A Minister for Propaganda Elf writes: An anomaly has come to the attention of the Grand Vizier, and it’s this: according to the very fine statcounter provided by, well, Statcounter, Crime Always Pays averages an admittedly modest 60 returning visitors per day, and yet the comment-to-visitor ratio languishes at a rather miserable 0.26.* Clearly, this means one of two things: (a) the posts are so bloody rubbish they’re not worth commenting on, so we might as well strike tent and start blogging about chick lit instead; or, (b) at least some of the posts are interesting enough to encourage repeat visits but the buggers are just too lazy to type a few words.
On the very dubious supposition that the problem is (b) rather than (a), allow us to provide a list of suggested comments, just to get you started. To wit:
1. This is rubbish.Honourable mentions for regular comments go to Ann Giles, Peter Rozovsky, Ray Banks, Sinead Gleeson, Gerard Brennan, Colman Keane, Patricia J. Hale, Uriah Robinson and of course the mighty Critical Mick. You’re all excused duties for the next month or so, thanks very much, with a special mention for Ray Banks, who can take the whole year off. As for the rest of you – you know who you are. Do the right thing, people: comment is free.
2. I haven’t seen as much rubbish in public since the ’76 Winter of Discontent.
3. I think John Connolly / Ken Bruen / Tana French is lovelier than warm pyjamas.
4. Where’s the good stuff?
5. Sorry, I was actually looking for Declan Burke-Kennedy’s site.
* Statistic plucked at random from the Grand Vizier’s fevered imagination.
I've always been surprised at the lack of comments. Considering the fact that a large proportion of your readership must be writers they're not a chatty bunch.
ReplyDeleteI shall do more.
Yes, I had been feeling somewhat lonely here.
ReplyDeleteI'm constantly asking my friends why they don't comment (if only to say it's rubbish) when they actually do read my blog. But they don't. I also find that the fluffier and sillier a blog entry, the more comments I get, so maybe you haven't reached the heights of silliness, yet. (Hard to believe.)
And too many people think they need to know something in order to comment. They don't realise how easy it is to just jump in and be rude in general.
YOU WILL NEVER SILENCE ME, BURKE!
ReplyDeleteAAAAAAAAAAaaaaHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
(swishy cape and exit stage right)
I'm averaging one comment a day since yesterday and I do believe I left a comment on here oh maybe last October. That should round your statistic off to a nice even 0.30.
ReplyDeleteSee you tomorrow.
I think Bookwitch has a point in saying lots of people feel they need to be an expert on the topic to post a comment, or at least like to sound like they know something. Not me however! Is anything lovelier than warm pyjamas?
ReplyDeleteWhy don't I get an honourable mention? I've been known to leave a not very pithy bon mot from time to time. Is it coz I is an elf? Consider my comment quotient upped.
ReplyDeleteWell I'm looking forward to the abuse, if that doesn't sound too perverted.
ReplyDeleteI saw the lack of comments and had thought that the comments were locked in some way. Odd.
ReplyDeleteLadies 'n' Gennulmen - I thank you all. Twenty? Self-abuse is no abuse, thanks all the same. Ian? Ta for dropping by, sir ... and a little bit of humour might be exactly what this blog needs. Claire? Who let you out of the dungeon, elf? Edel - Warm pyjamas with pictures of bumbley-bees on them with little speech-bubbles saying, "Bee-yootiful." Sinead, ta very much for the plug on Sigla - and yes, people have been very quiet about the Kathy Foley piece. Is everyone still hungover from Saturday night? Laura - it's an electronic date, ma'am ... And who the hell let Banks in again? That blummin' twirly moustache fools everyone ... Cheers folks, Dec
ReplyDeleteThanks for the acolade. This is the one place on the planet where talking too much is like, a good thing. Not everyone can have my ability to comment even when I don't know what I'm talking (writing) about. It's a gift.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the acolade. This is the one place on the planet where talking too much is like, a good thing. Not everyone can have my ability to comment even when I don't know what I'm talking (writing) about. It's a gift.
ReplyDeleteI need to know why you are using an old photo. If, indeed, you are. You might be lying. Is it because you are very ugly these days? You can't have us girls drool over something old. (That didn't sound too good, actually...) Somebody old? Or is it because you are actually Eoin Colfer? The one with two shirts and one jacket.
ReplyDeleteStatCounter has a long memory so maybe it has me as a returning visitor even if I arrive here irregularly by different roads.
ReplyDeleteI usually stay a while but not being a reader of crime (oh -except Eoin Colfer) I'm left reading, and enjoying so, but with nothing to add.
Also I've long noticed that reader to comment ratio goes right down once the blogger posts more than once a day. On my Irish KC site I've improved this by splitting my site into 2 streams, with the more personal stuff now receiving more comments.
On American Hell though, much as I would love humorous banter, or even frequent cries of "That's tosh", people rarely say anything - and I can't blame them - if I was them I wouldn't know what to say either.
I'll try harder here though. Thanks