I use site meter to find out why people end up at this blog. I am interested in the number of people who came by. After a mention by a popular blog or a big news story it is fun to watch your traffic spike. Never the less I realize my blog will never have the number of visitors that other sites have. That’s o.k. since I beleive that it’s not just the number of people who show up, but the quality of people who read this blog that’s important.
What the site meter tells that’s important to me are the search words used. Often just before important news breaks I often find people using the same search words to arrive at the site. Sometimes the word, “financial troubles”appears before or after the name of the company folks have questions about. I found out about Bordier’s, El Modeno, and Hines Nursery bankruptcy from the search words used by visitors.
These days lot’s of people have been prefacing their search of various large and small companies with, “financial troubles”. One reason that they end up at this site is it is one of the only places that has discussed these companies before the fall. Google Hines nursery, Bordier’s Nursery, El Modeno Gardens, or Smith and Hawken, and up pops this site.
This seems the way news comes to the surface these days. Citizen journalism. Web sites that depend on readers to bring the news to them. In the past news outlets sent reporters out to gather the news. Now everyone is a reporter, even if they don’t know it. As a news gatherer I do feel a sense of responsibility not to announce what companies are showing up at this time. Big names and maybe just rumors, so it’s best not to feed the rumor mill.
An additional note. For some reason I had not not moderated comments on a number of past posts. We have been without power for the last few days because of heavy snow. If you posted a comment and it did not appear, I apologize. One comment was from Joe, who said about my post on social media, ” If you really want to write a blog please use proper spelling and grammar! Here is what you wrote: Just a few years ago we we’re told that nurseries really should not worry about or bother with social media, we are now told that your a dinosaur if you don’t. This is the way it should be: Just a few years ago we were told that nurseries really should not worry about or bother with social media; we are now told that you’re a dinosaur if you don’t.”
Joe is right! I disliked English in school, and as such it shows in my writing. I always thought it was more important to get the info out, and worry about spelling and grammar later. Since plenty of my visitors understand the English language better than myself, I will try and do a better job. As for Joe, proper spelling and grammar are not requirements for writing a blog. Anyone can write a blog, and I encourage you to write one concerning proper English spelling and grammar. Please continue commenting here on my use of spelling and grammar. I did try to follow the link for your name to find out who you are. Unfortunately, your name led to “server not found”. Joe, if your are going to comment at a blog and leave a link for your name, be sure it leads to somewhere besides “server not found”. That’s the way it should be.
Trey,
The biggest problem with the English language is the fact that there are too many words that sound the same but are spelled and mean different things. Your, you’re, yore is just one example.
English is my primary language (got a 98 one semester in English!) and I still have trouble sometimes when writing a post. I read, re-read, save the post as a draft, and go back later and read it again, before I actually publish the post and I still have made a mistake or two that I needed to correct.
I personally strive to make my posts as accurate as I can as far as spelling and grammar, but mistakes happen. Don’t worry about the minor misspellings, just keep delivering the accurate and up to date information.
Comment by Dwayne — December 10, 2009 @ 5:19 pm
Hey Trey, I was reading “66 Square Feet” blog and saw your name listed on her side bar. Interesting that I had to “read” a blog that comes all the way from New York, when you are right in my backyard! Wasn’t the snow incredible? We are still digging out. And…the 4 WD broke so we are a bit stranded here in Greenwood. I sort of agree with Joe about spelling. I myself have a blog and I try and spell everything correctly but occasionally something “slips” through. It has always bothered me to read misspellings but I know that some people just don’t know the rules or don’t really care. If it doesn’t bother you, then go for it. People will always complain no matter what you do. You have to please yourself.
Comment by Teri Mahl — December 10, 2009 @ 6:53 pm
I also enjoy seeing what words visitors “google” that bring them to my blog and which sites refer them there.
When I see a word misspelled in your blog, Trey, I know that you have spellchecker but you miss some words (as I do) because of your passion to try to convey your ideas. That is the most important aspect of your writing…your enthusiasm.
Comment by Victor — December 11, 2009 @ 5:03 am
Trey,
I enjoy reading your blog, and find it insightful. (I honestly wonder how you have time to run a business and maintain a blog in such a dedicated way. I am envious.)
I, too, disliked English in school, at least until my junior year in HS, when I was fortunate to have an English teacher who made learning grammar and syntax both challenging and fun without the need for memorizing definitions. (Good spelling has always come naturally to me; if only higher-function mathematics did.) I can’t tell the difference between a dangling participle and an atomic particle, and for all I know, a subjunctive clause could be one of Santa’s offspring, but certain things jump off the page when I read them. One of them is the unnecessary apostrophization of words such as “we’re” for “were” in the above-referenced comment, or “let’s” for “lets”, etc. This is a common problem in today’s written word, but I remember reading a biography of A. Lincoln a few years ago, and found that he often used the apostrophe incorrectly as well, so your (actually, you’re
) in good company. Remember that an apostrophe typically indicates possession, as in, “That group of plants over there is Paul’s”, or is a contraction of 2 words: “Let’s remind Paul that he needs to water them, so they don’t die like the last batch did.”
Anyway, that’s just my pet peeve. And dont get me started about people who write runon sentences without using any punctuation or capitalization at all i really hate that dont you it seems to be a growing trend among some younger dang i typed more than 140 char
Thanks for all you do, and
Happy holidays!
Comment by Doug Gagne — December 11, 2009 @ 5:53 am
Touche! Apparently he didn’t care about content. And what if you were dyslexic (sp?) like my husband? Then you reallllly can’t spell. He is one of the most intelligent & wise people I know. I bet you fall into that same category, too; the intelligent & wise part, that is. Too bad you didn’t know you were being graded for spelling and grammar before you started this site. LOL!!!! Thank you for what you write each month. Merry Christmas and have a very successful New Year!
Comment by Linda Hendershot — December 11, 2009 @ 6:25 am
We should all do our best and try to do better. Sometimes our writing skills get in the way of communicating what we mean. Some people say we shouldn’t use emoticons, while others say we should because it clarifies our intent, similar to the way a smile or frown or raised brow does when we are face to face.
If the only people who were allowed to share their opinions and views were those who used perfect grammar, spelling and punctuation the world would be much different, but not necessarily much better ;-).
Comment by Sid Raisch — December 11, 2009 @ 8:30 am
Hi Trey
Snow! Pictures, please,
Ha, emoticon. I used to hate them. Now I find them useful.
I type really badly. I spell pretty well. I was an English major (zzzz). But bad typing and good spelling are horrible bedfellows, so I often find mistakes in my posts, though I try to be religious about proof-reading. The annoying thing about mistakes is that they can put the reader off an otherwise very good or interesting message or story, as they give the appearance, founded or not, of sloppiness.
I like Sitemeter, too. Google Analytics is also useful. And Feedjit is just plain pretty…
Comment by Marie — December 12, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
Latin is a wanna be forgotten language in favor of me bad talk. Latin is cool and educational versus poor slang. Never went to get a degree because I was stupid. Stupid!!
Comment by Old Kim — December 14, 2009 @ 1:18 am
Aw, come on now. Blogging is squeezed into an already busy life. We’re typing fast, sometimes on cell phones, typos are probably more common than misspellings or bad grammar!
Comment by frank@nycgarden — December 14, 2009 @ 5:43 am
One possible solution to proper use of contractions is to compose your blog first in Microsoft Word. The grammar check function on Word can be helpful, but only if you set the preferences correctly. Click on the Preferences tab, then spelling and grammar. Then click on settings. Scroll down the list, and be sure the box for “contractions” is marked.
Having said that, one problem I have: cutting and pasting from Word into the blog program adds a bunch of gibberish. So, I save the Word document in RTF format, that seems to help. Word is a very powerful program, but finding the right settings can be a pain in the aster.
Comment by Fred Hoffman — December 15, 2009 @ 4:33 pm
LOL, Joe cracks me up. I too appreciate proper use of apostrophes, but that’s not why I come here. I can read my grammar books to take refuge in the greatness that is a properly punctuated sentence. I make no claims that such enjoyment actually filters down to my own writing.
You know what I found with google analytics to my own blog? I was getting a lot of traffic for the term ‘exploding shrubs”. I’d like to know what’s causing these poor people to google such a phrase. (I mentioned it in discussing Amy Stewart’s Wicked Plants books!)
Comment by Genevieve — December 29, 2009 @ 8:30 pm
As one of the people who found your site during a bankruptcy search last year, I check in periodically to keep abreast of recent developments or find confirmations to rumors I hear in the marketplace. So today I chime in with the latest tidbit from road. It seems Hines will acquire Bordier’s and lock up their position as the primary source for the Home Depot. With Color Spots’ take over of El Modeno, that leaves two major players running just about everything at the big boxes. How long before one absorbs the other?
Comment by Les — December 30, 2009 @ 6:20 pm
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Pingback by The Blogging Nurseryman by Trey Pitsenberger » Hines to buy Bordiers? | Breaking news from the gardening world, before it breaks. — December 31, 2009 @ 6:48 am
I think your blog has value, spelling and grammar mistakes and all. Keep it up! I am distracted by the mistakes, but I’ll get over it. Content matters a lot more.
Comment by lynn ferda — January 17, 2010 @ 8:23 am