My story have concluded, is way weird. Back in 2008 do remember when the financial crisis hit, and was not touched. Was working at a large insurance company primarily doing data entry, and there were not cutbacks for us at that time. But could have been considered underemployed as with a degree in physics and ability to code, could conceivably have worked for much more.
Was in San Francisco having arrived the summer of 2005 in order to get work, and had happened quickly through a temp agency. And also most of my life have considered becoming a professional writer. The idea of the road less traveled has appealed to me often. Figured eventually might work for some tech company as a software developer. But was doing ok anyway, and enjoying the city.
Yet that blase attitude would change when a layoff did hit where was working, but still was not too worried, as was given a generous package, and started pondering what maybe should do with web things, which is where we get to surreal.
Was in San Francisco when web analytics arrived to my blogs, like here, when Google Analytics was opened up and was there around 2007 or 2008 found stats that stunned me. One of my blogs focusing on math had visits, according to Google Analytics from 125 countries. Another had visits from around 60, while this one was chugging along at only about 12, primarily English speaking.
For perspective, for ALL of 2017, checking for this post, Google Analytics tells me this blog had visits from 7 countries: US, Netherlands, Australia, UK, Canada, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia
Now then, for same period my math blog Some Math had visits from 59 countries. And my kind of general interest blog Beyond Mundane had visits from 68 countries. Started a new blog to focus on making money so decided to call Seriously Commercial for inspirational purposes with visits from only 22 countries for all of last year.
Back in San Francisco when FIRST was looking at such numbers they just seemed surreal.
It IS weird. How do you process such information? Web arrived and new possibles arrived with it.
Am realizing am living in one of those possibles without much guidance.
There was no indication beyond Google Analytics data. And none of the indicators that I had always thought would be there as I quietly learned was a global presence. And there was just these numbers.
So yeah when I got laid off seemed like an opportunity to figure it out and make the money I knew I SHOULD be able to make, which is still a work in progress. However, maybe understand it better?
Can you imagine? You discover that at least according to Google that you have people from all over the world paying attention to things you write on blogs? And that's it? And you're like, but where's the money? Where's the celebrity? Where's ANYTHING ELSE besides these numbers?
At one point after years of puzzling...no point in elaborating. Let's just say I tried to check things just about every way imaginable. And still am working at it. Could have given more global but just focused here on blogs.
The money is the hard problem and is an important one!!! Of course. But the mental stress is worth mentioning.
Thank God wanted to be a writer most of my life. Writers often struggle making money. And guess what I found out?
The one indicator that finally pushed me to accept was real was when that ease of getting a job went away. And guess, even if I do not understand, businesses understand that having an employee with a global base of interest? Well that's the kind of business risk apparently most are not willing to take.
Can you blame them? More I ponder, less I do.
That draw though is fascinating. And has NOT been commercial. The range fascinates me so much will admit would tell myself--quit giving out country counts.
But that is so much the data but also those are people out there. All over the world. And even if not some commercial number that human interest has been rewarding should make sure to have in here as well.
So really just have one more piece of the human story, trying to find a comfortable place in the digital age.
James Harris
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