interested in and my interests extend beyond cooking. So I’ll continue to post about politics, foreign affairs, dogs, economics, music and anything else that interests me even if it means that I don’t get as many hits.

Thanks, everybody.

Here are some of the posts of the last year that I’m proudest of:

My series on “China’s Time Bombs”: “Gray China”, the environment, the banking system, the pension system
Learning from History: the relief and re-building of New Orleans
Generalization, Over-generalization, and Moderate Muslims
My coverage of the rioting in France from November 3 through November 12, 2005
Options on Iran II

8 comments… add one
  • Happy Blogbirthday, Dave! While we’ve never met, I feel I know you better than a lot of people I havemet. I only wish I had the time to be a more frequent commenter at your blog. The care and feeding of mine is just too time-consuming.

    If I ever get to Chicago, I’ll definitely look you up. I’d love to share a great dinner (and bottle of wine!) with you.

  • This will happen, Marc. Whether in Chicago or down in the sunshine where you are, I don’t know, but it will happen.

  • There is so much for you to be proud of, Dave. You are among the very first sites I visit each day and I appreciate your wisdom, your intellect and your wit. And, let’s face it, anyone who loves food and opera is way, way up on my list.

    Congratulations and many, many more.

  • Constance Link

    Congratulations on your second anniversary, oh, genteel cyber-centrist! Reflection should bring proud moments and the future awaits your thoughtful analysis. Nice going, Dave!

  • Thanks, Dan, Connie. Connie, honestly the whole blogging thing has been very therapeutic for me. Kick-starting the old brain cells.

  • Happy blogiversary, and thanks for continuing such a fine, fine site.

  • Ann Julien Link

    Congratulations, Dave, from a loyal fan, Ann

  • As a fellow dweller in the land of indolence, I say unto thee
    “Congratulations” Dave ! GE is superb !

    We’ll have a beer together one of these days too, perhaps when it warms up and the sidewalk beer gardens open.

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