Thank You!

Posted on by Victoria

I have a confession, friends.

I don’t spend much time looking at my blogging stats…or synthesizing views from FB, IG or LI to understand the ‘reach’ of what I write. I write…to write. Express. Share. And whoa my gosh…I enjoy the camaraderie of comments. So much! 😊 (My flagrant use of emojis gives me away, I know.)

If you’re a newer reader here on Heart of the Matter, welcome. Even though many of us have longstanding connections, inside jokes and a depth of friendship which defy our online-only status, you are welcome here. Growing a following of readers takes time and your willingness to stop by, read and/or read and comment is appreciated.

Last week I took a peek at the performance of my personal blog, Victoria Ponders and found a few surprises. I blog often about my mother and the book I wrote about her complicated life, “Surviving Sue“. Despite the pain points in that story, there’s so much joy. My mother was a force of nature. Joyful and charismatic on her best days. Reminding me that even those who struggle and pull others into their fray, can have redeeming qualities.

Since I began blogging again, in earnest, here on WordPress about two years ago, I’ve noticed that my posts about family are popular. Family and inspiration, especially. And since the publication of my book, posts about writing, authorship are also well-read. But what surprises me the most? The mix of content about family and humor, despite the madness, has appeal. My post about my mom, “Sue Had Rizz” continues to be – by a mile – the most popular post I’ve written on my personal blog.  I wonder. Is it what I wrote? The compelling photo of my mom, center-stage? Or a combination therein?

I spend a chunk of time every week creating images for my posts and I love doing it. Lately, I’ve slowed down to consider the music that might best accompany a post before I share on IG. Both for Victoria Ponders posts and for Heart of the Matter. I enjoy the process of musing over musical selections but I have no sense whatsoever if it generates more traffic, ‘likes’, ‘impressions’. Or if it impacts the almighty Algorithm (with a big fat “A”) in the interweb. I dunno.

My highly tech-evolved daughter often tells me I do everything the hard way, but she’s noticed I’ll stick with a conundrum until I overcome. (Sometimes fuming, sometimes remembering to step away.) I like receiving her input because it reminds me that my goal of life-long learning is revealed in my determination. I may not win every battle when I go toe-to-toe with technology, but I’m holding my own and that’s pretty good.

I’m motivated by the camaraderie. That’s where the comments come in. They matter and I know I’m speaking for my fellow writers, Wynne Leon and Brian Hannon and all of our amazing guest bloggers and podcast guests when I say…thank you. For swinging by, for being part of our community. If you’re new, please follow us here, on our podcast and YouTube channels and on our personal blogs (see below for all the details).

Thank you for being here!

Vicki 😊

https://victoriaponders.com/

https://wynneleon.com/

https://writingfromtheheartwithbrian.com/

Podcasts: Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

42 thoughts on “Thank You!”

  1. Thanks, Vicki. I am grateful to have gotten to know you and Wynne as writers and as people. Keep writing! You make life better for your readers.

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  2. this is so spot on, and it is so interesting to look back and see what gets the most response, not really for the numbers, they can be motivating, but to see what is of interest to the readers. sometimes it can be quite surprising, but we can’t always predict what will be interesting in other’s eyes. when you talk about your tech skills, you still are more advanced than I , it’s still an ongoing challenge for me, but I work until I find a workaround or find a daughter to help as needed. I admire your tenacity. and comments/feedback is the best part of blogging.

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    1. I’m chuckling about our ‘daughters’ who come to our aid. Isn’t that the truth! I’m grateful to be in your orbit, Beth. You bring so much positivity and light…I look forward to your posts, your perspective and awareness. Cheers to you! 🥰

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  3. I love reading anything you write. With or without music 😁 I especially love the personal stories, finding others’ perspectives to the life they’ve been handed, and yours is wonderfully serious and at the same time fun insight. Beware though, if you consider music for your IG posts, I usually spend more time trying to find the just right piece that I do writing the post! Keep on motivating!

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    1. You’re making me smile! So true…the deep rabbit hole that we drop into when we try to pick the ‘just right’ tunes for IG posts. LOL! And thank you for the sweet compliment. I feel the same about your posts. You make me think and smile…and those are two of my favorite things.
      Keep it all coming, please. 🥰🥰🥰

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  4. Motivated by camaraderie. That is such a great line. We come to write about our stuff and we stay because it’s a lovely campfire to sit around! Love all your rich themes that speak to uncovering the joy in life. I’m so lucky to know you and be in your circle!!

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    1. Oh! Campfire! S’mores! I’m on my way! But truly…I’m with you. Finding the joy, sharing and learning from each other. Hugs right back at you! 🥰

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  6. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. What’s the heart of the matter? Readers like reading about family and camaraderie. Plus, who doesn’t want to read about Sue having Rizz. Ha, ha. Thanks for setting a tone where people feel comfortable being themselves!

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  8. I’m also not a big stats guy but occasionally take a peek and wonder why some posts are more popular than others. It makes sense to me that family and inspiration rank right near the top of your most popular posts. Everyone needs both, which makes them more relatable.

    I had a blogging friend who blogged for 2,633 days in a row. I teased him one day to ask if he was familiar with Cal Ripken, a legendary baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles who played in 2,632 consecutive days. Know him? He was Jim’s favorite ballplayer and was already in the midst of trying to break Ripken’s record, albeit blogging instead of baseball. The day after he broke the record, which he maintained that last year despite taking a fall and breaking both hands, he retired.

    I thought of Jim because he was totally into his stats. He blogged about something completely different each day, often on the most divergent habits of humans. I still remember that his most popular post was something about tires. It got views each day, and he was totally perplexed by it’s popularity. Go figure! I think he said someone had reposted it on Reddit and it took off.

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    1. I’m smiling – so BIG! It makes complete sense that a die-hard (or should I say ‘tire-hard’) baseball fan would be into his stats. The fact that his most popular post was about tires makes me laugh. Who would’ve thunk that? But as you said…it’s all about exposure. I also love that he took up the challenge to blog – in tribute to Cal. Wow – 2,633 posts is really something! 🥰

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  11. Writing from the heart and for the purpose of connection and enjoyment is a helpful driver and often more powerful than the almighty algorithms. I can see why your posts about family are popular. They come from a unique place and I think that’s what resonates about the posts on your blog and HOtM.

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  12. So many great points here, Vicki! The best part of blogging are the camaraderie and the ability to spill out whatever is on our mind and feeling seen and understood.

    Your mother was a character and you’ve taken away so many incredible life lessons, fun stories, and maybe even an exercise in forgiveness and letting go. I can see why people would be drawn to that! Or, maybe people were trying to look up what “rizz” means after overhearing their kids. 😉

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  13. The topic of stats seems to be THE topic of discussion everywhere I turn. I’ll say here what I’ve said elsewhere but this is my take on numbers about my blog [or IG or Threads accounts]: they’re none of my business. Like the old saying, your opinion of me isn’t any of my business. 😁

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