The blog goes dormant
I wanted to have a blog that meant something to me, and that provided some unique thoughts and perspective to the world. Until early November 2006, my modest goals seemed to be within reach. It was about that time that Google unceremoniously pulled my blog from its search index. More than two months later, I am still stuck in the Internet’s version of Siberia, with no way to change my situation. My SiteMeter page views, which reliably were between 150 and 200 page views per day before last November, dribbled to as little as 14 yesterday. A simple query on Google’s search index on “Occam’s Razor” returns nothing related to my site. In fact, if you try this query you will see that its search index contains not a single reference to this blog.
There almost seems to be a cascading effect. I remain in other search indexes like Yahoo and MSN, but because I am not in Google’s it seems like with every passing day that I rank lower and lower in their search indexes too. This translates into fewer and fewer hits.
So I am at a loss. I can continue to write blog entries for my own amusement and for a handful of family or friends that visit this place regularly. Or I can decide that blogging when my content cannot be found amounts to a waste of my time, and I should be doing other things instead.
I choose the latter. I will continue to do what I can to influence Google to index this site again, although I have followed their guidance to the tee. Creating and managing a quality blog is hard work. I have worked very hard to provide a quality blog for more than four years. Nevertheless, creating and updating a blog that hardly anyone can find is a waste of my time. Life is too short for my time to be squandered on a futile endeavor.
Unlike President Bush, who thinks that more of the same failed strategy in Iraq will work wonders, I am under no illusions. I may post the occasional entry here from time to time. Moreover, I do hope to be back in force once I am listed in the Google search index again. Until that happens, this blog goes dormant. I will use my time more productively: to read, research, indulge my other hobbies, play the good father and husband, and maybe actually smell a rose or two. However, I will be back once I am indexed by Google again.
Please do not throw away your bookmarks to my blog. I hope this is just a sabbatical and not the end. If you enjoy a good discussion, consider becoming a member of my forum, The Potomac Tavern, where you will always find me having conversations with my friends. Enjoy my archives because I believe I have left a lot of thoughtful and rich content. My Best of Occam’s Razor category is especially worth your time. In addition, feel free to leave comments (which I will approve) or send me email. You can also call Google to complain.
Let me extend my thanks and appreciation to all who have spent and enjoyed your time here. Thank you for all those who have posted comments. Whether this blog comes back to life though is no longer in my hands, but in Google’s.
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