Is My Blog a Success.

I received an email this past week that posed that very question. Is My Blog A Success? From the title I assumed that this note would provide me with the answer to that question. You would think that such a note would have received immediate attention and a vigorous response to any suggestions for improvement.

It did not.

I stared blankly at the email, watched my screen flash, looked out the office door and took two telephone calls before I deleted it, unread and unwanted. It died a lonely death, unloved and unwanted it went to virtual hell or heaven. Not sure which, but wherever email goes is where you can find it.

The question of success can be viewed in a number of different ways. Why I suppose one should start by asking what it is that I am trying to accomplish, without a goal/objective how can we know if I have achieved success.

It is no secret that I enjoy using Stat Counter to see how many people read this blog, what they do, where they come from and how long they stay. I am a voyeur watching voyeurs. I find it interesting that people find my words interesting, amusing that some of these stories make them smile and appreciative of the support that has been offered and even the criticism.

There is a part of me that wants very much to be among the mighty bloggers who receive thousands upon thousands of visitors, to be a in position in which I could be a professional blogger. Imagine that, Jack the Pundit.

There is a part of me that would love to leverage this into a book deal and to use it as a stepping stone to being able to take a laptop to the beach and work while watching the tide come and go.

But as much as I may want all that, the importance of this blog is not how many links I have on Technorati, nor how many people cite me as being among their favorite reading material.

The blog is a refuge, a virtual castle in which I share my thoughts and concerns about life. I tell embarrassing stories about myself and portray a human quality that others may not see because I do not show them or because they are blind to it.

It is a place where I enjoy learning about myself and my beliefs, where I can hold dinner parties with people I might never meet nor interact with anywhere else. It is a sacred and holy place in which the profane intrudes upon the profound.

Is My Blog A Success is not something that I can quantify, it is a feeling that I can share, or at least describe.

My blog makes me happy. If it were removed from my life I would feel like a part of me was gone, my voice silenced, or at least somewhat muted.

I want all those things that I mentioned, but I want them on my terms. If they never happen I won't feel badly, a person needs to have not one, but many dreams. But more than anything I just want to continue blogging until I feel like I have sucked all the fun and pleasure out of it. And then I might retire, but I might not, who knows.