Numbers Lie

Posted on by Stuart L. Tutt

My dear sister Tosin from Alethea’s Mind and I were sort of discussing numbers a while back in the comment thread on one of her posts about social media. In this post she was talking about how some people will post something on Facebook and then go check it like every fifteen minutes or so to see how many liked it. Then get upset if a certain amount of their friends didn’t like the post shared.

I’m sitting there thinking that is how I was in the beginning of my journey with this blog. Here I was pouring out my heart in 2013 and 2014 and IF I had 10 visitors a day I was excited and disappointed too. But my niche was porn. No one was talking about it back then…not really.

If it wasn’t for my dear friends in the Christian Marriage Bloggers Association I probably would have gone back to Facebook and continued sharing on my Spiritual Leaders Of The Family and Resurrecting The Redeemed From Porn Addiction pages and the groups associated with them. But they encouraged me to continue.

I am so very thankful I ignored the numbers and continued doing what God called me to do or I would not have the honor and privilege of knowing all my blogging friends. Many of whom, I can’t see my life without now.

But let me get back to the number thing…

For all you mathematicians out there who swear numbers do not lie…sorry. In the blogging world 1 + 1 does not necessarily equal 2. It could equal 2. It could equal 0. It could even equal over 1,000.

Here is the weirdness with Social Media and WordPress. Say I write a post like Look For The Knight With The Battle Worn Armor, which is one my favorites by the way. But it was liked on Facebook only by 23 people, according to WordPress and pinned on Pinterest 59 times. According to Facebook that post has been viewed by over 1,000 people. Did the people on Pinterest actually read the post? Probably not! They just liked the photo! Did they visit my blog? Some of them have 🙂

And as far as WordPress itself goes that same post was viewed 172 times and only liked by 7 bloggers with 6 comments and 3 of those are probably me thanking them for their comment.

And don’t get me started on Dear Porn Star: Please Forgive Me or From A Porn Scene Mentality To Intimacy With Your Wife because they went “viral”. One of the internet and one on Pinterest and Instagram. Neither one received a lot of likes but a lot of folks commented and are still commenting on those two posts periodically.

Here is the thing about social media. It doesn’t matter the numbers that you see. Because…

It doesn’t matter that it only shows 15 views on a post or 1,000. That 15 could be how many came to your blog and read the post, but how many people do not have their settings in Facebook to open a link outside of the app. Then you don’t know how many really read the post.

As a matter of fact, if you look at your Facebook Icon, if you have one, you may see a number there. If you do that means someone either liked the post on the app or shared it. That does not necessarily means they visited your blog site.

What matters is this….

That you are being real!

That you are being truthful!

That you are writing from the heart!

That, if you are a child of God, you are pointing your readers to Him!

Trust me, when I say this…

The one person who needs to hear what you have to say will see it and you may never know about it. They may not like the post or comment.

Guess what?

That’s ok! God knows!

So forget the numbers.

Be real! Be you!

But, if you are simply one of those bloggers who just have to have your numbers rise…do this…

Start reading other bloggers posts. If you liked what you read like the post. If that post touched you let them know my commenting.

Then watch the real thing happen…a blogging community that believes in you, encourages you, supports you and will stand in the gap and pray for you.

✌

Published by Stuart L. Tutt

I am just a man who has suffered through a lot, just like most. But now I am seeking God's will for my life. and trying to be a Godly father to my two children.

21 thoughts on “Numbers Lie”

  2. Awesome awesome perspective, awesome awesome post, and not just because we’re in it 😂😂😂

    Many people blog for so many reasons, but this is important for those who have been called to a mission and realise it. Keep your eyes on your vision and forget who is watching, and allow truth flow from you to the hearts of others, one or a million. 😍

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Yup! Again, it comes down to obedience. If God’s leading in a blog, then the writer and the reader/s will receive the blessings. If God’s not leading the blog, He will use it anyway (because He’s into redeeming), but the writer needs to look to Him first.
    Let God do what He likes.

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Thanks for this from someone who tends to look a little too closely at the stats for validation. I have been beginning to understand that the stats are not always what they seem anyways. Recently I received a notification of a like on a post, and yet there was no hit that the post had been viewed. So things are wonky. But I could so relate to your being both excited and disappointed that you had 10 visitors a day. That’s where I’m at, with both numbers and emotions…..

    Liked by 1 person

    1. This may sound mean to some of our blogging buddies but let’s be real. We are not the normal blogger. Our “numbers” will never rocket to the moon, per se. Though mine has drastically risen from the past five years. I took about a year off too, though.

      Yeah, things are wonky in the way WordPress tracks certain things. Let me see what I can do to help increase your readership. For what you write about more women need to read it.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You have offered me a good perspective that we are writing to a “niche” audience and my numbers may never rise significantly. And that’s okay because I do believe that God connects those people together that He desires and plans to heal and journey together.

        You have already done quite a bit to increase my readership. Back to statistics, my two highest post views are from ones that you have shared and linked with your blog. So thank you.

        I do spend a lot of time blogging. Reading and commenting on other blogs. But they too tend to be in my specific area of sexual betrayal trauma and sex and porn addiction. That does take away from actual writing time, and yet I highly value those connections I have made with you and others in the blogging community. It was an unexpected blessing!

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Excellent read. Deeply touching and thought provoking. Indeed I am one being touched by your writings brother, and many others I’ve taken to reading though seldom comment. I feel sad though because I think no one could possibly benefit from my insanity and dark posts. I don’t know why I’m still writing because I seem stuck in this all encompassing dark place. Who can benefit from this or the crazy rambling. I was though moved by this and have much to ponder now. Thank you

    Liked by 1 person

      1. How funny you should say that … I began a new post this morning (still unfinished) but saying how perhaps I shouldn’t be writing because of such darkness and negativity. Thanks brother. I’m greatly humbled and honored …

        Liked by 1 person

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