Jun 10, 2009

Really Simple Stalking vol. II


A little over a year ago, I finally joined the rest of the Blogosphere and started to use a feed reader. I know most of you have been using one for years now, so you already know what a time saver it can be. One small disadvantage has been that I wind up visiting sites less often and thereby commenting less often. But I assure you, I am out there and I am reading your drivel.

I use Google Reader, as I assume a bunch of you do as well. I know there are others, but since I already use Google for Blogger, I figure that would be the easiest one to use. And it is. Very easy to use.

A topic of discussion that pops up every now and again between Slyde and I is the number of subscribers that each of us has. Not in a "Wow...isn't that cool" way, even though it is. And we aren't just comparing dick size, because that would just be embarrassing for the poor, little guy. No, what perplexes us is the large difference in number of Google Reader subscribers each of us has. As of right now, Slyde has 14 subscribers and I have 76.

This makes no sense to either of us. We have just about the same number of people reading us, we believe. He posts a little less frequently than I do and he is probably more interesting (but far less sexy), so he usually winds up with many more comments than my posts. But if you look at the number of followers on his blog, he has always had more (65) than I (47). And by following someone on Blogger, it usually automatically updates your Google Reader. Are the large majority of his readers using a feed reader other than Google? I dunno, so it makes no sense to us. We think it might have something to do with the trials and tribulations he went through converting his blog to Blogger, but honestly we have no idea.

Anyway, I am very happy with the 76 subscribers I do have and I thought it would be a fun little exercise to see who has the most subscribers on Google Reader out of those personal bloggers on my blogroll. Last year it was Avitable with 137 subscribers. Here are the Top 5 as of today:
  1. Miss Britt - 535 subscribers!
  2. Avitable - 379 subscribers (but 242 more since last May!)
  3. Blogography - 326 subscribers
  4. That Blue Yak - 312 subscribers
  5. Always Home and Uncool - 271 subscribers
That's a lot of folks reading your drivel, people! And that is only the subscribers using Google Reader.

If you are reading this, then you are probably already reading those 5 blogs. And you should be. They are consistently excellent. But so are the rest of the blogs on my blogroll*. Of course they are, I have excellent taste! So go take a look and give them a try as well.

Yeah...even Slyde.

*The blogs listed on my blogroll aren't the only ones I read. I read quite a bit more. I just haven't updated that widget in a while. I think that if I did, it would look so huge that I would probably feel better deleting it. So I've been putting it off. Sue me.

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Note: Remember to play the Bug-Eyed Trivia Challenge every day. Today is old-timey baseball trivia day! And there was much rejoicing. yay.

24 comments:

badgerdaddy said...

I'm getting the urge to blog again. Must....not....give....in....

Anonymous said...

I might have to loo into this cause I still go around to all the blogs I have to hit individually. I take it this makes it a lot easier?

Wil Harrison.com

2abes said...

blog blog blog....you and slyde are very competitive...

Verdant Earl said...

badger - you know you wanna...

Wil - Soooo much easier. New posts are automatically updated on your feed reader. You can read them there and just go to the ones you wanna comment on. Huge.

2abes - well, he tries to be competitive, but I am vastly superior in every way. Especially in the pants!

Avitable said...

Those Google Reader stats are skewed, too. They never seem to line up with the other stats programs that I have.

Michelle said...

Stupid question, but how do you find out how many subscribers you have?

SORRY!

Verdant Earl said...

Avitable - I figured. Something is def off with Slyde's, I know that.

Michelle - In Google Reader, you click on any blog and then you show details (top right). It's in there.

Slyde said...

something is definitely wonky with mine. It probably has something to do with the fact that i created that blog long ago with the "OLD" blogger, and then i didnt use it for 3 years and at some point i had to do something to "upgrade" it to the new one.

it doesnt even list my name correctly if you look at each post... it says it was written by NOREPLY@BLOGGER.COM or something like that.

p.s. you know DAMN well that my penis is way bigger than yours.... we've proven it, remember?

Barlinnie said...

I used to use Google Reader quite a lot, but of late it seems to be slow in updating. Sometimes up to 24 hour delays occur.

Kevin McKeever said...

I'm No. 5! I'm No. 5. I now must conquer Yahoo RSS readers.

Mrs. Hall said...

EARL!! another dream last night! DAMMIT! and you hadn't even posted this new content yet. GODAMMIT! well, i'll write about it later.

anywho . . . . .

um, how do you figure out how many subscribers you have? I use the google reader.

ok

thanks dude.

:)

Verdant Earl said...

Slyde - it was very cold out that morning.

Jimmy - I notice an occasional delay as well, but nothing that long. Maybe it has to do with you being overseas? I dunno.

Uncool - You can do it!

Holly - I'm the man of your dreams! ;) If you have your own blog in your feed reader, you can click on it under subscriptions and then "show details" on the top right. Or I could just tell you. You have 27 as of today in Google Reader.

Anonymous said...

How do you find out how many Google Reader subscribers someone has? I know how many I have through Feedburner but have no idea how to find out in Google?!?!?

Anonymous said...

Oh nevermind, I figured it out! Man, I have like 1/4 the subscribers in Google Reader than I do total with all feed readers and the like!

savannah said...

xoxox thanks for the new reads, sugar!

Heff said...

Way to "plug" Slyde, dude ! Yeah...

Dr Zibbs said...

312? I AM famous.

The sad thing is - I use Google reader as well but I have no idea how to find out how many subscribers I have. Thanks for doing it for me.

As for Avitable's blog, I haven't heard of the others. I will check them out.

And lastly, you and Sylde bott have great blogs. I read every post. Except if it's about sports.

Suzi Q said...

Google Reader makes blog reading soooo much simpler, but makes commenting a little more difficult. I know I feel guilty for not commenting as much as I once did.

(Also, I've jumped to 10 subscribers!)

Mrs. Hall said...

Ok, cool. now, are the subscribers different then the followers?

because I assume there is some overlap! :)

Verdant Earl said...

Hilly - the count is off on a number of sites, it seems.

Savannah - anytime!

Heff - he wishes.

Zibbs - you are a rock star! I wonder how many you had last year at this time.

Paige - woot!

Holly - yeah, there def is some overlap.

sybil law said...

I read all but one of those, and as IF I need another blog to read, but, yep - I am a sheeple...
:)

Verdant Earl said...

Sybil - you are baa-ing to the choir when it comes to being a sheep. ;)

Faiqa said...

Yes, but the fact that I've subscribed to Avitable's blog 325 times explains his ranking.

Bruce Johnson said...

Actually, I stopped using Google Reader about a year ago (it is still out there somewhere on my link list), but I just follow other readers by looking at the blogroll on the side of my Blog and seeing what they have updated and when. With only about 30 blogs that I follow, I found it eaiser to use.